As The Wheels Roll and The Shutters Click…Travel Reminiscences…

[Highway Ranger]

Re: As the wheels roll and the shutters click…Travel reminiscences…

Hi HR,
You have wonderful skills behind DSLR. Each of these photos stand distinguished, and project the birds/objects from the backgrounds. Keep posting such photos. I suggest to compile an executive collection of distinguished photos on yearly basis.

Thank you, Mathew! Appreciate your suggestions too.

i hadn't seen the Asian Koel till now must be a rare one. not that i watch birds everyday. However its Awesome

Asian Koel is a very common bird. We can hear them in the mornings and evenings. But a bit difficult to track them.


Finally I could get some clear shots of a squirrel. Though the compositions/backgrounds are not that great, will have to do for the time being. Hope to get better composition of the squirrel in the future.

Indian Palm Squirrels are also known as the 3 stripe squirrel due to the mix of dark and white stripes on the back of the Indian palm squirrel. The Indian palm squirrel can be found nesting in the tree tops of exotic trees.

The Indian palm squirrel is only naturally found in parts of India and Sri Lanka. Recent accidental introduction of the Indian palm squirrel into western Australia has made them a pest as the Indian palm squirrel has no real natural predators which has made the population of Indian palm squirrels in Australia thrive.


Indian Palm Squirrel...
















Scratch, Scratch my back...




[to be cont.]

 

[Highway Ranger]

Re: As the wheels roll and the shutters click…Travel reminiscences…

Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters...




A pond Heron... looking for a place to roost




Here comes the Asian Koel in a different makeup...




Rufous Treepie comes in for its share...






There's that squirrel again...






a Butterfly way up on a tree...




ah ha! caught in the act...




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[DZIRE VXI]

great photos you have clicked, nice to see your interest in wildlife, please continue your hobby

 

[Highway Ranger]

Re: As the wheels roll and the shutters click…Travel reminiscences…

great photos you have clicked, nice to see your interest in wildlife, please continue your hobby

Thank you, DZIRE VXI!


The route back...








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[AR Ram]

Re: As the wheels roll and the shutters click…Travel reminiscences…

I have no words for this terrific pictures

Thank you for sharing HR

 

[autosafari]

Re: As the wheels roll and the shutters click…Travel reminiscences…

Excellent photos Highway Ranger.
Keep them coming.
Need more pictures like those in post #19.

 

[Highway Ranger]

Re: As the wheels roll and the shutters click…Travel reminiscences…

I have no words for this terrific pictures

Thank you for sharing HR

Thank you Ram! Appreciate your encouragement...

Excellent photos Highway Ranger.
Keep them coming.
Need more pictures like those in post #19.

Thank you, autosafari! I am getting lazy to take more picture like those in the post #19.

While we stopped to take those pictures we also saw this beauty.


Perfect symmetry...

"Have you seen a prettier sight,
All dressed up in black and white ?
Printed on delicate gossamer wings,
What an artist is the god of small things !"
Full credit to a friend of my wife, who being very creative wrote this short poem in our facebook page for this picture.








[to be cont.]

 

[autosafari]

Re: As the wheels roll and the shutters click…Travel reminiscences…

i hadn't seen the Asian Koel till now must be a rare one. not that i watch birds everyday. However its Awesome

This bird is commonly called Cuckoo (kuyil in Malayalam, Tamil and Kokila in Sanskrit)
You may not have seen it since it has a tendency to hide but would have heard it singing.

Highway Ranger,
Is it correct that male is generally black and female is with white/grey spots?

 

[incarnation]

Re: As the wheels roll and the shutters click…Travel reminiscences…

This bird is commonly called Cuckoo (kuyil in Malayalam, Tamil and Kokila in Sanskrit)
You may not have seen it since it has a tendency to hide but would have heard it singing.

