My friend has some owls perching in the woody creepers surrounding her front door in MICO Arikere Layout…told and and Sanath about it, and went along to see them all photograph them. Kalyan identified them as scop owls, which normally use only tree trunks, and do not normally perch like this on creepers and plants. Three flew away on our approach, but the fourth posed very, very patiently...but the light was not bright enough and the photographers decided they would need to come back another day for even better results....though I, personally, liked some of the shots they got. But then, these guys are perfectionists.

After they had snapped off several shots each, Kalyan tried to move the owl along a little to get a better shot…it flew off, without a single “owl” of protest!

Came home and had an interesting conversation about how life can be if one is WORKING as a naturalist, as opposed to BEING a naturalist…it is a sad truth that in India, most of the alternative careers do not pay enough for more than bare sustenance (spelling??) One must have a second string to one’s bow…