There are some moments in life when you realize that the most simple things in life are the ones that we ignore the most, take them for granted and assume that they are always there..
They also happen to be the finer things in life which we cannot do without – the birds, the bees, the trees, the flowers, the deer, the ants, the spiders,the grass, the thicket and before I say like Keats “and the fruit tree wild..”, let me tell you that my vain attempt at poetic prose is inspired by the 3 days spent in a Naturalist Training Programme organised by Jungle Lodges.
I went bird watching for the first time and it was amazing to wake up to an orchestra every morning. We spotted close to 20 species and some of them stay quite fresh in my mind. The special moments were the sighting of the Tickell’s Blue flycatcher and the paradise fly catcher, the purple sunbird,the small minivet,the golden oriole,the Eurasian eagle owl, the red wattled lapwing and the blue bearded bee eater. However, it wasnt just them. 
It was about realizing that all nests may not belong to birds, but could be that of a social spider .It was also about looking at the differences between the red vented bulbul and the red whiskered bulbul,the magpie robin and the Indian robin,the spotted dove and the laughing dove, listening to the call of the puff throated babbler, the sighting of the coppersmith , the sillhouttes of the wing patterns of the swift and the swallow in flight,the eye of the oriental white eye,the brown cap of the pygmy woodpecker and the white browed fantail. The colours are still so vivid in my mind and I realized that just watching these birds and their behaviour can be so addictive . I wondered what really took me so long to get to the world of birds. 
But its not just the thrill of seeing and discovering birds..its also about discovering the world around you that makes you alive and gives you an identity.Its also about telling you that there could be a world soon when all these will slowly die or disappear as their habitat gets taken over by man.Its also about discovering that for every species of plant lost, we lose 30 species of organisms. There is drama,tension, mystery, colour and wonder in this world which we often miss. Unfortunately there is also death and decay here which we are indifferent to.
On a different note. Some quick updates here…
This blog has been selected as the featured blog in Cerebrate . Ive been missing out on all your posts and will catch up when I am back next week.
To view different parts of the world please click here
Yes, its the sheer kick that we get on seeing natural beauty around that makes us feel alive, and proud to be so….I haven’t gone on a guided bird watching tour, yet….but having stayed in Jamnagar, in a semi-bungalow, I was lusky enough to be seeing so many birds in my garden…also valsura salt pans, Jamnagar are known for pelicans and other migtarory birds…and they’re a treat to the eyes!
I stumbled upon your blog from somwhere…(ofcourse!) and it’s quite interesting.
Keep travelling and writing!
I have never been on a bird watching trip…maybe one of these days…
I liked this post and your attention to the details like difference between very similar looking bird species.
So I guess I will see you soon in one of the Jungle resorts as a Naturalist !
In spring flowers bloom.
In spring animals come out.
Best of all…it’s warm! LOL
I’am waiting for spring !!
I just wanted to say that nature is the best and beautiful things there is 🙂
And you let us see it today.
Very beautiful shots you make 🙂
And all other plants than in our country.
I’am happy that I found your blog
(@^.^@)
couldnt agree more … i was going thru the same thoughts while driving thru bandipur and nagarhole. plastic wastes and heavy traffic all along the road. animals not able to cross over to the road and go to their waterhole due to vehicle traffic. people stopping over, honking, shouting and scaring the wild animals away. i am sure, if things go at this rate, the next generation will not see most of the fauna that we know 🙁
Lovely !
lucky you to be in the woods again !!!
I m dying for my chance in May !!
hopefully it will come soon !
Pl visit my blog to watch nature
hii
i ve been a keen follower of ur blog.Nice to c the flowers.they r of bahawa or amaltash as we caall in hindi.
Nice pic
Wud ve loved to c a little bigger snap.
regards
hey nice account of ntp. enjoyed reading! 🙂
Very nice! The nests are so intricately and creatively designed… 🙂
Lakshmi: Thanks for sharing your neat nature shots and stories. I’m so glad you were honored with the award.
