THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE WINGED BUDDHA
I and my friends were excited when we got the opportunity to visit the Thattekad Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, described by the renowned ornithologist as the richest bird habitat in Peninsular India. The Malayalam word ‘Thattekad’ means flat forest. The bird sanctuary is nestled between the Cheruthoni and Periyar rivers in Kerala. We discovered […]
BLUSHING BALLET DANCERS ON A BLUE DAIS
Surrounded by the urban jungle, I longed for the sight of an azure lake. Luckily, I found great company in a bunch of birding enthusiasts, many of whom were IT folks with expensive cameras. I was content with my Canon SX 60 HS camera. What I saw through the camera of my eye, and later […]
A BLACK RAJAH ON A COAT BUTTON
There are fairies on earth. They flutter around flowers and tempt you to touch their vibrant wings. Butterflies are magical little creatures make your heart go pitter-patter. I looked forward to meeting lakhs of these beauties at a butterfly park after the rains. Armed with my Canon SX 60 HS, I stepped through a giant […]
STARLINGS AND SUNSHINE
Not even the scorching summer can hold me back from my birding adventures, especially when an enthusiastic bunch of amateur birdwatchers counts on me to lead them. We set out with hats, sunscreen and all our summer essentials, to a forested area on the outskirts of Chennai. We had hardly walked 300m, when we […]
THE WORLD OUTSIDE MY WINDOW
The World Outside My Window is Ruskin Bond’s book, which captures the interesting facts of flora and fauna in Indian peninsular. This book takes you to the little world of nature from a firefly insect to the great tall trees grown in the Himalayas. I bought this from Amazon online store at a good discount. […]
IN SEARCH OF BILLS BY THE LAKESIDE
The world was yet to rise. Even the sun was too lazy to greet me. Then he slowly skimmed the sky and the calm surface of the lake with his rays. The lake winked back, as I drunk in the beautiful sight. I had journeyed to the outskirts of the city for a bird watching […]
IF FROGS HAD WINGS…
I and my friends were lost amidst towering trees in the Thattekadu Sanctuary, tuning into the chirps and caws of 322 bird species around us. Their names were fascinating – the astounding 5-gram Flowerpecker, the Malabar Trogon, the Malabar Whistling Thrush, the Laughing Thrush, the Ground Thrush, the Indian Pitta, the Cicada, the Orange Minivet […]
THE WHISTLING WIZARD OF THE WOODS
I was relaxing at a homestay in Valparai, Tamil Nadu. It was a perfect morning. I yearned for some music to make it even more perfect. My wish was fulfilled by a mesmerizing flute symphony that echoed through the deep woods. I wondered if it was Lord Krishna reincarnated. I searched in vain, but I […]
THE HANGING VILLAS
On my recent trip, I got a chance to visit some magnificent birds. They are fantabulous nest weavers and their unique techniques practiced in before and after building the nest is amazing. I was searching for the Baya weaver’s habitat for the last three months and got a chance to spot this in an […]
