Conitnuing to be with nature..

My tryst with nature continued with a trip to Lalbaugh last Saturday when my sister-in-law and her daughter were in town. The weather in city turned much better since last week with some days seeing evening showers bringing down the overall temperatures by several notches; a welcome change indeed. So, it made for a lovely evening stroll amidst the vast expanse of some lovely flora and fauna. Fresh from our trip to Munnar, the husband and I were excited with the prospect of spotting the resident birds of the park. 

We started off excitedly by clicking snaps of the homely squirrels that are found in abundance here. A while later, the only birds we could spot were the crows, pigeons and mynahs. We did spot some migratory birds that flew by but could really get to capture them on the lens. We resigned ourselves to just slow walk, breathing deeply and smelling the fresh air, when suddenly the husband called out excitedly at a small figure perched on a near-by tree. It was an Owl. The only owls I have seen are on R's story books and on the pictures posted on FB by nature enthusiasts on a wild-life photography spree. I took several snaps from several angles, zooming like crazy on my point and shoot camera. The owl obliged and even did a small circus act of turning its head almost 360 degrees. Well, not exactly 360 degrees. It seems they can turn their head 270 degrees in both direction, hence the illusion. You can read more here: 

http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/02/06/how-owls-twist-their-heads-almost-360-degrees/

After a while, we saw a huge eagle too, but the proud bird was not as obliging as the owl and perched itself away on a tall branch that the lens could not capture. I could sense the adrenaline rush that nature enthusiasts must feel on their expedition. I think, I want to go on more nature and wild-life trips!


Didn't want to leave out the Mynahs..so what if they are not rare!
Can you spot the squirrel couple?

The star attraction of the day

The head does an almost eerie 360 deg turn


 Now, for the video. Excuse the poor quality:




15 comments:

  1. Wow, Owl spotted in daytime! Pics are great. I think you should become a wild life adventurer as you are so excited about animals and birds :)

    Until later,
    Keirthana :)

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  2. Owl!! actually the first and last I saw them was in a poor zoo..except that I have seen them..but I luv squirrel. They are homely like rats or else I would love to have one with me..:)

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    1. It was great to spot one in the open..I don't remember seeing one even in a zoo. Well, however good these may seem, they are not coming home with me..no pets for me :-)

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  3. Owl!! I remember how excited I was to see them for the first time (last year). Need to make a viist to Lalbagh.

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    1. yes, Lalbaugh's worth a visit. Each time we go, we manage to cover only one portion of the place. Next time, I want to start from a different gate and area.

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  4. Mynahs! I don't think I have seen one in the last 5-6 years .. atleast, not in Chennai. We just have boring crows and pigeons here.. And the 360 degree bit would have been fascinating to see ..I've never actually visited lal bagh , though I've visited Bangalore so many times..

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    1. No Mynahs in Chennai..here there are plenty..and of course the pigeons too..they outnumber the crows in many numbers. Oh, you should visit it the next time you are in B'lore.

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  5. This time I am going to make it to Lalbagh! It is supposed to be quite close to where we stay and have never managed to go there :( I love owls, did not know it was 270 degrees only, but that's great too:)

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  6. Nice trip. We once had a big owl sitting on our terrace pipe. He probably lost his way and was sitting there in the morning. I remember we had to try desperately to make him fly. We were so scared of him.

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    1. Wow on the terrace pipe..a real close encounter then! It must have been equally scared, no?

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  7. Lovely pics Uma... consider Photography as a career option!

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    1. thanks, Me!!! haha..I'm only just scratching the surface as far as photography goes :-)

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  8. Been here after long time, Uma. Sweet pics...Isn't it beautiful to observe nature like that?

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