Monday, February 2, 2026

Swaraj Dweep

It looked like the Dollarbird was posing for me with the tilt of his head.
Went bird watching at Swaraj Dweep (Havelock Island of Andaman Nicobar) and was lucky to have spotted quite a few  birds.
The Dollar bird is a first for me and is found in Australia to Korea, Japan and in the Andaman Nicobar islands.
The other first for me was the White bellied sea eagle.
In the video you can see how majestically he flies over the beach.
While clicking some pictures of the sunset, I sensed some activity behind me and saw some red breasted parakeets busy chatting away before sunset.
The common Kingfisher and the White throated Kingfisher took turns to share the same pole to perch itself for fishing.
Found these Eurasian Moorhen at the same waterbody where the Kingfisher was.
A pair of Black naped Oriole were right on top of the tree and they looked good against the rising sun.
Greater Racket tailed Drongo, is capable of mimicking other bird calls.
The Andaman Coucal is slightly different from what we see in mainland India.
There were many more birds that we spotted but I could not photograph.There was an opening in the forest and I liked the way the sunlight was falling on these tall Padauk trees.
This picture will give you an idea of how tall and huge this tree is
This tree stump must have witnessed many activities over here especially during WW-II when the Japanese used this as a surveillance point.
After sunset, it is worth venturing out to have a peep at the nocturnal birds and insects (with proper guidance) Mr Prathamesh is a good guide who can show you around. Here you see the Signature spider. The spider gets its name by the individual signature you see on the web.
The highlight of the stay was the coral walk. I got to learn many things about marine life, especially around the corals.
By the way if you stay at "Barefoot" you get to experience many things including  the coral walk.
The sunset as seen from Barefoot.

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beautiful coverage of the trip to Andaman and nearby islands

Haddock said...

Thanks Madhav for the comment. Really enjoyed the stay. It was worth the visit.

Anonymous said...

Awesome camera shots!!! 👌. And, as always, equally awesome write up..... 👍😊
Keep going Joe...... Your blogs are really enjoyable......

Haddock said...

Thanks for that comment. Unfortunately I could not figure out who has commented. I would request all to add their name when commenting as Anonymous.

Linda's Relaxing Lair said...

Beautiful photos, Haddock. Thank you 😊 so much for sharing your journey. I am very happy to see your post, dear friend 🧡 I have missed you.

Linda's Relaxing Lair said...

I also enjoyed your video.

Bill said...

Amazing and beautiful photos. The Kingfisher is so cute. Super sunset photo. Thanks for sharing your beauty, I love it.

Haddock said...

Thanks Linda.

Haddock said...

Thanks Bill. The sunset over there is something different.

Ирина Полещенко said...

Great photos! I like birds very much!

Lata Menon said...

Lovely pictures,Joe.
Loved the pictures of the Padauk trees,the spider,the sunset and all other pics!

FitFoodieMegha said...

Lovely captures. Even when you can't photograph, the experience is what matters. The coral experience must have been amazing. Thank you for sharing.

Ananka said...

Wonderful photos :-D

Giorgio said...

Hello,
great photo of such colourful bidrs. I also enjoyed the sunset.
Andaman is a beautiful place to visit. Thank you for sharing photo-tour.

Greetings from Italy,
G.

Tom said...

...I love all of these beautiful images on this cold and snowy morning, thanks!

NYC to London Flights Starting at $143 said...

This sounds absolutely amazing! 🐠✨ I love how you highlighted the coral walk — it really makes the experience feel both fun and educational. Learning about marine life up close is such a memorable way to connect with nature, and your excitement about it really shines through! 🌊💛

Anonymous said...

As usual, wonderful pictures and beautiful writeup. Joe, Thank you so much for sharing your experience at the Andaman Islands

Haddock said...

Thanks for that. Unfortunately I don't know who commented, so would request all to add their names when commenting as Anonymous

Liz A. said...

Bird watching is fun. So many different types.

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful blog. Wow !! Joe, keep surprising me - AnnMary

Anonymous said...

Dear Joe,
Amazing information with beautiful photographs !
Though I am not there, I always witness the beauty of nature through your camera & narration !

Joe, heartfelt thanks for sharing !

Sanjay

Haddock said...

Thanks Sanjay,
Love to capture what I see and document it for posterity.
Regards

Tomichan Matheikal said...

That's a gret virtual tour of the islands. Your video at the end is gripping, the music adds to the entire charm.

Anonymous said...

Hi Joe,
Thanks for sharing - as usual lovely blog, photographs and video. How did you get the names of all the birds. Do you have an app for identifying them or was it Google assist. Well done and keep maintaining your high standards of Photography and Videography. - George Mathew.

Haddock said...

Hi George, as for recognising the birds, I use the app Merlin Bird ID. It can quickly identify the bird with the bird call (which is the fastest way) The next alternative is the picture or referring to the bird book which I have at home. (this is while writing the blog)

Anonymous said...

Hi Zach,
Beautiful journey.
Any country left to travel?
I think you might have covered almost all the countries.
Regards,
Shivananda Hipparagi

SeñoRida said...

Truly beautiful pictures. Lord those trees are really huge!

Anonymous said...

Wow this absolutely amazing picture and information 😍

Granny Sue said...

Fascinating photos of birds I'm i am sure I will never see. The names always interest me, too. Thank you for this great post.

baili said...

Dear Haddock this post is truly heartwarming and uplifting 🥹🥰🙏
Enjoyed each glimpse of your beautiful journey thoroughly 👍

Such delightful collection of pretty birds 😍
You made my day and thank you from the bottom of my heart for this 🙏♥️

Anonymous said...

Good one.
Thanks for sharing.
Regards, Rajesh Bhandari

The bike shed said...

Aren't birds amazing! I saw a golden eagle the other day, and it lifted my spirits, indeed, awed me... There is something about our connection with nature that goes beyond the rational even. I pity those people who pay little attention to wildlife, and I am sad for those who don't have the same opportunity to connect with nature as I do.

Anonymous said...

Just went through the blog & found it interesting . Beautiful sunset & variety of birds never seen before. Got a good glimpse of the Andamans - Mercy