Tag Archive: information


On a lighter note (we saw this bird) and hence this question popped up.
Did you some one you asked did not disclose this location ?

In other words, was I sour-graping because I was not being told the location of this (or any othe recently discovered) bird?

My response to him:

Ha, ha, Vinaya, I know better than to ask for the location! Have I asked you? (I know you saw it.) No, it’s not a case of sour grapes…in fact, the reverse, as I have given the location of various birds to many expert birders, after discovering them by sheer accident (eg . Indian Eagle Owl at Ramnagara or Turahalli.) I can confidently say, go look in Valley School, you will find the Indian Eagle Owl. This does not guarantee that the person will see it!

I am a well-known “L-birder”….I have neither the  knowledge nor the scientific background to quality. :) Neither will I ask where the Pratincole, or the Emu, or the Mute Swan,  the Roc, or the Phoenix,  are to be found. Most birds will, for me, be found only within the covers of my Grimmskipp , Salam Salim, Pam Aunty, or Kashmirjack. You think I will go on a ship-without-a-toilet to see pelagic birds? The answer is, Gua—no!

We’ve already had the hilarious situation, in Lalbagh, of a totally non-bird interested jogger coming up and telling us, “Some crows are harassing some bird which I don’t know, can you help?” It proved to be the Mottled Wood Owl. No  humans (birders or non-birders)  were troubling it…but it was the ever-present mobsters, the crows.The Mottled Wood Owls, in spite of the Lalbagh crowds, have been at their location off and on over the years.

My birding friends here  in St.Louis, Mark Glenshaw, Chris Ferree, Mary Dueren (Audubon Society)  and Danny Brown (Wildlife photographer and conservation scientist) , freely share the location of birds and animals in Forest Park, with me. That doesn’t mean that I can see them all the time! In fact, in the heights and the thick foliage  of the Cottonwood trees, even when Mark is showing me where the  huge female Great Horned Owl is sitting…it takes me several minutes to spot her. It took me a week of scouting the right area before I saw the mink family, and the little baby mink came up to my feet and looked up at me!

Oh well…there are valid things about both points of view (share and don’t share)  and ne’er the twain shall meet…unfortunately, birding is becoming a “I-know-so-and-so-who-will-tell-me-where-x-bird-is-to-be-found” kind of activity. This is why I like my UGS (Usual Gang of Suspects)…we are a happy-go-lucky lot who are as thrilled to see an Agama in front of the Udupi Banashree Darshini as we are to see a Crested Hawk Eagle at Nandi Hills! We don’t want the secret birds……where the ordinary birds are, is secret enough for us most of the time!

Cheers, Deepa.

Butterflies at Lalbagh

Season is calling. Thanks to Rohit Girotra and Deepa Mohan to get me interested in butterflies. Though I have zero knowledge of dynamics about this colorful creature. Here are some of those beautiful butterflies of Lalbagh, there are many more but not able to take because of time constraint. Bet you some more till next week.

Peacock Pansy

Peacock Pansy

Peacock Pansy – It exists in two distinct adult forms, which differ chiefly in the patterns on the underside of the wings; the dry-season form has few markings, while the wet-season form has additional eyespots and lines.

Stripped Tiger on Orange Cosmos

Stripped Tiger on Orange Cosmos

Striped Tiger with some part injured on Cosmos Orange – Members of this genus are leathery, tough to kill and fake death. Since they are unpleasant to smell and taste, they are soon released by the predators, recover and fly off soon thereafter.

Chocolate pansy

Chocolate pansy

Chocolate pansy – Individuals maintain a territory and are usually found close to the ground level and often bask in the sun.

Common Five Ring

Common Five Ring

Common Five Ring – Quite variation in color and wing size from Winter to Summer.

Common Grass Yellow

Common Grass Yellow

Common Grass Yellow – They exhibits seasonal polyphenism [Polyphenic pigmentation is adaptive for insect species that undergo multiple mating seasons each year. Different pigmentation patterns provide appropriate camouflage throughout the seasons, as well as alter heat retention as temperatures change.]

Chestnut Bob

Chestnut Bob

Chestnut Bob – Found in Asia and parts of Southeast Asia.

Pea Blue.

Pea Blue

Pea Blue – Its a small butterfly. At first time, you can’t appreciated the beauty. A close view is required :) .

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