I just could not resist the chance to go birding to Turahalli with Garima on Sunday…and was so caught up with shopping and packing that I actually forgot to take either the 20D or MLC2! It was a change to go up the slopes just swinging my binocs in a carefree way, and asking to take this and that shot :) I might do this outsourcing of photography in the future too :)

So… all photographs by ....I've just cropped and zoomed a little....

The sun was peeping out behind the new constructions as we reached Turahalli hillock:

The view from the hillock, of the eucalyptus grove, was lovely: We started by looking at the large banyan tree where earlier, we could not find the MOTTLED WOOD OWL as someone had put rocks into the hollow...but the bird was back, peacefully snoozing in the morning sunshine: In a nearby tree, we spotted the female WHITE-NAPED WOODPECKER: within minutes, first the male EURASIAN GOLDEN ORIOLE and then the female landed in front of us: As I went up the slope, the EURASIAN EAGLE OWL, knowing that I had no camera, made its customary appearance, and was actually shooed away by a band of trekkers! On the rocks, these TAWNY PIPITS made a pretty picture: High up above us, a KESTREL hovered: Anush caught this GREATER COUCAL skulking in the bushes: The flowering trees were full of the tiny PURPLE-RUMPED SUNBIRDS: as uaual, a BLACK DRONGO sat and posed....may be common, but such a handsome bird! Anush captured the beauty of the backlit grass: I want to title the picture below...."Blue....Rock....Thrush." It's the BLUE ROCK THRUSH, but it's a picture of all the three things, separately, too! Here's the bird list: Avadavat,Red Babbler, Yellow-eyed Bee-Eater, Small Green Bulbul,Red-vented Bulbul, Red-whiskered Bulbul,White-Browed Bushlark,Indian Crow, House Crow, Large-billed Drongo, Black Egret,Cattle Francolin, Grey Kestrel, Common Kingfisher,White-breasted Munia, Black-headed Munia, Scaly-bellied Oriole, Eurasian Golden Owl, Eurasian Eagle Owl, Mottled Wood Pipit, Tawny Sparrow, House Thrush, Indian Rock Warbler, Blyth's Reed Warbler, Greenish Leaf Woodpecker, White-naped I'm sure I've left out some...G and A will correct me! The only mammal we saw (I was some way off, and saw it running along the slope, and later Anush and Garima were able to photograph it!) was the MONGOOSE: There were quite a few butterflies around, but most of them were in "flitting" mode, and so we were able to get only these... the COMMON SAILER showed its iridiscent body: the YELLOW PANSY captivated us with its colours: the CHOCOLATE PANSY was more sober, yet beautiful: and this CERULEAN sat lightly upon the grass strands: We did see several basking AGAMAS, but this lizard on a tree caught my eye:

This lovely shot of the BARONET was very pleasing!

and I asked Anush to capture these “marks upon the barks” of the eucalyptus trees:

A beautiful morning, which set me up for the long journey to St.Louis that I am setting off on today…see all of you in a couple of days’ time, when I have slept off the jet lag and been reunited with my darling GD!