Cranium Bolts: April 2012

Comic book style

I've tinkered around with Photoshop to create a comic book style image.

Zinnia Zahara 'Starlight Rose'

These flowers survive in hot and arid conditions. Requires very less water and never catches a disease. They are powdery mildew resistant.

Tilt Shift photograph of a wave pool

My previous experiments with Tilt Shift photography

Rhino Beetle?

I shot this interesting bug on my recent visit to Kerala.

I could not find any good information regarding this from google search. He could be a juvenile Rhino beetle but I could not find a similar looking picture to corroborate.

I was wondering if somebody could help me identify this.

Mango showers are the pre-monsoon showers in the Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala and Goa that help in the ripening of mangoes. These summer showers normally come in the second half of the month of April, though the arrival is difficult to predict. The showers prevent the mangoes from dropping prematurely from trees.

Tears of joy

Male Greater Coucal

The Greater Coucal or Crow Pheasant (Centropus sinensis) is a large non-parasitic member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes. A widespread resident in Asia, from India, east to south China and Indonesia.

Some interesting information about the bird:

1. They are weak fliers, and are often seen clambering about in vegetation or walking on the ground. They are brisk walkers.

2. They eat a wide range of insects, caterpillars and small vertebrates. They are also known to eat bird eggs, nestlings, fruits and seeds.

3. Greater Coucals are monogamous, and the courtship display involves chases on the ground and the male brings food gifts for the female. The female lowers her tail and droops her wings to signal acceptance. The nest is built mostly by the male over about three to eight days.

4. The calls are booming low coop-coop-coops, the reason why the bird is called Uppan in Kerala.

5. The bird is associated with many superstitions and beliefs. The deep calls are associated with spirits and omens.

Information courtesy: Wikepedia