Lady Bird Beetle

Long time since a post from me, isn't it? I'm back though and staring with ever increasing fear as the tidal wave of unprocessed images rises up on me. People, I'm dealing with a backlog stretching as far back as Dec 2010.


Image from last week - sigma macro 150mm lens - tripod

But first, to more recent images; this one is a first for this blog - a Critter post. Presenting the world's favorite beetle - The LadyBird. We had a few visitors last week which I found among the sofa cushions in the morning. The resulting impromptu photo-shoot made Keshav and I late for work.

A little research to Id my new friends ( they are living in one of my plants now ) led to a wealth of such astonishing information, that I just had to write a post and share it with all who are willing to listen.

Some weird trivia that you never knew about LadyBirds:

Warning: If you are not 18 and above, read no further :)

1. They are perhaps the only species on earth whose male individuals are capable of ejaculating on average 2–3 times per copulation.
2. They can copulate for 9 hours straight, experiencing several orgasms, each lasting up to 30 minutes!
3. ladybirds also sadly suffer from an STD epidemic caused by a parasite

So, now that I've got your attention, we can move on to more mundane info.

The Name - is it ladybird or ladybug?

As it turns out, its actually the Lady Beetle or Ladybird beetle. Because ladybirds are not "true bugs" or Hemiptera. ( To learn more about Hemiptera click here )

They are Coccinellidae. The name originates from Britain ( for the Seven Spot Lady Bird ) called Our Lady's Bird, because of depictions of Mary the mother of Christ wearing a Red Cloak. The Seven spots representing her "seven joys and sorrows".


Archive photo from 2008 - ladybird in dormant state - head retracted

Aphid Hunter

Most Ladybirds are beneficial insects ( i.e beneficial to humans, gardeners and farmers ), they are natural predators of the dreaded aphids. My new friends have been made allies in my long running war with my balcony's aphid population.

My ladybirds seem to be : Coccinella transversalis Fabricius
or the Transverse Ladybird.

They are active July - November in South India. I suspect their early arrival coincides with the daily rains we have been having lately. For some details you can visit aphidweb.

Diet

A normal ladybird diet consists of "pest" insects and their eggs, mildew and pollen.
They have also been known (rarely) to resort to cannibalism.
Like humans, ladybirds are active during the day and go to sleep at night.

Self Defense

1. The bright colour ( red, orange and yellow ) is a sure giveaway; indicating to most predators that ladybirds are not good to eat.
2. They can play dead - I've seen this just once a few days ago when I encountered a ladybird which I collected as our maid was sweeping. It seemed dead at the time, I moved it to a pot in the balcony and checking back an hour later, it was up and about!
3. Smell and taste - they secrete a foul tasting/smelling fluid - Im happy to say Ive not encountered it yet.
4. They have mandibles - i.e they can bite.

Ive found them quite willing to be friends, moving them from the sofa to a pot outside required a dried periwinkle leaf as transport and very little persuasion.


Archive photo from 2008 in our old garden

Basic Anatomy

We aren't going into details here, but the most important word here is elytra. That's the hard colored and spotted shell of the ladybird. It conceals the wings beneath which are fully see-through.

The Pronotum - this is the cover that protects the head of the ladybird, it is capable of retracting its head under this cover like a turtle.
Like all insects they have six legs, but their legs have organs which can smell!


Image from last week - sigma macro 150mm lens - tripod

Lifecycle

They are quick little critters when it comes to growing up. From egg laying, it takes them just 5 days to hatch into larvae. In the larval stage they are as ugly as ugly can get, but be patient. Larva eat aphids too, so they may be ugly but they still do the job. 2-3 weeks and many aphid dinners later, they are ready to pupate into their cute adult forms.

Being a good Host

Ok, so they are cute, friendly and useful; not to mention photogenic. How can you get more of them?

They are attracted to Marigolds ( this is easy to get hold of in India, and grows like a weed ), Cosmos, Mustard and Dill. Plant them and wait for the rainy season.

FYI: I have a small collection of baby marigolds currently flowering. I'm planning to plant cosmos soon, once I get hold of an empty pot.

In-case you were wondering, LadyBirds can live for 2-3 years.


Aside:

Yes! we have acquired new lenses! Keshav's macro lens is taking some getting used to. Handheld is impossible and its pretty heavy too. A little 50mm for me will be showcased in the next critter post shortly!

Sources and further reading:

Aphid Web
SexLife of LadyBirds
The Independent News
Everything Ladybug
Wikipedia

Season's Greetings!

