Encounter: Rhododendron, sentinel of the highlands
Never mind its cough-syrupy taste, or its tongue-twister of a name, a Rhododendron in flower is inspiration enough to walk the Himalaya, or the Nilgiris
Birds Bizarre: Revenge of the Plum-headed Parakeets?
The sky swarmed with hundreds of Plum-headed Parakeets, uncommon visitors to Punchakkari’s wetland habitat
September is here, download the wallpaper!
September fluttered in a tad late for us Ogres. But there’s more than 20 days left to enjoy this wallpaper. Download and share.
Onathumbi: Onam with the Picture Wing Dragonfly!
What is Onam without its leitmotif — the Onathumbi or Picture Wing Dragonfly?
Remembering Roger Tory Peterson
Every time you thumb through a field guide to nature, say a little prayer to Roger Tory Peterson. His path-breaking field guides breathed life into birding.
Encounter: Shortwing, Blue Robin, or Sholakili?
Shortwing or Blue Robin? When you see eye to eye with a bird for the first time and don’t know what to call it, just watch. Taxonomy be damned!
Big encounters with the ‘Little 5’ of the Namib Desert
Unbelievable but true, the tiny Palmate Gecko and the diaphanous Cartwheeling Spider can hold a candle to the Big 5!
Wanted – Tiger-friendly ID cards for tourists!
The wildlife resort business in India, modeled on African game safaris, has taken off in the last decade, and tiger reserves have been under the most pressure to entertain their guests. And it has been the beholden duty of these businesses to stuff into eco-sensitive zones vanfuls of tourists who pay stiff fees to enjoy intimate encounters with the big cats and who, sadly, almost always miss the forest for the trees, and the other joys that the forest inevitably offers. What makes this any more than trophy hunting, albeit in a modern sense?
Download the August calendar-wallpaper
This Scaly-Breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata) is yours to download and keep as a calendar wallpaper (for desktops, laptops and iPads) . But only if you are a member of the Green Ogre community. It’s not hard to become one. Just sign up!
Manjhi Akshayavat, an immortal Banyan tree
Located not far from Lucknow, the Manjhi Akshayavat, one of India’s celebrated great banyans, is all that survives of the vast forest that once protected it.
All is not well with Alleppey
The Vembanad Lake in Alleppey, once praised by Lord Curzon as the “Venice of the East”, is a Ramsar Wetland and a Birdlife Important Bird Area. But those tags have not stopped greedy and exploitative tour operators from turning it into a sickening playground of hooligans and a dumping ground for trash. Here’s a horror story that will turn Stephen King’s stomach.
Encounter – Plumbeous Water Redstart
Married to foaming mountain streams, the Plumbeous Water Redstart is a constant companion to the trekker in the Himalaya. As cattle egrets are to grazing bovids, mynahs to figs, and flowerpeckers to Singapore cherries, Plumbeous Water Redstarts (Rhyacornis fuliginosa) are married to Himalayan streams.
Download the Green Ogre Calendar Wallpaper for July
Intrigued by ladybirds? Don’t miss this free wallpaper When was the last time you were intrigued by a ladybird? Not the children’s books, though your recollection of that memory might provide the answer to our question. Most adults can’t remember the last time they saw a ladybird, though children are…
Encounter: Himalayan Bluetail
What do you call a bird with no name? Or one whose name has been changed lately? Such questions such briefly but subside when confronted with the dazzling beauty of the Himalayan Bluetail — or whatever they called it earlier Before I tell you about the Himalayan Bluetail I must…
Encounter: The Black-and-Orange Flycatcher
In a Nilgiri forest cloaked with moss, the adorable and confiding Black-and-Orange Flycatcher sets the woods — and your imagination — aflame.