Uploads from mahesh m india

Mission : Strange yellow bird in the sky ... Ground It !!!

nobody@flickr.com (mahesh m india) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 07:54:40 -0700

Hi friends !!! Hope you are all fine !!! I've been away for a long time !

I came across the flight of this Remote Contolled Aircraft. The birds in the area were not familiar with the "new bird in the sky" and one of them came to investigate. Flying just above it ... watching !!!

Soon more birds gathered in the chase. See the formation flight below.

Then they decided to ground it !

One of them gave peck on the aircraft wings ... but the aircraft flew on.

Then it attacked the head (nose of the aircraft). The propeller broke to pieces. And the aircraft nose dived.

The guys controlling the aircraft managed to gain control and glide the plane down for landing.

For the birds - Mission Successful !!! And they were back on to their routine activities !

Note - the propeller was made of cheap plastic ... I guess there was no harm to the bird. I saw it fly away.

Interesting how they coordinated all this activity.

Pied Kingfisher

nobody@flickr.com (mahesh m india) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 07:48:40 -0800

mahesh m india posted a photo:

Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) at Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary. The sanctuary consists of tiny islands along the Cauvery river in Southern India. Most birds live on these islands and can be approached by boats. The waters, however, are home to several crocodiles ... so be careful !!!

The best time to visit is around Feb-Mar.

Camera: Nikon D90
Lens: 70-300 mm Nikkor
Location: Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, Near Mysore ... closer to the historical town of Srirangapatna, India

A different world !!!

nobody@flickr.com (mahesh m india) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 08:57:08 -0700

mahesh m india posted a photo:

A different view of our world ... a view that cannot be seen by our naked eye !
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This is my first Infra Red (IR) shot. Since IR is something we cannot see and the cameras can ... it offers a totally different view of the world ! Many a time it would look like a beautiful alien world !

In visible light those trees were really boring ... with dull leaves ... and no flowers ! And in the IR world the "dull leaves" appear like beautiful flowers !!!

Camera : Nikon D90, 18-105mm Nikkor Lens, Hoya R72 IR filter
Location: Bangalore, India

Himalayan Flower

nobody@flickr.com (mahesh m india) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 06:07:17 -0700

mahesh m india posted a photo:

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Flowers above 3000 meters AMSL in the Himalayas. The mountain slopes were covered with them. The flower is about 15-20 cm in diameter.

ID: Himalayan Hogweed Thanks to Lika2009 for ID
www.flowersofindia.in

Location: Surkanda Devi, Mussoorie, Uttarakand Ghadwal Himalayas
Camera: Nikon 90, 18-105mm Nikkor lens

A little boy playing in the mist

nobody@flickr.com (mahesh m india) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 05:38:37 -0700

mahesh m india posted a photo:

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A little boy playing in the mist, high up The Himalayas.

"Little boy, what do you like to do when you grow up?"
"Driver ... I will drive jeep"

That's the dream of him and many children from the hills.

Camera: Nikon D90, 18-105mm Nikkor Lens
Location: Surkanda Devi, Mussoorie, The Himalayas

Thick forests at 2600 m AMSL

nobody@flickr.com (mahesh m india) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 05:28:12 -0700

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Beautiful thick forest seen during a short trek to an altitude of 3100 m in the Himalayas. The trees were very old. Their trunks and branches were covered with moss. The mist cleared a bit giving me a chance to take this shot.

It is the rainy season and the wrong time of the year for trekking. But then if you don't mind getting wet, the rainy season is really fun ! Beautiful scenery, mist everywhere, lush green vegetation washed clean by the rains. The only problem is you cant easily take pics without getting your camera wet!

Location: Surkanda Devi, Mussoorie, Uttarakand
Camera: Nikon D90, 18-105mm Nikkor lens

Himalayan Black Bear?

nobody@flickr.com (mahesh m india) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 06:38:54 -0700

mahesh m india posted a photo:

He does looks scary and ferocious. And he does have the looks of a black bear. Notice his yellow eyes. This is the Himalayan black dog. And actually they are very friendly.

I am just back from a short trip to the Himalayas ! Found this unique dog sitting beside a road in the Himalayas. This little fellow was wondering why these humans (me) were suddenly showering him with attention ... that perhaps no one has ever shown !

These dogs are usually found at high altitudes (> 2000 meters AMSL). They have heavy fur to withstand the cold and wet climate of the Himalayas. There are also the grey/white colored dogs of the same kind.

They help man to guard his livestock from leopards and other predators high up in the Himalayas. The locals put spiky metal colar around their necks to help them get an advantage over the leopards. This dog is locally called "Bhotia" in the Ghadwal Himalayas.