A couple of weeks ago, we revisited Nandi Hills. It is the perfect place for the lazy birder. If waking up at unearthly hours is not for you, this is where you want to go.

Morning comes late to Nandi Hills, and on lazy weekends one can reach there comfortably at 10am and the dense cover and higher altitude will fool you and the birds that it is but 7am.
On this particular occasion, we didn't really go for any serious birding, more for a lazy stroll. The crisp cool air and gentle mist is wonderfully refreshing.

With the festive season approaching, offices and malls are all decked up with lights, wooden reindeer, Snow men and snow flakes of the styrofoam variety and plastic wreaths and trees.
Mother Nature, it must be said is not one to be left behind. The park was festooned with these glorious red fluffy flowers. ( To see the pink variety - head to Hebbal Lake )

These are Albizia julibrissin (red variety), also called the Persian Silk Tree.

Something new, that I had not seen on previous visits, most likely because I was concentrating on birding, was this flower. Growing in tall dense bushes, they hung down like tiny delicate Chinese lanterns.



Thanks to Arvind for helping to Id this for me as - Abutilon pictum. It is a native of South America and common as an ornamental plant in gardens.

Near the Nehru statue, along the walking path, I came upon a perfect spider web hanging on a low tree branch. Nearly invisible, unless viewed from a particular angle; it swayed gently in the breeze.



After waiting for 10 odd minutes and praying for the breeze to cease, I decided to just try a few shots. This isn't a good shot, but I assure you it looked so much better when I was there. Taken hand held, while Keshav attempted the impossible with the tripod. The two of us trying to photograph this nearly invisible thing must have looked strange, for we attracted a few curious onlookers who nudged each other wondering what the object of our interest was.

The variety of flowering plants is wonderful at nandi hills, and if you stop to ask the gardeners, you will find they are very knowledgeable too. No plants or gardening equipment is for sale though.



This little plant I really liked, more sober than most, growing under the shade of towering giants, it was a humble little plant. I liked it at once. Hypoestes phyllostachya, (polka dot plant). The muted colours and the greyish background reminded me of a Japanese painting.

With Christmas round the corner, one mustn't forget the all important tree. Christmas lights as nature intended - 100% eco friendly :) If you look closely, you can see the tiny decorator as well. There were dozens of these, and all the trees were covered. With the sun shining directly on them, the effect was dazzling.



The only birds of the day were a yellow wagtail, a small green barbet and a host of white-eyes. A chocolate pansy also stopped to be photographed.

The monkey population of nandi hills have grown in number and in courage. They now boldly approach people and snatch bags of food. Please do exercise caution. I also thought the butterfly population has come down, or perhaps it was just that I only saw one.

On our way back to the Car, this little beauty caught my attention, a small wild flower ( i wont call it a weed), growing among the grass, untended and ignored, it was elegant in its simplicity.



This will be the last post for the year, Im off on holiday. Should be back with some interesting photos in the new year. I shall leave you with my attempt at rhymes.



Greetings People, it is time to cheer,
We are heading off for the new year.
With bags packed full like Santa Claus,
praying we don't violate the baggage clause!

It is the season to be jolly,
Of Styrofoam snow and plastic holly.
A time of beautiful misty morning sights,
and people stranded by fog delayed flights!

The prices are high, the markets low,
But if you looked around, you'd never know.
It is the time to keep the spirits high,
to look at winter wonders and let out a sigh.

While at work, a sudden idea shone,
I quickly typed this on my phone,
A desire to wish my near and dear -
a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!






If cold winter mornings leave you feeling like this, not to worry, you are not alone. :)

Cheers!
Rohini

Hibiscus

Red Hibiscus after the Rains

The Hibiscus is a large genus which includes about 200–220 species of flowering plants in the family Malvaceae native to warm, temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world. It includes both annual and perennial herbaceous plants, as well as woody shrubs and small trees.

Origin of Names:

It is also called the Shoe Flower and China Rose.
ShoeFlower:
Perhaps the name "shoe flower" orginated in Jamaica - the petals of hibiscus makes a good shoe shine!
China Rose:
The latin name translates as China Rose, though it is not known if its origins lie in China

I have 2 varieties in my garden:
The Red Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis)
and A Orange-Pink Hybrid. ( I don't know the name of this one )

Originating in Asia and the Pacific islands, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is the national flower of Malaysia. Ive seen Native species in Bangalore in Pink, White and Yellow. (I'm looking to acquire a pink one). There are also double varieties, which has a smaller flower inside a bigger one.


