On My Mind

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Pushkar Lake, Ajmer, Rajasthan

noreply@blogger.com (Umang) — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 02:15:00 +0000


9 image Panorama of Pushkar Lake, Ajmer, Rajasthan

Pushkar Lake or Pushkar Sarovar (Sanskrit: पुष्कर-सरोवर) is located in the town of Pushkar in Ajmer district of the Rajasthan state of western India. Pushkar Lake is a sacred lake of the Hindus. The Hindu scriptures describe as it as "Tirtha-Raj" – the king of pilgrimage sites related to a water-body and relate it to the mythology of the creator-god Brahma, whose most prominent temple stands in Pushkar. The Pushkar Lake finds mention on coins as early as the 4th century BC. Pushkar Lake is surrounded by 52 bathing ghats (a series of steps leading to the lake), where pilgrims throng in large numbers to take a sacred bath, especially around Kartik Poornima (October–November) when the Pushkar Fair is held. A dip in the sacred lake is believed to cleanse sins and cure skin diseases. Over 500 Hindu temples are situated around the lake precincts.

Must visit Heritage House in Ahmedabad

noreply@blogger.com (Umang) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:11:00 +0000

Mr. Jagdip Mehta
Address : 1871, Moto Suthar Wado, Khadia, Ahmedabad 380 001, Gujarat State, India
Contact (R)079-22166747,(M)+91-9825310315
E-MAIL : jagdipmehta@yahoo.com jagdipmehta@gmail.com

This 100 sqm. ground cover and 260 sqm. built-up area ground and two storey house in Khadia III ward lay vacant for more than 18 years. Mr. Jagdip Mehta, who lived in the adjoining house and had bought this structure to accommodate the growing needs of his family, availed the loan facilitated by HUDCO and AHC subsidy to initiate its restoration in January 2004. The restoration work of the house was done with the collaboration of Heritage Department (AMC) and French Government.

The building represents a typical Ahmedabad house with a central courtyard and an elegant facade, which has a colonial influence in contrast to its internal veranacular layers.

The old structure was critically unstable with the entire woodwork - whether in the roof, floors, walls or posts - severely infested by termites, demanding immidiate treatment and repair, or replacement. Damaged elements and dead loads were removed and vulnearble wooden members structurally stregthened with steel.

The building had only bathroom khadki, and a toilet covering the otla next to the entrace on the ground floor. These were removed and the toilet and each of the three floors introduced to cater to contemporary lifestyle. A small shaft was chiseled out from the rooms to enhance the natural light and ventelation in the building and a part of a sloping roof was reconfigured into a terrace.
Most of the retrievable finishes flooring and dado tiles and tinited glass in fills - were re-installed. The existing deteriorated plaster-of-paris false ceiling was used to create moulds to recast a fresh ornamental soffit.

The traditional water harvesting system too was restored with cleaning up and minor repairs to the 15 000 litre tanka.

The significance of this building lies in the programmatic shift it accommodates. Connected to the adjoining old dwelling this building primarily performs as an extended living for the Mehta family. Besides the storage of his musical instruments and Mr. Mehta's rehearsals, the house is an active venue for frequent cultural events. It also hosts vistors and artists to the city having deep interest in heritage and culture.

Polo Monuments and Vijaynagar Forest

noreply@blogger.com (Umang) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 15:54:00 +0000

I had been planning to go to Polo and Vijaynagar Forests for a very long time. Images of long lost civilizations, ancient temples playing hide and seek in the mist and the lush green forests played on my mind as i tried to figure out the best way to get there...

Finally D-day arrived and on 22nd August at 08:00 we (my parents, wife, 2 kids and 2 dogs, thanks to the Safari) set off in search of the mysterious ruins of the Polo kingdom. We managed to cover the 160 odd Kms. in a little over 2 hours. I could not find details about where exactly the ruins were located and so it took a little time to find the place.

Actually the ruins of the temple are spread across 4-5 sites all within 10 kilometres of each other. The archeologically important Shiv Temple at Sarneshwar, Sadevant Savlings Deras, Surya Mandir, Lakhena Temple, Jain derasar and the ancient Polo Jain Nagri are worth visitng.

After the town of Idar, one needs to take the road towards Khedbhrama and then keep a look out for a turn on the right which says Vijaynagar 45 Kms. The 1st of the sites is around 30 Kms. down the road and there are some signboards put up by the archaeological department, but you need to keep a look out for them. You can also ask the locals for the "Dam site" or Vanaj and they will point you in the right direction.

Shiv-ling

Carvings on Shiv Temple

The ancient Polo city was built around the river Harnav, an ancient water body spoken of in the Puranas. It is believed to have been established in the 10th century by the Parihar kings of Idar, and was then conquered in the 15th century by the Rathod Rajputs of Marwar. The name is derived from pol, the Marwari word for "gate," signifying its status as a gateway between Gujarat and Rajasthan. It was built between Kalaliyo in the east, the highest peak in the area, and Mamrehchi in the west, considered sacred by the local adivasis. Together they block sunlight for most of the day, which might provide an explanation for the otherwise mysterious abandonment of the ancient city.

Walking across the bridge with water flowing over it

Now for some clarifications, the dam is actually a small check-dam built across the Harnav River, which is actually a small perennial stream. There is a small bridge which takes you from the main road to the other side where there is a nice forest. This bridge was actually the highlight of the trip for the kids. They had a great time walking through the water that was flowing over the bridge towards the check dam. A few hundred meters and quite suddenly the ruins of the ancient temple come into the view.

Lord Krishna

More intricate work

Lord Ganesh in the centre

Door carving

The 2 Jain temples and a Shiva temple are said to have been built sometime in the 15th century. There is not much left of them and honestly there does not seem as if much of an effort has been made to conserve the little that remains of these temples. It was quite interesting the see carvings of Lord Ganesh, Lord Krishna, Hanuman and other Hindu Gods on these temples. I bet the carvings of dragons on the temple walls also had an interesting story to tell. It was a pity that there was no one there to explain all this to the visitors / tourists who came there.

Jain temple

Jain Temple

After spending around an hour and half at the site, we visited another temple which was supposed to be restored (found the reference on the web). This was a much smaller Shiva temple and though not restored (at least it did not look much better than the others) there was a idol inside the temple and it was obvious that prayers were being offered regularly there.This one was built sometime in the 10 century and was supposed to be the oldest temple in the area.

