Just About Everything

Kanchenjunga peak Lava is a small and scenic little place in Darjeeling district, in West Bengal, India. Lava is one of the most popular tourist destinations in West Bengal not only because of the scenic beauty, and the beautiful birds that can be sighted in Lava, but also because it happens to be one of those very rare places in West Bengal where you can find snow in winter. You can reach Lava by road from NJP which is one the most frequented railhead and is well connected. A private vehicle can be rented for the onward journey to Lava. It takes around 4.5 hours to reach Lava, via Kalimpong. I am posting pictures of these tiny little gems clicked by Soma during her visit to Lava this year. These birds are between 9 cm-14 cm in size, smaller than a sparrow. Ashy-throated Warbler Black-faced Warbler Fire-breasted flower-pecker Fire-tailed Sunbird Red-tailed Minla Scaly-breasted Wren Babbler White-browed Fulvetta Yell...

Koklass Pheasant-female Walong in the Anjaw District of Arunachal Pradesh is home to a variety of birds. Walong is special because there are a few birds that can only be seen here and no where else in India.  Since Walong lies in the extreme east of Arunachal Pradesh, Dong village which is situated 40 km east of Walong receives the first rays of sun in India. Historically Walong is also known because of The "Battle of Walong" in the 1962 war with China. Some bird facts: In March 2013 birdwatchers sighted and photographed the Black-browed Tit. This was the first time that this bird was seen in India. A year later the Yunnan Nuthatch was discovered by a birder in Walong which until then was only seen in China. Some more birds that can only be seen in this region are the Derbyan Parakeet and the Black-Headed Greenfinch. In March 2015, the female of a Koklass Pheasant was photographed by Soma Jha, a bird that till now was understood to have been found only in ...

Flameback Woodpecker I am sharing pictures of birds that flocked around my house (South Kolkata). We don't usually get to see a Woodpecker or Jungle Maina that easily! The Jungle Maina picture is not good at all but I put it up anyway since we don’t get to sight it that often. Jungle Babbler Jungle Maina Koel

White stork with greater flamingos In continuation with my earlier post on birds in Jamnagar , I am sharing some more bird pictures from Jamnagar, Gujarat, India. Photo credit: Soma Jha Greater flamingo Lesser flamingo Great white pelican, Jamnagar Pelican

Lesser flamingos Jamnagar in Gujarat, India is a hub of migratory birds. Located on the coast of Gulf of Kutch, Jamnagar attracts a huge population of birds and along with them birding enthusiasts! Winter is a good time to visit Jamnagar if you wish to sight migratory birds.  Jamnagar also has a marine national park, and various other tourist attractions. Some beautiful bird pictures from Jamnagar by Soma Jha. Broad-billed sandpiper Black necked stork Dalmatian pelican Dalmatian pelicans Eurasian spoonbills Great thick knee

Desert Wheatear Two very unusual winter visitors were sighted in Kolkata's Rajarhat area. It is a well known-fact that birds migrate to warmer climate during winter, and some of the  migratory birds that are usually sighted during winter in Kolkata and nearby areas are ducks and waders of different kinds, shrikes, wagtails, flycatchers, and a few  others.  But these two visitors have taken the birdwatchers in Kolkata by surprise. The Desert Wheatear which, by its very name, suggests that they are found mainly in  Rajasthan, Gujarat and Ladakh. It is quite surprising how such a bird could land up here right in the heart of the city! You can spot this bird in the midst of all the  construction work that is happening in Rajarhat. I guess that is because there is still some greenery left there. I wonder what will happen to these birds once all the  greenery disappears... The Dark-throated Thrush, usually seen in the Himalayas, and so far could be se...

I am sharing some pictures from my garden; the pictures are not good, but it is nice to see flowers blooming and birds chirping. Wish you a merry Christmas and a very happy new 2014! Tailorbird Tailorbird Magpie Robin Bulbul

Purple Sunbird in my garden This week was quite exciting in terms of sighting birds. Not in terms of sighting uncommon birds though. Typically I only get to see crows and sparrows in my garden so I was elated to spot some other varieties as well. I was lucky to sight purple sunbirds in my garden, and also a kingfisher, and a black kite near my house. All this from the comfort of my terrace! What fun! These pictures are not great, I wasn't really prepared for birding, and took these snaps from a 7X camera. Purple sunbird female white throated Kingfisher Black Kite

How green is my village! We were invited for lunch to one of my dad's cousin's place, they live very close by. The food was yummy.There was kalai dal, postor bara,potol and aloo bhaja, and a very nice mixed vegetable. For non- vegetarians there was mutton as well.My husband loved the food. Something about the taste of vegetatbles, somehow they really taste very good. It never tastes that good when we make it at home:( We went for a walk in the evening. The Ganges flows very close to the village, it took us around half an hour to reach it. The walk was very rejuvinating, we walked through mango orchards. I did not realize there were so many varieties of mangoes in Malda alone, i knew there were many, I have grown up having varieties of mangoes, but the list is endless! Here is a list of mangoes available in Malda, this is certainly not exhaustive, there are many-many more types/varieties of mangoes that are available in Malda: Langra Gopalbhog Khirsapat Phojli Mis...