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Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Photowalk at Hosakere

Sunday morning photowalk at Hosakere, Bangalore was most awesome. This was our first visit and we were overjoyed to find so many interesting sightings. Here's a photo tour...



Sunrise...


Laughing dove

This small long-tailed dove also known as Little Brown Dove is found in dry scrub and semi-desert habitats where pairs can often be seen feeding on the ground...


The laughing dove gets its name from its particularly characteristic call, which sounds like human laughter, a low rolling croo-doo-doo-doo-doo with a rising and falling amplitude...


The Sun was making it a beautiful morning...



Cattle Egret...


A farmer started his toil...


Cattle egrets were seen foraging...


Birds started visiting the trees...


Green Bee-eater...








The trail seemed endless...


A Rose-ringed Parakeet was seen holding a bean...





Millet farm...


A Red-wattled Lapwing flew in...







I liked its bespectacled look...


I clicked as it flew away...


The trees and the marigold cultivation were looking so beautiful...


It's the end of season for marigold, but they still look pretty...


A Plain Prinia was busy as usual making it very difficult to photograph...


My patience paid...


Common Myna...


Shikra...


Our small group of bird watchers...





Cattle Egret...


Pied Bush Chat...









We walked towards the lake to see the water birds...


Not many birds were seen at the lake. The sunlight sparkle on the water gave a good bokeh oportunity...


Cattle Egret...



Had a glimpse of a Pied Kingfisher...






A Brahminy Kite made a sudden appearance...



I think it was in the mood to try some unconventional dish for breakfast...








Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Hiking at Valley School

Last Sunday morning, we went on a hiking trip to Valley School, Bangalore. The area outside the Valley School campus has a variety of habitat for different types of birds and critters. There are grassland, scrub and even a bamboo habitat with a small stream traversing through. Here's a photo tour of the hike...



The beautiful sunrise...








Green Bee-eater...





The terrain...



The climb...


Red-vented Bulbul...



The ants retrofitted a custard apple to construct a heart shaped nest...


Heart shaped leaves...



A Black kite was seen perched high on a tree...


They are known to be attracted to smoke and fires, where they seek escaping prey...


Here, it was seen tenderly nibbling at the flowers, which is not its usual food...


Australian natives believe that kites spread fires by picking up burning twigs and dropping them on dry grass...


It gave me so many angles to shoot...





They are known to even eat household refuse and carrion. For this behaviour they are known in British military slang as the shite-hawk...


The bamboo habitat where I saw a peafowl vanishing in a jiffy...


Crossing the small stream...





Date palm flowers...


Another Green Bee-eater...