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Visit to Hulimangala

Sunday morning trip to Hulimangala avenue and lake in Bangalore turned out to be really interesting. I could introduce many new wonders of nature to my 11 year old and he surprised me with a few pleasant discoveries. Here's a photo tour...


Hulimangala avenue is located 38 Kms from my home in Bangalore. We set out early morning and reached Hulimangala at 6:45 AM, just as the sun came out...


First sighting of the day was a Grey-bellied Cuckoo Blue faced Malkoha restlessly moving around high up on a tree...



The Grey-bellied Cuckoo Blue faced Malkoha's tail was really impressive... (Thanks Arnab for the correction)



There was this tiny Spotted Owlet peeping from a tree cavity...


Kid was spotting things that interested him using his monocular...


He was fascinated by an enormous beehive...



He also found a fallen wax structure of a beehive. He wanted to take it home...


Later in the evening, we made organic lip balm using the bee wax. Here's how - wash the hive and melt it in a double boiler. Add cold pressed olive oil, raw honey and peppermint oil. Keep stirring until the mixture cools...


An Indian Grey Hornbill perched far away on a tree...



The avenue is lined with tall trees on one side. On the other side of the road is a lake. We crossed the road to walk along the lake...


The kid spotted these numerous Baya Weaver bird nests on a palm tree...



As we neared the lake, a Red-wattled lapwing flew around screaming "pity to do it...pity to do it"...


Adults near the nest usually fly around, diving at potential predators while calling noisily...

The agitation prompted four cattle egrets to fly away...

Balloon Vine...



Dried balloon vine...


A male Ischnura Senegalensis damselfly...
Oxen ploughing field...
This was the first time he was seeing a farmer and his oxen in action...

We watched them for sometime...
Common Sailor butterfly...
Eurasian Coot...
Female Ischnura Senegalensis damselfly...

Closeup of its head...

Bird watching is fun in a group. There are always a few guys who spot birds with ease...
Calotropis Gigantea or Milkweed...
Calotropis is a poisonous plant. The leaves and stem when incised yield thick milky juice. It is used as an arrow poison, cattle poison, rarely for suicide and homicide...
Female Pied Bushchat...
We spotted a Green Jewel Bug...
Here are a few macro shots of the Green Jewel bug clicked while it was running around... 






Mexican Prickly Poppy...
Brown Bush butterfly...

Here's the Brown Bush with open wings...

I was happy to spot this Brown Shrike. It is a migratory species seen here during winter. They are known as "Butcher Birds" because of their feeding habits. They feed mainly on insects and sometimes lizards and small birds. Like other shrikes, they impale prey on thorns...  
Hunger pangs forced us to call it a day. But as we were leaving, we were treated with the sight of a female Senegal Golden Dartlet damselfly...  

53 comments:

  1. Stunning photos. That colorful bug shines like an emerald and you could never belive the Calotropis is that dangerous behind its beautiful facade. Floral Blis inviting you again! Wishing you and your sons great adventures in the nature.

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  2. Each shot is a work of art. Love the green bug and the lapwing. WOW!

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  3. Your macro shots are excellent.
    Happy WW!

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  4. Another awesome post.Fantastic pics.

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  5. Awesome shots, wonderful wildlife and thanks for sharing :)

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  6. Hello!:) A fascinating look at the wildlife near where you live. Splendid nature captures. That shiny green and orange bug is really like a jewel. Excellent macro images!:)

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  7. Beautiful photos https://shilparya.wordpress.com/2018/02/07/wordless-wednesday/

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  8. Such wonderful pics. I love the wee owlet!

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  9. Gosh, what an amazing outing you had with your son! Your photos are incredible. I love the Spotted Owlet.

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  10. It does seem like the young ones have an eye for spotting things! WOW! Well done. I like that beetle and all the beautiful birds but of course the owlet is my favorite! Oh, how I would love to see one. I hear them sometimes...but haven't seen one YET!

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  11. I love seeing that you are exposing your son to this time with nature. He will always remember this! I enjoyed seeing the beehive. Thank you for linking up today!

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  12. Wonderful to see you and your son out enjoying wildlife together!

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  13. I always look forward to your blog. It's wonderful to see Nishant out there with you on your early morning forays. It's kind of sad that so many beautiful flowers are poisonous. I never thought that people would consider using them for homicide or suicide. Love the iridescence at that little Green jewel bug. I'd like to duplicate that in my eye shadow! As always all the pictures are just beautiful.

