Red Alert

These birds are honestly amazing. They aren't very big but you can hear them a mile away.

Their beaks are massive. They ram their entire beaks into the ground and somehow manage to find stuff to eat.

Their eyes are lined with red and look like they could pierce through your very soul. But they are beautiful.

Too bad they are also hunted and their numbers are fast reducing :(

Harmony

These two red vented bulbuls were flying around and were part of a much larger group which settled down on a tree right in our garden. The others soon took off but these two stayed behind and just sat there as if they were enjoying the view.

It was really nice to just watch them. It seemed like a really calm and peaceful moment.

It is good to break away from the crowd and just enjoy a moment of peace away from daily routines.

Looking Forward

So the year has just begun and I can already see tons of statuses and messages from people wishing each other a Happy New Year :)

I guess this is when we all look forward to making this the best year of our lives. So all the best to everyone! :)

This sparrow wasn't alone when it got to this tree. It was part of a really large group. They were actually quite noisy but left pretty soon. However this little fellow decided to stay back and relax.

Black Ibis

Yup, no cheesy title today. Just the name of the bird in today's picture - black ibis. Birds have really cool names!

I really like photographing birds but the bird population here has declined - that's probably because of the rapid rise in the number of new houses and buildings in this area.

It's sad but true. One afternoon I just happened to look out the window and imagine my surprise when I spotted these magnificent birds in the field. I didn't expect to ever see them again because they had been driven away by some people who apparently thought they were bad for this area. I have no idea how people get such weird ideas into their heads but somehow they do and the wildlife in this area has to suffer.

Reminds me of the time when a giant vulture landed on our roof. The entire village gathered outside our house and told us to kill it or drive it away because it was a bad bird that would kill us and whose feces was so toxic that it would literally burn though anything. I tried to stop them but I was just a little child and no one listens to children so I had to run and get my parents. They finally went away but some other boys came back with slingshots and started shooting at the bird. Before we could stop them the bird flew away and we never saw it again.

The reason I wrote that is because something similar happened to these beautiful black ibis. Some weirdo decided that these birds don't belong here and so every morning whenever they would alight on the fields some men (and women) would try and shoot them with slingshots and even set dogs on them.

I'm glad I got to see these birds again because I haven't seen them since.

Calling Out

In the past we'd get a lot of birds everyday in our garden. On most days we would see rare and really beautiful birds that we didn't even know existed.

Sadly over the past few years the number of birds has come down as has the variety of birds that we see. The loss of habitat is the main problem but I guess that isn't something you can stop. The Jungle Babbler is a bird that we don't see much of nowadays.

This bird NEVER moves about alone. It is always with a group and boy are they noisy! The way they move about is quite interesting. I've never seen one of these birds walk in a straight line. They'll always hop about.

The best thing I like about these birds is their eyes. Those eyes remind me of eagle's eyes. They have this piercing feel to them. It looks like they haven't slept in a very long time. Almost like zombies (if zombies exist, that is).

Two Little Bulbuls

When I wake up in the morning I usually like to go and spend a few minutes on the balcony just looking out at the sunrise, the birds and fields and people out with their dogs and stuff. It all seems so peaceful and beautiful.

One morning I noticed these two beautiful red-vented bulbuls on this guava tree. They seemed to be talking to each other - probably discussing their own dreams of a tasty guava feast or something like that.

They they kinda just stayed there for a while talking and then just quietly. They were there for quite a while which made for a good photo opportunity.

A Delicious Meal

We have two guava trees in front of our house and this season we didn't really get a lot of ripe guavas.

There were tons of raw ones and then they would suddenly disappear when they ripened.

Turns out these red-vented bulbuls were the once eating them. We did manage to get a few which were really delicious.

It's a real treat to see these bulbuls everyday :)

The Comb

I was going to go with "The Comb-Over" but I didn't know how many people would actually get it so I decided against it.

We'd gone fishing and this cock kept following us around and so I decided to take a few pictures of it while we waited for the fish to take the bait.

I quite like this one from the entire bunch because I think it portrays the pride of the cock quite well.

Basking In The Light

Sometimes you get great pictures when you least expect it. This was one of those moments.

I'd gone fishing with a few friends and I noticed this kingfisher sitting on these overhead cables. I just loved the silhouette of the bird against the setting sun.

The picture turned out even better than I had expected. I just set the aperture to the smallest on the SX50 HS i.e. f/8 and took the shot.

When I later looked at it on the computer screen it just looked really really good. Usually overhead cables are a mess in photographs but this time they actually helped create a really nice shot - well, at least I like it :)

On Strings

I posted a similar picture a while back and quite a few people said that it looked "musical".
Honestly, I hadn't looked at it like that so I have to thank them for a new perspective.

Here is another picture that I'd taken on the same day but a little while apart. No, it isn't the same picture...it is different. Trust me.

We could actually play a "find the difference" game :D

I haven't done tutorials for a while now and I'm thinking of getting back into the game. Any topics you want me to make a video and/or blog post on? Just let me know.

I'm Next

We have a lot of guava trees in our compound and so those attract a lot of birds...and people :D

It's always fun to see all these different birds trying to be the first ones to get to a ripe guava. This also means picture opportunities so that is always an added bonus.

These two bulbuls landed together and one proceeded to eat the guava while the other just watched. It's as if the first on said "Cover Me!" :P

After a while they switched places and then when they were done, they flew away.

Stretch As Far As You Can

We were having breakfast one morning when suddenly we see this brown flash and this really pretty bird lands in the vacant plot adjacent to our house.

This was a pleasant surprise as I've only seen this bird once before and not for very long.