Orange Pink Hybrid

For the Birds

The Hibiscus is a sunbird magnet; I have also seen a few Great Tits checking it out. The Sunbirds help pollinate the hibiscus and many use Hibiscus plants as nesting sites.
While I haven't yet had the honour of being landlord to a sunbird, I have tried to encourage them by placing a shallow wide mouthed earthen vessel filled with water at the bottom of my Hibiscus bush.


Purple Rumped Sunbird Male at Breakfast
Sorry, This is a bad photo. He surprised me while I was taking a photo of another flower, so I didnt have much time.

After experimenting with several areas of the garden, this seems to be the best spot. It gives the birds some cover while they drink and bathe. I've also put a large pebble in it as a base for some of the tinier customers to stand on.

Native vs. Hybrid

I personally prefer the naturally occurring variety.

In general, the Hybrid Fancy looking ones tend to be more expensive to buy.
The naturally occurring variety grow rapidly, need little care, flower daily ( at least 1 and at max 5 ).
They are not affected by pests, which is big problem with the hybrid one ( its a bit of a delicate darling ).
Also, my sunbirds only like the Native Red one, and visit it daily; several times a day. Not once do they go near the hybrid.

Native Red (6 ft in 1.5 yrs), 1-5 flowers at a time, flowers daily
Orange Hybrid ( 2ft in 1 yr ), 1-3 flowers, flowers once a month

Propagation and Growth:

Propagation By Rooting Cuttings ( I haven't tried this myself )

Regular pruning encourages branching, and I found that this is very much needed, since they tend to growth rapidly and soon tower over you. The hybrid one is prone to aphids but it does recover once treated with insecticide. I also found that the hybrid one occasionally suffers from a problem of falling buds.

I find that they like lot of water and are very tolerant to sun (esp. the native one ). I haven't seen any seeds or Fruit. The flowers bloom just after sun rise and close up by late evening.



A Quick Lesson in Botany
A flower's male stamens are composed of the pollen-producing anther atop a stemlike filament, those roundish, yellow things in the picture are anthers that have opened and are discharging yellow pollen. The thick column they are attached to is called the staminal column.
The style is the big stem in the center that separates into five style-branches, and each style branch ends in a roundish stigma (red fuzzy things).

Source: http://www.backyardnature.net/fl_hibsc.htm


Uses:

In India, people use the hibiscus for hair care purposes. The leaves and flowers are soaked in water and ground to make a thick paste. This is applied to the scalp and later washed off. This serves (reportedly) to arrest hair-fall, treat dandruff and also for colouring. It is also commonly offered in prayers to dieties.

Trivia:

Dried hibiscus is edible, and is a delicacy in Mexico.

The red hibiscus flower is traditionally worn by Tahitian women. A single flower is tucked behind the ear. Which ear is used indicates the wearer's availability for marriage.


Sources:
Flowers Of India
Wikipedia

Purslane Family

The Purslane is a common plant; usually considered a weed. When it first appeared in my garden, I mistook it for the wingpod purslane which I had seen flowering in my office garden. I waited for the characteristic cup like flowers to emerge, and was very disappointed to see a tiny yellow flower quite unlike what I had expected.

A chance visit to a nursery led to me acquiring two of these (incase one did not survive my "care" ). I was pleasantly surprised when it not only survived but thrived and yielded two different varieties - the WingPod Purslane ( this is the common one ) and the Portulaca Allglow ( a specially created hybrid ).

Research on Wikipedia and the FlowersOfIndia site for this blog revealed that they are all related to the same Portulaca Family. Even the Moss Rose is a close relative.

Varieties:
Common Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) is widely considered an edible plant, and in some areas an invasive type of weed. (also known as Verdolaga, Pigweed, Little Hogweed or Pusley)

Portulaca Allglow : Portulaca spp.
This was a surprise find and it is not very common, the nursery in Jeevan Bhima Nagar has it. The inner flower which is a bright pink has a different texture and feel than the outer petals. It is a specially created hybrid and not naturally occurring.

WingPod Purslane : Portulaca umbraticola



This plant I have seen in two colours, yellow and pink-ish peach. It has lovely cup like flowers which open in the sun-shine and close by sunset. They need the sun to open, I find that on cloudy days they wont bloom at all.

Care and Growing
No Care is needed. (why else do you think I have this?) Sun and occasional watering is welcome. It is not completely pest resistant, I have seen it under attack from aphids. I have sprayed it with mild detergent water and prayed (hard). This seems to be working.

