Another busy weekend...
Weekends are my busiest time, and also the time I enjoy the most, as I am either taking out a group of children (sorry, that sounded as if I am some kind of Herod or mass murderer…I meant, taking children on an outing) or adults, or both, on nature trails, or going, myself, with the UGS (Usual Gang of Suspects…our group of friends).
Saturday morning, we went to J P Nagar Reserve Forest (or it’s also called Arikere Reserve Forest). Then I went to
for a story-telling session, and then hung out with Rewati and Rajesh until it was time to go for the quiz, which I conducted (and made it short, if not sweet….it was supposed to be a ‘picnic’ quiz and I wanted more time for our QuizFamilies members to interact.) I was able to be home a little past midnight, too.
On Sunday morning, I went with the Managolis, Bhavita, Vaibhav, Deepu and Chandu to Pyramid Valley (the cult, or the way they maintain what must have been a pristine valley, blocking a stream and filling the ditches with plastic trash, did not appeal to me at all). We had some glorious birding, though, on the way there!
Here are some photos from that outing….
I loved the green, majestic tree and the little shrine under it, such a contrast to
about a bare, dead tree and a shrine under it.
We also had a great time watching four
PAINTED STORKS
atop a Ficus tree (Banyan, this time) at Kaggalahalli, on the Kanakapura Road; here’s one:
Just when we were leaving, it suddenly decided to put on a great “wing display” for us, and there we were, rooted to the spot for another twenty minutes, looking and clicking!
We also got this rare sighting of a
GREY-BELLIED CUCKOO
female, right out in the open:
Even in the much-manicured and control-nature campus of Pyramid Valley, we found enough wildlife….Pond Terrapins and Checkered Keelbacks in the check-ponds, and lots of birds and insects. Here’s one
GIANT WOOD SPIDER
female, dispatching one of the butterflies:
A very nice weekend, spent with friends, with lots of outdoors….I am a happy and lucky person!