Shiv Temple

Shiv-ling and the snake God

The extremely humid climate made us call it a day and we started our journey back to Ahmedabad, stopping on the way for some lovely tea and some really juicy boiled maize (makai).

I actually fell in love with the place and promised to return once again to take more pics, only this time I would make sure to go there in December when the weather was much more conducive to trekking.

Best time to visit: November to January

Note: Don’t forget to carry some water and eatables ‘cause there is not much available after Idar.

Don't forget to check out all the pics from Polo and Vijaynagar here

Polo Monuments and Vijaynagar Forest

Holiday to Shimla | Sangla | Narkhanda | Mussorrie - June 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Umang) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 10:35:00 +0000

Had been planning a holiday for sometime and finally after a lot of mis-adventures finally managed to freeze on Shimla, Sangla, Narkhanda and Mussorrie. Bookings at Shimla and Mussorrie were done at the Club Mahindra Resorts and so the search started to a place to stay at Sangla and Narkhanda.

A quick search on the net revealed 2 places, Banjara Camps and Kinner Camps both of which looked really interesting. Though Banjara seemed more popular it was frightfully expensive compared to Kinner Camps where Mr. Pradeep Negi and Gauri really gave us a good deal. Gauri also helped us with booking for Narkhanda, at a place called Agyat Vas. This was a real "Agyat Vasa" (unknown / hidden place), but more of that later. So finally we were all set for our annual vacation.

We took the early morning flight to Delhi and an Innova (again booked through Gauri at Kinner Camps) was ready to pick us up. The drive to Shimla was a rather long one and we reached Whispering Pines the Club Mahindra resort at Mashorba, on the outskirts of Shimla, late in the afternoon.

Whispering Pines

We spent the next 2 days exploring Shimla and visiting the "must see" places there.

To be honest Shimla did not really catch my fancy. Its crowded and teaming with people.

This is a common site in Shimla city

Queen of the hills ?? Where are the hills ??

The highlight of our visit was a trip to the Vice Regal Lodge of Shimla. The Viceregal Lodge of Shimla is a heritage building that is situated on the Observatory Hill of Shimla. This building originally used to be the dwelling hub of the then Viceroy of India Lord Dufferin. The building is also termed as the 'Rashtrapati Niwas'. It has a really beautiful garden and one can spend hours there just looking at the flower and butterflies.

Vice Regal Lodge

Flower in the garden of the Vice Regal Lodge

The other place I really loved with Annadale. Developed as the playground of Shimla, Annandale is 2–4 km from the Ridge at a height of 6,117 ft. It is a favourite spot for cricket, picnics and polo. There is a wonderful military museum there which is located in such picturesque surroundings that it is a must visit for tourist who go to Shimla.

Central Hall / Conference Room at Annadale

Military Museum

There is a beautiful golf course at Annadale, though I am not sure if it is open to the general public.

Golf Course at Annadale

Over the 2 days in Shimla, we witnessed some spectacular skies, especially in the evening.

For more images from Shimla visit my Picasa web album Pics from Shimla .

Our next stop was Sangla around 215 Kms from Shimla. This leg of the trip really put the time required to travel in perspective. Normally 215Kms would take around 4-5 hours, but with the narrow curvy roads it took us more than 7 hours to reach Kinner Camps. So inspite of leaving Shimla at 9:00, it was nearly 16:00 hours when we reached Kinner Camps.

Kinner Camps Sangla is the only camp in the valley to be run by local professionals it is nestled amidst apple orchards on the banks of the Baspa river. It provides 20 Swiss style luxury tents furnished with attached bath and all amenities, multi cuisine restaurant serving Indian, Chinese and Continental food.

The location is really amazing ... the camp is situated a little more than half way down a hill with the flowing Baspa River a few yards below. The location was just perfect with a huge mountain at the back which protected us from the direct sun and snow clad mountains and the river in front. In hindsight I liked the location more than that of Banjara camps, which was situated on the rocky bank of the river.

Mere pictures can not do justice to the beauty of the place and one has to be there to really soak in the beauty and atmosphere of the place.

Tents at Kinner Camps

Snow Clad mountains - view from tent


River Baspa - Kinner Camps

Snow clad mountains above Kinner Camps

Mountains from Kinner Camps

Snow clad mountains from Kinner Camps

Another view of Kinner Camps

There are quite a few places to visit and a must visit place is Chitkul. Chittkul is the last inhabited village near the Indo-Tibet border; the Indian road ends here. During winters the place remains covered with the snow mostly & these people move to the lower areas of Himachal. Chittkulis the first village of the Baspa Valley and the last village on the old Hindustan-Tibet trade route. It is also the last point in India one can travel to without a permit. Of particular interest at Chitkul are its houses with either slate or wooden plank roofs, a Buddhist temple and a small tower. However, there has been an increased use of tin-roofs, especially the high school and the army/ITBP barracks.

Chikul - last village in India

Typical House in Chitkul

Chitkul Village

For those who wish to have a leisurely treck, there is a quaint little village across the river from Kinner Camps. Its a beautiful village having nice roads, apple orchards and a wonderful temple. The village is a 45 minute walk from the camp and is really worth visiting.

Walking into the village

This dog adopted us and followed us all around

Carving on temple

Even now when I look at the pictures from Kinner, I just wish I could have spent more time there

Baspa River

Baspa River from Kinner Camps

Under the pines

Snow clad mountains from Kinner

We really had a wonderful time at Kinner and desperately wanted to spend some more time there. Mr Vijay Negi and his team really made us feel at home. The tents were nice and clean, the home cooked food amazing and the service impeccable. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who goes to Sangla.

For more images from Kinner Camps visit my album Awesome Kinner.

From Kinner we were off to Narkhanda to a place called Agyaat Vas. ....

More from my trip in the next post .....

Asian Paradise-flycatcher (Terpsiphone paradisi)

noreply@blogger.com (Umang) — Tue, 10 May 2011 02:40:00 +0000

The Asian Paradise-flycatcher (Terpsiphone paradisi), also known as the Common Paradise-flycatcher, is a medium-sized passerine bird native to Asia.

