Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Nature Notes/Regeneration

 In some of my earlier posts I had lamented about how the empty plot of land near our house has been filled up with tons of soil and that apartments were coming up. But since the builders are probably waiting for some more time, it's been wonderful for the bees, the birds and the butterflies. Regeneration of grasses and other wild plants have been quick and I captured this bit of verdure from my balcony. There are several grasses with seeds and the other day I saw a flock of chestnut-tailed starlings feeding on them.
 There are many butterflies flitting about and the most prominently seen are the Peacock and Gray Pansy butterflies. I'm not too sure which one this is but looks like it's calling it a day at 3.30 pm.
My bachelor buttons are still attracting quite a few pollinators and this albatross butterfly is one of the regulars.
Scaly-breasted Munia (juvenile)
With all the grass seeds in abundance, could the seed-eaters be far behind? It was exciting to see a new bird in our area. My reference book titled Common Birds of the Indian Subcontinent by Ananda Banerjee says that this is the Scaly-breasted Munia/Lonchura punctulata. A small but active bird that feeds mainly on seeds. The adult has a dark stubby bill, brown upper parts and darker brown head. The underparts are white with scaly markings. The juvenile has lighter underparts.
It remains to be seen how long this patch of green will survive. But I'm glad that this period has given solace to so many wonderful creatures, however ephemeral that may be.

To see more posts on nature visit the home of Nature Notes.

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Backyard Birds

The Oriental Magpie-Robin (female)

Spotted Dove
Although there are plenty of birds in our area, these were the most active last week. The pair of doves abandoned their nest on our balcony after a chick fell out of the nest and died. If I had seen it earlier, maybe it'd have been saved. But they left and now are looking for another nesting site. It's such a wonderful feeling to wake up to the cooing of the doves...I hope they are happy with their new nesting place in the vicinity of our house. Meanwhile it's been a joy to photograph them on our berry tree.

To see more posts about what's happening in the world of nature, head over to Michelle's Rambling Woods.