A suddenly-hatched plan with Vijay Hegde meant that we took the bus early on Saturday morning to Bannerghatta…and just wandering around the area near the Butterfly Park, and the water body nearby was pretty productive! Vijay saw, for the very first time, the male white ASIAN PARADISE FLYCATCHER. I couldn’t get a photograph, but just seeing his satisfaction was like seeing it myself for the very first time!

I tried out the photography tips that Mahesh had given in Bannerghatta, and I like this image of the backlit RAIN TREE FLOWERS;

Alas, my other images are rather erratic in quality, but I will be using the bad ones as well for documentation. Birds don’t wait for you to get a better focus or lesser shake!

This beautiful ROSE-RINGED PARAKEET walked up and down as if she owned the tree!

Just one meant SO many birds for us to see. Here's a female GOLDEN-FRONTED LEAFBIRD: A flock of ORIENTAL WHITE-EYES followed; can you see two in the flowers? This BLACK-NAPED ORIOLE stayed for just brief seconds, I had just put down my camera when I saw him, and I rushed to shoot him, and alas, focused on the flowers behind him instead! Several SMALL MINIVETS were in a tree nearby...as usual, notice that the bird will NOT face me! The JACARANDA trees are beginning to bloom as summer gets under way; here's a foozly shot of a PURPLE SUNBIRD, drinking nectar from the base of the flowers (they always seem to pierce the base, not drink from the trumpet shape!) The pond had this SMALL EGRET admiring his reflection like Narcissus once did... The female ASIAN PARADISE FLYCATCHER kept flying around, but she would never come out to the light, or face us! As for the rest, the air was scented by these miniscule flowers that bloomed all over, in the trees, and carpeted the area: We used to call these "magizham poo" in Tamizh, I don't know what the name of the tree is! The SILK-COTTON trees have flowered and the pods have also started bursting; here are some pods that have shed their cotton and dispersed their seeds with the help of the wind...what lovely patterns they make! Here's the silk-cotton lying on the ground... </lj-cut> What I enjoyed very much was the sight of these two BONNET MACAQUES who had settled themsleves on one of the fence posts and were sunbathing in a style that would have done credit to them on the beaches of Capri or St Tropez! Just look at the luxurious expression on that monkey face....ah, that's the life! Next up, a gripping tale of domesticity,attack, protection, home and fear...as played out on a branch of a Bannerghatta tree! All non-birders will also enjoy this three-actor drama...!