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.
Have you ever wondered about the difference between pigeons and doves? I have, and when I thought of doing a post on the doves I photographed at Mount Abu, this was the first thing that struck me. A quick search revealed that it is simply a matter of nomenclature - the smaller ones are called 'doves' and the bigger ones 'pigeons' (in most cases, that is.. of course, as with every rule, there are exceptions!)
The pigeons which haunt our house, looking for a nook to build their own homes are so common that I never feel the urge to capture them on camera. Doves are quite common too... at least some varieties, and we see them wherever we go. However, they look so graceful that I can't resist photographing every single one I see.... This is meant to be a photoblog of the doves or pigeons I have photographed, so without more ado, here I go....
First, here is the pigeon.....
I photographed this one at Mount Abu after taking so many pics of doves, simply as an afterthought... when I realised that I didnt have a single photo of a pigeon with me!
This one is called the 'Laughing dove' or 'Little Brown Dove'. The second name seems more apt, for this little bird is just, well, small and brown!
And here is the 'Spotted dove', getting its name no doubt from the spotted collar it sports!
Then there is the Eurasian Collared Dove... again named for its 'collar' around the neck!
But here is one of the most beautiful ones I have ever seen - the Emerald dove.
We saw this bird while staying at The Hermitage Guest House, at Belgaum, Karnataka. The photo is unfortunately not as good as I would have wished, but then I just coudnt write a post on doves without mentioning this one!
The pigeons which haunt our house, looking for a nook to build their own homes are so common that I never feel the urge to capture them on camera. Doves are quite common too... at least some varieties, and we see them wherever we go. However, they look so graceful that I can't resist photographing every single one I see.... This is meant to be a photoblog of the doves or pigeons I have photographed, so without more ado, here I go....
First, here is the pigeon.....
I photographed this one at Mount Abu after taking so many pics of doves, simply as an afterthought... when I realised that I didnt have a single photo of a pigeon with me!
This one is called the 'Laughing dove' or 'Little Brown Dove'. The second name seems more apt, for this little bird is just, well, small and brown!
And here is the 'Spotted dove', getting its name no doubt from the spotted collar it sports!
Then there is the Eurasian Collared Dove... again named for its 'collar' around the neck!
But here is one of the most beautiful ones I have ever seen - the Emerald dove.
We saw this bird while staying at The Hermitage Guest House, at Belgaum, Karnataka. The photo is unfortunately not as good as I would have wished, but then I just coudnt write a post on doves without mentioning this one!
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