Adult Asian Paradise-flycatchers are 19–22 cm long. Their heads are glossy black with a black crown and crest, their black bill round and sturdy, their eyes black. Female are rufous on the back with a greyish throat and underparts. Their wings are 86–92 mm long. Male Asian Paradise-flycatchers change the colour of their plumage in the first few years of their lives. Sub-adult males look very much like females but have a black throat and blue-ringed eyes. As adult they develop up to 24 cm long tail feathers. Their rufous plumage moults into white with the central pair of tail feathers growing up to 30 cm long streamers that droop. There are adults called rufous-morph with rufous wings and tail but white underparts.

Asian Paradise-flycatcher (Terpsiphone paradisi)

Abstracts - Patterns in Nature

noreply@blogger.com (Umang) — Wed, 04 May 2011 03:20:00 +0000

Abstracts - Patterns in Nature

Having fun with my 50mm f1.8 n extension tubes :)

Few more macro shots with my 50m f1.8 and extension tubes

noreply@blogger.com (Umang) — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 03:03:00 +0000

Really enjoying taking pictures with this combination and hopefully I am getting better at it :)

Housefly | Musca domestica

Housefly | Musca domestica- crop from center to show details

Macros with nikkor 50mm f1.8 and extension tubes

noreply@blogger.com (Umang) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 15:21:00 +0000

Macro images with AF 50mm f1.8 and extension tube fabricated at home

noreply@blogger.com (Umang) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 06:16:00 +0000

I have always wanted to try my hand at shooting macros. But, my gear, a nikkor 70-300,which I use for my birding shots, a nikkor 18-135, which I rarely use and a nikkor 50mm f1.8 which I used just a few times, left me ogling at all the amazing macro shots on the net.

Next I went looking for a macro lens and drooled over everything from the Tamron 90mm to the Nikkor 105 VR and the Sigma 150 and 200mm lenses. Of course the cost and the fact that I felt it was not worth spending that kind of money on a hobby left me shooting bird pics 99% of the time.

Recently I came across an article about extension tubes, lens reversing and freelensing. 2 sleepless nights later and after a lot of research on the net, I decided to give it a try.

Setup for the experiment

Camera: Nikon D80
Lens: Nikkor AF 50mm f1.8 -this has a manual aperture control – very useful when the lens can’t speak with the camera and you need to control aperture.

Extension tube: Fabricated out of an old shuttlecock box (for those don’t play badminton, look at the pictures below or check with your nearest sports goods shop :) )

Note: Nikon users (not sure about canon) when the lens is not connected to the cam, the aperture is automatically set to the smallest aperture (highest aperture value), so you would have to manually change the aperture as required.

Steps:

1. First I figured out that my 50mm fit in nice and snugly into the ‘tube’ (shuttlecock box) and went around 30mm inside (approximately – it does not really need to be exact)
2. For 1:1 magnification the length of the tube (distance to back end of the lens) needs to be equal to the focal length of lens – so to achieve that I cut out a portion of 90mm length from the box (50mm+30mm –amount the lens went into the box +10mm just to be extra sure)
3. Next I put the D80 into Manual mode – and this is important as otherwise you will only get and F_ _ or FEE error and you will not be able to click/shoot as the lens would not be detected by the body.
4. Next I held tube near the body and . . . that’s it ... my macro set-up was all ready to use
5. Later I also experimented with inserting the 50mm lens the wrong way into the tube (reversing) and took some test shots with that

Note: Since the lens is not in contact with the body
1. You need to set the aperture manually
2. To focus you need to move closer or further to the subject (nothing else works)
3. The Depth of field with this setup is really really small and to shoot flat objects you would need at least f4 or greater. For my experiments on a wasp (dead one) I had to use f16 to f22 to be able to get a decent part in focus)
4. Also with the aperture at f16 or f22 you really need good light and I had a tough time trying to control the exposure with my inbuilt flash

Well that’s the theory part :) . Some sample pics are attached below. Please remember these are some of the 1st pics that I have taken with this set-up and hopefully with a little practice they can only get better.

Shuttlecock box cut to approximately 90mm

Side angle on the lens in the tube

50mm lens sitting snugly in the fabricated tube

I Rupee coin - closest focus with 50mm lens

Macor of 1 Rupee coin (no crop) with 50mm and fabricated extension tube

Macro of 2 Rupee coin (same size as 1 rupee coin) with 50mm and fabricated extension tube

Macro of wasp (dead) with 50mm and fabricated extension tube

Another angle - Macro of wasp (dead) with 50mm and fabricated extension tube

Note: All images are direct from teh camera with no editing cropping etc. Just converted the files from RAW to JPG in photoshop and resized and added watermark in PICASA for uploading.

Thanks for looking. If you have any queries please let me know and I will be glad to try and answer them.

:) This is so much fun, I am now going to try this on flowers ....

Crimson Breasted Barbets (Megalaima haemacephala)

noreply@blogger.com (Umang) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 05:17:00 +0000

he Coppersmith Barbet, Crimson-breasted Barbet or Coppersmith (Megalaima haemacephala), 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 South Asia 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.

Traffic in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

noreply@blogger.com (Umang) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 03:00:00 +0000

They say if you can drive in Ahmedabad, you can drive anywhere in the world ... Here is why . . .but there is a method to this madness ... see how people 'adjust' to the situation and life goes on ... No long traffic jams etc etc .. life just goes on. Thats why I love Ahmedabad !!

Weekend Trip to Dasada - Little Rann of Kutch

noreply@blogger.com (Umang) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 04:30:00 +0000

14th January, a Friday, was a holiday for Makarsankranti so I took a day off from work on the 15th and headed off to Dasada, a small town on the edge of Little Rann of Kutch for a 2 night vacation at Rann Riders.

Dasada is located around 110 Kms from Ahmedabad and is an ideal stopover for people planning on visiting the Wild Ass sanctuary at LRK. We left home at around 9:30 AM and a leisurely 2 hour drive via Sanand, Viramgam and then Mandal saw us at Rann Riders (www.rannriders.com).

Gaggle of geese

Restaurant

We were welcomed by a gaggle of geese trotting around merrily. The resort has around 30 cottages, resembling the kooba houses of the Bajania community of Dasada and the bhunga houses of the Rabaris of Kutch, decorated with mirrors, mud-plaster work and embroidery. The morning was spent exploring the property and watching the few birds that frequent the place. The kids had a ball playing in the "Bore" plantation in the resort and fooling around with the 3 Labrador pups there.

