Amber eyes, summer light
- chet kamat
- Apr 13
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 9
A couple of evenings ago, just as light was fading, we thought we saw something. A large silhouette on the roof of Sukoon—possibly an eagle owl. The light was poor, the shape vague. One of those things you half-dismiss.
Then came this morning. I stepped out onto the living room deck with my tea - and there it was. An Indian Eagle-Owl, unmistakable in full daylight, perched on the Climber’s Rock. Amber eyes. Upright. Unbothered. We have always had birds flitting around the garden, but having such a large bird come so close to the home was extremely unusual.
Since it seemed so unperturbed, I took the opportunity to step back into my study to get hold of my camera, which I keep handy exactly for situations like this. When I got back it was still on the rock. It soon dropped down to the lawn, casually weaving through the bushes. I followed it at a distance, camera in hand. It didn’t seem to mind. The mottled brown coat and the striking eyes contrasted well against the colourful foliage.
I was clicking away, initially from a distance and moving slowly closer to the bird - the
relaxed demeanour enabled me to position myself so as to compose frames to my satisfaction. Having roamed the lawns it then took a short flight to the boulder in the south western section of the garden. This rock has clear light in the morning and I was delighted to photograph it in this setting.
It didn't stay still for long. I watched as it moved again to a tree near the boundary,
and eventually to the first floor family deck. There it stayed for a while, looking around, occasionally calling, possibly to its mate. About 20 inches in height and a wing span exceeding four feet, this is by far the largest bird that has visited our home.
I’ve photographed Indian Eagle-Owls in the wild before—in Jawai, Rajasthan. Always distant, hidden in the rocky hills.
You spot them once, if you're lucky. Never this close. Never this calm.
Exploring further it moved onto our terrace looking towards me curiously as I clicked away, not believing how relaxed this bird was to our presence. This didn't seem like a fleeting visit, more like an extended survey.
Later in the day, it settled again—this time beside a cluster of umbrella palms on the lawn. It spent hours there, unmoving. Just resting. Fingers crossed, I hoped that it would stick around and become a frequent visitor.
As the day slowly came to a close, it stirred again, moving around the garden offering me more unique frames to capture - see them below:
When it finally flew off around sunset, in the direction of Channagiri hill, I wondered why it visited our home. Maybe it was escaping the heat. Maybe it was scouting for a nest site. Either way, it stayed all day—and gave us the kind of slow, silent company that makes you pause and notice everything else.
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