Grown easily in pots, it can be propagated easily through cuttings ( Ive tried it, it works). Chop them up, make millions. Grows rather easily. Currently though, the allglow has stopped flowering, it may be entering a rest phase, or it may be mad at me because I forgot to water it last week.



History and Research:
Portulacaceae is a family of flowering plants, comprising about 20 genera with about 500 species, ranging from herbaceous plants to shrubs. It is also known as the purslane family; it has a cosmopolitan distribution, with the highest diversity in semi-arid regions of the Southern Hemisphere in Africa, Australia, and South America, but with a few species also extending north into Arctic regions.

Can I eat it?
Purslane can be eaten raw or cooked, and lends itself to stir fry dishes. Some say it has a slight lemon-like taste and mushroom-like texture. It is relatively easy to grow in more northern climates, including the New England area in the United States.
It is apparently a good source of vitamin C.

Sources:
Portulaca All Glow @ FlowersOfIndia.net
WingPod Purslane @ FlowersOfIndia.net
Wikipedia

Skyblue Clustervine

I love the star shape that forms

I first saw this adorable little creeper at a nursery on the way back from Manchinbele. On impulse I bought it and set it on our fence. As it grew, we liked it so much we got it a friend and set it on the other side of the terrace. ( Nothing like a little competition to speed things up, I thought ).

Sure enough, the two actively compete in terms of flowers and height. Among one of the happiest plants I have seen, it is common in most software parks and let loose on fences. It is not invasive. Its a twining vine with stems to 6 feet or more in length. It is a rapid grower, mine has reached nearly 5 ft (in 3-4 months).

Its a lovely bright green plant with small leaves in the shape of elongated hearts. The blue flowers stand up to face the sun, incase you are letting it loose on the ground. The Flowers come in clusters of buds and take turns flowering. The flower is the size of a 1 rupee coin. After flowering, the flowers fold up like an umbrella and drop off.


A closed flower, note the leaves

Details:
Common name: Skyblue Clustervine, Pentantha
Botanical name: Jacquemontia pentanthos
Family: Convolvulaceae (Morning glory family)
It is a perennial( blooms all year round) and is an introduced species in India.

Can I eat it?
No idea. But birds sure like it. Our friendly neighborhood sunbirds cant get enough of it. They visit twice a day ( morning 9:30am and afternoon 1:30pm )
Also seen eating the flowers are younger members of our Jungle Crow family, a group of 3 flower peckers and a whole bunch of jungle mynas ( we counted 5 ).


Purple Rumped Sunbird Female, they visit daily

Care and Growing:
It needs almost no care at all, though if you'd like more flowers, you may want to water it once in a while. :) It likes the sun, as much as you can provide. Its pretty little blue flowers open in the morning and close before sunset.

Experts recommend that we avoid watering the vine excessively, always leaving the soil dry for a few days between one watering and the other. This pretty much describes how I operate; watering once in a while, when guilt strikes.

It can be grown in containers or pots, I have placed it in ground on our terrace. Since it doesnt spread laterally, it can be easily grown in suspended baskets or left to climb over a balcony.

Till date, I haven't seen it being attacked by any bugs, so it would be safe to assume its a hardy little fellow. Insects seem to like it, I have seen butterflies, bees and a praying mantis on it.


Purple Rumped Sunbird Male, (see the purple flash on its tail, from which it gets its name)

Where did it come from?
Originating in Tropical America, it is Native to the Florida Keys. I was alarmed to see it marked as endangered in Florida.
This plant has been said to be natively growing in the following regions:
Punta Gorda, Florida
Coushatta, Louisiana


For the botanist:
herbaceous vine, slender; lvs ovate, acute at tips, bases subcordate, 2-5+ cm long; flrs axillary, densely cymose on peduncles longer than the lvs, usually only 1 to 2 open; corollas blue (may be white), 10-20 mm long and wide when open; capsule enclosed by sepals; seeds glabrous, bumpy; hammocks; Collier, Dade and Monroe [ incl. Keys] cos.


This one has been photoshopped a bit, to darken the white background

Making more Skyblue Vines
It can be propagated from cuttings ( softwood or semi-hardwood cuttings ). I haven't tried this myself. Its relatively cheap ( 10Rs ), so I just buy another one. I haven't the heart to watch a cutting die.

Where to buy
Easily available in most nurseries. Ive seen it in Jeevan Bhima Nagar and in those near Mancinbele.

