Bamboo Bats

Last year, Sung wrote about the bats in the bamboo stands next to Cardamom County. I’ve always been aware of their presence, but I always lacked the equipment to get a closer look, and even more prominently lacked the equipment to photograph them. This year, my arsenal remains limited, but I have one more telephoto lens than I did previously. From the restaurant’s roof on a sunny day, I’m less than 20 meters away from well-lit subjects. On a windy sunny day, the subjects are generally stirring, as mentioned by Sung – the ideal time to photograph them.  Continue reading →

Guardian Contributors

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I have mentioned at least once why we like the publication, not least for our sharing some etymological roots with it, name-wise. Its journalism is among the best for helping us keep things in perspective. Sometimes we find entomological common ground as well. Milo, our in-house odonatographer, might have easily found a place for his work in the reader-contributed collection above, but we are just as happy to be the outlet of record for his work.

Odonata Hotspots

It’s always a delight when I stumble upon a pond or stream with dragonflies and damselflies flying around, defending their territories, basking, hunting, and propagating, their very existence a pleasure for me to witness. However, the rare joy is when I find a gem of a habitat – an area so ideal for odonate life that while I photograph one new species, I have to avoid being distracted by the other four or five more colorful new species I’m simultaneously seeing out of the corner of my eye. I had one such explosive pond-wading experience several days ago while visiting a spice estate near Kumily.  Continue reading →

Backwaters Of Kerala

Kerala has an extensive network of waterways covering a distance of approximately 560 km. Besides the large inland lakes, the backwaters include the whole network of canals and waterbodies made by the unique craftsmanship of nature. The lifestyles along these waterways has given rise to a popular but easy going form of tourism. The photos in this post are taken from Alappuzha (Alleppey), the smallest district of Kerala.  Continue reading →