Sometimes all we have to do is, Ask.

I complained in last post about lack of winter appearances and next day wind direction changed. I walked out next morning with lots of hope and find this. ok, Indian silverbills are supposed to be common residents but I had never found them here - probably now is only time when they find grass seeds to feed on.

I would have preferred to photograph them from some more distance but they were feeding in such a way at ground level that the best way to take shots was to sit just a few feet away. and, they too were so pre-occupied with feeding that didn't mind me sitting next to them and taking shots. I even wonder if they had recruited me to keep a watch so that they can focus on feeding - task I performed dutifully by suddenly moving to alert them when a mongoose came within two three feets from them. Once the mongoose was gone, we took our positions back, they started feeding, I started taking photographs.

They were only two of them and while one was feeding non-stop and very fast as if they had seen food after long long time, the other seemed more than reasonably occupied with preening its tail. Its only when I downloaded the shots, understood why. It had caterpillar or something in its tail - surprising that it couldn't reach end of its tail to remove it and if not why it didn't ask for help from other individual?.

I had a very similar encounter with another resident Munias - scaly breasted Munia around same time two years back and I had wished then if they could have posed giving better frames.
Don't we get what we ask for on overwhelmingly many occasions?

That was a small group of around 8-10 with most of them being Immature and two or three Adults. I have never taken as many shots of anything as I took of them. Am yet to even transfer some of the shots to computer. I almost never do it, but with these Munias, I am almost certainly likely to go for one more exclusive post dedicated to same individuals and similar shots. that however, some other time. I have been taking so many photos recently that I am sure there are other things waiting for attention before I repeat these Munias.