Nature’s Layers Unravelled – Encounters with birds, beasts, and relatives
Birds are probably the gateway drug for many people into the fascinating world of nature. Because they are ubiquitous, birds arouse curiosity. Birdwatching is also among the most accessible of hobbies. Soar with birds in their world as you read these posts that celebrate birds and draw us into their world of marvels.
Winter has come to Bengaluru’s Kasavanahalli Lake but the migrants are slow to arrive. A few sandpipers here, a few wagtails there and the odd Warbler or Ashy Drongo or two. It’s a slow start to winter birding in 2018
Notes on sightings from a birding walk at Karnala Bird Sanctuary with BNHS on Dr Salim Ali’s birthday
From an apparition to a presence, the endangered Yellow-throated Bulbul regaled us with an appearance on a short birding walk at Rishi Valley.
An unplanned trip to Manchanabele leads to some interesting bird-watching. But also a residue of sadness
The ebb of winter is a fine time for birders. At Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, a nature photographer has a field day. Here’s a page from his diary
Winter storm Helena was supposed to hit us harder. Six inches of snow, failed power, and freezing pipes. The storm came and went, and the dull morning made way for a bright and sunny afternoon. Then the birds began to come out
Cut off from the world, the hours and days were filled with sights and experiences. Birds, inclement weather and elusive mammal sightings made this trip to Pangot memorable. It was digital detox royale!
While the glens and vales of the Nilgiris cope with a torrent of tourists, the resident and endemic birds have the hills to themselves. There’s no better time to observe them nesting and bringing up their families. Without moving a muscle, just to prove that lazy birding does have its rewards.
Many birders shun Ranganathittu for the artifice of its environs and the easy photographic pickings. But the birds seem at home here, and that matters! Here’s a photo-essay from a recent visit when the Eurasian Spoonbills had just started to fledge and the Asian Openbill Storks were nesting
Visiting the same location time and again has been the secret of this year’s winter birding escapades. It’s March but the migrants are still here. Among this week’s surprises was a flock of Garganey, wintering ducks from Europe that I have observed at Kaikondrahalli for the first time
The Great Backyard Bird Count came to a close on Sunday evening, with nearly 70 species surveyed from three lakes in the neighbourhood. A surprisingly decent list for an otherwise unrewarding winter
This is the weekend of the Great Backyard Bird Count. All of 64 species from two neighbourhood lakes. Not bad for a morning’s backyard birding!
To shoot a mockingbird was the ultimate quest. After a year of waiting, it finally happened. Meet the many-tongued mimic – the Northern Mockingbird
Though winter has been erratic these last few years, migrants are still seen in Bangalore’s dwindling lakes. At Kaikondrahalli, the sighting of two Northern Pintail drakes is a cause for celebration, however minor
The Andamans. Looking out of the window of a passenger aircraft descending to land, it looks like any other mass of land. Look closely you will see the work of a maverick artist with a sense of humour
