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Himalayas


Just got back from the trip of a lifetime. 

No internet, no computers, no email, no facebook, no twitter, no chat. No phone, no conversations, no sms, no people. No television, no electricity, no news, no cricket. No toilets, no bath, no shaving, no bed, no roof. No deadlines, no meetings, no reviews, no coffee-corner chats. No vehicles, no rush hour, no conveniences. And yet, unbound joy. The Himalayas have a way of forcing you to rethink what you always thought was indispensable.

Still coming to grips with the low altitude oxygen levels.
 

Reflections In Ranganthittu

Ranganthittu is not the best place in the world for bird photography, but it is one of my favorite places to observe bird behavior. The quarreling Painted Storks, the perennially surprised Openbill, the clumsy Pelican, the proud Egret, the always hungry Cormorant, the is-it-daylight-already Fruit Bat, the impatient Kingfisher, the attention seeking Wagtail, the shy Flycatcher, the angry Spoonbill; all of them play out their lives in a cacophonous symphony carefully laid out for your entertainment.

Did a dip-n-dash this morning.
           
 

Bangalore In Miniature

That is a lofty title, and it is untrue. I can't possibly show Bangalore in 8 photos; this is more 'Miniature in Bangalore'.

Miniature photography is something that has fascinated me and last weekend, i thought about capturing Bangalore in miniature. I realized that it is harder than it sounds: you need the right angles, the right point of focus and the right perches from where you can shoot. Post-processing to get the right effect is also an interesting challenge. But the whole process was fun!

An ongoing personal project to try and capture as much of Bangalore in miniature as possible, this is only the beginning.
               
(would urge you to view large)
 

On Birdwatching

An overheard conversation between a Steppe Eagle and a Black Eagle. The Steppe Eagle is an amateur humaner and the Black Eagle is the experienced humaner.

Steppe Eagle: "Is that an European Blondcrown?!"
Black Eagle: "Where? At this time of the year, it is highly unlikely. They are normally winter migrants. Rarely seen here in summer. It could be an Aryan Flightcatcher; pale morph."
"But the blond crown is evident and moreover the call is not like the Aryan Flightcatcher, which has a call that mimics the American Bald Eater."
"You are right. It is an European Blondcrown. Also, the Asian Brown Moneyaskers approaching it is the typical behavior pattern i have noticed several times earlier. This must be a new record for this time of the year. Bonelli should have been here; he would have loved this!"

Black Eagle: "Ah! A bunch of Japanese Flashers."
Steppe Eagle: "Where?"
"Do you see that clump of colorful ceramics? Look to the right and follow the street. You will see them."
"Unh... where?"
"Do you see that red pillar and the green car parked opposite it?"
"Yes..."
"Now, look to the right of the red pillar, up the brown road in the direction that the green car is now heading until the pink monument. There you'll see a bunch of humans moving together; that is the Japanese Flashers."
"Ah, i see them now! I can never differentiate between a Japanese Flasher and the Oriental Closedmouth."
"It is fairly obvious. The Oriental Closedmouth has a wider range of calls and it generally has a higher pitch call than the Japanese Flasher. Also, the Japanese Flashers tend to flock together more than the Orientals."
"Are those males or females we are looking at?"
"I can see 3 of each. You can tell the female by looking at its rump. Slightly rounder than the male."

Black Eagle: "Black-Whiskered Rusty Dravidian doing a courtship display for the female!"
Steppe Eagle: "Wow! This is so amazing!"
"Yes, notice the drink that the male will offer the female, then they attach the forelimbs to one another and finally the mouths."
"Wow! This is so amazing!"
"Ah, the female is spurning his advances. Bonelli would have loved this; he could have shot a documentary."
"Wow! This is so amazing!"
"And the female walks away with Aryan Flightcatcher! This behavior has been recorded extensively by Montagu, et al in 2004."
"Wow! This is so amazing! I love nature and wildlife!"

[Bonelli's Eagle flies in]
Bonelli's Eagle: "Guys, you will never believe what you missed. I just spotted an Orange Holyspeaker mating with two Long Haired Heartstealers (dark morph)! Got amazing shots!"

-------

At the same time, an young birder and an experienced birder are out in the field.

Young Birder: "Wow! A Steppe Eagle, A Black Eagle and a Bonelli's Eagle all soaring together!"
Experienced Birder: "Don't be silly. That's impossible. They are just three Black Kites."
Young Birder: "Okay."

 

Cubbon Park Coolness

There was a vintage bike owners' meet-up at Cubbon Park that i stumbled upon this morning.