When I do a walk through nature wherever it is I feel much better afterwards !
I am impressed! Not only is your philosophy wonderful! Your writing is excellent and your English flawless. Are you a native English speaker? Of course you deserve the title of best Indian blog. Thank you for all the information! And for the visit to my blog. Have a great week!
Impressive nature shots. I really love that yellow flowers. From what I am seeing I am guessing they are some type of orchid?
Once I visited an island nearby Sweden and found myself at a bird-watching-place. It was amazing. Great photos, thanks for sharing and thanks for visiting me.
Wow!
You returned totally mesmerized by nature. Beautiful shots.
Your photos are all gorgeous! I love all the information you share as well! Great post! Great blog! Thanks for sharing!
Nice blog. Only the willingness to debate and respect each other’s views keeps the spirit of democracy and freedom alive. Keep up the good work. Hey, by the way, do you mind taking a look at this new website http://www.indianewsupdates.com . It has various interesting sections. You can also participate in the OPINION POLL in this website. There is one OPINION POLL for each section.
Kindly note: The comments section is having problems so you may not be able to comment right now but it will available in a few days. We are also planning to get Live Cricket in our website within this week.
Kindly go through the entire website. Who knows, it might just have the right kind of stuff that you are looking for. If you like this website, can you please recommend it to at least 5 of your friends. Your little help would help us in a big way.
Thank you,
The Future Mantra
That nature course sounds great! I’d love to take one in some far away place.
A wonderful world is opened to us when we are awakened to the inticate wonders of nature, we learn to see with our heart.
This training program sounds very interesting! I wish I could do one of these. Preserving nature is so vital. Development the way it happens these days makes nature the last priority. Congrats on your blog being chosen!
Very beautiful photos of nature. Love your header photo. I learn more about my country since I blog. 🙂
hi lakshmi
photographic memory to remember all those bird names..looking forward to more ` jungle ‘ posts.
congrats on being selected as a top blog.
rgds
vj
Lakshmi,
I am so glad you loved birding. It is unbelievable how oblivious we are to some of these simpler things in life.
Lovely post…can see how much you enjoyed it.
Let’s go on a birding trip together sometime.
That was a great thoughtful and poetic post. It doesn´t surprise that your blog has been chosen among the good ones, because it´s good!
Wonderful, passionate writing about the natural world. I look forward to hearing about your next trip!
the flowers bloom was too gud,
x’llet shots,
and congrats for being selectd as one of india’s best blogs
gud luck
Good article and amazing photos.
Congratulations on being selected as the featured blog in Best Indian Blogs
Naturally beautiful pictures Lakshmi!
Naturalist Training Program sounds good. Tell us more about it, will you?
Congratulations on your entry to the world of birds, discovery of more of the world around you and also for having your blog featured on the Best Indian Blog. Well done!
Thanks to google. I browsed to see how these birds look and they are wonderful actually. I never know most of the birds u mentioned here. That sounds interesting journey buddy.
Congrats for being best blogger 🙂
some real nice pics!!!
i am a nature lover and like to go for jungle soirees..but not much o a bird watcher…but reading your post makes me enthusiastic to go on a bird watching jaunt…
btw you not coming on my blog for long…busy???
“”They also happen to be the finer things in life which we cannot do without – the birds, the bees, the trees, the flowers, the deer, the ants, the spiders,the grass, the thicket and before I say like Keats “and the fruit tree wild..”, let me tell you that my vain attempt at poetic prose is inspired by the 3 days spent in a Naturalist Training Programme organised by Jungle Lodges. “”
VERY INTERESTING. CAN U TELL ME MORE ABOUT THESE jungle lodges.
IF YOU TAKE MORE PEOPLE IN YOUR TOUR PROGRAMS, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
I HAD READ EARLIER YOUR FEATURE ON COFFEE PLANTATIONS ETC.
I chanced upon to view your blog and found it very interesting. Great … Keep it up!