Highway Ranger,
Is it correct that male is generally black and female is with white/grey spots?

yes AS i did hear them sing. However i was under the perception that they are black as crows and the only distinction b/w them was their voice. MY bad.I didn't know that females are of different color. Thanks HR and AS for pouring some knowledge in this empty can

 

[Highway Ranger]

Re: As the wheels roll and the shutters click…Travel reminiscences…

This bird is commonly called Cuckoo (kuyil in Malayalam, Tamil and Kokila in Sanskrit)
You may not have seen it since it has a tendency to hide but would have heard it singing.

Highway Ranger,
Is it correct that male is generally black and female is with white/grey spots?

yes AS i did hear them sing. However i was under the perception that they are black as crows and the only distinction b/w them was their voice. MY bad.I didn't know that females are of different color. Thanks HR and AS for pouring some knowledge in this empty can

You are right. The male is fully black with red eyes. The look similar to Crows, but are slender and look longer. The female is spotted and it also has red eyes. Their morning and evening calls are melodious.

The female Asian Koel lays eggs on crows' nest and the stupid crows will take care of the eggs and the young ones once they are hatched.


Another butterfly on the way back...






A Jungle Babbler on a distant tree... (also called Seven Sisters - as they usually are found in a group of seven)




And the wheels rolled and the shutters clicked... this time around Hosur last Sunday.




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[don.lohith]

Brilliant pics HR. Nice framing and perspectives in every photo you've clicked. Keep them coming.

 

[Highway Ranger]

Re: As the wheels roll and the shutters click…Travel reminiscences…

Brilliant pics HR. Nice framing and perspectives in every photo you've clicked. Keep them coming.

Thank you, don.lohith! Appreciate your encouraging comments.

Sunday after Church, had breakfast at home and decided to drive to Kelavarapelli Dam, near Hosur. The dam itself is nothing to write about and it had a namesake garden. We skipped both.

There is a lake very close to our house which we have to pass on the way out/in. Spotted some Spot-billed Ducks and a Green sandpiper. The last time we saw a Spot-billed Duck was in Bandipur on a safari.


Sandpiper...




Spot-billed Ducks...




Common Gull... We saw more of them near the dam




I guess this is a White-browed Bulbul... not sure




Nearing the dam, we spotted a Rosy Starling and that made us stop there and spend more than 2 hours spotting other birds/butterflies.


Hey Rosy, can you move your head a little? The leaf is hiding it.




That is better. Thank you...




[to be cont.]

 

[Highway Ranger]

Re: As the wheels roll and the shutters click…Travel reminiscences…

The place where we stopped to shoot the Rosy Starling has a vast open field with a few trees and some rocks. We could spot a lot of birds there.

like these Long-tailed Shrikes...










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[Highway Ranger]

Re: As the wheels roll and the shutters click…Travel reminiscences…

The Scaly-breasted Munia or Spotted Munia (Lonchura punctulata), known in the pet trade as Nutmeg Mannikin or Spice Finch, is a sparrow-sized estrildid finch native to tropical Asia. A species of the genus Lonchura, it was formally described and named by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Its name is based on the distinct scale-like feather markings on the breast and belly. The adult is brown above and has a dark conical bill. The species has 11 subspecies across their range and differ slightly in size and colour.
This munia eats mainly on grass seeds apart from berries and small insects. They forage in flocks and communicate with soft calls and whistles. The species is highly social and may sometimes roost with other species of munias. This species is found in tropical plains and grasslands. Breeding pairs construct dome-shaped nests using grass or bamboo leaves.

an adult Scaly-breasted Munia...






sub-adult Scaly-breasted Munia...










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[Highway Ranger]

Re: As the wheels roll and the shutters click…Travel reminiscences…

The Indian silverbill or white-throated munia (Lonchura malabarica) is a small passerine bird found in the Indian Subcontinent and adjoining regions that was formerly considered to include the closely related African silverbill (Lonchura cantans). This estrildid finch is a common resident breeding bird in the drier regions of the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent. It has also been introduced into many other parts of the world and has become established in some areas. They forage in small flocks in grassland and scrub habitats.


Indian Silverbills/White-throated Munias...






Never mind... These two are not in talking terms...