Wildlife

The creatures that share this city with us come in all sizes. For example, here’s a very common bird; you will find it in many gardens, especially among the flowers, because it drinks the nectar from them. Here’s the male Purple-rumped Sunbird. How colourful and beautiful it is, even though so extremely small! Pic: Deepa Mohan Among the largest birds very common in Bangalore skies is the Black (or Common) Kite. This raptor (bird of prey) has adjusted to life in the city, and has become a scavenger, finding things in the trash that humans generate. It was once called…

A purple moorhen feeding on litter. Pic:Anvitha This time, I turn this column over to a friend, Anvitha, who is 17-years-old, and who is utilising her post-exam holidays to good effect, watching birds. Alas, it’s not always a thing of joy. Here’s her report from Lalbagh, in Bangalore: The fragrance of flowers attracts bees; so do the birds in Lalbagh attract bird watchers. Birdwatchers from all corners of Bangalore have always been drawn towards Lalbagh, but today the situation has  changed for the worse. Over the years, the number of  birdwatchers visiting Lalbagh has reduced due to the dwindling number…

Tiny birds -be it anykind- are truly the creatures that melt one's heart. It is always a delight to see baby birds in the nests, with parents diligently flying around to get them food. Flowerpeckers are among the smallest birds in India. Here's the heart-warming story of a tiny bird that was rescued.We -a group of like-minded people - were on a nature trail on the Bannerghatta-Kaggalipura Road, when we found a Pale-billed Flowerpecker, which had been either pushed out of its nest, or had fallen from it before we could fly. Two young boys had picked it up, saving…

It’s twilight, and as you walk, you suddenly see a flapping movement in the air. It’s too late for it to be a bird;  and you suddenly think of a bat. Most of us then repress a shudder, or even squeak in fear... we grow up not liking the idea of bats, and popular films reinforce that idea, associating bats with horror stories. But do take a minute and see the wonderful mammal that the bat is! Bats are the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight; others, such as “flying” squirrels, only glide from one place to…

Sometimes, a rare plant can be found practically at one’s own doorstep! I’d gone with a few friends to the Arikere Reserve Forest, which is just about 4km from where I live. There, we spotted these unusual-looking flowers, which made us feel that it might be a carnivorous insect-eating plant, like the Venus Flytrap, and we took some photographs. Ceropegia Candelabrum. Pic: Deepa Mohan When my friend Poornima Kannan googled out some information about the plant, we realised that it was not a carnivorous plant... but even smarter than that! The scientific name of the plant is Ceropegia Candelabrum (the…

When we watch birds, one of the fun things to do is to observe them and trying to figure out what they are likely to eat. How, you may ask, can one find out what a bird is likely to eat, by looking at it? The answer is, look at the bird's beak!Bird's beaks come in different shapes and sizes, and each is designed to help the bird get the kind of food that it is used to.All predatory birds (raptors) have sharp hooked beaks that help them tear up the flesh of their prey, which could be other birds,…

Over the past three years, the Rosy Pastor (Madhusarika in Kannada) a migratory bird from Europe has chosen to enter Bangalore earlier than the previous years. For instance, in 2011, bird watchers in Bangalore reported spotting the species in early March. Again last year, the bird was reported to be spotted by mid February. Thereafter, in 2013, the bird made an appearance by mid January in Bangalore. Considering the difference in timings, the avian's early appearance could be linked to the impact of climate change on bird migration patterns.  The Rosy Pastor. Pic courtesy: Antony P UA recent article in…

The warm weather is here, and it's a great time to look for some of the very common butterflies as we walk around. The butterflies that I've photographed were all clicked in either gardens near my home, or in the Valley School campus, off Kanakapura Road; so you don't have to go very far to find them!"BLUES" are small butterflies, so called because we can see the blue colour when they are flying. Here's a 6 line Blue 6 line Blue Pic: Deepa Mohan Some of the butterfly names, of course, have no "why" to them. This on, the Pioneer…

The enchanting sight of infinite pink spots on the marshy Sewri mudflats is enough justification for a ride into this dusty, smoky industrial part of south Mumbai. Located along the Arabian Sea, on the eastern coast of the island city, the Sewri (pronounced Shivdi) Jetty is where the Mumbai Port Trust, Tata Electricals, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and the refineries of ONGC, BPCL and HP are located. Dominated by mangroves, it is also the place where 15,000-17,000 migratory flamingos spend a few months every year (generally October-March). Infinite pinks spots with the backdrop of oil refineries Of the five flamingo…

"We are a pure science research institute that focuses on biological sciences but we are also probably the only institute that recognises the need to diversify. We have students from engineering and technology backgrounds taking up Ph.D courses with us," says Dr. Mukund Thattai, Professor (Computational cell biology) capturing the essence of the National Centre for Biological Sciences in Bangalore, an offshoot of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR). NCBS. Pic courtesy: ncbs.res.in Students have to appear for an entrance exam held by TIFR which is a common exam for about seven institutes : TIFR, CDFD, NBRC, CCMB, NCCS,…