Ever seen a bird pull this stunt? This kingfisher seems to have draped a filmy layer over its eye.
Many birds and mammals have a third eyelid. Referred to as the nictitating membrane, it designed for lubrication of the eye and protection from injury. The nictitating membrane is a feature of the eye that you may miss in a bird unless you look very closely. It is translucent and slides tightly over the eye occasionally, as in the case of this White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis) like a flicking tongue moistening dry lips. However brief the moment, the membrane being translucent ensures that the bird’s vision is uninterrupted.
You might call it a Meluha moment, this blinking of the third eyelid.
Sandeep Somasekharan (or Sandy as friends call him) took his headlong plunge into photography with a three-megapixel Nikon point-and-shoot he purchased in 2003. The avid reader and occasional scribbler started enjoying travel and nature more as he spent more time photographing. Meeting Beej in 2008 helped him channel his creative energies in the form of essays and nature photographs that he started publishing on The Green Ogre.
Sandy loves to photograph birds and landscapes, and considers photography and writing as his meditation. Now based out of the US, Sandy juggles his time between parental duties, a full time engineering role, writing short fiction in Malayalam, and an occasional birding trip thrown in between. His debut novel in Malayalam hits the bookstalls in January 2025.
Sandy can be found at instagram as @footprintsonlight
Sandy loves to photograph birds and landscapes, and considers photography and writing as his meditation. Now based out of the US, Sandy juggles his time between parental duties, a full time engineering role, writing short fiction in Malayalam, and an occasional birding trip thrown in between. His debut novel in Malayalam hits the bookstalls in January 2025.
Sandy can be found at instagram as @footprintsonlight
Latest posts by Sandeep Somasekharan (see all)
- Thattekkad Diary – Lessons In Birding, Guiding, and Tourist Privilege - March 22, 2025
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- Costa Rica Diaries – Parting Gifts - May 5, 2024
