My first trip to Vaishnodevi was unimpressive. Climbing was hard, and it only served to highlight how badly out of shape I was, while my in-laws managed to cope so much better. Further, I hadn’t quite realized that the cave experience wouldn’t be the same as I had imagined, since the original cave was only opened at certain times a year, and that we only entered a newly created tunnel, one far easier to access, and hence more manageable with the crowds that thronged the mountain shrine. The resulting experience at the shrine, for barely a fraction of a second, hardly compared to what I had expected / imagined / heard about. So, for me, Vaishnodevi was like any other temple, nothing to write home about, something that was reflected (though not explicitly mentioned) in the blog post I wrote then.
After the heat of the past few months, the rains are a welcome sight indeed......
Over the long summer months, what we missed most were the birds which thronged the trees outside our window... What with the leaves being shed in the extreme heat and the lack of water, the only birds we saw were crows, pigeons and sparrows! The crows finished up all the food and water we placed for the birds, not letting any other bird anywhere near..... The pigeons were the boldest, trying to grab a morsel while the crows were busy elsewhere..... as to the sparrows, they simply had to settle for the leftovers, since they were severely disadvantaged by their size!
When the Indian Laburnum (Amaltas/ Golden Shower) bloomed late in may right outside our window, we were thrilled, for we imagined that the bright yellow flowers would attract some birds...but alas, the crows played spoil-sport, not allowing any birds anywhere near.... I hung around with my camera, trying to get some interesting photos, but all I could manage were some shots of the flowers and the sparrows......Not one other bird was to be seen!
And then, suddenly, the rains arrived, bringing joy to our hearts. For the very first time, Samhith ran down to make the most of the first showers of rain, thrilled at being allowed to get wet!
And finally, with the very first showers arrived the birds........
The first to be seen was the White breasted Water Hen... a regular monsoon visitor to our colony... He pottered among the puddles of water, giving me some nice chances to take pictures.....
And then came the bulbuls - both, the red vented and red-cheeked ones...... gamboling happily among the laburnum flowers.
The sight of water brought back the kingfishers, a white breasted kingfisher sat on the lamp post right outside, posing for a while.....
Finally came the sunbirds, but they were still wary of the crows and didn't stay for long. But at least they have returned.....
Amongst all these birds, a bee buzzed around, looking for some nectar, and to my surprise, I actually managed to take a snap of the little fellow....
And then, as we left for a class, we noticed a chameleon making the most of the sun peeping through the clouds.....
And then, as we left for a class, we noticed a chameleon making the most of the sun peeping through the clouds.....
After the dearth of birds and animals through the summer, this was like a windfall, so many birds in just a day! And now, as Samhith's school starts, and we wait for the bus, the hunt has begun for the snails - our regular monsoon visitors.......
What a lovely set of birds and insects the rain brought out.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Took me down memory lane!
ReplyDeleteHooray for the rain!
ReplyDelete:) Was missing my regular bird blog watching :)
ReplyDeleteNice pics :) and it sure must have been a great relief with the rains :)
Ok. Now I know what they are called!
ReplyDeleteA lovely post Anu, thank you.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the rains, and the birds and the bees.:)
Nice to see the birds next to the house!!
ReplyDeleteLovely shots !!! I am amazed at the depth of your knowledge about the birds! not just from this post, but several others !
ReplyDeleteMe, i can never distinguish a myna from anything else !
@Mridula: oh yes.... the place has come alive, all of a sudden!
ReplyDelete@Usha: how come u havent taken any photos at delhi yet???
@Joy: absolutely!!!
@Shilpa: thanks so much! as to the relief... thats yet to come.. the rains are playing peek-a-boo as of now!
@mumai paused: thanks :)
@indicaspecies: thanks, celine!
@Aravind: oh, there are lots of birds where we live, not a common sight in bbay!
@Lavanya: i didnt know much about birds either... this was an attempt at getting samhith to get interested in something other than TV and violent toys, and now I am the one hooked!
@Mridula: oh yes.... the place has come alive, all of a sudden!
ReplyDelete@Usha: how come u havent taken any photos at delhi yet???
@Joy: absolutely!!!
@Shilpa: thanks so much! as to the relief... thats yet to come.. the rains are playing peek-a-boo as of now!
@mumai paused: thanks :)
@indicaspecies: thanks, celine!
@Aravind: oh, there are lots of birds where we live, not a common sight in bbay!
@Lavanya: i didnt know much about birds either... this was an attempt at getting samhith to get interested in something other than TV and violent toys, and now I am the one hooked!