17th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
A large flock of Grandal in natural habitat

A large flock (it has more than 2000 birds) of very high altitude and elusive bird Grandala. Photographing Grandala is always a challenge as this birds stays in very high Himalayan terrine for almost 8 months , they came down to 14000 to 8000 ft altitude only when heavy snowfall started and the upper areas are completely snow covered and almost nothing left for them to eat. In the lower areas (12000 to 8000) a fruit called buckthorn fruit became the source of the food for these birds. The wave of this rare bird was moving from a tree to another.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 12.2019
Date Uploaded: 11.2019
Photo Location: Sikkim, India
Camera: NIKON D850
Copyright: © Kallol Mukherjee