Himalaya is huge, I mean when one spends enough time with the mountains, one realizes how insignificant, how puny, how laughable are the thoughts one has about his or her life. You come to Himalaya and suddenly one realizes how amazing this creation really is. One is left in awe, how spectacularly, how painstakingly, and with such great care has the creator created this absolutely magnificent piece of heaven? The layers upon layers of mountains, merging into eternal snow. The beautiful sunrises and the breathtaking sunsets. How could someone create something so beautiful and not even lay a claim to it?

It’s here that the raptor which is so aptly named the Himalayan Vulture calls his home. With a wingspan of 6 feet and more, it is some raptor to witness. The persona and the charisma of a Vulture can hardly be captured in an image and is best experienced seen. If you have ever witnessed a Vulture gliding amidst the mighty mountains, it’s something that one naturally bows down to.

Over the years, I graduated from taking portraits of birds to showing the habitats. Himalayan habitats are some of the most magnificent and best in the world. Capturing wildlife showcasing the immensity of these habitats is something that I find extremely satisfying.

This winter afternoon, clouds were closing in from the north and at 2800 Meters, it was going to snow any moment. But for now, there were vultures gliding all over the valley, at least 8 to 10 of them in tandem. Although I had 400 mm, I really wanted to show these majestic raptors in their habitat. Putting on a 100mm lens instead, I took a number of shots. Here one can see a fully grown Himalayan Vulture, gliding, with the mystical-looking Chaukhambha, peeking in the background. A personal favorite shot of mine for it exemplifies perfectly, how rugged and inhabitable these terrains are and how this majestic raptor just rules over it.

As the evening dawned, so did the snow and for the next 2 days, I was packed inside a room, only coming out to answer Nature’s call and occasionally to enjoy the thick blanket of snow.

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