Beautiful Butterfly

Hello lovely people, I hope you and your family are doing fine. Day by day COVID cases is going up so it is very critical to take precautions to ensure we are safe. I am sure you are taking the utmost care.

The situation is not permitting to visit new places but I am making sure that I keep you updated with something unique every time. It is 4 months and we are locked up and still helpless with no clue on vaccine timelines.

Today I just took a little walk of wetland which is located 2KM from my home. The intention was to take a nature walk to get some breather from a negative environment and to try to see if I get some good shots for all of you. With all required precautions like mask and sanitizer, it was a different experience because of fear of COVID in mind

I was very excited to capture birds but surprisingly found this unique creature roaming around and my attention got diverted to them from birds. Capturing Butterflies is super fun because of the kind of color and pattern it offers. Until now, we used to ignore this little creature because birds and animals used to be a priority. However, today in the absence of birds and animals it made me realize the importance of it, and hence I spent a lot of time with them. To find out why attention got diverted and why I feel crazy about butterflies suddenly we need to jump to the next section. 

Exceptional Life Cycle

The life cycle of a butterfly is one of its kind, it’s such a different journey this lovely creature pass through which I believe is not comparable to any other species. So many butterflies we saw in our routine life but hardly pay attention to it and we don’t even bother to know about it. So let me update you on uniqueness. 

All butterflies have "complete metamorphosis." To grow into an adult they go through four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult

Winged adults lay eggs (1^st stage) on the food plant on which their larvae, known as caterpillars (2^nd stage), will feed. So little caterpillars, which our kids love the most is nothing but young insect stage of a butterfly

The caterpillars grow, sometimes very rapidly, and when fully developed, pupate 3^rd stage) in a chrysalis

When metamorphosis is complete, the pupal skin splits, the adult insect climbs out, and after its wings have expanded and dried (4^th stage), it flies off

Some butterflies, especially in the tropics, have several generations in a year, while others have a single generation, and a few in cold locations may take several years to pass through their entire life cycle. Check out the DSLR section to see the life cycle display. 

Isn’t it unique? Amazing life span, this colorful insect passes through to get wings and fly. Now let’s explore a few more interesting details as well

Colorful facts

People love watching colorful butterflies float from flower to flower. But from the tiniest blues to the largest swallowtails, how much do you really know about these insects? Here are interesting butterfly facts you'll find fascinating.

Butterfly Wings Are Transparent

Thousands of tiny scales cover butterfly’s wings and these scales reflect light in different colors. However, underneath all of those scales, a butterfly wing is actually formed by layers of chitin—the same protein that makes up an insect's exoskeleton. These layers are so thin you can see right through them. As a butterfly ages, scales fall off the wings, leaving spots of transparency where the chitin layer is exposed

Butterflies Taste with Their Feet

Butterflies have taste receptors on their feet to help them find their host plants and locate food

Butterflies Live on an All-Liquid Diet

Speaking of butterflies eating, adult butterflies can only feed on liquids—usually nectar. Their mouthparts are modified to enable them to drink, but they can't chew solids

Butterflies Drink From Mud Puddles

A butterfly cannot live on sugar alone; it needs minerals, too. To supplement its diet of nectar, a butterfly will occasionally sip from mud puddles, which are rich in minerals and salts. This behavior called puddling

Butterflies Often Live Just a Few Weeks

Once it emerges from its chrysalis as an adult, a butterfly has only two to four short weeks to live, in most cases. During that time, it focuses all its energy on two tasks: eating and mating

Butterflies Are Nearsighted but Can See Colors

Within about 10–12 feet, butterfly eyesight is quite good. Anything beyond that distance gets a little blurry. Despite that, butterflies can see not just some of the colors that we can see, but also a range of ultraviolet colors that are invisible to the human eye

I believe the qualities which this insect is made up of is just incomparable, we should teach such minute details to our next generation so as they can understand and respect the mother nature. I hope you liked the story of this street dancer, do let me know your feedback on btwildart@gmail.om

Learning of the day

State Bird of Jammu and Kashmir 

Black-necked crane

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Life Cycle of Butterfly 

Euploea core, the common crow butterfly

Great Eggfly, also called the Blue Moon Butterfly

The Blue Tiger Butterfly

Street Dancer - Pied KF

Dear friends, hope you and your family are in the best of health, please take due care because the rainy season brings many more scope of illness along with rain. In current times we cannot afford any careless attitude hence take extra care and be safe.