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  14. What an amazing post! Wow! The images are stunning. I love the owl and the green jewel bug. So special to share nature in all its glory with your son.

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  15. Awesome set of nature shots, particularly the macro and telephoto images! Kudos!!

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  16. There are many amazing shots here but the ones of the beetle are really fabulous

    Mollyx

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  17. Wow, what a great journey! Your photos are amazing. You can see the tiny hairs on the dragonfly's head and that beetle was so brilliant. Have a great week!

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  18. So many wonderful things for you to share! I love them all! How fun to take home the honeycomb. Awesome post!

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  19. What a beautiful place to explore with your son, I bet it's a great place to escape from the city for a while and enjoy nature. Your son has an excellent eye for interesting sights in nature, those hanging nests are so unusual! It's great to see that your son enjoyed making lip balm from the bee's wax too, might have to give it a go if I ever have any wax here.

    Thanks for linking up with me on #CountryKids.

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  20. The macros of the Green Jewel bug are impressive...especially the last one.
    Great post!

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  21. What a wonderful place to explore, that beehive is something else. What detail and craft

    #CountryKids

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  22. Hello, what a great outing for you and your son. He is a handsome young man. I love the cute owl. Your photos and sightings are all awesome. Thank you so much for linking up and sharing your post. I also appreciate your comment. Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend!

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  23. My son and I enjoyed seeing all this wonderful wildlife! #CameraCritters

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  24. Ballon vine and fist jewel bugs are outstnadin g!!

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  25. Amazing photos, felt as though I were right there with you. Beehive was amazing although it made me a bit nervous just seeing a photo of the size of it. Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

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  26. I love that little owlet! I wish I could take photos half as good as this. So nice that your son had such a fun time with you! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    Jann

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  27. What a stunning place to explore and what a treat to see so many animals and birds in the wild

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  28. For linking in at I'd Rather B Birding, all of us birders are very appreciative...thanks!

    I always enjoy your posts & beautiful photos.

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  29. What a wonderful nature walk with your son! Loved the photos! I always love sharing things with our grandson. Your pictures of the dragonflies and that beetle were so cool, and I love the cuckoo. The whole post was great!

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  30. Wow! So many stunning photos. Some of my favorite, The Green Jewel Bug (awesome colors), the adorable owl, the Calotripis & Mexican Prickly Poppy, so pretty, Bee Cluster and hearing how excited your son is at seeing all these amazing things.

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  31. Oh wow your photos are stunning. What a beautiful place to visit and we'll done for your son spotting all he did. Love the sound of making your own honey lip balm, that's pretty cool #countrykids

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  32. Beautiful pictures! I've never seen such a large bee hive! Thanks for sharing at The Blogger's Pit Stop! Roseann from www.thisautoimmunelife.com

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  33. I think the one mentioned as Grey-bellied Cuckoo is a Blue-faced Malkoha
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey-bellied_cuckoo
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue-faced_malkoha

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for correcting. I've modified the same.

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  34. Amazing photos, Thanks for sharing. Happy Blue Monday

    much love...

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  35. That beehive is amazing! And I can only imagine how lovely the lipbalm is. I wish I can make something like that from something that I got from the forest! Organic and made be you! #countrykids

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  36. Great photos. I especially like the bugs!

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  37. I'm always amazed by the diversity of life in Bangalore when I see your photos - amazing doesn't HALF express my reaction.
    Thanks for linking up at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2018/02/more-from-nasher-art-museum.html

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  38. I love how you appreciate the beauty in nature and capture it to share with us! Thank you! Teresa from NanaHood

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  39. Absolutely beautiful photos! I really need to get a macro lens. Incredible!

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  40. Terrific photos. Very informative post.

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  41. My son would also be in his element with all those insects and wow to that beehive!! Lovely post #Countrykids

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  42. How awesome your son could join you. How I'd love to go expoliring here too. I actually make a similar besswax and olive oil balm, but using dried calendula flowers.

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  43. Good to be out there! Love the close up shots of the insect!

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  44. What a stunning place, your photos are absolutely beautiful. Especially those of the green jewel bug. Gorgeous. A really special way to spend time with your son. He seems to be very good at spotting the wildlife! #countrykids

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  45. so many amazing finds indeed. personal favorite is the dragonflies!! thanks for sharing on just BE.
    robin.

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  46. Wonderful to be able to enjoy nature with your son..

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