Chicks

We had chickens in our home in India for a long while, but it had been months, or years, since I saw some chicks. My mum decided to keep eight fertilized eggs for hatching. And one day, all eight hatched, and out came these cute little furry creatures. Here's a shot with the old mommy hen with her newly hatched chicks.

Out of the eight, seven were either black or dark brown. But one, my favourite, was a beautiful yellow and cream. However, with time, he too grew darker feathers and became black!

Pigeons and their Antics

Pigeons, Doves, I don't know what to call them. Some are full snow white, some full grey and others somewhere in the middle. These birds can be found on all corners of my house, resting on windows and cable wires. I have always admired the beauty of the snowy white doves (if they are doves) and since I got hold of the 50-200mm lens, I decided to try taking a few shots.

These birds are rather bold and sometimes come up to your feet if they realize you've got food with you. Here's a pair resting high up on a metal rod.

Apart from the full whites, there were half-grey-half-whites too. Here's one of the pretty looking males. Don't you just love that tiny crest on his head?

One day, I was simply checking out my zoom lens, when I heard the sound of flapping wings. I turned to look out of the window and spotted a pair, just a few metres away, that were about to mate! I immediately grabbed a few shots.

The couple then return to their normal poses and act as if nothing has happened.

Trying Out My New Gear

I spent many hours trying out my new camera. Gee, there was a lot to learn. There were various modes and functions I didn't know. I decided to just try taking some photographs in the Full Auto mode. Here are a few shots of some insects that I came across. Of course, how can I miss these little critters, they're everywhere. The dragonflies were taken with the 55-200mm lens.

Can you spot the hidden spider in this next photo?

Turns out I'm a Nikon Guy

So..... On December 5th, 2010, at around 9.15PM, I became a proud owner of a Nikon D3100. After 3 years of pleading, my dad finally decided to get me a DSLR. Well yes, I preferred Canon much more, in fact I wanted to get a 550D, but well, my dad quickly jumped and bought this Nikon. At first I was devastated, but then I thought, Hey, maybe I got it for a reason. Maybe the Nikon chose me (or my dad chose the Nikon for me) for a reason. Maybe I'll be far better of with this D3100 than the Canon EOS 550D. Anyway, here are some shots of my new gear.

Of course, the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens.

Apart from the basic 18-55mm, I also got a zoom lens, the 55-200mm f/4-5.6. It sure looks great on the camera body!

When fully extended:

Here are some sample shots I took on the first day.

So, I was glad I finally got my DSLR. And what about my old Casio EX-Z1200? It sure has served me really well for all these years, but it won't be going anywhere! Whenever I'm to go out for a shoot, I always keep it in my pocket, just in case. In some situations, believe it or not, its more useful and easy to use.

Tiny Tree Frog 2

It wasn't soon after spotting the previous tree frog that I came across another one. And yes, again inside my house! This one was really small too, but definitely a different species. Here's a shot of him on my desk (that's where I found him).

So once again, I took the little frog out for some shots.

He's looking up at the skies!

A shot of it crawling on a tiny twig.

Like Adrielle (www.adrielleroyale.blogspot.com) has mentioned in the comments of the previous post, God seems to be showering me with gifts! I conclude that these creatures tend to find their way indoors probably because they're attracted to the light. In sub-urban areas in India, like where I live, you can hardly see your way at night! Houses are the only spots where there's light. They don't even have street lights in these areas. Anyway, I let the tiny tree frog hop onto a leaf, and went back in. What a frog-filled time!

Tiny Tree Frog 1

My sister found this tiny juvenile frog clinging onto the wall in her room one slightly rainy night. She thought its just one of those common toads you see outside but when I took a look, I realized it was actually a tiny tree frog, probably a juvenile. Here's a shot of me 'shaking hands' with it. You can figure out the size of the treefrog as well.

As I do so everytime I find a creature indoors, I took it out and snapped a few photographs of the frog on various spots. Here are some of the best photos.

What surprises me most about this frog was -well yes, its the first time I'm spotting one like him- the fact that like the stick insect, he decided to come over and look for me! I can't explain why this happens. Maybe these creatures find their way in because of the light, or maybe to stay warm and dry during the rain. Whatever it is, I sure am glad I get to spot and photograph them without having to search for hours outdoors.