It is a long gap now for trip reports and the new addition of species in my watch list so whenever I miss them I refer my photo repository to get a feel of old time. While going through the database I found this little exciting bird and quickly decided to publish the same in today’s blog

This little street dancer “Pied Kingfisher” is very cute bird and in my favorite list, let me open the facts one by one next section and update you on the story of why I name this bird as a dancing star.

Street Dancer

Pied Kingfisher is known for its hunting habit and the style of hunting is unique from all other Kingfisher birds in the family. The style of hunting is hovering prior to attacking the prey. It hovers for a while in the air for a while before locking the target or you can say it has finalized the target and because in happiness it dances in the air for a while and after hovering it immediately attack and get the fish right under its bill from the river.

The pied kingfisher is the largest of the ‘hovering’ birds. Hovering describes the ability to stay in one place while flying. It is just a matter of the time that it starts hovering and gets fish from the river; it is a very sharp and accurate attack on the target. They hunt by hovering 50-65 feet above the water and then diving headfirst (or rather, bill-first) into the water. Pied kingfishers demonstrate spectacular speed and agility on the hunt. Isn’t it amazing! Of course, it is and there are many more facts, which are equally interesting so let go to the next section to see other qualities of this litter bird. 

Fascinating Facts

Pied Kingfisher’s eyes have adapted to spot the exact position of fish from above. Once the kingfisher spots the prey, refractions in the water don’t affect its vision. It has the ability to correct according to refraction and react to sudden movements of its prey

It is the only black and white kingfisher. Males have a double black band across their breast and females have a black chest that is often broken with a white stripe in the middle

When perched they usually bob their heads and flick up their tail. They are fast-moving and fly at speeds of up to 50 km/hr

Pied kingfishers never hunt on land. Their diet consists predominantly of fish, with a few crustaceans on the side. Fish is their favorite meal; they can swallow their prey in mid-flight

They also eat small crustaceans, dragonfly larvae, mollusks, and frogs. The one definitive dietary rule is that their food is always aquatic

You Won’t Spot the Pied Kingfisher’s Nest in a Tree. Pied kingfishers make their nests close to water. They make them by digging out holes in vertical mud banks!  These peculiar nests are generally 4-5 feet deep

The King of Kingfishers, simply watching the pied kingfisher in action will demonstrate the array of superpowers that it has. It is a record-breaker, expert flier, skilled hunter and best of all – loves to socialize

Think of Pied Kingfishers as Mythical ‘Rude’ Birds. Rudis is the Latin word for ‘rude’ or ‘wild’. The ‘mythical wild’ is an appropriate name for a bird with almost fantastical hunting skills!

So many qualities and hardly few we know, I hope you liked the story of this street dancer, do let me know your feedback on btwildart@gmail.om

Learning of the day

State Bird of Himachal Pradesh

The western Tragopan (Jujurana) or western horned Tragopan

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Black Necked Stork

Dear loved ones hope you and your family are safe, now we have entered into a more critical situation because it is UNLOCK. Considering the economic impact, job impact, survival of poor people and many more such practical difficulties have forced the Nation to enter into UNLOCK.

Now it is upon us and no one else to ensure we stay away from COVID, keeping distance, sanitization, mask, etc will be part of our routine. We have to make sure that we are not carried away with frustration and start gathering or going to public places at large, this will cost us at large. Please be safe and ensure for some more time to continue safety precautions and avoid traveling/ outings, for sure this time will pass by. This reminds me of my favorite lines, this is how bad time will go and a good time will bring something new.  