Camera: Nikon D90, 18-105mm Nikkor lens
Location: Dhanaulti, Uttarakhand, Ghadwal Himalayas, India

Garden Flower

nobody@flickr.com (mahesh m india) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 07:17:49 -0700

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I thought this plant was a weed in my garden until it produced this beautiful flower.

ID : Gladiolus Dalenii (thank you friends for the ID) wiki

Please let me know if you like the natural green or the black background.

Camera: Nikon D90 with 70-300 mm VR lens
Location: Bangalore

Indian Roller - Blue Jay

nobody@flickr.com (mahesh m india) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 07:15:30 -0700

mahesh m india posted a photo:

This is my first shot of a bird with the D90 and Nikkor 70-300mm VR lens !

It has beautiful blue color when it flies ! I thought it was a kingfisher!
It is the "State Bird" of the State of Karnataka, India !

ID: Indian Roller / Blue Jay wiki
Thanks to SivamDesign for ID

Birds are too shy to reach with a 300 mm lens. It was the megapixels that helped me get this shot (crop at 100%) !

Camera: Nikon D90, 70-300 VR
Location: Bangalore, India

Madhugiri - A huge monolith

nobody@flickr.com (mahesh m india) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 07:51:46 -0700

mahesh m india posted a photo:

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At 3930 feet Madhugiri is a huge monolith (single rock). It is the next largest monolith to Savandurga - one of the worlds largest monoliths. This beautiful huge rock overlooks the town. There are ruins of an ancient fort constructed on its steep slopes. The fort was constructed by the Vijayanagar dynasty. The fort has 4 stages at different heights ... the fourth stage at the very top. (see in pic) Wiki

It was a wonderful climb to the top. The slopes are steep. The lower parts of the monolith have steps carved out of rock and there are railings to prevent a fall. The higher parts have no steps or railings.

Its was a pleasure to climb the monolith. The view was fantastic from the top ! Wonderful scenery, clean air, cool breeze ... great place to relax !

The only danger was rain. This time I was not so lucky. I saw rain at a distance and rushed down. I completed most of the dangerous stretch. By the time the rain came I had reached the lower parts that had steps and railings. But as expected the rocks turned very slippery in the rain. I slipped several times ... the railings were a real life saver ... They were the only things that prevented me from slipping all the way down !

Trekking Tips:
1. Carry water and food - there is nothing on the way or at the top
2. Avoid rain

Camera : Nikon D90, 18-105mm lens
Location: 120 km from Bangalore along the Bangalore-Tumkur National Highway 4. Take diversion at Dobasapete.

Mom and her little darling !

nobody@flickr.com (mahesh m india) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 08:30:24 -0700

mahesh m india posted a photo:

A mother caring for her cute kid !

This shot from near a temple near the base of Shivaganga.

Camera : Nikon D90, 18-105mm lens
Location: 50 km from Bangalore along the Bangalore-Tumkur National Highway 4. Take diversion at Dobasapete.

Shivaganga Trek - Powerful Nature

nobody@flickr.com (mahesh m india) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 08:52:24 -0700

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A huge wall water taking over the land. This is a view from the top of Shivaganga. It was coming towards where I was ... covering everything on its way. Those tiny dots are homes. It makes me feel how minuscule man is compared to nature ! It took few seconds before it reached and covered the entire place with water and darkness ! ... fortunately this was just rain !

But then it made the rocks all the way down slip like hell ! Fortunately there were stairs cut on the rocks with those railings around them. I am very much against man spoiling natural beauty ... but it was these cuts and the railing that helped me climb down that day ...

Camera : Nikon D90, 18-105mm lens
Location: 50 km from Bangalore along the Bangalore-Tumkur National Highway 4. Take diversion at Dobasapete.

Shivaganga Trek - A view from the top

nobody@flickr.com (mahesh m india) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 05:55:20 -0700

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Beautiful view from the top of Shivaganga.

Shivaganga is a hill whose top is about 1400 m above sea level. It is a great place for a weekend trip. Clean air, good roads and beautiful rural scenery ... it was fun to drive on bike. Climbing the steep slopes was wonderful experience. There were steps carved out of the rocks to make the climb easy ... at the same time you get a great feeling of mountaineering ! There are metal railings along the steps to prevent a fall. Overall I'd say its safe.

The view from the top was fantastic. You get a 360 degree view ! And its a great place to relax !

And there special security forces (see below) ... to ensure that none of your food and water will make it to the top ...
I was frisked by one of them. My camera bag was thoroughly examined in and out before I was allowed to move on.

