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The Vaishnodevi Experience 2023

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.
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Little Green Bee Eater

This is a bird I have seen often. It is quite a common bird, and yet, it is always fascinating to watch, especially when it plucks insects out of the air!




The Little Green Bee Eater is a resident of grasslands, thin scrub land, and forests, and observed all over India. I noticed this one at Dandeli, and, having nothing better to do, simply sat and watched it... and clicked...



I must have watched it for about 15-20 minutes, but the best part was when it caught a butterfly...



For a moment, it appeared as if the butterfly's fluttering wings were part of its mouth... and then the whole butterfly disappeared inside!


And that is why I love watching birds... All you need is patience, and you never know what you might see!



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Location: Dandeli, Karnataka, India

Comments

  1. MridulaFebruary 23, 2014 at 6:09 PM

    Oh so that was a butterfly! I was wondering why that green bee eater had so much yellow around its beak!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarFebruary 23, 2014 at 6:12 PM

      Yes, Mridula! not what we would expect in a bee eater, right? there is always something to see with birds, as I am sure you will agree :)

      Delete
  2. K.S.AparnaFebruary 23, 2014 at 6:34 PM

    Amazing pictures. They make me want to write a poetry...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarFebruary 23, 2014 at 6:37 PM

      Thank you, Aparna manni! And please do write a poem! and send me the link when you do.. will add it to this post :) collaborative family writing, i think we can call it!

      Delete
  3. Sandhya MenonFebruary 24, 2014 at 12:47 AM

    lovely! what is this bird's name???

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarFebruary 25, 2014 at 6:13 PM

      Sandhya, the title itself has the name of the bird, and I have also mentioned it in the post :)

      Delete
  4. AnonymousMarch 2, 2015 at 4:33 PM

    Nice pictures! Have you seen it handling a bee? Quite entertaining!

    ReplyDelete

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