Just About Everything

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 ...

Here is another clipping fron Itachuna Rajbari, there is a flute player who visits the Rajbari every day in the morning and in the evening. The flute does lend the place a magical feeling; the 300+ old Rajbari comes alive with the music. This video does not do justice :( ....I guess some things need to be experienced real-time. Until then here is a trailer :) If you wish to know more about Itachuna Rajbari, I have written about it in my post: Itachuna Rajbari; Experience a bit of Bengal's heritage on a weekend 

black-winged kite One lifetime is indeed not enough to visit the so many beautiful places in India alone! Here is another lovely place that is easily doable if you are in Bengaluru or in any of the adjoining states. Masinaguri In Tamil Nadu is wonderful not only for bird watching but to experience the pure bliss of being amidst nature. From Bengaluru It will be a slightly longish drive, a little over 5 hours if you take the Benagluru Mysore Ooty road. However, the drive is absolutely wonderful because of the areas that you cross on your way, such as Bandipur, Mudumalai...you almost get the feeling of driving through a forest. Almost always in such drives the journeys turn out to be more exciting and invigorating! These bird pictures (and a couple of animals as well) are from this belt right up to Ooty. The pictures are from my cousin, Soma’s album. Black and orange flycatcher Black Eagles Fairy Bluebird Indian Blackbird Jerdon's le...

Akshi beach Akshi beach near Alibag is around 3 hours drive from Mumbai. If you are looking for a quiet weekend away from the city and enjoy being in the midst of nature then Akshi may be your destination. Not only is the beach clean and quiet, if you like bird watching you may be able to sight a fair number of birds as well. Akshi is around 6 kms away from Alibag. There are a number of places to stay near Akshi, you may want to stay near Alibag where you will find more accommodation options. I am sharing a few pictures taken at Akshi by Soma who went to Akshi on a weekend trip in December last year.  Arctic Skua Common Tern-Akshi Hueglin's Gull,Akshi Lesser-crested-Tern-Akshi Little Terns- Akshi Pomarine Jaeger-Akshi

I am sharing a small video clipping of the over 300 years old Itachuna Rajbari in the Hooghly district of West Bengal, India. This video clipping will give you an idea about the place. This is just a glimpse of the ground floor level, there is so much more... The history, the ambience, and the feeling of spending time in a place that is over 300 years old is really quite something ! You can find more information on Itachuna in my earlier post here: Itachuna Rajbari; Experience a bit of Bengal's heritage on a weekend trip

Itachuna Rajbari entrance If you want to experience living in a heritage house, it is now possible. Just a few hours (3 hours) drive from Kolkata will take you to Itachuna Rajbari in Hooghly district of West Bengal. By Car : From Kolkata we took the Durgapur Expressway via Vidyasagar setu. After driving for over an hour, on the left you will find Hindusthan Hotel. The left exit right after that will take you to the road which will turn under the bridge. Take that road and you will be in Bosipur, keep driving till you reach Halusai (around 20 kms) and then turn left towards Khanyan Railway Station, Itachuna Rajbari is very close to the station. We missed the Hotel Hindusthan landmark and we ended up doing 50 km extra! I would recommend leaving early in the morning to avoid traffic, you will be able to reach in a little over three hours. You can also get there by train, the station where you will need to get off is "Khanyan". The history of Itachuna Rajbari, which is ...

Spotted Owlet During my recent trip to Hooghly district in West Bengal, I managed to do some bird watching, not serious bird watching, but whatever came my way:) Most of these birds, like Magpie Robin, Red-Whiskered Bulbul, Rufous Treepie, Spotted Dove, and the State bird of West Bengal, Kingfisher, can be easily sighted. It was just nice to take pictures of these pretty birds. Brown Shrike Oriental Magpie Robin Red-Whiskered Bulbul Rufous Treepie Spotted Dove White-Throated Kingfisher