Nilgai heard on the run

Nilgai -Male

Indian Wild Ass

After a wonderful lunch at the open restaurant we were off for our 1st safari of the trip. A 30 minute drive later we were in the Wild Ass Sanctuary. While the common cranes had not yet arrived we were lucky to spot the Short Eared Owl, some Wild Asses and Nilgai from pretty close. There are large salt pans here and we had a chance to visit a salt pan workers family. Its amazing to see the kind of hardship they have to endure. Imagine living in a vast open expanse with nothing is sight but dry barren land. Water is drawn from bore-wells dug deep into the earth and then pumped into patches on land where it dries out to leave behind salt. The workers earn a merger 14 paisa per bag of salt.

We returned in time for dinner after which the evening was spent gazing at the stars in the clear sky. Next morning we were up at 6:00am and after a quick breakfast we were off on our 2nd safari. This time we went to a lake around 45 minutes away. On the way we spotted a family of Sarus Cranes and a few Marsh Harriers. The lake was a bit of a disappointment as the birds were quite far off and we were not able to get close for pictures, but the sight of around a hundred flamingos taking off together is a one that has to be seen to be believed. At around 10:00am we headed back to the resort and were lucky to be able to spend some quality time with a Sarus Family as they happily roamed around scourging for food. It's quite amazing how comfortable they are in the company of locals, often moving within a few feet of them as they go about their daily chores.

In the afternoon we were joined by a few friends from Ahmedabad and post lunch we were off again to another part of the sanctuary which was around an hour and half from the resort. Here we were lucky to spot the Amur Falcon and some Pelicans. We waited for the sun to set and got some nice images of the sun setting. On the way back we spotted a Nightjar but it flew away before any one managed to take a picture.

Sarus Crane

Amur Falcon

Black Shouldered Kite

The evenings at LRK get really cold and one should remember to carry some warm clothes especially while travelling in an open jeep during the safaris.

On 16th morning the kids were really tired and decided to skip the safari but we went looking for the MacQueen Bustard. After around an hour of driving around, seemingly aimlessly, we suddenly spotted a solitary bustard in the dry scrubs. It was amazing well concealed and there was no way we could have spotted it, if it had not moved around. We also managed to spot a few cranes and Kestrels and the Desert Wheatear. Our favourite Short Eared Owl also posed for a few images on our way back.

After a late lunch we checked out and returned to Ahmedabad with fond memories and a new family member!! The kids had managed to convince us and the owner of the resort, Mr. Malik, to allow then to take one of the pups back home...

Thol Bird Sanctuary ??

noreply@blogger.com (Umang) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 05:14:00 +0000

Sanctuary -A reserved area in which birds and other animals, especially wild animals, are protected from hunting or molestation

I went to Thol after a long time. All my plans of spending a peaceful Sunday morning with the cacophony of the birds for company were dashed the moment i reached there. Flash bulbs were going off like crazy as a group of boys were photographing thier girlfriends and making enough noise to put a thousand cranes to shame.
Hope is all persevering, so I parked my car and started walking towards the far part of the lake hoping for some peace and quite only to be passed by 3 cars trying to race each other with music blaring at full volume. As they rounded a turn I spotted 3 startled Grey Francolins jump out of their skin. Cursing the drivers, I found a nice secluded spot and settled down on the wet grass and in the dim light could spot a a few water-hens foraging for food in the small swamp nearby.
Just when I thought things would get better, a bus full of people arrived for their "Picnic" and soon sounds of "Jay Ambe Maa" blaring from speakers filled the air. I looked at my watch, it was only 6:45am . . . it was going to be a long long day.... This continued till around 7:15 and I was thankful that the goddess had put some sense into her disciples.
Soon things became quiet again and a beautiful Purple heron came and landed a few feet away from me. Before I could take a shot it was chased away by someone blundering through the undergrowth to take a pee as one of his friend followed armed with a camera to post the image on Facebook !! I was so disgusted that I had half a mind to take a pic of them myself and send it to the local tabloid detailing their exploits.
At around 8:30 a few more vehicles poured in and I could hear people arguing about the best place to play cricket at Thol. Soon children were shouting at the top of their voice and rendering their version of the bird noises while "Sheila ki Jawani" competed with "Munni Badnam Hui" for the title of the track the pelicans liked the most.
By around 9:30 Thol was finally quite as most families had finised with their picnic baskets and headed back home a few "bird watchers" armed with their binoculars and cameras were left wondering where all the birds had gone. I could hear discussions of how the locals were encroaching on the habitat of the birds and how the farmers were responsible for chasing the birds away from their fields. Guess if they had seen what had happened that morning, they would have a different story to tell...
In between all this chaos I managed to get some nice images a marsh harrier as it flew up and down the swamp sending the smaller water-hens and lapwings scattering for the cover of the undergrowth. Also managed to grab images of the grey heron also posed for a few minutes before flying off to a quieter place where children would not throw stones at it and the cormorant who managed to catch a nice big cat-fish before flying away to dry itself of a tree stump far away.
I left Thol at around 12:00, memories of how beautiful and peaceful it had been a few years ago etched in my mind while I attempted to discard the happenings of the morning as nightmare that hopefully would soon be forgotten. Unfortunately the dreams did not go away and I am still left wondering if it’s right to call this place "Thol Bird Sanctuary" ???

noreply@blogger.com (Umang) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 14:54:00 +0000

Some images from my trip Bera in Rajasthan

From Bera - Rajasthan ( Leopards Lair)

Check out my other images here

Little Rann of Kutch - A Day Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Umang) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:25:00 +0000

I had been planning to got to Thol on Sunday (9th November 2008) when Kunan Naik, an avid birder and photographer invited me to join him on a trip to the Little Rann. I had been planning to go there in December and hence jumped at the opportunity as Kunan had been there a couple of times and was familiar with the place.

The Rann of Kutch is a seasonally marshy region located in the Thar Desert biogeographic province in Gujarat state of northwestern India and the Sind province of Pakistan. The name "Rann" comes from the Hindi word ran meaning "salt marsh".I n India's summer monsoon, the flat desert of salty clay and mudflats, averaging 15 meters above sea level, fill with standing waters, interspersed with sandy islets of thorny scrub, breeding grounds for some of the largest flocks of Greater and Lesser flamingoes. At its greatest extent, the Gulf of Kutch on the west and the Gulf of Cambay on the east are both united during the monsoon.

