Nature's Colors in Hoskote

My birding journey this week took me to Hoskote, where I had a delightful brush with colors in nature. Take a look at the pics I captured!

~~~
I began with a beautiful Oriental magpie robin, a black and white bird, set against a lush green background.

~~~
And then against the white sky, its black and white colors remained stunningly prominent.

~~~
Soon, the white and gray sky transformed into a lovely blue adorned with white clouds. 

~~~
As I walked to the bitter gourd farm, I noticed a colorful piece hanging at the entrance, designed to divert one's attention. In Hindu culture, the evil eye is considered a malevolent gaze that may bring harm to its target. To counter this, the chilies, lemon, and charcoal hanging there are believed to possess protective properties, serving as a charm to ward off the evil eye.

~~~
Indeed, it seems that the charm is working effectively, as the bitter gourd crop is thriving and growing well.

~~~
The farm has produced an abundant harvest.

~~~
Having encountered them countless times, the thrill of spotting Ashy Prinias has diminished for me. Nevertheless, here's one more for you.

~~~
I came across an Asian green bee-eater perched nonchalantly on a fence.

~~~
Here's a closeup shot.

~~~
I saw many bee-eaters in different colors, their shades changing with the lighting and background.

~~~
I saw a plain tiger butterfly getting caught in a spider's trap, and my initial impulse was to rescue it. But I restrained myself, realizing that interfering would disrupt the balance of nature and deny the spider's hard-earned hunting skills developed through millions of years of evolution.

~~~
Leaving the beautiful butterfly to its fate, I was promptly greeted by the striking sight of a female Trumpet Tail dragonfly.

~~~
I managed to capture a bee-eater in flight, but it was partially concealed in the shot, leaving me a bit unsatisfied.

~~~
Jungle babblers seemed to be everywhere, and I took some shots of one darting from one branch to another.

~~~
My attention was drawn to a lone and active male in the Baya Weaver colony. He repeatedly flew to the nearby reeds, using his strong beak to strip and collect strands.  Then, he would return to his partially built nest to weave. 

~~~
A male Baya Weaver can make up to 500 trips to construct a single nest, and the entire process takes approximately 18 days.

~~~
The spotted dove blending into the pinkish background was my favorite shot of the day.

~~~
The Indian pond heron was the lone water bird that caught my eye.

~~~
My eyes were drawn to a long-tailed shrike, resting on a branch.

~~~
My final sighting was a Brahminy kite on the prowl, like a pirate ready to snatch food from other water birds.

I hope the post was to your liking, and I am eager to hear your thoughts about it.

Linked with Mosaic Monday