How to Photograph Birds in Flight During a Sundarban Wildlife Photography Tour

For wildlife photographers, the Sundarban is a fantastic place to visit, particularly for capturing wildlife in their habitat, which includes birds. It is full of colourful kingfishers flying over narrow creeks, eagles flying over mangrove forests, and more. But capturing images of birds in flight demands the patience, fast reflexes and correct camera skills. Knowing the settings and movements of the birds can help you to create more interesting and crisp images during a Sundarban Wildlife Photography Tour.

Select the most appropriate camera settings when shooting flying birds:

Birds don't tend to remain still for very long. Thus setting up your camera for capturing fast action shots requires that you be able to capture the action without having to deal with blurriness.

For freezing fast moving birds: Shutter Speed: Start at 1/1600 to 1/2500 seconds.

Aperture f/5.6 / f/8: keep it in good sharpness and not let the light get to low.

ISO: Set the ISO depending on the amount of light available. Use more in shade in mangroves for birds.

Using Exposure Mode: Shutter Priority (Tv or S) can help keep the shutter speed constant.

File Format: Use RAW files for more details and flexibility in editing.

These are some good defaults to begin with. Adjust them depending on the lighting conditions, the speed of the birds and your camera equipment.

Observe fast flying Kingfishers and Eagles

Bird photography is interesting in the Sundarbans in the presence of Kingfishers and eagles. Kingfishers move very quickly from branch to branch and water; eagles will glide in an open sky.

Observation and practice are needed to track these birds. Track their movements prior to taking photos. If the kingfisher is a regular visitor to the same branch, set up your camera beforehand. When approaching eagles, you should fly along their flight path smoothly without pitching and keep the bird in your scope.

To get close-up shots of birds without disturbing their natural behaviour, you can use a telephoto lens (300mm or 400mm). Try not to make any sudden movements with the camera, especially when shooting from a safari boat.

Learn Autofocus Techniques and Burst Mode

One of the most essential things to capture birds in flight is the autofocus feature. Focusing on the birds can be challenging when they are flying erratically.

Consider these techniques:

Continuous Autofocus (AF-C or AI Servo): Follows the bird's movement and keeps adjusting focus.

Tracking autofocus: Assists in keeping the subject in focus when it is moving.

Wide or Zone Focus Area: Allows for easier following of birds across the frame.

Use Bird eye detection if available

Burst Mode: Take a few pictures at once to increase your odds of getting the right wing position.

Try them out in advance of your photography tour, so that you can make the camera do what you want on safari.

Make the Most of Your Sundarban Boat Safari

Birds are often seen flying across rivers and creeks and mangrove areas offer great opportunities for Sundarban Wildlife Photography Tour on a boat safari. The early morning light is often pretty, and you can spot some of the birds in the area more easily early in the morning.