Ruddy-breasted Crake
Most twitchers would go gaga if they spot this bird, the reason being that Ruddy-breasted Crake (Porzana fusca) is a extremely shy and secretive bird. You are lucky if you manage to get a shot. It is a dream come true if one decides to walk in the open for you 
Indian Cobra or the Spectacled Cobra
It was not really full grown...
While coming back from a recent birding trip I got a chance to photograph this beautiful Indian Cobra thanks to some “Sarp Mitra” or Snake Friends. Sarp Mitra are volunteers who know the techniques to catch snakes and can be called to rescue or remove snakes which have wandered in to houses. These Snakes are handled with utmost care and released in appropriate habitats unharmed.
Yesterday morning while replenishing the bird feeder in my balcony I witnessed a very unusual behavior by a Bhraminy Starling pair. They pounced on a female House Sparrow and ruthlessly proceeded to kill it by pecking at its neck and abdomen. Once it was dead they flew away with it!!!
It took them about 2 mins to kill the sparrow. The following is the sequence as it happened….
It started with the pair swooping down, there was almost no panic amongst the sparrows
The partner joined in...
Between the two of them...
They ensured the sparrow did not escape...
One of them finally went to work on what looked like the neck and eyes...
And it was over...
Common Woodshrike
The Common Woodshrike (Tephrodornis pondicerianus) is a species in the helmetshrike family Prionopidae. The woodshrikes were formerly placed in the Campephagidae (cuckooshrikes)
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
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
Eurasian Cuckoo
Green bee-eater, Merops orientalis in flight..
Green bee-eater is a very agile flyer, unless gliding it is very hard to capture them sharp details. Took about 45 mins and 200 shots to get this one…
Osprey in flight
There are some species of birds which are common, almost everyone and their aunts have a great picture of them but I somehow do not have any decent pictures. The Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) till very recently was one such species. Continue reading for some interesting trivia and 2 more pictures
Adult Kentish plover in breeeding plumage
The Kentish Plover, Charadrius alexandrinus, is a small wader in the plover bird family. Despite its name, this species no longer breeds in Kent, or even Great Britain. This beautiful specimen in breeding plumage was found in the wading ground of Wena Lake about 15km from Nagpur. See more pictures and read some details