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Times Passion Trail, Day - 2 Day 2: The Little Rann of Kutch (LRK)   The second day began very early.  We left Ahmedabad downtown, around 5.30 am in our cavalcade of Innovas.  We had our packed breakfast on our way so that we could reach as early as possible.  We reached our resort at Bajana at about 8 am, grabbed a quick cup of tea,...

Times Passion Trail - Day 3: Nal Sarovar   I had already been to Nal Sarovar about three years ago.  The earlier trip, spread over two sessions at Nal Sarovar and Vadla dam, fetched me wonderful pictures of several dozens of birds, almost 80% of which were lifers!  However, I was equally excited to visit the place once again. Nal Sarovar bird sanctuary consists of a beautiful lake and ambient...

Times Passion Trail - Day-4: Velavadar Blackbuck National park.   The next morning we drove to Velavadar national park.  This national park is located in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, about 42 KM from the district headquarter city of Bhavnagar. It originally belonged to the Maharaja of the erstwhile princely state of Bhavnagar. He used to hunt the blackbucks with his famous hunting cheetahs. This wildlife...

Times Passion Trail Day 5 & 6: Sasan Gir.     We left in the morning around 7.30 am after a buffet-breakfast.  We took a break on the outskirts of Amreli and munched on the famous Bhavnagari Ganthia (Light crisp fries made of chick-pea flour with local condiments), with three different types of chutneys and piping hot tea. We arrived at the resort around lunch.  Our stay was...

The Avifauna of Sirsi.  Birds & Wildlife   It was in June 2016, that I visited Sirsi in Uttara Kannada, for a week.  It was a vacation with my siblings and their spouses. We stayed at a beautiful Jungle resort, on the outskirts of Sirsi, bang in the middle of a tropical evergreen forest.  Our arrival early in the morning, from Kumta Railway Station, probably added to the charm of...

A weekend in the Big Bear Lake City It was the second weekend after the lockdown was lifted in California in June 2020.  We had been confined to our home in Los Angelis, for almost three months.  My grandson was about four months old then, and the new parents really needed a change of scene.  So we took this opportunity to drive down to Big Bear Lake City. Big...

THE GRANARY TREE & ACORN WOODPECKERS. One fine sunny day in Dec 2021, my daughter-in-law went on a hike to Westlake Trails. We were visiting them in Thousand Oaks then. She came home all excited as she had seen something very curious and interesting; she wanted to take me there and show me her discovery! My curiosity was piqued and I was equally eager to visit the place. I...

MY FIRST DATE WITH BANDIPUR   Bandipur National Park of Karnataka is famous among the birders, wildlife photographers, as well as wildlife enthusiasts and nature lovers; especially for Tigers and Leopards. It has been on my "must visit" list for a very long time. Finally the opportunity to visit it came around in Dec 2022. My husband and I visited the place for three nights and stayed in...

Even the Scientists call them "Cute"!   We are talking about the Honduran White Bats (Ectophylla alba).  Bats are generally considered scary and unwelcome by the layman.  As they are nocturnal and start their activities only after twilight, they are generally not seen, only felt, if they fly close to you (zoom past, before you 'bat" an eyelid!).   Attributed to Charlie Jackson - Honduran...