Common Woodshrike
The Common Woodshrike (Tephrodornis pondicerianus) is a species in the helmetshrike family Prionopidae. The woodshrikes were formerly placed in the Campephagidae (cuckooshrikes)
Tags: Common Woodshrike, nagpur, photography, Tephrodornis pondicerianus
Yellow Bittern!
World Wetlands Day occurs on February 2, every year. It marks the date of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands, called Ramsar Convention, on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea.
Yellow Bittern is a very shy bird of the wetlands and is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918
Tags: Ixobrychus sinensis, nagpur, photography, Yellow Bittern
Black Eagle
This picture may not have much aesthetic merit but I am pleased that I could manage it! Black Eagle is a rarity in Nagpur.
This picture is full frame and was taken at 1000mm handheld, with 400iso at 1/50sec with subject at a distance of 21m, in retrospect I can easily say I could have done it much better but there was a higher possibility that I would not have got a shot at all!! Click for 3 more pictures
Tags: Black Eagle, Ictinaetus malayensis, nagpur, photography
Spotted Owlets
The species name brama is from the French name Chouette brame and indirectly refers to this owl’s Indian habitat by way of homage to Brahma, the Hindu supreme spirit. In Hindu mythology the owl is a vahan (mode of transport) of Lakshmi, goddess of wealth. This myth has let to sacrifices of owls in hopes of finding treasures and hidden wealth.
Tags: Athene brama, photography, Spotted Owlet
The disdain on face says it all!
Yeah! Whatever… This is what this young male Lion seems to be saying. Classified as vulnerable were once widely distributed across entire Africa, Europe ad India. This map tells the sad story of it’s decline http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lion_distribution.png
Tags: botswana, lion, Panthera leo, photography
Saddle-billed Stork
This bird is represented in an Ancient Egyptian hieroglyph that had the phonetic value “ba”
Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saddle-billed_Stork
Tags: botswana, Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis, photography, Saddle-billed Stork
Montagu's Harrier male in flight
The Montagu’s Harrier (Circus pygargus) is a migratory bird of prey of the harrier family. Nagpur gets a very small population of them passing through while they migrate. These are birds of vast open lands and naturally finding one in city is rather unusual. I was lucky to get this shot on 25th Jan 2012…
While the bird is classified as “Least Concern” by IUCN the threat to them is because 70% of the breeding European population is now using farmlands to build their nest. Crop harvests have a devastating effects on the nests.
Trivia: Its common name commemorates the British naturalist George Montagu.
Tags: birdlife, Circus pygargus, Montagu's Harrier, photography
Lesser Flamingos at sunset...
Flamingos live until they are about 40 years old but only breed every five or six years. Non-breeding birds do not return to breeding sites until they are ready to breed again. This and rapid loss of habitat has put this bird in the near threatened list
Tags: kutch, Lesser Flamingo, near threatened, Phoenicopterus minor, photography
African Buffalo
Known as one of the “big five”, “Black Death” or “widowmaker” in Africa, the African buffalo is widely regarded as a very dangerous animal, as it gores and kills over 200 people every year. Buffalo are sometimes reported to kill more people in Africa than any other animal, although the same claim is also made of hippos and crocodiles. Buffalo are notorious among big game hunters as very dangerous animals, with wounded animals reported to ambush and attack pursuers.
Tags: african buffalo, photography, serengeti, Syncerus caffer
Dholes
Dhole is the only extant member of the genus Cuon, which differs from Canis by the reduced number of molars and greater number of teats. The dholes are classed as endangered by the IUCN, due to ongoing habitat loss, depletion of its prey base, competition from other predators, persecution and possibly diseases from domestic and feral dogs. Though fearful of humans, dhole packs are bold enough to attack large and dangerous animals such as wild boar, water buffalo, and even tigers.
Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhole
Tags: Cuon alpinus, dhole, photography, tadoba