This inhospitable salty lowland, rich in natural gas and a resting site for migratory Siberian birds, is part of India and Pakistan's ongoing border dispute concerning Sir Creek. The Rann is also famous for the Indian Wild Ass sanctuary, the Little Rann of Kutch, where the last of three species of Asiatic Wild Ass (Equus hemionus khur or khar), the only ones in Asia, still exists along with wolves, foxes, jackals, chinkara gazelles, nilgai antelope and blackbucks. The Rann of Kutch is also the only place in Pakistan and India which plays host to migrating flamingoes. There are 13 species of lark in the Rann of Kutch.

We left Ahmedabad at around 4:00 and the 110 Km journey to the Little Raan took us around 2 ½ hours in Kunan’s Gypsy, with a couple of breaks thrown in along the way. We reached the forest guest house around 6:30 and headed off straight into the Raan along with Udaybhai, (a forest officer) who was a friend of Kunan and a local guide.

We traveled into the Raan in a Maruti gypsy’s as its 4 wheel drive is best suited to marshy soil of the area. It is also advisable to hire the local guide as they are familiar with the area and know which parts of the Raan are approachable by vehicles.

The first thing that struck me during our outing was the difference between bird watchers and photographers is their approach. While a bird watcher / environmentalist is content to sight birds through a pair of binoculars / telescope a photographer pursues the birds like a trophy often with disregard for the bird and its habitat. Watching these 2 experienced birders was a great learning experience for me.

One of the first birds we spotted was the Common Krestal (falco tinnuunculus) which is a common, but very shy bird which flies of at the slightest of noise / disturbance. A little further into the bushes we spotted the Zitting Cisticola (Cisticola juncidis) and the Desert Wheatear, Oenanthe deserti. Some other common birds like the White eared bulbul (Pycnonotus leucotis), Green bee eater (Merops orientalis) and the Jungle Babbler (Turdoides striata) were also spotted along the route.

Past the scrubs we came across a huge vast open piece of land where the parched earth was cracked and dry. At places the earth was stained with a white residue, salt, for the water that had long since dried up. Here we spotted the Crested Lark (Galerida cristata) which blends beautifully with the arid landscape and is hence very difficult to spot unless it moves. A little ahead we came across a heard of the famed Indian wild ass (Equus hemionus khur) also called khur, which is a subspecies of wild asses native to southern Asia. While I was busy taking pictures of the wild asses Udaybhai called us over as he had spotted a Painted Francolin or Painted Partridge (Francolinus pictus). This one was pretty far of and I had a hard time photographing it.

It was almost 9:30 and we headed of towards the water bodies and marshes. There we spotted Black Stork (Ciconia nigra).There were a lot of birds including The Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus), The Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea), Western Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus), The Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala), Little Egret (Egretta garzetta), The Common Spoonbill or Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) Skylark (Alauda arvensis) and also some ducks like the Brahminy Duck (Tadorna ferruginea), a couple of Spot-billed Ducks (Anas poecilorhyncha), though Udaybhai was pretty upset that there were so few of them.

The Common Crane (Grus grus) were seen in large numbers. You can see hundreds of them all clustered together and when they decide to fly, it’s an amazing sight to watch. They are pretty clumsy during takeoff, but amazingly graceful in flight. We also spotted The Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus) and the Spot-billed Pelican (Pelecanus philippensis).

We decided to take another route back and there we were able to spot some Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus ), Indian Pond Heron (Ardeola grayii), Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica) and a couple of the Least Sandpiper, Calidris or Erolia minutilla and a few Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica), Ruff (Philomachus pugnax) and some Common Redshank or Redshank (Tringa totanus). Here I was also lucky to get a couple of pictures of The osprey (Pandion haliaetus) in flight.

There are a lot of Rock Pigeons (Columba livia), Laughing Dove (Streptopelia senegalensis), Long-tailed Shrike or the Rufous-backed Shrike (Lanius schach), Bay-backed Shrike (Lanius vittatus) and other common birds.

We also saw some Neelgai Antelope (Boselaphus tragocamelus Pallas) near the boundary of the sanctuary.

We started back from the Little Raan at around 12:15 and on the way back alongside the road we spotted a number of Black-shouldered Kites (Elanus axillaris), White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis), Indian Rollers (Coracias benghalensis) and also a bird which looked like a Long-legged Buzzard (Buteo rufinus), but was way too far to identify positively.

We reached back at around 14:30 and I was tired but happy to have had such a great experience of the Raan with two seasoned bird watchers and now appreciate their patience and thrill of being able to identify a bird correctly, which I now realize is pretty difficult given that a slight variation in colour, striation or a almost unnoticeable change is the shape of the tail could change the bird all together.

Panchgani - A travalogue

noreply@blogger.com (Umang) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:12:00 +0000

We travelled to Panchgani from the 26th to the 30th of October 2008. An overnight train from Ahmedabad to Pune, saw us reach Pune at around 5:00 AM on the 26th and after a short halt we were off to Panchgani which is around 100Kms from Pune.

The route to Panchgani is a very scenic one with a lot of greenery and the flowers along the road were a sight to behold. A 2 hour drive and we were all ready to check-in to the “Blue Country Resort”, where we had booked our stay through ‘Club Mahindra Holidays’. Blue Country is a Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) property where ‘Club Mahindra’ have some rooms booked on a permanent basis. There are some horror stories about the resort floating around the net, but our stay there was quite pleasant and uneventful. Though the restaurant as reported is pretty small and so it gets full really fast and you need to be early to be able to get a seat for breakfast or lunch. Dinner is usually served outside on the lawns and so it’s a much better experience. Any yeah the room service, especially if you order something just before lunch or dinner time sucks . . .
Okay so having got all that out of the way, the property itself is quite beautiful with a Dolphin embossed Swimming Pool, a room for table tennis and carom and a small children’s park to keep them happy.

