Last Sunday morning, father and son explored the wilderness around Hoskote lake in Bangalore. Here's a photo tour...
A Spot-billed Pelican was seen gently swimming in the water...
A Grey Heron looked so elegant in flight...
Kid used the high platform to explore the lake below...
Soon a Eurasian Coot came near...
Eurasian Coot's white frontal shield gave rise to the phrase "as bald as a coot"...
The Coot is an omnivore. Here, it was seen catching a small worm...
Indian Robin...
A fisherman in a coracle...
He checks the pregnancy lump below the abdomen...
He releases the pregnant fish to preserve fish stock...
White-browed Wagtail...
Indian Signature Spider Argiope Anasuja...
The yellow markings on its abdomen resembled a cool dude wearing sunglasses...
Indian Pond Heron...
Squirrel...
Pied Bushchat male...
Hiking tripod came in handy for some relaxation...
As we were relaxing, a Wood Sandpiper showed up...
Black Kite...
Balloon Vine also known as Love in a Puff or Heartseed vine...
Upon bursting the balloon we found why it's called Love in a Puff. Its seed has a heart shaped pattern. That explains its scientific name, Cardiospermum: Cardio meaning heart and spermum meaning seed...
Boy took a couple of seeds home, and sowed them in a flower pot. Two days later, the Balloon Vine seedling pops out...
Further studies revealed that in New Zealand, balloon vines are prohibited pest plants while in Kerala its flowers are considered sacred.
Wikipedia says - "Extractions of Cardiospermum seed are included in skin creams that claim to treat eczema and other skin conditions."
Blogger, Ramya Venkateshwaran, has listed out the health benefits of the Balloon Vine leaves that is claimed to be beneficial in treating arthritis, cough and cold, dandruff, ear pain and all kinds of pain. You can read her blog post here.
Wow.. you gotta see many beautiful birds. Nice captures..
ReplyDeleteAmazing, Loved all pics.
ReplyDeleteHello!:) This lake has an abundance of wildlife which you have captured beautifully, and I have learnt some very interesting things about nature in your part of the world. Thank you for sharing the magnified seeds of the Heartseed vine. The seeds grow quickly don't they!!!How pretty they are,...and very appropriate, for Valentine's day tomorrow, Wednesday the 14th of February. It's lovely that your son goes with you on your excursions.
ReplyDeleteWhoa! The information on the seeds is mind blowing. Loved the act of releasing the pregnant fish back to water. Great photography.
ReplyDeleteStunning photos!
ReplyDeleteWow, so beautiful! I love the birds in flight. The spider is a little scary though.
ReplyDeleteInteresting photos of nature Shiju.
ReplyDeletehttps://shilparya.wordpress.com/2018/02/14/wordless-wednesday-32/
Amazing photos!!
ReplyDeleteAs always your photos are exceptional. I enjoy seeing your time spent with your son. I have two children and they are everything. Family is essential in life. The Heron in flight is my favorite photo. WoW! Thanks for linking up today!
ReplyDeleteAs always, amazing picture Shiju. So good to see you and your son did this together. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic variety of things to see! The photos are great. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteGreat bird photos!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful day out you had and so many birds seen your photographs are excellent and i love all the reflections Very interesting about the seeds have a heart shape on them Have a wonderful weekend.
ReplyDeleteA fascinating journey with stunning photos as always. What a wonderful conscientious fisherman, so good to hear. I love the story of your little seedling and the healing properties it might have. No wonder your son enjoys coming out with you, there is so much to discover.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing with me on #Countrykids
Hello, what a great outing with your son. The birds are all beautiful. The heart shaped seed is neat, it is great to see the seedling so quickly. Wonderful collection of photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend.
ReplyDeleteThat Eurasian coot is adorable and such clear shots. Fascinating about checking and releasing the pregnant fish. My favs are the fishermen standing in their boats and the kid sitting down on the high platform.
ReplyDeleteLove the kite in flight & the pelican/reflection is so awesome!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for linking in this week ... all of us birders at I'd Rather B Birdin' appreciates your participation!
Amazing photos! SO clear and crisp! I would want to spend a day just looking at these pretty species! #countrykids
ReplyDeleteWonderful post. That spider is scary, but the Kite is my favorite!
ReplyDeleteSo many wonderful photos. Love that spider, it did look like a cool dude with sunglasses. - Amazing bird shots, the Pelican and Heron in Flight were my favorites.
ReplyDeleteSuch amazing photos. Your squirrel is a lot cuter than the ones here that constantly eat my birdseed.
ReplyDeleteLike many who have commented, I think the picture of the kite is outstanding. But what really warms my heart in this post are the shots of your son engaging with nature! Terrific!!!
ReplyDeleteI am stunning about so many wonderful photos.
ReplyDeleteEspecially from the different birds !
Great.
What a great selection of photos!
ReplyDeleteA great family outing!
ReplyDeleteSo much beautiful wildlife! I found the spider the most fasv=cinating o=creature of all. He did look like a cool dude in sunglasses...haha!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos as always!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2018/02/some-more-from-nasher-museum.html
Oh wow, that is a lovely bonding trip for father and son! And you got lots of lovely shots as usual. I am reminded that i have a stool like that as present from a friend, but hasn't used it yet because felt it cumbersome to carry. Anyway, i can always get a rock or a branch to sit on while on a hike. That puff vine is interesting, we have something like that here, wonder if it is the same.
ReplyDeleteMy eldest daughter loves to find hearts in nature. She would love this vine. Very interesting. Amazing photography x
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely time you and your son had and all these beautiful creatures of nature you got to enjoy.
ReplyDeleteWorth a Thousand Words
Intelligent, sensitive and with beautiful photos - I really enjoyed reading this post, which transported me to a world far away from winter in Luxembourg. I laughed out loud at the "cool dude in sunglasses"! :D #CountryKids
ReplyDeleteWhat incredible photos! I particularly love the shot of releasing the pregnant fish and the grey Heron in flight. Wow. #CountryKids
ReplyDeleteLove that the fish was put back and what a great outing...
ReplyDelete