I love the way he's looking up at me.

Eventually I let it climb onto a leaf which was occupied by a slug. He got on and sat ontop of the slug.

Scorpion Action

So where was I? Of course, searching for scorpions. I looked around and under every single rock and pile of rocks, and eventually managed to spot a pair underneath a huge rock. One big one measuring about 12cm and one little one, around 5cm. Here's the fully grown adult. I can't tell if its a He or a She, however.

I had it placed ontop of the rock for some open shots.

Here's the juvenile, which immediately fled the scene upon realizing it had been discovered. Have a look at it's striking position. Pincirs and sting, ready to attack.

They usually stay as a family, about 6-15 young ones, accompanied by the mother. I have in fact seen about 5-6 such families before, but didn't really bother taking photos as they are very common and I've seen them and posted about them before. All you have to do is pile up a few ten rocks and leave it there for a month or two. By then, a family of scorpions would have made it their home.

PS please do not do try this alone. Although I'm just 16, I've had enough experience to handle these venomous creatures. Their venom is extremely dangerous and sometimes even fatal! If you are to spot a scorpion, keep a good distance, take a few shots and leave it there alone. No scorpions have been harmed in the process, only rehabitated.

A Colourful Little Gecko

I was searching for scorpions in my front yard one afternoon and as I lifted a rather large rock, this little gecko hopped out from below, scurrying through the leaf litter, trying to get away.

I just love the colours of this lizard. Black body, pale purplish head with a creamy stripe from each side that joins and extends till its abdomen, and an orange tail that could easily be mistaken for a part of the jackfruit.

I love this next shot where the gecko's looking at the camera, with only the head in focus.

Left it there and I continued my search for scorpions.

Another Juvenile Banded Racer

It's a snake this time- another juvenile of the Banded Racer, a common snake of rural and sub-urban areas in India. This one was spotted by me as I heading to the back of my house. I saw that something seemed to be moving across the gravel and when I looked, there it was, a small snake that seemed really familiar. It immediately slithered into a pile of stacked brick-tiles.

I had photographed another juvenile Banded Racer in my visit to India about a year and a half ago. So I wasn't too excited upon seeing this fellow. However, I did, ensure I took a few shots, although most of them turned out quite dull. Here's one after a quick retouch. The snake's slithering along the side of the wall.

I released the snake soon after.

Wow, Stick Insects at Home!

Woke up one morning and as I was about to open my door, I found the most unusual creature resting on the door handle. A stick insect! A green and large one, in fact. I couldn't believe what I was looking at. A stick insect here, in this rather urbanised area!? Anyway, I got my camera and snapped a few photos straight away. I didn't want to lose this opportunity.

I've seen stick insects in rather forested and uninhabited places in India, but its the first time spotting one in a place like this. It's surprising to note that despite all the noise, pollution and urbanisation they face in this place, these insects are still able to survive and reproduce. I don't think its possible it flew here from a distant area or anything. Anyway, spotting this stick insect surely is a benficial thing; it proves that there still is a lot of wildlife yet to be discovered around in these areas. If I don't find them, maybe they'll come looking for me- maybe even at my doorstep like this little one!

Green Hawk

Spotted this big and beautiful hawk moth which was attracted to the light inside my home one night. I've never seen a hawk moth this beautiful. And the green! I love the green coloured patches on its wings.

Big Brown Mantis

All I can say about this creature is that I've never seen such a big mantis before. I mean, it was huge, measuring about 15cm from head to tail! This praying mantis was spotted by my sister while playing badminton, and she immediately called me upon spotting it.

I got it onto a small shrub, and took a few shots.

What was really intriguing about this mantis was, well yes its size, and the fact that it seemed to follow and understand you well. It follows your face and even inspects what you give them. So after playing around with him, I decided to let him go. I spotted a locust on a nearby shrub, and so let the mantis climb on so as to hopefully see some predatory action. But nope, the mantis didn't seem interested. Perhaps it just had lunch?