Sources:
Flowers Of India
Plant Files
Florida Endangered Plants

The Moss Rose

The Moss Rose is supposed to be a rather common flower in Indian gardens, but I first saw it on the way to work, growing in the Circle near Bagmane TechPark. At the height of summer, the ground in which it stood was parched; but the flowers were all in bloom, a riot of bright magenta.

Then and there, I decided that I must have it. I acquired 2, from a gaadi wala. It had no flowers then, so I did not know what colours it would yield. I did not know the name either until Mom dropped by and called it "Table rose".

Interestingly only in India is it referred to it as Table Rose, the actual name according to Google-land, is Moss Rose. This, I found, after a hour of extensive googling.

I have two, and both turned out to be a candy floss pink, not the magenta I had seen. Here is a Bud, looking rather nice, growing in front of a tangle of weeds.



Some times, weeds can enhance the beauty of your garden; as in this case ( or so I like to convince myself) but only in Macro mode.

Details:

Scientific Name : Portulaca grandiflora

Family: Portulacaceae (purslane Family)

Where did it come from?
Originally from the hot, dry plains of southern Brazil, Uruguay and northern Argentina, moss rose is cultivated throughout the world as a favorite garden annual.


Can you eat it?
The Purslane is a common weed, The related purslane (P. oleracea) is a bothersome weed (which I yank out every now and then) in warm climates, although it is widely cultivated for food and has been for more than 2000 years. In fact, purslane, which is used raw in salads and cooked like spinach as a potherb, is very high in vitamins A, B1 and C.

Growing:
Needs full sun to flower. Do not water with overhead irrigation ( Means dont give the plant a shower ); it damages the flowers.
Moss rose grows well in poor, sandy or gravelly soils. The soil must be very well-drained. ( This is according to a lot of non-Indian websites, but I think the joy of tropical climates is that you can chuck anything in the ground and it will grow well) Be fearless, grow it anywhere.

Propagation:
Apparently, the seeds are as tiny as dust ( this explains why I never saw any) So mix them with sand before sowing to make them easier to scatter. But lucky for us, in warm climates, moss rose usually self-seeds itself ( This is what Im counting on)



Photography Tip:
What to do when the background is distracting? ( the moss rose is growing in front of bushes of short marigolds or the wall of the garden is white ) I have both these problems. Mighty Mouse Pad to the rescue! Place behind the subject and adjust exposure accordingly.

Where can you buy these flowers and do your bit for society?
If you live in Bangalore, there is a nursery in Jeevan bheema nagar managed by The Association of People with Disability. They have a well trained staff who are extremely helpful. They also stock manure, gardening implements, pots, manure mixed mud and fertilizers and pesticides.

Sources:
http://www.floridata.com/ref/P/port_gra.cfm
More Pictures of Different Varities:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/6919/

The Cosmos Flower

It is now almost close a year since I acquired garden space. With Bangalore losing its green cover and turning increasingly into a concrete nightmare, I realize that I'm among a privileged few to have a few square feet of earth at my disposal - esp in an apartment building.


My Cosmos Skyscraper - photoshopped, see original below

I believe that Mother Nature is the best gardener and usually does fine on her own with a little occasional help from me. ( Ok, so I admit, I am a lazy gardener )

Given my non-intensive gardening intentions, I carefully selected hardy plants that flower, look good, propagate themselves and need little or no care (No care is preferred). I have in due course obtained from various sources around 20+ different plants (flowering and non-flowering)


Yellow Cosmos, one early morning

I am starting what I like to call the Lazy gardener series. Every post will feature a plant I have in the garden, and info I have on it collated from various sources with citations. In this feature, the Cosmos flower.

No doubt among the most cheerful flowers in our garden. I have 2 colors (yellow and orange) I began with 4 seeds from my Mom. I now have a small cosmos jungle ( self propagation - o joy! )

Orange variety

Original Photo

Some things you may not know about the Cosmos :

Scientific name: Cosmos sulphureus
Cosmos are native to Central America and Mexico.
They have brightly colored single or double flowers. Colours include white, pink, orange, yellow and scarlet.

So, they look good, but can you eat them? Yes! In Malay cuisine the leaves of this plant are used for ulam, a type of Malay salad.

Growing Cosmos:

Cosmos plants prefer full sun to partial shade. They will do well in both average and poor soils. They are tolerant to dry soil conditions.
They grow quickly to a height of 4-5 feet - the tallest among mine are just about a foot high.Taller plants may require staking. (this means they need support) Insects and disease problems are very rare for Cosmos - I can vouch for that!

