Why I Wake Up Early

My mornings start at 5.30 a.m. at the terrace. Waking up to this and a cool breeze after a searing 47 degrees Celsius yesterday, was blissful.

I have always been capturing rising sun, cloud formations, blue sky and greenery around with my mobile camera. But now with my Nikon COOLPIX P900, photography means passion.

Still learning to adjust the gear to suit the requirements of the subject. Guess it’ll take some more time to get some sharp clicks.

For now, I’m content with what the eyes saw and the lens captured. ‘Me time’ never was this meaningful.

Eurasian Collared Dove

The Eurasian collared dove (Streptopelia decaocto), most often simply called the collared dove, also sometimes hyphenated as Eurasian collared-dove, is a species of dove native to warm temperate and subtropical Asia, and introduced in North America in 1980s.

It is a medium-sized dove, distinctly smaller than the wood pigeon, similar in length to a rock pigeon but slimmer and longer-tailed, and slightly larger than the related turtle dove, with an average length of 32 cm (13 in) from tip of beak to tip of tail, with a wingspan of 47–55 cm (19–22 in), and a weight of 125–240 g (4.4–8.5 oz). It is grey-buff to pinkish-grey overall, a little darker above than below, with a blue-grey under wing patch. The tail feathers are grey-buff above, and dark grey tipped white below; the outer tail feathers also tipped whitish above. It has a black half-collar edged with white on its nape from which it gets its name. The short legs are red and the bill is black. The iris is red, but from a distance the eyes appear to be black, as the pupil is relatively large and only a narrow rim of reddish-brown iris can be seen around the black pupil. The eye is surrounded by a small area of bare skin, which is either white or yellow. The two sexes are virtually indistinguishable; juveniles differ in having a poorly developed collar, and a brown iris.

It is closely related to the island collared dove of southeast Asia and the African collared dove of sub-Saharan Africa, forming a superspecies with these. Identification from African collared dove is very difficult with silent birds, with the African species being marginally smaller and paler, but the calls are very distinct, a soft purring in African collared dove quite unlike the Eurasian collared dove’s cooing.

Information Source: Wikipedia

Honey Bees at the Bird Bath

 

Some perks of putting a bird bath out there in this scorching heat. It’s 44 degrees here in Delhi right now. And I see quite a lot of them flying in to quench their thirst. At first it seemed like a mass suicidal attempt. On second thoughts it looked like a commando training camp. After a well-deserved knock on my head, the rusting brain realized that they were drinking water.

 

 

Yellow-footed green pigeon

The yellow-footed green pigeon (Treron phoenicoptera), also known as yellow-legged green pigeon, is a common species of green pigeon found in the Indian subcontinent. It is the state bird of Maharashtra. In Marathi it is called Hariyal. The species feeds on fruit, including many species of Ficus. They forage in flocks. In the early morning they are often seen sunning on the tops of emergent trees in dense forest areas. They especially are found sitting in couples on tree branches.

Information Source: Wikipedia

Crimson Sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja)

Picture clicked at Rajaji National Park, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India.

The crimson sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja) is a species of bird in the sunbird family which feed largely on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feeding the young. Flight is fast and direct on their short wings. Most species can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, but usually perch to feed most of the time.

The Crimson sunbird is a resident breeder in tropical southern Asia from India to Philippines . Two or three eggs are laid in a suspended nest in a tree. This species occurs in forest and cultivated areas.

Crimson sunbirds are tiny, only 11 cm long. They have medium-length thin down-curved bills and brush-tipped tubular tongues, both adaptations to their nectar feeding.

The adult male has a crimson breast and maroon back. The rump is yellow and the belly is olive. The female has an olive-green back, yellowish breast and white tips to the outer tail feathers.

In most of the range, males have a long green-blue tail, but A.s. nicobarica of the Nicobar Islands and the former subspecies A. vigorsii(Western crimson sunbird) of the Western Ghats of India lack the long central tail feathers. Their call is chee-cheewee.

Information Source: Wikipedia

Black-rumped Flameback Woodpecker (Dinopium benghalense)

 

The Black-rumped Flameback Woodpecker also known as the Lesser Golden-backed Woodpecker is the only Golden-backed species with a black throat and is a widespread resident in India. This image of the Black-rumped Flameback Woodpecker was taken at the Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India in November 2015.

The black-rumped flameback (Dinopium benghalense), also known as the lesser golden-backed woodpecker or lesser goldenback, is a woodpecker found widely distributed in the Indian subcontinent. It is one of the few woodpeckers that are seen in urban areas. It has a characteristic rattling-whinnying call and an undulating flight. It is the only golden-backed woodpecker with a black throat and black rump.

Information Source : Wikipedia

Coppersmith barbet (Psilopogon haemacephalus)

We met this gentleman in Bharatpur. The photo doesn’t do justice to the show of colours that he actually is. Since I am new to bird watching, I had a tough time identifying him. Sharing two of the best shots that I managed.

 

The coppersmith barbet, crimson-breasted barbet or coppersmith (Psilopogon haemacephalus), is a bird with crimson forehead and throat which is best known for its metronomic call that has been likened to a coppersmith striking metal with a hammer. It is a resident found in the Indian subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia. Like other barbets, they chisel out a hole inside a tree to build their nest. They are mainly fruit eating but will take sometimes insects, especially winged termites.

Information source: Wikipedia

Red-wattled Lapwing (Vanellus indicus)

Pictures clicked at Bailparao Village, Ramnagar, Nainital District, Uttaranchal.

The red-wattled lapwing (Vanellus indicus) is a lapwing or large plover, a wader in the family Charadriidae. It has characteristic loud alarm calls which are variously rendered as did he do it or pity to do it^[2] leading to colloquial names like the did-he-do-it bird.^[3] Usually seen in pairs or small groups not far from water but may form large flocks in the non-breeding season (winter).

Information Source: Wikipedia

The Baronet (Euthalia nais)

The Baronet (Euthalia nais) is a species of Nymphalid butterfly found in South Asia.

She looked attractive. When I followed her like a tiny girl, she kept playing hide and seek. Jumping from this leaf to that flower. Hopping on this stone to that bud. Just like me. Interested in anything and everything. I think she finally recognized that my intentions were not dangerous. She took time to sit and pose. And I went ‘Click! Click! Click!’

 

Red-whiskered Bulbul

Hello World,

Having finally graduated from a smartphone camera to a Nikon P900 Point-and-Shoot Camera, I decided to revive this forgotten photo blog of mine.

Here’s one of my first few captures. Doesn’t he look hot and handsome??

I am an amateur in photography and would love your tips on improvement. Keep it coming. Thanking you in advance.