Cranium Bolts: July 2018

Flamingos at Pondichery

Past week, I've been on a work trip to Chennai. I took a small detour and visited Pondichery on Sunday to explore nature. I loved my first visit to the beautiful Ousteri lake. Here's a photo tour...

It was still early morning when I reached Ousteri lake and I could see a rooster crowing...

Some Plain Tiger butterflies were active near the lake...

My first sighting of Greater Flamingos. I was losing my mind with excitement seeing these beautiful creatures in such large numbers...

I spent a lot of time admiring their flypast...

Greater Flamingos mingled well with painted storks and pelicans. Wondered if it's called Flamingling...

They do really funny stuff with their long legs...

Green-veined white butterfly...

Some Red-wattled lapwing were seen flying around cacophonously screaming 'pity to do it...pity to do it'...

And then, there was this hen, probably teaching its chicks how to cross the road and how to handle the cliched question - "Why did the chicken cross the road?"

A quick visit to the Promenade beach. Here's a panorama...

French heritage of Pondichery...

Statue of Joseph François Dupleix...

Mango and peanuts snack at the beach...

Boats of N4 beach in Chennai...

Puffer fish at N4 beach...

Was so happy to see a House sparrow after a really long gap...

Jaipurdoddi is one of the many interesting parts of Bannerghatta forest in Bangalore. Last Sunday, we decided to explore Jaipurdoddi forest. It was my first visit and I was delighted to find so many beautiful critters. Here's a photo tour...

We had a bumpy drive as the road is in very bad condition at many places en route...

At our stop at Ragihalli sheet rock we witnessed the disciplined parade of Processional Ants. They were moving along a mark made by them on the rock. Here's a video I shot...

Camouflage of a female Rock Agama lizard...

Gloriosa superba also known as Glory Lily and Flame Lily. This plant is poisonous, toxic enough to cause human and animal fatalities if ingested. It has been used to commit murder and to commit suicide. Every part of the plant is poisonous, especially the tuberous rhizomes. Poisonings can occur when the tubers are mistaken for sweet potatoes or yams and eaten.

Female Rock Agama from another angle...

After the brief halt at the Ragihalli sheet rock, we entered the forest area where the roads were more rugged...

Jaipurdoddi looked scenic...

A Hoopoe welcomed us to Jaipurdoddi...

Barricades to divert rogue elephants...

Black-headed Cuckooshrike male...

We scoured the area for critters...

Indian Robin (female)...

Laughing Dove...

Upperside of a Peacock Pansy butterfly....

Underside of a Peacock Pansy butterfly....

Plain Prinia...

Red-vented Bulbul...

Small orb web with web decoration of a Cyclosa spider...

Tridax daisy

A male Baya Weaver was busy building nest...

The nests are partially built before the males begin to display to passing females by flapping their wings and calling while hanging from their nests. The females inspect the nest and signal their acceptance of a male. Once a male and a female are paired, the male goes on to complete the nest by adding the entrance tunnel...

Pioneer butterfly...

Brahminy Starling...

Underside of a Common Jezebel butterfly...

Upperside of the Common Jezebel butterfly...

Pied Bushchat (female)...

Black-rumped Flameback woodpecker...

The signboard indicated the presence of wild cats in the area...

We stopped near a boulder, when A suggested we should explore the rock crevices for possible bat sighting...

No bats were to be seen but we chanced upon a small den of a wild cat...

Inside the den, A found small pug marks of what she believed to be Rusty-spotted cat. The rusty-spotted cat is one of the cat family's smallest members. Since 2016, the global wild population is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List...