Summer update - Two

Okay, these shots are not about Summer update related. Its just that I wanted to start with some colourful shots. 

I actually find it difficult to include bright coloured shots of different subjects in a post even when I like each shot individually, if colours arent in very much harmony, when together they create lot of visual conflict. I am trying a work around of separating them by some text so that both doesn't occupy screen at once and brain also doesn't jump from one colour to another straight away. that is why text in previous post was between two Sunrise shots and so is this text.

In below shot, actually I was attracted to this bright thorn (Spine actually as it was part of leaf, wikipedia tells me) and that mite is just at the right place purely by chance. as with my all shots with mites, I saw it only after it was in frame. 

Coming to the Summer update, correct title should have been an update of Summer that isn't. for almost last one week, reality felt like no less than a dream. Dark clouds, some rain followed by cool and refreshing breeze for a week was amazing but at the same time, I hope this relief now isn't indication of problems with monsoon ahead.

Keeping with the season, damselflies of all different colours and sizes are back. yet to take a good shot though.

Also around are those jumping spiders I never get tired of shooting. I see them in less numbers though compared to last year.

On birds front, saw this happy lapwing pair. at first I thought one of them, who was making large circle in front of other and then landing in a way that other had to save itself by ducking was a manner of fight but later their happy dance made it clear that it was some courtship ritual and not fight.

Photo is not good as is taken from a distance but I did not have much option as going nearer might have meant they going away and more importantly, standing under the Sun wasn't an option even if they didn't mind me standing at 10ft.

Then, I had an encounter with this completely unexpected and never seen before visitor. As I came out of front door when it was already dark outside, I sensed some movement just two three feet away on ground. Couldnt see properly but it appeared like thick short snake. I was almost sure it wont be a snake as all my previous encounters with them were of the individuals that moved very swiftly and wary of humans while this something, if there was anything at all in first place was there unmoving as I tried to see what shape it was. I then got a small torch and it was indeed a snake. When after another minute or two I finally remembered that I can take a shot with flash and came back with camera, snake was still there, but moving slowly now.

Eryx johnii

Eryx johnii - Red Sand Boa

Naming this snake was yet again an experience that makes me realise that what probably I don't lack so much in intelligence is made up by lack of presence of mind. Basically my Identification effort progressed like this. Before I start: "wow, this is a new snake. how it looks like having heads at both ends! let me try to find its ID." -- spend unreasonably long time looking at snake pictures where this species is also present but cant make up my mind -- taking a break from trying to find ID, I google after all what does that snake which is called a two headed snake (Do-muha in Hindi) looks like.

I would have concluded this post with red sand boa positioned as high point of this summer update but.. two days back, looking out of window, mom calls me and claims something is running around out there. As I see, there indeed was a tiny ball so well camouflaged over ground, running around. I could only think of it as francolin baby - except that if it was one, I expected it to be running along with its five six siblings behind their parents and not alone like this. a better look with 400mm quickly made it clear that its body language was that of a confident adult and not any juv plus, it looked like a quail! Now okay, I have never seen a quail, but aren't they much bigger? turning some pages of book gives the ID. its a buttonquail - a small bird that looks like quail but isn't.

Cloudy low-light day and restless bird meant shots weren't as good, but it didn't matter that much.

Barred Buttonquail (Female)

as a bonus, I got to see this big rat snake that was passing by. Buttonquail was not afraid of him and walked to reach as close as few inches of it's tail.

Sunrise

Sunrises are beautiful no matter if its a Sunrise where clouds are engaged in a losing battle to obstruct the Sun or if its a rising Sun whose strength makes it impossible to stare at it even as its coming over the horizon, Sun that makes what was considered huge at previous instant appear insignificant against itself. Sharing two such Sunrises I was lucky to capture.

As I hold my breath to tomorrow's Sunrise along with millions others, I hope I will be lucky to witness yet another rise that wont only brighten my own country but would also spread light to whole world as no one lives in isolation these days.