Legend has it that Panchgani is named after the five hills that surround it. These were settlements of the natives and hence the town came to be called Panchgani, panch meaning five and gani meaning settlement. The town was founded by John Chesson in 1854, who developed it with a grant from the Governor of Bombay. Soon it came to be the home of a number of Christians and Parsis, and a getaway from the heat of the plains.
Panchgani is at an altitude of 1334 m, it is just 38 m below Mahabaleshwar. These 38 m translate themselves into a breathtaking 18 km approach, that swoops around and bends with abandon, offering splendid views of the river Krishna on one side, and the coastal plains, on the other. Panchgani is the quintessential hill station. It can be seen in the architecture of the old British buildings, the Parsi houses, and the boarding schools that have been around for a century or more.

The five hills surrounding Panchgani are topped by a volcanic plateau, which is the second highest in Asia after the Tibetan plateau. These plateaus, alternatively known as "table land", are a part of the Deccan Plateau and they were raised by pressure between the earth plates. The area has high seismic activity, with an epicenter near Koynānagar where the Koynanagar Dam and a hydroelectric power plant have been built. Another place you must visit is Mahableshwar which is just 20Kms from Panchgani and a well known hill station

There are many tourist points in and around Panchgani, most of them offering breathtaking views of the valley below. There are various sightseeing hill destinations points in Panchgani such as Sydney point, Table land, Parsi point, devil's kichen, Dhoom dam, the lingmala falls and Rajapuri caves. The Sydney point is placed on small hillock facing the Krishna valley. We can see the glittering waters of the Dhom Dam and Pandavgad and Mandhardeo from here. Table land is situated around 60 mts high and second largest natural mountains in Asia. From here we can easily see devil's kitchen. Parsi point is a windy road situated on the Mahabaleshwar way overlooks the Krishna valley and the blue mirror like waters of the Dhom Dam. Doom dam is a beautiful boating spot, which is situated 21 kms from the panchgani. Scooter boats and Speed boats one can enjoy here. Rajapuri caves is placed about 10 kms from the town. It has a religious importance as there is a temple of Lord Karthikeya, (Lord Shiva's son).

When in Panchgani don’t miss Sherbaug (http://www.sherbaug.com/). This is an amazing theme park and you can easily spend over half a day here strolling through the amazing gardnen, eating a traditional Maharashtrian meal or just lazing around on the many swings and beds scattered around the place. Sherbaug also boasts of a beautiful fossil and semi-precious stone collection and some dinosaur eggs.

A genteel place, Panchgani doesn't really pander to commercial tastes, as does Mahabaleshwar. Here, holiday pastimes include walking, riding on one of the numerous ponies that canter around town, or simply unwinding at home in the cool of the veranda or drinking tea on the lawns. And if you feel energetic, amble down to the bazaar to shop for very reasonably priced shoes and slippers, preserves and squashes made from fresh strawberries and raspberries. You can also visit the MAPRO outlets and stuff yourself with all the free samples that they give. Note: After a few, they all taste the same and you will be as confused as ever 

Panchgani has some amazing flora and fauna and I had a great time taking photographs there.

So after 4 pleasant days and our bags full with a variety of syrups, jams and pickles we headed back to Pune on the 30th to catch our train back to Ahmedabad.

Rufous-backed Shrike (Lanius schach) -erythronotus race

noreply@blogger.com (Umang) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:56:00 +0000

Rufous-backed Shrike (Lanius schach) -erythronotus race
Originally uploaded by Umang Dutt

Taken @ Thol wildlife sanctuary near Mehsana, Gujarat, India

The Long-tailed Shrike or the Rufous-backed Shrike (Lanius schach) is a member of the bird family Laniidae, the shrikes. The eastern or Himalayan race, L. s. tricolor, is sometimes called the Black-headed Shrike.
It is a common resident breeder throughout the Indomalayan ecozone from Kazakhstan, through Afghanistan, Pakistan, Indian peninsula except eastern states , to New Guinea, found on bushes in scrubby areas and cultivation. Winter visitor to southern areas such as southeast India and Sri Lanka.

It has some resemblances to the grey shrikes, such as the Southern Grey Shrike, Lanius meridionalis, sharing the pearl grey head and mantle and black mask extending from the forehead, through the eye, to the ear coverts. An eastern race found in Bhutan to Arunachal Pradesh, sometimes called the Himalayan L. s. tricolor, has a black head extending from the eye mask to the whole crown and nape.
It is small for a grey shrike, but has a very long tail with rufous edges. The underparts are white, but with rufous flanks. The bill and legs are nearly black.

This bird has a characteristic upright "shrike" attitude perched on a bush, from which it sallies after lizards, large insects, small birds and rodents.

Prey may be impaled upon a sharp point, such as a thorn. Thus secured they can be ripped with the strong hooked bill, but its feet are not suited for tearing.

Its flight is undulating, but its dash is straight and determined.

This species is a very rare vagrant to western Europe on the strength of a single accepted British record on South Uist in November 2000. It has also occurred as a vagrant to Japan, Oman, Israel, Hungary and Turkey.

Monkey - Black-footed Gray Langur (Semnopithecus hypoleucos)

noreply@blogger.com (Umang) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 05:22:00 +0000

Saw this little money sitting on a bed of flower lost in thought as it happily chewed on a twig.

The gray langurs are a group of Old World monkeys and make up the entirety of the genus Semnopithecus.

Gray langurs are large and fairly terrestrial, inhabiting open wooded habitats and urban areas on the Indian subcontinent. Until recently they were considered one species, Semnopithecus entellus; now seven distinct species are recognized.When only one species was recognized, it was also called the Hanuman Langur (named after the Hindu vanara divinity Hanuman), the Common Langur and the Entellus Langur. In Sri Lanka, it is natively known as the Wandura.
They are largely gray, with a black face. In Indian mythology, this is because Hanuman, a monkey warrior, burnt his hands and face trying to rescue Lord Rama's wife. Males are up to 75 cm long, and females 65 cm. Langurs from the southern part of their range are smaller than those from the north.
Gray langurs feed on leaves, fruit, buds and flowers. Their diet, however, is highly seasonable, with mature leaves being eaten only as a fall-back food during the winter months. In the summer, especially before the monsoon season, they are highly frugivorous. They also supplement their diet with insects (up to 25% in some months), tree bark and gum.
Though they sleep in trees, they spend more time on the ground than any other known colobine species. They are diurnal and usually walk on all fours.