Zindagi Ki Yehi Reet Hai.  Haar Ke Baad Hi Jeet Hai

Thode Aansu Hai, Thodi Hasi. Aaj Gham Hai To Kal Hai Khushi

One part is safety; other is helping poor, and needy. Go local, avoid imported materials from other countries, and contribute to our own economy. Do not cut the salary of daily wagers they are the most affected people in this world, help them, and help them to survive.

So now let me get back to our world of wildlife, now a day on the weekend I have started reviewing old trips and trying to find something new for you. So today I was going through Bharatpur trip and realized that I have not yet talked about this bird, so let me introduce the tiger of birds “Black-Necked Stork

Tiger of bird

I am sure you will be thinking what is so special that I am saying it is a tiger of birds. The tiger because it is very aggressive compare to other wading birds. In the month of February, we experienced the aggression of this bird at Bharatpur bird sanctuary. We wanted to evaluate as many species we can and one of the targets was Pelicans but due to Black Necked had occupied the territory so well that it was not allowing any other birds of prey to come within the range. Jaivinder our expert guide enlighten with the aggression and territorial behavior of this bird.

 Black-necked is strongly territorial and needs a lot of space. This behavior is very much similar to Tiger in terms of defending territory from others including other black-necked males very aggressively. In Jaivinder’s words, the Black-necked is so aggressive and killer that it can kill poisonous snakes very easily and can eat them smoothly as well. Jaivinder’s word “Yeh tiger se thodi Kam hai, snake ko goli ki Tarah Nigel leta hai”. This is why this bird is so special and unique with its habits, let’s see what more we can learn about this bird in the next section.  

Fantastic Facts

The black-necked stork (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus) is a tall long-necked wading bird in the stork family. It is a resident species across the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia with a disjunction population in Australia 

Adult birds of both sexes have a heavy bill and are patterned in white and glossy blacks, but the sexes differ in the color of the iris, the females are yellow while the males are brown

In Australia, it is sometimes called a Jabiru although that name refers to a stork species found in the Americas. It is one of the few storks that are strongly territorial when feeding.

The black-necked stork is a tall bird measuring up to 53in. When fully outstretched their wings measure 90.5in from tip to tip. The average black-necked stork weighs 4.1kg. However, this is nearly 35% less than the mean body mass of the closely related saddle-billed stork

This large stork has a dance-like display. Pair stalks up to each other face to face, extending their wings and fluttering the wingtips rapidly and advancing their heads until they meet. They then clatter their bills and walk away. The display lasts for a minute and maybe repeated several times

The black-necked stork is a carnivore and its diet includes water birds such as coots, darters, little grebes, northern shoveller, pheasant-tailed jacana, and a range of aquatic vertebrates including fish, amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates such as crabs and mollusks

Nest building in India commences during the peak of the monsoon with most of the nests initiated during September – November, with few new nests, built afterward until January. The nest is large, as much as 3 to 6 feet across and made up of sticks, branches and lined with rushes, water-plants and sometimes with a mud plaster on the edges

Adults stop feeding the young at the nest and begin to show aggression towards the chicks after they are about 3 or 4 months old. The young birds may stay on nearby for about a year but disperse soon

The old culture 

The Mir Shikars, traditional bird hunters of Bihar, India had a ritual practice that required a young man to capture a black-necked stork "Loha Sarang" alive before he could marry. A procession would locate a bird and the bridegroom-to-be would try to catch the bird with a limed stick. The cornered bird was a ferocious adversary. The ritual was stopped in the 1920s after a young man was killed in the process. Young birds have been known to be taken from the nest for meat in Assam.

So many qualities and hardly few we know, I hope you liked the story of this Tiger bird, do let me know your feedback on btwildart@gmail.om

Learning of the day

State Bird of Haryana - Black francolin 

Locally known as Kaala Teeter:  रूपम काला तीतर)

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Slow and Steady Turtle

Hello friends, how are you doing? Now we are into 4^th phase of lockdown with the hope that we will get some solution to this and will get back to the normal life. It is becoming never-ending with a lack of clarity on medicine and because of that everyone is becoming restless. It is very easy to say that keep calm, things will be fine, etc but at ground level, for poor people it is not easy to survive with the given situation hence I urge everyone to help who are in need of help. Help in terms of serving food items, necessities, not to cut their wages or any other way that can help them to survive. 