Some Spiders

Ok, I know I am overdoing it, but.. I am starting with same statement one last time. that is, for last two months, my time, and more than that attention was diverted away from nature. On one of such days, I notice an Ant, a big black variety walking on laptop ridge. I wondered what it was doing there - they are found in home but never saw one leaving ground to climb to tables, laptop. Anyhow, I quickly ignored it thinking it must have lost its way and is trying to get back through here. But before I managed to read few lines, ant was walking in reverse direction. It crossed the phone and took the wire route to laptop. It must have measured the center point of screen quite accurately as I watched it taking its position just above laptop camera and standing there. to me, its body language appeared to declare it was reviewing its kingdom standing there - something that didn't go too well with my concept of laptop ownership resting with myself. I think, I must have found an answer myself without any help but just then, the ant fell off the ridge and it dropped - for few inches after which the fall was arrested by a silk thread. So, yes, my apprehension was right. It wasn't any ant but an ant mimicking spider who I cant guess how reached here but surely had accepted it as its new home and was comfortable owning this new world.

For a change, I took a shot with flash on as its measuring phone.

I took the spider outside and left it there. it showed no confusion and walked towards dry leaves.

and.. I was so very excited when I saw an ant mimicking spider for the first time a year ago!

Another spider who lives on outer wall of the home.

Talking of spiders, I have accumulated some spider shots as they were around in amazing numbers. So let me make it a spider shots post then.

Below spiders came up suddenly and then, there were dozens, hundreds and soon thousands of them.

Seen not very frequently are these ones.

I saw below spider and this kind of web for the first time..it looked similar to me to tree trunk spiders but given this one was on a web, it must be different and I am feeling too lazy to find out its (or any) name. P.S. ok, it doesn't look like tree trunk spider - I was too lazy to click and see old shots of tree trunk spider yesterday but today morning did manage to walk to one in real life and see the difference.

Below spiders are always found sleeping. ok yes, I should have checked if they are nocturnal spiders and that's why they are always seen inactive during the day.

and few others..

Summer update - One

I remembered reading about a concept called neural inertia – how brain resists shifting between conscious and unconscious states. Remembered it now as it looks like my mind is experiencing some kind of inertia – it had wandered to broader human world due to general election and attempts to bring it back to immediate world of flora and fauna existing around me had been proving unsuccessful. I was immersed in words on computer screen and ever growing chorus of birds that 40+ degree of temperature usually brings with it was still being filtered out as irrelevant noise by brain. Some powerful pull to change my focus was needed and that probably could have been done only by one of the birds around. Common Myna – yes, they are common but no one can beat them in power, sweetness, continuous enthusiasm – specially in this season. so, I did find myself looking through view finder finally. One member each from two pairs was locked in fight and other member was yet to decide if it should start fight or watch one that was going on. After last year, I now know not to worry about them as they fight – they not only don’t harm each other, after 2 – 3 days, they will be best friends again. yet, after few seconds of watching the battle that had turned completely one sided, I couldn't stop doing what I do always. Scolded and separated them and came back. If I had taken shots, they would have been indistinguishable from those taken last year. When it comes to breeding season fights however, most notable (and probably not well explained too) fight I have seen till date was also last year, that of Female Magpie Robins. (link deliberately is of mobile site - normal flickr is becoming more and more user unfriendly and difficult to understand - I see that mobile site at least is somewhat like original flickr where you can see photo, description and comments.)

So its Summer now. Gulmohar are not too short of its peak glory, Golden shower flowers however are showing somewhat hesitant start. Monitor Lizard is back in the backyard, Oriole’s super sweet and loud calls are difficult to ignore – even when you are reading election news, but male Koel so far isn't even calling regularly leave alone calling at frequency where you think of filing a PIL against them, and female Koel hasn't made debut in backyard yet which looks strange. Barbet, Asian pied starling, Magpie Robin, White throated kingfisher, both bulbuls, treepie, drongo, and only today morning, chestnut tailed starlings have returned while one of the most notable absentee is Hornbill – with which I had started my first summer series two years back. That was both the worst and best Summer I have been through so far. Best because of what I found outside my window, and worst because of what brought so many birds there – limitless heat. If you have joined me at blogger and haven’t been through that old series, you may want to have a look at it here. 

I think I just heard female Koel outside briefly and.. its only a day and half before final round of polling begins..