Friday, October 29, 2021

Give us our daily bread

It began during the lockdown, the feeding of the strays through our window. The back yard of our house overlooks a green premise which is a great solace. There wandered a pack of six dogs including puppies. The cuteness of the whelps was irresistible that we tried to grab attention by throwing pieces of bread to them. The trick worked and they used to come every day for the bread. It soon looked like the word had spread and each day saw new additions looking up, waiting for their share.
he was the first to come
his family joined later
then he came
another mother dog
and her puppies
then came him
he was an onlooker earlier but now comes and looks up for his bread
one from the first kennel started visiting
some times he comes covertly to avoid fight
two togther
the two with another friend
at times at night
waiting patiently for more...
should I go or should I wait for more? ...and the pastime continues...

Saturday, October 23, 2021

The Nest

The tiny bit of greenery that flanks our house offers many joyful sights with its diverse bird species and occasional visits from monkeys. The lockdown gave us ample time and opportunity to indulge in nature watching and bird watching. It was also an opportunity that gave an insight into the behavior of the feathered beauties.
Eagle's aerie before the the eggs were hatched.....after the eggs were hatched.....
One day while birdwatching, I could spot an aerie on a tall tree far away. I could get a peek into the abode through the camera. As the eggs were about to hatch we found the nest remodeled with strips of white plastic sheets which provided a good camouflage to its eaglets. Watching the birds and its activities were a great pleasure.
Bulbul hatchlings Bulbuls, the tiny, black crested birds are aplenty in this area. We were amused when two birds were seen regularly in the evening, perched on top of TV dish as if they are watching children play badminton on terrace. Those birds were seen flying in an out of the Ashoka tree branches in front of the house. It was not a surprise when we located its nest with two nestling in it.
Pigeon in its nest Another Ashoka tree next to it houses a pigeon’s nest. It seems to be a permanent one as the bird was seen many times earlier. The bird is not lucky always as the roaming cats gobble the eggs now and then.
Selecting the proper spot.
Nest under construction, later with the hatchling
Above all these stands the hanging nest of the purple-rumped sunbird built on our clothing line on the terrace. We wondered what prompted this tiny bird to select a place where we hang our clothes daily and do morning and evening walks. It was not bothered about our presence on the terrace and was busy building the nest. Seeing its confidence in us, we decided to leave the chosen clothing line free for its nest and dismantled our hanging chair as it shook the line on swaying. Till the eggs were hatched we were careful not to disturb it. Nature has many amusements if we are ready to observe it closely and preserve it with care.

Saturday, January 23, 2021

The Aerie

The eagle eggs hatched and I spotted one eaglet. On a closer look, torn plastic sheets were visible inside the nest. Probably to camouflouge the hatchling which has white down feather.

Monday, January 4, 2021

Lock down Bird watching

The bane and boon of lock down during this pandemic are many. One of them is getting time for bird watching. The lock down seems to have unlocked lots of space for the birds to fly around unhindered. The trees behind our home are teeming with varieties of birds that we haven’t seen (or noticed) so far. It was really a pleasure watching them. I could even spot an eagle in its nest far away. 


Kingfisher
 


Rufous treepie


Falcon


Golden Oriole

Purple rumped sunbirds  


Purple Sun bird

Bee Eater

Bulbul


Coucal

Woodpecker pecking the wood

blue fly catcher



And the most exciting of all...an eagle in its nest on top of a tall tree far away!