Tag: photography

Rann of Kutch: Day 1 – Arrival

Steppe Eagle in Banni Grasslands
Steppe Eagle, Aquila nipalensis

This time I kept a daily journal of our trip and I am reproducing it here as it was written without any changes…

21st Jan, 2010: We started from home at 7:50am, a wee bit late by my estimate but Swati was cool with it so I did not say anything. Flight was on time, Security people did not question too much about the Camera gear we were carrying.

We had a 3-hour layover at Mumbai, while on the customary “browse the bookstore” round I found a new book by Richard Bach “Hypnotizing Maria” – more on that book perhaps in a separate post later. The flight to Bhuj was delayed by an hour. As we came into land at Bhuj, Aasim remarked, “Looks like we are landing in middle of no where!” We got out of the aircraft to the thundering sound of fighter jets on low flying sorties. The Indian Air Force shares the Bhuj airport. Continue reading Rann of Kutch: Day 1 – Arrival

Eurasian Wryneck – A woodpecker which is unlike any…

A woodpecker unlike any other - Eurasian Wryneck
Eurasian Wryneck

Eurasian Wrynecks are somewhat uncommon in Nagpur. They are winter visitors to India and till very recently I did not know that they are actually woodpeckers because they are unlike any other woodpeckers. Continue reading to find out more and a video of why they are called Wrynecks

My first photo of 2010

Banzai!!! - Explored
Banzai!! A Black-winged kite launches for an attack

I just realized that this was the first photo that I took in 2010. We were on our regular morning walk and the roads were pretty much deserted. This particular fellow we have been tracking since it was a juvenile just out of the nest. Usually raptors are very camera shy but this individual I would like to think knows us and likes to pose 😉

This photo also made it to Flickr explore on 6th Jan 2010

Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus)

Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus)
Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus)

The Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus) or outside Asia, African Monarch, is a common butterfly which is widespread in Asia and Africa. It belongs to the Danainae (“Milkweed butterflies”) subfamily of the brush-footed butterfly family, Nymphalidae.

It is believed to be one of the first butterflies to be used in art. A 3500 year old Egyptian fresco in Luxor features the oldest illustration of this species.

The Plain Tiger can be considered the archetypical danaine of India. Accordingly, this species has been studied with in greater detail than other members of its subfamily occurring in India.

See an earlier post on Striped Tiger (Danaus genutia)

Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danaus_chrysippus

Black-tailed Godwit at Nagpur in November

Black-talied Godwit

This is a picture I took on 27th Nov 2009 at Ambhazari Lake, Nagpur. The bird with the long beak is a ‘Western’ Black-tailed Godwit, Limosa limosa in it’s winter, non breeding plumage of this bird. These birds migrate from Central Asia (Far East Russia) to India for wintering.

In Nagpur we see them only in April when they are returning and are beginning to assume breeding plumage. However this year for the first time in nearly 8 years of my serious I have spotted them in November…. I hope they stay here throughout winter as it would present a great photo opportunity.

Incidentally the bird is classified as Near Threatened by IUCN

Additional information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-tailed_Godwit

Kentish Plovers do breed in Nagpur

Kentish plovers breed in Nagpur
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

Marsh dart damselflies

Damsels in love ;-)
Coromandel Marsh Darts mating

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)

Yellow on yellow!
One-spot Grass Yellow Butterfly

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

Explored #1 on 7th Oct 2009
#1 on 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!

Striped Tiger (Danaus genutia)

Striped Tiger (Danaus genutia)
Striped Tiger (Danaus genutia)

The Common Tiger (Danaus genutia) belongs to the “Crows and Tigers” butterflies, that is, the danainae group of the Brush-footed butterflies family. The butterfly is also called Striped Tiger in India to differentiate it from the equally common Plain Tiger Danaus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danaus_genutia