Do not get surprised in knowing that I began birding from my own office cum residential campus in Raipur , capital of most progressive State ,Chhattisgarh. Before landing at Raipur I did not know what wildlife is . Since national parks were closed for 3 months during rainy season to pass my time I started looking for birds in my own campus having some trees and as well as in the Solar Energy Park near the airport.

When I joined at Raipur, office complex was on the lips of people of the State, being the best Central Government Office in the whole of Chhatisgarh. Thanks to seniors who had the vision to have such a beautiful campus adjacent to the National Highway 6.

During my stay for about 6 years (2002 to 2008 ) in Raipur I had recorded more than 30 birds in the campus alone such as Red Vented Bulbul ,Oriental Magpie Robin , India Robin, Jungle babbler , Purple sun bird ,Bank Myna , Pied Myna , Dove , Shikra , Golden Oriole , Gray Francolin , Common Iora , black Drongo ,Pheasant Crow , Spotted Owlet , Barn Owl, Asian Paradise Fly catcher, Slaty Pigeon , House Crow, Shrike , Copper Smith barbet ,green bee eater and Blue Jay .

I was lucky to observe one of the most fascinating bird Asian Paradise Flycatcher from a close angle for over a long time as it nested in the campus and could observe the entire breeding cycle closely. This is the State bird of Madhya Pradesh .

I am sharing some of the images recorded in the campus at Raipur.

About Vinod Goel

He joined Customs & Central Excise service in 1982. As a civil servant, his job takes him to various parts of India, which gave him an opportunity to capture our wild heritage, through his camera. His passion for wildlife photography started in 2004 when he was posted at Raipur (Chhattisgarh) and this passion continues till today.