Propagating:

They have long slender seeds about 1.5 cm long. They spring up rather rapidly and while they are small seedlings, look very similar to marigold plants.


Uncontrolled growth can lead to this :)


For various varieties: http://www.eseeds.com/search.aspx?SearchTerm=cosmos

Sources:
http://plantanswers.tamu.edu/flowers/cosmos/cosmos.html
http://www.gardenersnet.com/flower/cosmos.htm

Flower Photography:

While I had tried several times to photograph my plants, I usually was met with little (read no) success. I often gave up with a "No camera can capture the true beauty of my garden".
Until recently, I did a little reading up on flower photography and decided to try some simple steps. These yielded the photos seen here.

In particular I liked Marion Owen's tips : http://www.plantea.com/photoflowers.htm

Feathered neighbours

Eurasian Golden Oriole


I am posting after a seriously long break - having been delayed by work, lethargy, a trip to Mangalore (next post), the flu and a wisdom tooth. But I am now back, albeit minus the tooth, which my dentist extracted, much to my relief.

The combination of flu and wisdom tooth kept me at home for a week and gave me a chance to see the bird life at home. (something we usually get to see only in the mornings at breakfast)

The tamarind tree was the last (among the rest) to shed leaves and when it did, no one was happier than I! At last, there was a clear view of all the twittering little birds that tormented us every morning.

We have had the following visitors this Summer:

The Golden Oriole is back, the Black naped oriole (migratory) is now not seen anymore, so I assume it has returned home. The barbets are nesting and are often seen in pairs. Offlate, we have seen them with berries in their beaks; no doubt, take-aways for the kids at home.

The white breasted Kingfisher made a rare appearance on our terrace on a sunday morning, much to our delight. We have seen a pair of them recently.

Barbet Couple

White Breasted Kingfisher

The lake at bagmane is being fished by the fishery dept. and this presents a great opportunity to watch kites ( black kites and brahminy kites ) fish in the lake and then squabble over the rich pickings. We also saw a nice yellowish water snake. Bad pictures though. The pied kingfisher was also seen on his favourite perch, though the male was alone this time.



Lakeview Bldg - Bagmane Tech Park (see the nets, white dots)


To help our feathered friends beat the summer heat - I have been keeping a shallow clay vessel filled with water, in the shade of the red hibiscus I have growing in the garden. I was pleasantly surprised to find a pair of Great Tits using it to bathe and drink every morning. If you are planning something similar and don't have a shallow vessel, place a few large stones in the pot so that the birds can use it as a island.



Great Tit - Early Morning.


Another surprise visitor and one who often comes in at tea-time is a Shikra. An adult male; ( I know this, because it has red eyes ) he likes to use the terrace fence as a lookout post, always sits in the same spot and tolerates our presence, albeit from a distance.

Shikra Adult Male

Greenish Warbler?

The fearless visitors are the pied wagtails. Four of them, who like to occasionally inspect the garden by walking along the edge and sing cheerfully from the cable wires that are overhead. Even the presence of Keshav; bazooka in hand, a few feet away, does not bother them. But their constant movement prevents me from getting any good photos.

The regular visitors are there as usual, the spotted dove couple, the three drongos and a bunch of flowerpeckers, one of which bravely posed for photos.

Spotted dove at dawn

Flowerpecker

Some new visitors; recently, but not often spotted are the Red whiskered bulbul ( seen only once ) , a warbler ( possibly greenish warbler - id confirmation is appreciated) and the Coppersmith barbet ( seen only in the afternoons, when the light is too harsh for good photos )



Surprised Pond Heron


Nothing lasts for ever .... And the bare tamarind tree returned to its former glory recently, sporting a most luxuriant growth! No doubt, it surprised this pond heron who decided to test it by perching at the very tip of a twig.

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Lalbagh has been in the news lately, and while reading an article on it on Google News, i came across the unauthorized use of 2 of my photos by the Mid-Day Newspaper.

Link:
http://www.mid-day.com/news/2009/apr/300409-Lalbagh-Metro-Construction-No-Bird-Watching-Bangalore-news.htm

The photos - 2nd and 3rd are taken from an early blog post on lalbagh.
I'm not surprised that a paper would not have asked permission before using pictures found on the net. I am however surprised when a email to their editors, pointing out their oversight, is not replied to.

As a general rule, I have decided now, to place the © mark on all my posted images.