Lifescapes Gallery

He’s very successful at his vocation, but the White-throated Kingfisher of Coorg is definitely not one of those brooding, silent killers so beloved of Hitchcock fans; he prefers to announce his presence with a loud chuckle or a staccato laugh that suggests he’s not short of gallows humour, even if the joke’s lost on his Read more >>

White-throated Kingfisher, Coorg | Posted in Birds, Coorg | 10 Comments »

Whether you’re part of the Dragonfly Squadron, the Butterfly Command, or the Bug & Beetle Corps, you’d do well to steer clear of the airspace around Kabini. This is a biospheric Bermuda triangle, where identified flying objects fly in but don’t fly out, and nothing’s heard of them ever after. This ‘No Fly’ zone is Read more >>

Asian Paradise-flycatcher, Kabini | Posted in Birds, Kabini | 6 Comments »

You hear a Babbler issuing a shrill warning from behind a bush. Then you hear the sudden alarm call of a Thrush. What follows is a cacophony of vociferous voices in various bird languages, much like a plenary session of the United Nations. Where the lay observer would expect to find an agitated avian congregation, Read more >>

Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Coorg | Posted in Birds, Coorg | 11 Comments »

In this age of reality shows and talent hunts, there’s somebody who’ll fly away with all the honours if there was to be a test of cross-terrain adaptability for the animal kingdom. When it comes to hunting in the waters of the Kabini, the Osprey, or Fish Eagle, prefers to let his talons do his Read more >>

Osprey, Kabini | Posted in Birds, Kabini | 13 Comments »

In the grasslands of Kabini, which boast some of the world’s largest concentration of herbivores and their predators, the one constant of life…is death. Here, where the various roles in the food chain are played out unerringly on a daily basis, the consequence of such a well stocked larder is a large proportion of leftovers. Read more >>

Long-billed Vulture, Kabini | Posted in Birds, Kabini | 9 Comments »

He’s small, cheerful, and is known to be a good singer, often humming a gentle tune under his breath as he goes about his business. What stands out, however, is the audience reaction to his songs, which varies from frustrated sighs, to strangulated oaths and the odd expletive tossed his way. For the paddy farmers Read more >>

Scaly-breasted Munia, Coorg | Posted in Birds, Coorg | 13 Comments »

Most of us landlubbers, would love the idea of slipping into our trunks and plunging into a pristine pool as an appetite-building precursor to a sumptuous meal. Some of our neighbours, however, like the Common Kingfisher of Coorg, have the habit of dressing for dinner before taking the plunge. The smallest of his species found Read more >>

Common Kingfisher, Coorg | Posted in Birds, Coorg | 14 Comments »

First we invite visitors to throw away their alarm clocks before coming to Coorg, so they could have a totally laid-back holiday. And then we go and provide them with our very own au naturale wake-up call that trills out unfailingly, at the crack of dawn, every day. This mellifluous two-note whistle has a special Read more >>

Indian Pitta, Coorg | Posted in Birds, Coorg | 24 Comments »

If you can’t hear the telltale rat-a-tat of someone drumming on a tree bark, or even if you can’t spot those fashionable heart patterns fluttering amidst the leaves, don’t lose heart. For, if you’re seeking Coorg’s most romantic citizen, you don’t have to look too hard. In fact, very often you don’t have to look Read more >>

Heart-spotted Woodpecker, Coorg | Posted in Birds, Coorg | 22 Comments »

Most of us have a hidden spark of musical genius, often experienced by select audiences who’re left mesmerised by our lyrical effusion. Let’s not dwell on the small issue of the audience count numbering just one. For, in the world of the bathroom singer, one doesn’t allow annoying things like reality to intrude. In the Read more >>

White-breasted Waterhen, Coorg | Posted in Birds, Coorg | 9 Comments »