Encounter – The Welcome Swallow
The Aristotelian phrase ‘One swallow doesn’t make a summer’ doesn’t quite apply in the case of the Welcome Swallow, which was named by Australian farmers eager for its arrival in the spring
Celebrate June rains with this wallpaper
Celebrate June rains with this Green Ogre calendar wallpaper for desktops, ipads and laptops. Download it for free
Encounter – The Australian Water Dragon
The charismatic Australian Water Dragon can be seen sunning itself on the outskirts of Australian cities. As its name implies, it is wedded to water
Encounter – The Hair-Crested Drongo
Glossy jet-black with iridescent highlights. And a tail so twirly it’s unmistakable. If you peer ever so closely, you can see the thin, thread-like hairs on the forehead. Meet the Hair-crested Drongo.
Encounter – The Sinai Agama
Oman does not have a lot of large charismatic wildlife but some of the small creatures, almost trampled underfoot, are spectacular. Like this stunning Sinai Agama
Encounter – The Galah or Rose-breasted Cockatoo
In Aussie slang, its name means ‘loveable fool’. Meet the Galah, a common but nonetheless striking cockatoo found in Australia
Encounter – Hoary-bellied Squirrel
Hailing from a family known as the ‘beautiful squirrels’, the Hoary-bellied Squirrel is handsome enough despite the plainness of its coat. To see this mammal in the wild, head for the forests of northeast India
Rancho La Brea – a time machine in asphalt
The George C Page Museum of Tar Pit Discoveries in Rancho La Brea, Los Angeles, California features some stunningly well-preserved mammal fossils from the Pleistocene. It’s a journey back in time but — shudder! — those Sabertooth canines are unnerving!
Encounter – Anna’s Hummingbird
Meeting Anna’s Hummingbird, with its startling metallic pink head and dazzling green plumage, is nothing short of birding epiphany
Today and every day, a world of and for sparrows
As a race, we have doubtless lived with sparrows for aeons. We crave the companionship of these cosmopolitan birds, etching them into canvas and verse, song and rime. And we ache for them when they are gone.
Encounter – Tristram’s Starling
In the fog oases of Salalah, a wolf-whistle bids you turn and look. Just a Tristram’s Starling crying wolf. Similar to a redstart but garrulous and raucous like a starling, this bird is all over the wadis, following the waves of human tourists that throng southeastern Oman during the rainy season
GHNP Trek Day 7-9 – Lapa-Neuli-Kullu and civilization
Back to Kullu — and woeful civilization — after a half-done but nonetheless fulfilling trek in the Great Himalayan National Park. And, with that, we conclude this series by Sandeep Somasekharan.
GHNP Trek Day 6 – Descent or plummet to Lapa?
On Day 6 of our Great Himalayan National Park Trek we detour to Lapa from Dhel Thatch, making a slippery and treacherous descent
GHNP Trek Days 4-5 – Exploring Dhel and foiled plans
Our Great Himalayan National Park trek plan gets altered, as the path to Ghumtarao is snowed out. We end up doing local excursions at Dhel Thatch on day four and five, trying to spot some wildlife, and enjoying the fauna and the Himalayan sun.
Whiteout: Winter Storm Thor shows his artistic side
As Winter Storm Thor freezes North America in his icy tentacles, Sandeep Somasekharan wriggles free to reveal some stunning snowscapes.