Munias

This year’s monsoon was in full swing. That Sunday, when the rain had stopped briefly I saw a large group of Munias gregariously venturing out savoring the newly sprouted grass seeds. The group consisted of both Scaly-breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata) & White-rumped Munia (Lonchura striata) in them. Even though they were two different species there … Read more

Tawny Coster

As you have seen in my earlier blog posts, I am fond of using long lenses for macro photography. My favorite is 300mm lens as it gives you a sufficient distance from the insect and does not distract it. Disadvantage being a heavy rig you can’t hand hold it. It is not a true 1:1 … Read more

Oriental Magpie Robin

Oriental Magpie Robin

Monsoon this year has been quite vigorous here with hardly any gap between the incessant rain. This is quite troublesome for birds and insects. That afternoon there was a little respite from the rain. I saw our resident male oriental magpie robin (Copsychus saularis) drying himself on a curved twig in our kitchen garden. Behind … Read more

Mating Trouble

After photographing Female Plain Tiger, I was in the hunt for the Male Plain Tiger. As the Plain Tiger is known to be parasitized at least occasionally by Spiroplasma bacteria which selectively kill off male hosts, a subsequent scarcity of Plain Tiger males might have led to this hybridization and the evolution of the new … Read more

Elliot’s Forest Lizard

That Sunday evening I was returning back home I noticed a slender lizard peeking out from the rainwater drain of my garage entrance. I quickly parked my car and pulled out Canon EOS 1D Mark IV fitted with Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM. My house has Mangalore tiled roof. I have fitted it with … Read more

Female Plain Tiger

Female Plain Tiger Under Side View

I had written long back on Plain tiger (Danaus chrysippus) butterfly. At that time I was using Canon EF 400mm f/5.6 L USM with 36mm of extension tube to photograph this Plain Tiger butterfly. Soon after the Scarlet Skimmer dragonfly photograph session which I published last week, I spotted a female plain tiger butterfly nearby. … Read more