Field Notes
The ruddy shelduck, or Brahminy duck, is one of the warmer sights of an Indian winter — a rich orange-brown bird that arrives from its high-altitude breeding grounds in Central Asia and settles on our wetlands until spring.
I photographed them at Gajoldoba, usually in pairs, for these birds are famously devoted and are rarely seen far from their partner. They stay wary and keep their distance, which makes an unhurried, respectful approach the only way to work with them.
