A quick trip to get some long overdue work done at our cottage in Simla. The view of the Himalayan Range from the air [Dhaka to Delhi] was spectacular, though I could not capture the «spactularness» due to the dirty aircraft windows ...

Little time to photograph the surrounds and birds. That meant I had to be up and out of the house by 7 AM to get an hour before breakfast to get some photographs. The birds in the shrubbery and trees behind my parents home in «Chotta» Simla [Shimla] would wake me and there was no need to set an alarm!  Here are some of the early morning visitors -

   
  

  

Verditer Flycatcher -  Eumyias thalassina;  Himalayan Bulbul - Pycnonotus leucogenys; Streaked Laughingthrush -  Garrulax jerdoni; Bar-Tailed Treecreeper - Certhia himalayana; Green-Backed TIT - Parus monticolus; Lesser Whitethroat - Sylvia curruca;  Great Barbet - Megalaima virens; Oriental White-eye - Zosterops palpebrosus;  Himalayan Bulbul.
See GlobalBirdTrekkers for more.

  

While waiting for the birds, I also took a few photos of the Indian Institute Of Advanced Study [used to be the ViceRegal Lodge], Gorton Castle [which now houses the Accountants General offices] and the Shimla Railway Station from the pathway above the house.

A couple of quick photos of the cottage at Sidhora in Mashobra -
 

Photographs are from September/30/08 to October/04/08.

Birding trip around Jahangirnagar University in Savar, Bangladesh.
We had planned to head out 5:30AM today, but a massive thunder-storm delayed us to 7. We had a great trip  watching the wide variety of birds around Jahingirnagar University in Savar just around 30km from Dhaka.... it turned out to be a very hot day and with most of the group fasting during this month of Ramadan - dehydration became a big concern and so we called it a day by 10:30 AM. Met some great guys, avid birders and photographers. A special thanks to Z. Faisal for inviting me to the trip and to Samiul for being our guide - he has an extensive knowledge of the eco-system of the area and the flora and fauna of the surrounds. Thanks also, to Saud A Faisal the group leader of «Through The Lens: Bangladesh».

A group photo, by Sharif, is here.

The Bulbul chicks are gone. Blown away by the fierce storm last night. The empty nest remained in the tree though....