Indian Nightjar, Sweet Child O’Mine
Nightjars own the dark. To spy one by daylight is a gift from the night. An Indian Nightjar with a baby by its side is a vision Continue reading Indian Nightjar, Sweet Child O’Mine
Tag: india
TL;DR: Oriental Skylark, Grassland Songster
Bring the grasslands back, rethink mindless tree-planting projects, and we will begin to hear the skylark again. Continue reading TL;DR: Oriental Skylark, Grassland Songster
A Sea Snake out of water
Writhing on the beach under the glare of the sun and the heat of the fishermen’s ire, the Hook-nosed Sea Snake had little to choose between the devil and the deep sea Continue reading A Sea Snake out of water
Great Backyard Bird Count – it’s a wrap
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 Continue reading Great Backyard Bird Count – it’s a wrap
Sharavathi Valley and the great web of life
The little big treasures of Sharavathi Valley won’t interest the seeker of charismatic mega-mammalian fauna. And that’s probably a good thing. Continue reading Sharavathi Valley and the great web of life
A White-bellied Sea Eagle fishes for compliments
A White-bellied Sea Eagle won’t make that astronomical push without a gastronomical pull and this one had no apparent interest in playing the avian Sisyphus. Continue reading A White-bellied Sea Eagle fishes for compliments
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. Continue reading GHNP Trek Day 7-9 – Lapa-Neuli-Kullu and civilization
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. Continue reading GHNP Trek Days 4-5 – Exploring Dhel and foiled plans
GHNP Trek – Day 1: An oxymoron called acclimating
Day 1 was an ‘acclimatizer’. Ha. Acclimating is an oxymoron. Ask those who laboured up the slopes from Neuli to Shakti and ended up painfully breathless by the end of the day. Part 2 of Sandeep Somasekharan’s report of The Green Ogre trek to the Great Himalayan National Park in 2012 Continue reading GHNP Trek – Day 1: An oxymoron called acclimating
Encounter – The Spotted Forktail
For many years, the Spotted Forktail was just an apparition in a dream. Now, happily twitched off the list, it is one of my favourite Himalayan birds. Continue reading Encounter – The Spotted Forktail
Encounter: White Storks wintering in Polachira
In the Polachira wetlands of Kollam, southern Kerala, the sight of a White Stork, a winter visitor increasingly hard to come by in the subcontinent, fills the mind with memories seen and imagined Continue reading Encounter: White Storks wintering in Polachira
Encounter – Yellow-billed Blue Magpie
After every birding trip there is always one bird that occupies our thoughts after we return. For me, it was the Yellow-billed Blue Magpie As a voracious reader of Tintin, my first impression of a magpie was a rather plain, … Continue reading Encounter – Yellow-billed Blue Magpie
Encounter – Common Kingfisher
It was early days when I still hadn’t started birding seriously. A fun trip with some friends to Edamuri falls, near Mysore, more of a ‘get your feet wet’ trip. As we stood along the shore of the irrigation channel, taking … Continue reading Encounter – Common Kingfisher
Nature’s palette at Birdpur
Winter’s officially out the door, but we still entertain memories of a January morning in Bharatpur amid winged angels and wicked vandals Accompanied by the creaking of the cycle rickshaw’s suspension, the eerie silhouettes created by the dense fog eclipsing … Continue reading Nature’s palette at Birdpur
Burning Bright – In praise of the Flame of the Forest
Devoid of flower through the year it is like any other tree pale of trunk and green of leaf. But come March, when the Flame of the Forest burns up the landscape for far furlongs, its incendiary sight you can … Continue reading Burning Bright – In praise of the Flame of the Forest