Owls camouflaged

I knew that owls are the masters of camouflage but I had to see it to believe it. We almost missed seeing this one as we were on our Gir Safari in the Gir Forest sanctuary.

This was was not camouflaged but it was still difficult to spot.

You might also like to see photos or other birds: Emu the bird or Silhouettes of birds in flight or Fortune Telling by a parrot! or check out all the images filed under the label Birds or Animals

Pigeons in the city

Pigeons are routinely fed in pigeon loving India. Grains are dumped outside housing societies and it's no wonder that their population is galloping by leaps and bounds. Pigeons being fairly docile doves, are tolerated, even loved by people. Perhaps that is why they are indiscriminately fed, and more often  by those who do not live near their nesting sites. As they give birth every other month, this means that the population of pigeons can increase rapidly if they find an easy source of food.
The nesting sites can become very dirty and germ ridden, specially when the pigeon population explodes like it has done in Mumbai. Pigeon droppings are also harmful for health and place for germs to breed. Be careful of the droppings as they are acidic, and over several years damage tiles and buildings.

As long as you don't breathe in their droppings or touch them, there is no fear of disease. But if by mistake you come into contact with their droppings or the birds themselves, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly. There have been reports of pigeon droppings contaminating the air and affecting some people with asthma and causing breathing difficulties.

In this picture note the large heap of grain dumped for the pigeons to feed, right outside a housing colony. Most people are ignorant of the health issues causes by feeding pigeons indiscriminately. At least until the pigeon starts to next right outside their own window!

A close up of a pigeon sitting on a cobbled rooftop. You can clearly see the orange coloured eyes with the large black pupils giving it a staring look.

These doves have adapted very well to city life because originally they inhabited rocky cliffs. The feral pigeon is the descendent of the rocky dove and find that ledges and window sills suit them fine! Being sociable they are found in flocks. Where you see one pigeon, be assured that many more are somewhere nearby.

The face of a pigeon, a portrait.

A pigeon perched on a ledge in a colony of skyscrapers.

Two pigeons standing on a building ledge with the city in the background.

You might also like to see photos or other birds: Emu the bird or Silhouettes of birds in flight or Fortune Telling by a parrot! or check out all the images filed under the label Birds.

Sketch and Silhouette of a Swan

A black and white silhouette of a swan.

A black and white sketch of a swan.

You might also like Silhouettes of birds in flight or Emu the bird or Weaver Birds Images or Weaver Bird Nests
See other Silhouettes and Sketches on this blog or pictures of Animals or Birds.

Weaver Birds Images

There are over a hundred species of the weaver bird and these are pictures of some from India. Typically, weaver birds have a yellow crown and a striped brown feathers with flecks of yellow and a white underside. They are called Weaver birds because of their weaving skills. You can see one of them hard at work here, weaving pieces of thin twine into an elaborate nest, a cosy little home for him and has partner.

This weaver bird seems quite proud of his work of art. Nests are built by males for the females.

Several weaver bird nests hanging from the branches of a palm tree.

You might also like to see more photographs of Weaver bird nests
Or perhaps pictures of Emu the bird or Silhouettes of birds in flight or Fortune Telling by a parrot!

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Silhouettes of birds in flight

It's amazing the different ways birds fly and nothing makes it starkly obvious that black silhouettes against a white background. They are sea gulls of some sort as all these pictures were taken on a beach.

More birds silhouetted against a white background. 

Silhouettes of birds quarreling 

The rest are birds silhouetted against a blue and white sky. Floating away!

Flying, gliding and floating. Sea birds or sea gulls silhouetted against a blue and white sky.

This is a photograph of the bids quarreling. Making a lot of noise.

More photos of birds: Emu the bird or Weaver Birds Images or Weaver Bird Nests or  Fortune Telling by a parrot!
Or try the label Birds.

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Emu the bird

Although native to Australia, these pictures are of Emus in India, at an Emu farm.

Emus are farmed for their oil, and leather and the meat, although not a white meat, is lean and thus healthy. Besides, it has low levels of cholesterol, is  high in iron, and ofcourse protein and is low-fat. The drawbacks are that it is a little tricky to cook, and also expensive. Perhaps that is why it has not become popular.

The face of an Emu. An Emu's facial features consists of dark bristly hair, yellow staring eyes and a prominent beak.

The profile of an Emu!

A bunch of emus prancing around at an Emu farm.

An Emu sitting down.

Related Images: Fortune Telling by a parrot! or or Silhouettes of birds in flight  or Weaver Birds Images or check out some other posts on Birds.

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Fortune Telling by a parrot!

Ever heard of a green pet parrot telling your fortune? Well, it's not uncommon in certain parts of India where a bird picks a card that decides your fortune. These so-called fortune tells are found on the streets. It's a version of tarot card reading.

Here you can see the parrot (popat) trying to pick a card. Something it has been trained to do. It's sniffing around in the middle of the pack. The owner is sitting on a pavement on the streets with his wares spread out.

Here the parrot or popat has found the card for the girl customer and has lifted it from the top of the pack.

Related Pictures: A medicine man on the streets who claims to cure almost every ailment that afflicts mankind!: Herbs and Spices in boxes

You might also like Silhouettes of birds in flight or Emu the bird or Weaver Birds Images

See other Silhouettes and Sketches on this blog or pictures of Animals or Birds.

Weaver bird nests

The nests of the Baya Weaver are woven cleverly and sealed except for a small tunnel entrance. The weaverbird is common in India and other parts of Southeast Asia. Their nests usually hang from trees.

In this photograph, the weaver bird has not finished his work and you can see him weaving his nest. The completed nests are on the left side of the image.

Some nests of the weaver bird hanging from palm trees.

These nests are right in our balcony, now deserted by the birds.

You might also like Weaver Birds Images
Or see more photos of birds: Emu the bird or Silhouettes of birds in flight or try the label Birds.

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