We need to do two things, one is to help underprivileged people, and the other is to keep ourselves safe by staying at home and keeping control over our frustration because “Slow and steady wins the race.” OMG, I got my topic for the day with this slogan, OMG today is World Turtle Day as well. 

Oh, what a coincidence and see the sequence, the current situation reminded me of a slogan, the slogan reminded me of Turtle and this lovely creature reminded me that today is its own day. So let’s celebrate World Turtle day by knowing facts of Turtle on this blog itself. 

Back to School Days

Slow and steady wins the race, this is such an old story cannot be measured in terms of years I believe, every generation has learned this story in school no doubt about it and it looks so real as well in this testing time. The moral of the story is if you have patience then it is certain that Victory at the end is going to be yours. (This is how with patience will help us to win over COVID). 

Similar to you all I was equally curious when I started wildlife and wanted to see Turtle in the forest. To see how it looks in reality, is it true that it is a very slow creature, etc. It was always on the lifer list to see and photograph it in a natural environment, the day I took the picture, it was a different feeling and it took me back to school memories, this is why I love Turtle so much. I am sure you are also feeling the same. 

What I explained above is a story we all know since ages and we have downloaded the same to our next generation but another story is there about Turtle that hardly anyone knows. Do you want to know? Let me think, should I disclose here or let it be hidden………………… ok let it be as "Learning" for you (its a hint, find out now), by the time you find out I will jump to the next section for fantastic fact.

Fantastic Facts

Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines characterized by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs and acting as a shield

The earliest known members of this group date from the Middle Jurassic, making turtles one of the oldest reptile groups and a more ancient group than snakes or crocodilians

Turtles are ectotherms—animals commonly called cold-blooded—meaning that their internal temperature varies according to the ambient environment. However, because of their high metabolic rate, leatherback sea turtles have a body temperature that is noticeably higher than that of the surrounding water

Turtles are classified as amniotes, along with other reptiles, birds, and mammals. Like other amniotes, turtles breathe air and do not lay eggs underwater, although many species live in or around water

Turtles have a hard shell that protects them like a shield; this upper shell is called a ‘carapace’. Turtles also have a lower shell called a ‘plastron’. Just like your bones, a turtle’s shell is actually part of its skeleton. It is made up of over 50 bones, which include the turtle’s rib cage and spine

Sea turtles have special glands which help remove salt from the water they drink

Turtles are thought to have exceptional night vision due to the unusually large number of rod cells in their retinas. Turtles have color vision with a wealth of cone subtypes with sensitivities ranging from the ultraviolet (UVA) to red

While typically thought of as mute, turtles make various sounds when communicating. Tortoises may be vocal when courting and mating

Adult turtles typically eat aquatic plants; invertebrates such as insects, snails, and worms; and have been reported to occasionally eat dead marine animals. Green sea turtle do not eat meat at all and, instead, have a diet largely made up of algae

Sadly, many species of turtle are endangered! 129 of approximately 300 species of turtle and tortoise on Earth today are either vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered

So many qualities and hardly few we know, (I have not yet disclosed the other story J, keep guessing) I hope you liked the story and hope that you will find out undisclosed part as well, best of luck, do let me know your feedback on btwildart@gmail.om

Learning of the day

(Hope you remember the hint)

All tortoises are in fact turtles but not all turtles are tortoises.

Points of difference are – 

Turtle	Tortoise
Turtles spend most of their lives in water. They are adapted for aquatic life	Tortoises are land animals. Their feet are round and stumpy, adapted for walking on land
Turtles are omnivorous	Tortoises are generally vegetarians
Mostly flat, streamlined shells. Generally light-weight shell	Mostly large dome shape shells (with bumps on the top in some species). The shells are heavier.
Broad flipper legs with webbed feet	Short sturdy legs without webbed feet
Shorter life span	Longer life span
Cannot hide inside the shell	Can hide inside the shell

 *All pictures are of Turtle

BT Wild Art

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