Pied Kingfisher. Photo: Niaz Abdur Rahman

I have never been to Bhutan, though I have always wanted to visit this magical land in the mountains. Recently, though, I got a taste of Bhutan when I went to see a photography exhibition called “Beautiful Birds of Bhutan and Bangladesh” at the Shilpakala Academy. It featured sixty-three photographs by three Bhutanese and six Bangladeshi photographers.
This was the second joint exhibition of Bhutanese and Bangladeshi bird photographers. The first one – supported by the Bhutanese and Bangladeshi governments - was held in Bhutan last year.
The exhibition was sponsored and organised by the Bangladesh Bird Club, a group of sixty bird enthusiasts which was formed eighteen years ago. The Club works for bird conservation, including bird census, bird-ringing (for tracking and monitoring) and raising awareness of nature and birds – including threats to their survival - among the general population. Prominent birder Enam Ul Haque – who is also General Secretary of the Club - curated the exhibition.
Upon entering the exhibit hall, I saw the work of Yeshey Dorji. His portraits of Bhutanese birds were astonishing. A scarlet minivet seemed to come alive as did a beautifully exotic pheasant called satyr tragopan. Even though Dorji must have used a long telephoto lens, one did not get the feeling of peeping that such a lens often imparts to the photo. Instead, the details and colour on the birds were impeccable and looking at them was almost like meeting them face to face.
Another Bhutanese photographer was Rebecca Pradhan, an ecologist who, among other things, works on saving the critically endangered white-bellied heron. Among her photos at the exhibition was a poignant portrait of this bird.
A close-up of a spotted laughingthrush perched on a wooden fence was one of the works shown by Sonam Wangdi who works on wildlife conservation for the Bhutanese government. The expression on the bird's eyes is sharp, almost as menacing as his sharp claws which stand out in the photograph.
While Bhutanese photographs were mostly portraits of birds, Bangladeshi photographers showed birds in mostly dynamic settings.
Niaz Abdur Rahman – a noted eye-surgeon and Club President – showed several photographs including one of a pied kingfisher hovering in the air just before diving into the water. Since they are very quick, one needs to kingfisher habits very well to capture such a moment.
Majeda Haq's profile photograph of a grey-headed fish eagle, sitting with wings half-open, observing his domain and ready to pounce, shows the power of this majestic bird.
A suspenseful moment when a marsh harrier swooped down from above to attack a flock of swamphens was caught by Muntasir Kareem.
Groups of birds featured prominently among Mushfiq Ahmed's photographs. In particular, his photograph of a vibrant flock of Indian skimmers against a crisp blue sky was like a painting.
Three pied avocets, taking off in perfect order as if in a time-lapse photograph, was one of the photographs by Saniar Rahul, who also showed a graceful pheasant-tailed jacana.
Shimanto Dipu showed a series of photographs from bird-rich Tanguar Haor including beautiful red-crested pochards and glossy ibis.
I left hoping that this splendid exhibition becomes an annual event in the future.

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