They live in medium to large groups, usually with one dominant male. Males do not hold the dominant position for long in a group, with the average being about 18 months. Adolescent males who are expelled from the group sometimes form 'bachelor' packs. These packs, after a time, start to harass the group that expelled them, and challenge the alpha for leadership of the pack. If an attack by a bachelor pack is successful and they are able to kill the alpha, they will engage in a power struggle, where first all of the infants fathered by the previous alpha are killed, and then the bachelors fight among themselves, killing each other until only one remains, who then becomes the leader of the pack.
An interesting relationship has been observed between herds of Chital deer and troops of the Northern Plains Gray Langur (S. entellus), a widespread leaf-eating monkey of South Asia. Chital apparently benefit from the langurs' good eyesight and ability to post a lookout in a treetop, helping to raise the alarm when a predator approaches. For the langurs' part, the Chital's superior sense of smell would seem to assist in early predator warning, and it is common to see langurs foraging on the ground in the presence of Chital. The Chital also benefit from fruits dropped by the langurs from trees such as Terminalia bellerica. Alarm calls of either species can be indicative of the presence of a predator such as the Bengal Tiger.

House Crow (Corvus splendens)

noreply@blogger.com (Umang) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:31:00 +0000

A crow is a crow, until you observe it closely, then its actually a pretty amazing bird.

The true crows are large passerine birds that comprise the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. Ranging in size from the relatively small pigeon-sized jackdaws (Eurasian and Daurian) to the Common Raven of the Holarctic region and Thick-billed Raven of the highlands of Ethiopia, the 40 or so members of this genus occur on all temperate continents (except South America) and several offshore and oceanic islands (including Hawaii).

The crow genus makes up a third of the species in the corvid family. Other corvids include rooks and jays. Crows appear to have evolved in Asia from the corvid stock, which had evolved in Australasia. A group of crows is called a "murder."

Crows make a wide variety of calls or vocalizations. Whether the crows' system of communication constitutes a language is a topic of debate and study. Crows have also been observed to respond to calls of other species; this behavior is presumably learned because it varies regionally. Crows' vocalizations are complex and poorly understood. Some of the many vocalizations that crows make are a "caw", usually echoed back and forth between birds, a series of "caws" in discrete units, counting out numbers, a long caw followed by a series of short caws (usually made when a bird takes off from a perch), an echo-like "eh-aw" sound, and more. These vocalizations vary by species, and within each species vary regionally. In many species, the pattern and number of the numerical vocalizations have been observed to change in response to events in the surroundings (i.e. arrival or departure of crows). Crows can hear sound frequencies lower than those that humans can hear, which complicates the study of their vocalizations.

Loud, throaty "caw-aw-ah"'s are usually used to indicate hunger or to mark territory. When defending a nest site or food, crows will usually enlarge their crest feathers and hunch their shoulders to increase their size. Softer, gurgling sounds have also been observed as a sort of beckoning call, or a call of affection. These noises are emitted from within the throat of the bird, much like a cat's purring.

The House Crow (Corvus splendens), also known as the Colombo Crow is a common Asian bird of the Crow family. It is between the Jackdaw and the Carrion Crow in size (40 cm in length) but is relatively slimmer than either. The forehead, crown, throat and upper breast are a richly glossed black, whilst the neck and breast are a lighter grey-brown in colour. The wings, tail and legs are black. There are regional variations in the thickness of the bill and the depth of colour in areas of the plumage.

It has a widespread distribution in southern Asia, being native to India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Laccadive Islands, South West Thailand and coastal southern Iran. It has been introduced to East Africa around Zanzibar (around 1897) and Port Sudan, and arrived in Australia via ship but has up to now been exterminated. Recently it has made its arrival in Europe, and has been breeding in the Hook of Holland since 1998. It is associated with human settlements in all of its range, from small villages to large cities.

Due to a human population explosion in the areas it inhabits, this species has also proportionately multiplied. Being an omnivorous scavenger has enabled it to thrive in such circumstances.

The invasive potential for the species is great all over the tropics. It has as yet not established in the New World. This species is able to make use of resources with great flexibility and appears to be associated with humans and no populations are known to exist independently of humans

At least some trees in the local environment seem to be necessary for its successful breeding. It lays 3-6 eggs in a typical stick nest, and occasionally there are several nests in the same tree. In South Asia they are parasitized by the Asian Koel.

Spotted owl - Athene brama

noreply@blogger.com (Umang) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 03:34:00 +0000

The Spotted Owlet (Athene brama) is an owl which breeds in tropical Asia from India to Southeast Asia. This species is a part of the larger grouping of owls known as typical owls, Strigidae, which contains most species of owl. The other grouping is the barn owls, Tytonidae.
Spotted Owlet is a common resident bird in open habitats including farmland and human habitation. It nests in a hole in a tree or building, laying 3-5 eggs.
The Spotted Owlet is small (21cm) and stocky. The upperparts are grey-brown, heavily spotted with white. The underparts are white, streaked with brown. The facial disc is pale and the eyes are yellow. There is a white neckband. Sexes are similar. The flight is deeply undulating.
This species is nocturnal but is sometimes seen in the day. It can often be located by the small birds that mob it while it is perched in a tree. It hunts a variety of insects and small vertebrates. The call is a harsh chirurr-chirurr-chirurr.

Black-rumped Flameback, (Dinopium benghalense) - Adult Male

noreply@blogger.com (Umang) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 13:17:00 +0000

Black-rumped Flameback, (Dinopium benghalense) - Adult Male
Originally uploaded by Umang Dutt

Side profile

The Black-rumped Flameback, (Dinopium benghalense), also known as the Lesser Golden-backed Woodpecker, is a woodpecker which is a widespread and common resident breeder in much of South Asia.

This flameback is a species associated with open forest and cultivation. It nests in a tree hole, laying three white eggs.

Like other woodpeckers, this species has a straight pointed bill, a stiff tail to provide support against tree trunks, and zygodactyl or “yoked" feet, with two toes pointing forward, and two backward. The long tongue can be darted forward to capture insects.

The Black-rumped Flameback is a large species at 26-29 cm in length. It is a typical woodpecker shape, and has a golden yellow back, with paler wings. The rump and tail are black. The underparts are white with dark chevron markings. The black throat immediately separates it from other golden backed woodpeckers in the Indian region. The head is whitish with a black nape and throat, and there is a greyish eye patch. Unlike Greater Flameback, Chrysocolaptes lucidus, it has no dark moustache stripe.

