Red tailed hawk

2014 at The Green Ogre

It’s been a slow-burn year for us Ogres for many reasons. One: We never got to travel anywhere together in 2014, save a morning outing at Hesaraghatta (Arun, Andy and I went). Two: Arun and Sandy spent a good part of the year overseas. That much said, we’re glad to announce that The Green Ogre is still alive and kicking (a la those lovely Dancing Frogs discovered by Dr Satyabhama Das Biju and his team). Watch this video – it’s our favourite from 2014.

Here are our favourite posts of 2014. Tell us which ones you enjoyed.

1. Meeting with a Lesser Kestrel

The Lesser Kestrel's dive
The Lesser Kestrel’s dive

Sandy’s encounter with a Lesser Kestrel in the wetlands of Koonthankulam in Tamil Nadu was one of our best posts of the year. Read more>>

2. Americana – a birding diary

American Robin at Central Park, New York
American Robin at Central Park, New York

Arun finally got round to processing his pictures from his sojourn in the US last year, and wrote this pretty pictorial post featuring the feathered pals he made there. Read more>>

3. A Blue-tailed Bee-eater wins the toss

The Toss!
A blue tailed bee eater, tossing a fly before swallowing it.

Some photographic moments are treasures of time. And timing. Sandy got lucky with this Blue-tailed Bee-eater that allowed him to capture it tossing its meal in the air. Read more>>

4. A Little Egret’s moment of reflection

Little Egret
Little Egret reflecting

Bad puns notwithstanding, Andy proved true to his reputation as a birder-philosopher. Watching a Little Egret fishing, he ruminated about its marital eligibility and proceeded to consult an astrologer. Read more >>

5. On the Wing – The Grey Plover

The grey plover
The grey plover

A thousand words beg to be spoken of this poetic image that Sandy made of the Grey Plover on a sandy beach in Kerala. Read more >> 

6. Words of a feather – If birds could talk 

Yeah, ***** you too!
Yeah, ***** you too!

Another fun compilation of images of birds from Sandy, in which he puts words in their mouths. Read more >>

7. Chuffed by a chough

And there it sat, chuffing to itself
And there sat the chough, chuffing to itself, looked chuffed

A tryst with a chough in the picturesque mountains of Switzerland is really something to crow about. Read more>>

8. Have a beer on this kingfisher

The Common Kingfisher with a well earned meal
The Common Kingfisher with a well earned meal

Despite their regal name, kingfishers have to work hard like serfs for their daily fish. Read more>>

9. In Rainbows – the Mindanao Gum Tree

The Mindanao Gum Tree in Katong Park, Singapore
The heritage Mindanao Gum Tree in Katong Park, Singapore

In which we made peace with the eucalyptus, upon learning that there is one species native to the northern hemisphere – the Mindanao Gum Tree. And upon gazing upon a venerable individual of this species at Singapore’s Katong Park. Read more>>

10. Mission (Peak) Accomplished

Cloud power
Cloud power

Been a while since we had a nice trek report. Sandy ended the drought with this account of a Fourth of July trek up to Mission Peak in California. Read more>>

11. A barbet and a window of opportunity

A young White Cheeked Barbet, through the window of opportunity
A young White Cheeked Barbet, through the window of opportunity

They say a window of opportunity seldom presents itself twice. Wasn’t so in the case of this barbet. Read more>>

12. Osman Sagar – A flamingo oasis

Flamingos
Flamingos

From his sojourn in Hyderabad, Arun painted a picture of pink. Flamingos – and other beauties – from the city’s watering hole – Osman Sagar Lake. Read more>>

13.  Monsoon – gone too soon

Size of half a thumb, this tree frog is called the blue-eyed bush frog (Raorchestes luteolus)
Size of half a thumb, this tree frog is called the blue-eyed bush frog (Raorchestes luteolus)

Gayatri Hazarika’s lovely photo-essay on monsoon life was among our best guest posts this year. Read more>>

14. A skylark on song evokes Shelley

Oriental Skylark - plate from Biodiversity Heritage Library
Oriental Skylark – plate from Biodiversity Heritage Library

A dull brown bird on a rock at Goa’s Chapora Fort had me hooked. To its song. A relative of this Oriental Skylark had inspired Shelley’s gushy paean. Listen. You’ll know why. Read more>>

15. Hudhud have thought it was the Hoopoe?

The enigmatic Hoopoe
The enigmatic Hoopoe

Cyclone Hudhud, named after the Arabic word for hoopoe, made headlines for a while. Rajneesh Suvarna guest-blogged about the bird behind the name. Read more>>

16. Rajasthan – a Thar desert lifescape

Eye, gazelle, delicate wanderer. The Chinkara is so much part of this landscape
Eye, gazelle, delicate wanderer. The Chinkara is so much part of this landscape

Chinkaras by the wayside. The glowing eyes of a desert fox at dusk. Clouds of Demoiselle Cranes. The magic of the Thar desert has to be experienced to be believed. Read more>>

And, don’t forget, this year brought us a cornucopia of wallpapers. Doff your hat to Sandy for those!

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