Diamond crossing

Always wanted to see the diamond crossing in India, so I made it a point to visit it during my first visit to Nagpur.

It is said that this is the only double crossing in Asia. Another landmark is the zero mile stone of India which is at the heart of the city. The pillar was erected in 1907 and is made of sandstone.

One of the Metro stations is also named Zero Mile.

Talking of Metro, I took a joy ride in the Metro to the Airport and back, and found the occupancy pretty appreciable in spite of it being a Sunday. This metro also goes over the viaduct  which is Asia's longest multilayer viaduct.

From Nagpur we drove down to Tadoba. The drive itself was enjoyable, especially the rustic countryside. One has to make way for bullock carts and cattle crossing the path but a little patience makes it a win-win situation.

It is good to see children going to school, either by foot or on bicycle.

We halted at a place known as "Tathastu" and I liked the service and ambiance of the place. Their restaurant was named Foodpecker and the bar was named "Bottleneck"

There was a crooner by the name of Ahatesham who entertained us with his guitar.

I made a separate video on him. 
Most of the visitors go to Tadoba with the intention of sighting a Tiger.  We were lucky to see many wild animals and birds.This tall Nilgai was intrigued by our presence.

The black buck looked majestic.

The blending of the Owl with the bark of the tree was perfect.

The darter had a way to dry his wings as can be seen in the video.

The open bill stork looked pretty in the tall grass

The bamboo trees had flowered well and the guide said that next year there is going to be a dense bamboo jungle. He said the last flowering happened 45 years ago.

The video will give you a better picture especially of the leopard walking across to join its mate in the shade.   

Spotted Owlet

This is a young one of a spotted owlet and he is busy having a good look at the world outside.

The parents are sitting on the opposite branch and one of them keeps a constant watch on the little one.

When one is awake, the other one is asleep (almost)

Spotted this family in Wanowrie and the hole in the big tree was a perfect natural nest for them

If you wait long enough you can see how the young one keeps changing its position in the nest

While its common name is self-explanatory, it is interesting to note that the scientific name of this small owl, Athene brama, has been derived from two divine, mythological figures: a Greek goddess and a Hindu god. In Greek mythology, Athene (or Athena) is known as the goddess of wisdom, war, and liberal arts; and the goddess holds a special bond with the bird. Brahma is a supreme Hindu god, who holds the honorary position of being the Creator.
Although listed as ‘Least Concern’ (LC) in the IUCN Red List, it is important to understand how rapid tree-felling significantly impacts this species.  Loss of trees means the loss of tree cavities for owlets.
Owls cannot move their eyes, therefore, they have to move their entire head to look around and can turn their head 180 degrees. This is possible because owls have an extra vertebra in their spine. 
I am glad we have such huge trees and hope  we humans have the good sense of not cutting down these huge trees as many birds and micro organisms depend on them and help in sustaining life on this earth. Have captured a part of their moment and compiled it into a video.
Last month I was lucky to spot the nest of a pair of the Woolly necked stork.

This was a first time for me as I had never seen them before. My camera was running when the second bird landed in the nest. 

Inspite of their size, this Is one of the least studied species of the birds in the world.

Unlike human beings, their eyelids move from front to back and they do a lot of blinking.

Here too I got some good footage and made it into a video It was nice to see them flying gracefully.

The night stalker

This happened about 3 years ago.
One night (or rather early in the morning around 4.30 am) I heard some movement at our bed room window. First I thought that it must be some pigeon trying to settle down on the window ledge. But the commotion did not die down and I had to get up and put on the light. Imagine my surprise when I drew the curtain aside. There was fully grown Barn Owl staring at me, or rather we both were staring at each other sizing up the situation. Or so I thought.
It flew inside and landed on where ever it could find a perch. My wife scrambled up and ran out of the bedroom. Now it was only me and the owl in the bedroom. I kept the windows open and tried to shoo it away. But that did not work. Then it dawned upon me “why not some photographs before I send him out” So I opened the cupboard slowly and took out the camera and clicked some frames without the flash. (in case our little friend did not like the celebrity status)

Meanwhile he kept hoping from one thing to another (was it posing in different angles?) And finally he settled on my music speaker (the tweeter) which I had kept temporarily on my World Space box. Now this was not acceptable to me. I could imagine the harm those claws could do to my speakers. So I quickly took some more shots (this time with the flash) When I went a little close he spread his wings (maybe that’s the best it could do as a threatening stance) I said good, and took a picture of that too.



Then I continued the task of shooing it away. Slowly I realized that the poor thing could not see well with the bedroom light on. I found that he was going and banging himself straight into the wall. I inferred that the white wall must be appearing as some blank space for him to escape. (the things you learn in the middle of the night) The poor thing was going to hurt itself. How to prevent him from banging against the wall ? I took the bed sheet and threw it over him (remember the Gladiators in Spartacus ?) I was surprised that he did not struggle when I bundled him up and picked him.
Meanwhile the bedroom door opens a crack and my wife pops her head inside “is it gone? Eeeks you are holding it in your hand?”

I carried him out on to our terrace and set him free. Now he was on familiar terrain as it was dark out side. He sat on the ledge of the terrace, turned back, gave me one last look and flew away. That last look could be deciphered in many ways, but for me I think he was saying “thank you”
Now coming back to grandma tales, I don’t believe in them but this one came visiting one day before we were shifting house. That may be a coincidence, but here comes the funny part. Two years prior to this incident, when we shifted house there was a visitor who was silently sitting on the window grill. (see picture below)


Was it the same guy coming back after 2 years to wish us good luck ?