The adult male Black-rumped Flameback has a red crown. Females have a dark forecrown, with red only on the rear half. Young birds are like the female, but duller.

The Sri Lankan subspecies D. b. psarodes has a crimson back and all the dark markings are blacker and more extensive. It is sometimes considered a separate species from the nominate Indian form.

Black-rumped Flameback, (Dinopium benghalense) - Adult Male

noreply@blogger.com (Umang) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:44:00 +0000

Black-rumped Flameback, (Dinopium benghalense) - Adult Male
Originally uploaded by Umang Dutt

The Black-rumped Flameback, (Dinopium benghalense), also known as the Lesser Golden-backed Woodpecker, is a woodpecker which is a widespread and common resident breeder in much of South Asia.

This flameback is a species associated with open forest and cultivation. It nests in a tree hole, laying three white eggs.

Like other woodpeckers, this species has a straight pointed bill, a stiff tail to provide support against tree trunks, and zygodactyl or “yoked" feet, with two toes pointing forward, and two backward. The long tongue can be darted forward to capture insects.

The Black-rumped Flameback is a large species at 26-29 cm in length. It is a typical woodpecker shape, and has a golden yellow back, with paler wings. The rump and tail are black. The underparts are white with dark chevron markings. The black throat immediately separates it from other golden backed woodpeckers in the Indian region. The head is whitish with a black nape and throat, and there is a greyish eye patch. Unlike Greater Flameback, Chrysocolaptes lucidus, it has no dark moustache stripe.

The adult male Black-rumped Flameback has a red crown. Females have a dark forecrown, with red only on the rear half. Young birds are like the female, but duller.

The Sri Lankan subspecies D. b. psarodes has a crimson back and all the dark markings are blacker and more extensive. It is sometimes considered a separate species from the nominate Indian form

The Oriental Garden Lizard (Calotes versicolor)

noreply@blogger.com (Umang) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:40:00 +0000

Another lizard pic - the last (for now)
Originally uploaded by Umang Dutt

The Oriental Garden Lizard (Calotes versicolor) is an agamid lizard found widely distributed in Asia. It has also been introduced in many parts other parts. It is an insectivore and the male gets a bright red throat in the breeding season leading to a common incorrect name of Bloodsucker.
Two small groups of spines, perfectly separated from each other, above each tympanum. Dorsal crest moderately elevated on the neck and anterior part of the trunk, extending on to the root of the tail in large individuals, and gradually disappearing on the middle of the trunk in younger ones. No fold in front of the shoulder, but the scales behind the lower jaw are much smaller than the others; gular sac not developed. From thirty-nine to forty-three series of scales round the middle of the trunk. The hind foot (measured from the heel to the extremity of the fourth toe) is not much longer than the head in the adult, whilst it is considerably longer in the young. The coloration is very variable, sometimes uniform brownish or greyish-olive or yellowish. Generally broad brown bands across the back, interrupted by a yellowish lateral band. Black streaks radiate from the eye, and some of them are continued over the throat, running obliquely backwards, belly frequently with greyish longitudinal stripes, one along the median line being the most distinct; young and half-grown specimens have a dark, black-edged band across the inter-orbital region. The ground-colour is generally a light brownish olive, but the lizard can change it to bright red, to black, and to a mixture of both. This change is sometimes confined to the head, at other times diffused over the whole body and tail. A common state in which it may be seen is, seated on a hedge or bush, with the tail and limbs black, head and neck yellow picked out with red, and the rest of the body red. Jerdon and Blyth agree that these bright, changeable colours are peculiar to the male during the breeding-season, which falls in the months of May and June. Mouhot has collected in Siam one of those fine variations of colours, which, however, appear to be infinite. It has the usual cross streaks between the eyes and the radiating lines continent of India to China; it is very common in Ceylon, not extending into the temperate zone of the Himalayas. Ceylonese specimens are generally somewhat larger; one of them measured 16 inches, the tail taking 11 inches. It is found in hedges and trees; it is known in Ceylon under the name of "Bloodsucker", a designation the origin of which cannot be satisfactorily traced; in the opinion of Kelaart, the name was given to it from the occasional reddish hue of the throat and neck. The female lays from five to sixteen soft oval eggs, about 5/8ths of an inch long, in hollows of trees, or in holes in the soil which they have burrowed, afterwards covering them up. The young appear in about eight or nine weeks. In a hot sunny day a solitary Bloodsucker may be seen on a twig or on a wall, basking in the sun, with mouth wide open. After a shower of rain numbers of them arc seen to come down on the ground and pick up the larva and small insects which fall from the trees during the showers

White-throated Kingfisher, Halcyon smyrnensis

noreply@blogger.com (Umang) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 16:03:00 +0000

White-throated Kingfisher, Halcyon smyrnensis
Originally uploaded by Umang Dutt

Cute . . .I waited a looong time for the 2nd one to come... finally i got lucky

The White-throated Kingfisher, Halcyon smyrnensis, also known as the White-breasted Kingfisher or Smyrna Kingfisher, is a tree kingfisher which is widely distributed in south Asia from Turkey east to the Philippines. This kingfisher is essentially resident over much of its range, apart from seasonal movements.
The first of the alternative English names is to be preferred because the geographical name is too restrictive for this widespread bird, and the easternmost race lacks a white breast.

This is a large kingfisher, 28 cm in length. The adult has a bright blue back, wings and tail. Its head, shoulders, flanks and lower belly are chestnut, and the throat and breast are white.

There are four races differing mainly in plumage shades, but H. s. gularis of the Philippines has only the neck and throat white. The flight of the White-throated Kingfisher is rapid and direct, the short rounded wings whirring. The large bill and legs are bright red.

In flight, large white patches are visible on the blue and black wings. Sexes are similar, but juveniles are a duller version of the adult. The call of this noisy kingfisher is a chuckling chake-ake-ake-ake-ake.

White-throated Kingfisher is a common species of a variety of habitats with some trees, and its range is expanding. It perches conspicuously on wires or other exposed perches within its territory, and is a frequent sight in south Asia. This species mainly hunts large insects, rodents, snakes, fish and frogs. It is reputed to eat tired migratory passerine birds like Chiffchaffs where the opportunity arises.

White-throated Kingfisher has a striking display in which the wings are spread to show the white patches. The nest is a 50cm tunnel in an earth bank. A single clutch of 4-7 round white eggs is typical