It’s been quite a hectic time, as I’ve been doing some amount of volunteering and some amount of for-me nature trails, too. Last Sunday, 18 (yes!) of us went to

Maidanahalli

as several people in the UGS (Usual Gang of Suspects, our group of friends who like to go for nature trails), and had a wonderful time, that included an awesome sunset.

The pictures of the birds are on my FB album

here

the scenery and general photographs are

here

and that technicolour sunset is

here

On Saturday last, I took 15 children from Sindhi School, Malleswaram, to the Bannerghatta forest (zoo area) and the pictures from that are

here

On Thursday, just 5 of us (it’s a working day for many, and this time, the children didn’t want to come) went to

Manchanabele Dam and Reservoir

All these were wonderful outings…and let me just show you a few sights from yesterday’s outing…

This is what the sky looked like just before sunrise….

And this

INDIAN SILVERBILL

was one of the delightful little birds around…

Some of the birds... RIVER TERNS preening on the water, after finishing their fish breakfast: A BRAHMINY STARLING showed off a cool hairstyle! A BLACK DRONGO showed off its glossy feathers: A BOOTED EAGLE soared above, delighting us: So did a BRAHMINY KITE much more common, but still, a beauty. Some RIVER TERNS behind a rock gave me a funny photograph! The terns then took off: We enjoyed watching the LOCAL GEESE This PIED WAGTAIL and its companion wagged their tails along the shore: We watched this ASIAN OPEN-BILLED STORK and its companion, too: The stork made a lovely picture against the water: Liked the takeoff! A lone ASHY-CROWNED SPARROW LARK sat on a granite slab: One of the hightlights of the morning was seeing three of the HOOPOES together, I got this one on the shore: This little PLAIN PRINIA tried to hide in the Lantatna bushes: this LAUGHING DOVE posed for us on the rocks: A BAY-BACKED SHRIKE also sat helpfully on the bush: A SMALL GREEN BEE-EATER was actually eating a bee! I loved the sight of this old pavilion: And some distance away were people working in a field of marigolds:

I completely enjoyed the sight of this

PIED BUSHCHAT

apparently visiting us to sit on the car!

Hope you can see my photographs of the other trips, too…