World's tallest flying bird '' The Sarus Crane''

India is abode to the world's tallest flying bird.The upper neck and head is red in color giving the bird a real royal personality.

wing span of the sarus is from 220to 250cms

Sarus  have adapted to dense human populations in India and interact with people in areas where traditions of tolerance prevail.

The habitat of these birds includes a combination of cultivated fields , fallow land and other drier habitats.When brushing up my knowledge about the Sarus i figured out a very interesting fact that they form a life long pair bonds and return to the same breeding grounds year after year.

No wonder its a  custom to take newly weds to see  pair of Sarus cranes.....

A short trip to Mathura turned out to be really fruitful as on our way back spotted'' The Sarus'' in the rice fields next to the highway. Without wasting any time i just jumped out of the car with my gear and just kept clicking.....while this post i have relived the excitment of clicking the tallest flying bird in the world ''SARUS CRANE''

Flame birds of Mumbai

Come April and Mumbai's mudflats  are graced by deep hue of pink .Indeed ,a magical scene in the heart of the city.

The flamingos cannot survive intense heat and cold hence known to migrate from faraway places Siberia ,Africa and Nigeria to Rann of Kutch in Gujarat for breeding activities.

They fly down to the wetlands of Mumbai in search of food.

On a sunny Sunday morning I was all geared up to click the favorite guests of the season ''Flamingos''.Reached the bridge over Airoli creek and as luck would have it got hold of a boatman to take us close to the  birds . When the tide was low entered the murky waters and my excitement  knew no bounds as we were getting closer to flame birds.....

Flamingos all around wading, flying, diving, fishing,frolicking ,splashing and feeding in algae-filled waters. I was simply dumbstruck by the pink panorama......and just kept clicking....

This is for all the bird lovers in Mumbai or planning to pay a visit to the financial capital of the country take some time out for the most enchanting experience of your life ....

HAPPY BIRDING...!!

Spring Has Sprung...

The sun is shining and the days are both longer and warmer.Springs gentle breeze has swept the winter sniffles and cold away...Spring Has Sprung...and it's to wash the old season away....

While each season holds its own charm ,spring time is arguably the most rapturous....

In the spring the fuller crimson comes upon the robins breast
In the spring the wanton lapwing gets itself another crest

In the spring a livelier iris changes on the burnish'd dove 

In the spring a young mans fancy lightly turns to the thoughts of love.

-Alfred Lord Tennyson 

Life moves in seasons and cycles .spring season in India is a harbinger of joy.Spring is the season when the entire ambiance blooms in beauty. 

A weekend trip to Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary turned out to be really fruitful. Walking down the trail the air was laced with the scent of moist air...the chirping birds was music to my ears...

 Got a glimpse of a bird hopping on the ground on closer look realised it was Black redstart.... Clicking this beauty was run from one acacia tree to another ... finally, got a few good shots...

Happy Birding..!

Ode To The Omnipresent Bird.."Sparrow"

The cheerful gregarious house sparrows once commonly seen fleeting around the neighborhood are in trouble and are fast vanishing. 

They are the earliest birds that i can remember from my childhood .Their nest dotted in almost every house of the neighborhood as well as bus ways and railway stations...where they lived and survived on food grains and tiny worms. 

Unfortunately, the house sparrows are fast disappearing species ...

The World Sparrow Day is being celebrated on 20th march across the globe to raise public awareness about the decline of house sparrows.
   

There is a request to all the nature lovers to keep a bowl of water and throw  little grains for the birds to feed on. Don't drive those sparrows out of your veranda ;they won't hack into your computer.Adopt a nest box and help the sparrows have an abode in the concrete jungle :http://www.natureforever.org/index.html

The Beginning Of My Journey....

Life has it's own ways of teaching new things .We moved to a roomy house in a leafy enclave in Navi Mumbai .Sitting by my bedroom window sipping a cup of tea...had the delight of watching a flutter of butterflies dancing with aplomb...

 This was the beginning of my journey as an amateur photographer...

Venturing out with my camera soon after sunrise got me reminded of my childhood days running after butterflies and dragonflies..(helicopters)..sounds a little strange though now...

In a way I would say I... rediscovered my childhood chasing butterflies trying to capture them between the frames..

This was the beginning of my journey...