Woh subah kabhi to aayegi! This was the song which crept into my consciousness when I picked up the papers today morning – all of them predictably filled with news and pictures remembering the 26/11 – It been one year. Read more, watch the video – pay attention to the lyrics
Author: Tarique Sani
Kentish Plovers do breed in Nagpur
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
Viper rescue!
We were returning after celebrating Aasim birthday party – as we rounded a corner we saw a Tata Sumo parked in middle of the road and a few people gathered around as Swati cautiously steered around – We saw a glimpse of a snake Swati slowed and I recognized it immediately. It was a Russell’s Viper! I was out of the car even before the car halted. Continue reading Viper rescue!
Do I know that smell?!?
Tigers to identify his territory, the male marks trees by spraying of urine and anal gland secretions, as well as marking trails with scat. Males show what is called called the Flehmen response. In the Flehmen response, animals draw back their lips in a manner that makes them appear to be “grimacing”. The action, which is adopted when examining scents left by other animals either of the same species or of prey, helps expose the vomeronasal organ and draws scent molecules back toward it. This behavior allows animals to detect scents, for example from urine, of other members of their species or clues to the presence of prey. Flehming allows the animals to determine several factors, including the presence or absence of estrus, the physiological state of the animal, and how long ago the animal passed by. Read more in the embedded book Amur Tiger
Flash: The shoe fits!
She coughed! This was desperate attempt to make the royal messenger notice that there was another in the house. The stepsisters scoffed and sneered but the royal guards intervened and Cinderella finally got her chance. The royal messenger eagerly but with no less pompousness carried the shoe towards Cindy! Last night started flashing past her eyes… Oh! How she had danced and the prince had been so charming… her lips still burned… and then at midnight she had to run! Smart as she was she had left her shoe behind, she dared not do anything more! So read what happened next!
Marsh dart damselflies
Marsh darts are slender and small damselflies with varied coloration. These non-iridescent damselflies rest with wings closed over their body. The wings are transparent and rounded at the tip. The long and slender abdomen is slightly longer than the hind wing. Some of the smallest damselflies like the Golden Dartlet (Ischnura aurora) is from this family. Marsh Darts are found throughout the world. World over, this family is represented by about 1147 species. Within Indian limits, 65 species are known and in peninsular India 25 species are recorded. The marsh darts breed in a variety of aquatic habitats like ponds, marshes, streams and rivers. Though most of the species are closely associated with aquatic habitats, some species like the Common Marsh Dart (Ceriagrion coromandelianum) can be found far away from any aquatic habitat.
If you are interested you can download the Dragonflies and Damselflies of Peninsular India – A Field Guide. An excellent book which has been released under a Creative Commons license by the Indian Academy of Sciences
P.S. I know about the book because it has some pictures taken by ‘Yours truly’ – including the one depicted above
One-spot Grass Yellow Butterfly (Eurema andersonii)
The article on One-spot Grass Yellow on Wikipedia is sadly just a stub – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurema_andersonii. Expand it if you have the knowledge
Getting on to Flickr Explore
Yesterday I got a pleasant surprise when a flickr contact told me that my picture of Crimson Marsh Glider had made it to #1 position on Flickr Explore for 7th Oct 2009. Some friends asked how or what I did because it is well known that making it to explore is based on a complex secret algorithm and it is not just the quality of your photograph that counts. Read what did I do!
Ek Lamha – A moment
Ek Lamha
zindagi naam hain kuch lamho ka
aur unme mein bhi wahi ek lamha
jisme do bolti aankhen
chai ki pyali se jab uthein
to dil mein doobey
doob ke dil mein kahe
aaj tum kuch na kaho
aaj hum kuch na kahein
bas unhi baithey rahe
haath mein haath liye
gum ki saugaat liye
garmi-e-jazbaatliye
kaun jaane ki isi lamhe mein
door parbat par kahin barf pighalne hi lage
~Kaifi Azmi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaifi_Azmi
Love the simplicity of language in this poem and how it creates a very lucid imagery, lastly the hope that poet has…
Sony Walkman W202 Review
The reason I had stopped listening to music while at work was
- My work area is in an open place
- I hate the tangle of wires associated with most MP3 player headsets