All weather friends

It will be September tomorrow and countdown to migrants making their first appearances has started. My birding activity has been near non existent for last few months and once migrants are here, spotlight will likely shift to them. But lack of spotlight on residents doesn't mean lack of how enjoyable their company is. They generate less excitement than migrants, for they are always there. but unlike migrants, its impossible to imagine surrounding without them. Faithful and cheerful company of these friends are usually enjoyed more through their calls than through seeing them but still, there are certainly occasions when they attract your dedicated attention.

Did you say something?

Moths and Butterflies

Few days back, suddenly something amazingly beautiful flew past me. I didn't remember seeing any such white butterfly with coloured spots before. As I tracked down the creature, it was a Moth. My Macro lens doesn't give me magnification range to capture this sized subjects in best way so couldn't really capture its beauty, but still, here is a shot.

Heliotrope Moth (Utetheisa pulchelloides)

While at the Moth, I had seen another very interesting Moth sometime back. It didnt look like a moth at all and I got to know only accidentally that its a moth. This tiny moth is called Plum Moth. It seemed to love Punarnava flowers as I regularly found them there for few days before they disappeared.

Plume Moth (Pterophoridae)

Plus two commonly seen butterflies below.

Danaid Eggfly (Male)

Common Silverline (Cigaritis vulcanus)

 

Long legged fly

Had seen these beautiful metallic green flies many times but couldn't have imagined they prey on (relatively) as big insect as mosquitoes. Found this one as I was photographing Gall on nearby leaves. 

Long legged fly with a mosquito

Long legged fly with a mosquito

I loosely describe myself as a nature lover but such sightings remind me I can not be one. How does one respect and love a design that doesn't think much of a life?

Visiting waters and herons

It had been really a long time that I looked around to photograph birds with all my attention claimed by macro subjects. and even longer that I walked up to Ganga to find some birds. Yesterday however, as I was taking a walk, saw that waters from the river had taken two steps forward and that a small group of herons was sitting at the new edge of water. I walked back home, picked up the camera and went back.

Indian Pond Heron - Non breeding plumage

Indian Pond Heron - Non breeding plumage

Indian Pond Heron - Breeding plumage

Black Crowned Night Heron - Juvenile

I was so happy to see these herons and photograph them even in low light conditions just because they were where they aren't usually found. I would have easily ignored them if had to see at their usual place, just a few hundred meters away. How our minds are designed to notice and focus on unusual and find it interesting if its non threatening.