There is life around your 'nest' !

An asian koel spoilt for choice.

                You choose your 'nest' in a beautiful locality, you love the house, you love the trees, you love the breeze, you're glad you have invested money in something so beautiful and you call it your home. Little did you wonder that it supports more life than just us human beings, more species. This blog entry is going to be an amateurish attempt to portray what life I have seen around my 'nest' in the past year or so.


It is not a very big area; the place where I roam around must be an area of 25 meters square. When I started exploring the area, the intention was not to document it but to hone my skills with the new camera I had purchased. And little did I know I would see so much.


A lot of common and uncommon birds visit us, lest we notice :).White-rumped munias are gregarious birds which feed on seeds.The weeds you wish your muncipal department cleans off can serve as good feeding areas for them.

A white rumped munia.

A red-whiskered bulbul is a no complaints, no demands guy. Seeds, insects, fruits - he will feast on anything.

A red whiskered bulbul with a worm for breakfast.

Pigeons - you wouldn't love them if you owned a car :). These beautiful birds are everyday urban pests. They don't ask much from you except for a window sill and a cover for you car. I wonder how lifeless our cities would be without them.

A pigeon walks on.

And there are not just birds that live here. The squirrels, they are more welcome aren't they. A rodent ever so active, you can bet on this guy to keep you entertained. Seeds, nuts, fruits - they are vegetarians by choice. You might be surprised to hear that squirrels build nests and gestation is a little more than a month's time.

A palm squirrel on the run.

Reptiles including snakes make their way into our localities. More often than not, they are non-venomous. More of than not, they are killed at first sight. A little tolerance and having a local animal care centre's number can mean a few snakes saved. Garden lizards are extremely beautiful reptiles.

A garden lizard aka calotes lizard drying up his skin post a shower.

Life around our houses come in all shapes, sizes and colours. Bugs and butterflies are commonly seen.

A beautiful bug.

A common pierrot butterfly. 

When I sum it all up and look at the big picture, there is a whole eco-system which survives on what we hardly notice or consider insignificant. Bug and butterflies live in the weeds and other plants, the bugs and plants support the birds and rodents. The bird eggs and rodents are lapped up by our pet cats and kites.


A little list birds I remember seeing around my house: 

• Birds - sunbirds, barbets, woodpeckers, munias, pigeons, coucals, kites, treepies, mynas, crows, parakeets, bulbuls. 

If you love these creatures and want to see them around your house, it is not so difficult. If you are lucky, you need not move a muscle and see them if you locality sports greenery on it's own. If not a few small steps is all you need to take, like: 

• Plant fruit bearing trees and flowering plants. 
• A bird bath can attract birds during summers or otherwise. Place a trough which is not too deep to drown a bird and fill it up when you water your plants. And sit back and enjoy the sight of birds taking a dip or a sip.  

If you start seeing these species and appreciate their presence, the purpose of this blog would be served. Hope you enjoyed my first photo-essay. Comments, brickbats and suggestions are welcome :). Thank you for stopping by.


PS: Since this is not a researched article, there could be incorrect information presented. Please feel free to correct me :). Species name, grammar, photographs - you can tell me where I goofed up.