It stayed there and stretched its neck to a massive length that I wouldn't have believed if I hadn't seen it. It was pretty. I had to run to the first floor to get a shot of the entire bird which I'll share in a few days.

Btw I might not be able to post everyday this week as I'll be away from home. I'll try my best to do so but I can't promise I'll be successful. My sincere apologies if I'm unable to post everyday.

Evening Call

I watched as two birds built their nest but it was a little too high so I knew I wouldn't be getting any pictures of the cute babies that would hatch soon. But one can always hope and I kept watching this nest everyday.

Sure enough I saw one of the baby birds one day but I didn't have a camera then so I just stood there enjoying the cute little thing.

Days later I saw this little birds sitting on the branch and calling out to its parents. I wonder whether it was calling for food or trying to draw their attention to the human with the weird looking "third eye". Or maybe it was a combination of both.

The sun was bright in the sky and as I mentioned in an earlier post - sunlight is not something that you have control over so you have to work with what you get.

Busy Sparrow

I was really happy when I was able to use a camera again after a gap of more than a month. It just felt great. The first nature shot I took was of this little fellow.

It was raining and I didn't really expect any birds to be out but the rain slowed to a drizzle and I noticed this cute little fellow on the wall. I don't really know what he was upto but it did provide a good picture opportunity. Thankfully he was there for a few seconds so I was able to quickly get this shot before he noticed me and flew off.

I really need to work on my stealthy ninja skills :P

It's In The Eye

There are a few coconut trees in my mom's garden and unfortunately they haven't been yielding fruit but I still don't mind then there. Why? The truth is because they attract a lot of birds. For some reason birds love to come a rest on the branches of these trees and you know that I love birds so this also gives me an opportunity to get a few good pictures.

There is a particular branch that is drooping and I think it's time for it too fall off. Every morning I just go to the balcony and look out at the fields, the sky and just everything in general so it is a bonus when I see a bird there. This spotted dove decided to sit on the branch that was drooping and this meant that it was closer to the balcony than usual.

I was able to grab my camera before it flew off and I was able to get this close up of the bird.

Notice that the eye is in focus. If it wasn't in focus you probably wouldn't be seeing this picture today because the eyes are very important.

Make A Choice

The first time I saw this species of bird was when I was quite little. I don't think you find these birds in the city which is why I saw this only when we moved to the outskirts of the city.

I was walking down a small well-trodden lane when I saw this bird sitting high up on a branch. It seemed a little interesting to me even though I didn't know why. I just wanted to get a good shot.

I wanted to take a minimalistic image but I soon realised that I'd have to use a photo editing software if I wanted only the bird in the frame because of the other branches so I decided to take a picture in which the bird would be on one side and one branch on the other with a branch running diagonally across the top of the frame. To me it looked like the bird had a choice to make - which branch it would fly to and perch on.

How is your weekend going? I hope you are having fun :)

Waiting Patiently

We have a few guava trees in our garden so it's no surprise that a lot of birds are on these trees. They just love this fruit - especially the parrots and the bulbuls.

I really enjoy watching these birds because they are so beautiful. They are always the first ones to eat the ripe guavas and leave only a few for us humans to eat. I'm completely fine with that because I really enjoy watching these birds so it more than makes up for that.

Although there are no ripe guavas on the tree now I still notice these bulbuls visiting the tree as if waiting for the flowers to magically turn into ripe guavas.

Ordinary Pickings

Please don't ask me why I went with that title because I honestly don't know!

Anyway this is a break from the lizard pictures...but not for long :P
I had to be really quiet and still while taking these pictures because this bird was really sensitive. I don't think I've seen one like this before. I mean I have seen egrets but never a bird with a ponytail! Plus this one also happens to have yellow feet. Isn't that cool?

It had a good feast before it flew off. Unfortunately the water wasn't still so I couldn't get a good reflection. i would have loved to convert this to black and white but as you know my laptop is down so I couldn't do that  but I like it as it is.

Here is another "bonus" picture. This was taken when it was shaking itself. Probably because it go wet...I don't know.

That's it for today. I now have to go and prepare for tomorrow's exam.

Take care :)

A Job Well Done

Finally a change from flowers. Today's picture is of a bird - more specifically, the black drongo. Sounds cool doesn't it? I really like that name. It just sounds so very cool!

I love nesting season because you get too see so many different kinds of nests and birds. Birds are so very hard working and creative. They work tirelessly to prepare the perfect abode for their eggs and then the chick when the eggs hatch.

I really like the cup shaped nest that this bird builds. It builds it quite high too. Thankfully the SX30 IS has a whooping 35x zoom so that helped a lot. I would have loved to get a better angle though.

That's it for now.
Hope you have a great weekend :)

Always Caring

I love that time of the year when the birds set about building nests. It's just beautiful. They work together in perfect harmony, never getting in each others' way yet doing the job really fast too. You know what's better than that? The time when the eggs hatch and you see and/or hear the little baby birds. That is just lovely!

I try and capture moments beautiful moments in nature - God's awesome creation. It does involve a LOT of waiting but that one perfect shot is definitely worth it all. This is one such shot.

You can see the mother (or father...I'm not quite sure) in the nest and you can also see the tip of the chick's (is that what all baby birds are called?) beak. I watched as the bird flew off to get food for the baby and watched as it fed the newly hatched bird.

Of course the nest was really high up so I couldn't really choose my angle but I'm still happy with what I was able to get. This is where superzoom cameras come in real handy ;)

It is also moments like these that remind me of how amazing God's creation is and also how amazing God is. For example this particular picture reminds me of how God's love never falters :)