Sahyadrica

Medway Creek on 21st March, 2010 No more salty shoes. No more blowing snow. No more frozen earth. The days are longer and nights shorter. The air is warm and humid. The winds of change have arrived. And with these winds come all the residents of this land. I spent quite some time in the woods during March and April, photographing and studying as much as I could. I came across some astounding life I had always wanted to see, but this is just the fraction of it. I was able to photograph most that I saw through my eyes, but capturing the subtle scent of spring is impossible. Forest floor covered in new leaves The monochrome browns are disappearing as tender greens dot the trees. Some plants are already blooming, much ahead in the race of regeneration this summer. Medway Creek, just another tiny paradise lost amidst urbanization is showing off its phenomenal display in the undergrowth as well as treetops. From moths and butterflies, flies and beetles, from birds and mammals and from fish...

Don’t be a photographer, be a photonaturalist - Steve Berardi A black-and-white photograph of Bloodroot -  Sanguinaria canadensis , one of the few herbs to flower early in Spring. Early flowers attract insects that help continue the yearly cycle of life-and-death through all four seasons I came across a website called PhotoNaturalist , and I could quickly connect with it. The title is apt for something I and many of us like doing, as a hobby or profession. It is an excellent website for beginners in nature photography, having articles on how-to-shoot in the field. When you get a camera, it is difficult not to photograph landscapes, waterscapes, flowers and nature in general. Within no time, the hobby can transform into a passion – not merely towards clicking, but observing. This is basically what nature photography is. It is careful observation of nature through a lens. Common Indian Toad -  Duttaphrynus melanostictus , a male calling for a female during Monsoon. Onc...

Eastern Garter Snake, Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis I remember shuffling through pages of Childcraft as a kid, when I was more interested in pictures than the text. My father had bought a set of these books that further nurtured my interest in science and nature. After years, I forgot about these introductory books, although I obscurely remember the pictures and drawings in them. This amazing children’s encyclopedia was my gateway to beautiful photographs, drawings and the vast knowledge. It was in those days that I started observing around, looking for bugs, building bird nests and wishing dinosaurs were still alive. It was then, more than ten years ago when I first saw pictures of snakes – hundreds of them living together. It was when I saw a documentary on these many, many snakes living together called Garter Snakes, that I became interested in them. Looking through the thickets After a few fruitless walks at Medway Creek, I was furious about my camera’s failure to focus. It to...