Camera : Nikon D90, 18-105mm lens
Location: 50 km from Bangalore along the Bangalore-Tumkur National Highway 4. Take diversion at Dobasapete.

Savandurga - Nandi Temple on the Top

nobody@flickr.com (mahesh m india) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 06:57:56 -0700

mahesh m india posted a photo:

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An ancient Nandi Temple on the top and the edge of one of the worlds largest monoliths - Savandurga.

The rain clouds were gathering and it was time for me to move down immediately !!!

Camera: Nikon D90, 18-105mm lens
Location: Top of Savandurga, Bangalore-Mysore Magadi Road

Savandurga - Little boy on the edge

nobody@flickr.com (mahesh m india) — Tue, 31 May 2011 07:19:30 -0700

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A little boy sitting on the edge of one of the worlds largest monoliths - Savandurga.

Tired after the steep climb ... Or perhaps the world has not been too kind to him?

Camera: Nikon D90, 18-105mm lens
Location: Top of Savandurga, Bangalore-Mysore Magadi Road

Savandurga Monolith - A view from the top

nobody@flickr.com (mahesh m india) — Mon, 30 May 2011 06:46:57 -0700

mahesh m india posted a photo:

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Beautiful view from the top of one of the worlds largest monoliths - Savandurga. This shot was taken from the temple on the top of the rock. Its a wonderful place to relax.

Beyond the edge here is a non stop ... high speed fall to the bottom See Here !

The rain clouds were gathering and I had to leave quickly. Even a slight drizzle would make the entire way down slippery and impossible to move.

The Manchinbele Dam, Veera Bhadreshwara Temple and Narasimha Temple are visible.

Camera : Nikon D90, 18-105mm lens
Location: 60 km from Bangalore along the Bangalore-Mysore Magadi road. Just before reaching Magadi take diversion to Ramnagar. Savandurga is 8 km along this route.

Savandurga - A Huge Monolith

nobody@flickr.com (mahesh m india) — Sun, 29 May 2011 02:06:16 -0700

mahesh m india posted a photo:

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This is Savandurga, one of the largest monoliths (single rock) in the world ! Its top is around 1226 meters above sea level. It is located about 60 km from Bangalore along the Bangalore-Mysore Magadi road. Its a beautiful drive on bike ... an experience of rural Karnataka ! The roads are great, the air is clean, and beautiful scenery everywhere !

There is temple of Nandi at the top. It is wonderful trek/hike to up there. And its wonderful at the top ... its very quiet and peaceful ! Great trip for a family !

There are routes used by professional mountaineers. There is a long but gentle route used by almost everyone. This one is marked and is not that difficult ! However there are some places where you may have to go down on all fours !

Precautions Trekking/Hiking to the top :
1. Please stick to the marked route else you could end up in really difficult / dangerous situations.
2. Rain is dangerous ... the rocks gets very slippery ... and if you slip there is nothing much to stop you from falling all the way to the bottom !
3. Please carry food and water ... there is nothing at the top.

Temples at the foot of this rock:
Narasimha Swamy temple
Savandi Veerabhadreshwara Swamy temple

Other monoliths around the world : Click Here

Camera: Nikon D90, 18-105 mm Nikkor
Location: Bangalore - Mysore via Magadi Road

Mist at Camp Biskeri

nobody@flickr.com (mahesh m india) — Sun, 22 May 2011 06:22:01 -0700

mahesh m india posted a photo:

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Beautiful scenery below Camp Biskeri. This shot was taken during National Himalayan Trekking Expedition 2010.

Location : Biskeri Thatch Camp, The Himalayas, Himachal Pradesh, India
Camera : Nikon D90

St. Philomena's Church Mysore

nobody@flickr.com (mahesh m india) — Sat, 21 May 2011 07:34:47 -0700

mahesh m india posted a photo:

This church built in the honour of St. Philomena in the Diocese of Mysore, India. It was constructed in 1936 using a Neo Gothic style and its architecture was inspired by the Cologne Cathedral in Germany. wiki

Camera: Nikon D90, 18-105mm lens
Location: Mysore, Karnataka, India

Mysore Palace Temple

nobody@flickr.com (mahesh m india) — Wed, 18 May 2011 06:55:56 -0700

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A beautiful temple within the Mysore Palace area. There are two such temples. The lighting is similar to that of the Mysore Palace.

Camera: Nikon D90, 18-105 mm Nikkor lens, Benro Tripod A300EX.
Location: Mysore, Karnataka, India