Roots can be a problem!

See the roots of this tree of ours in Goa is such a problem, its causing the wall infront to lift and crack. That is why we had to get Bhujang to cut back on them and then Basker the mason filled the cracks with cement. It's just a temporary measure, we cant really do much by cutting the roots as there are plenty of others under the wall which we cant see. But I refuse to cut the tree down.

Birds caught with my new SLR

We went on a work cum holiday to Pilerne, my little village in Goa. In tow was my new Canon EOS 1100D which I picked up in Dubai on my way back from a UNEP conference in Nairobi. I knew nothing about the camera except how to hold it and switch it on and off and charge the battery! Little did I expect to have such fun because in a matter of minutes I was able to zoom in on birds which flitted around the tree cover in the village just beyond the homestead. Taking an old Kadai, I filled it with clean fresh water and left it outside for the birds. In minutes a pair of Tickell's Blue Flycathers were enjoying swift forays into the kadai and splashing around having quick baths. While one waited on the rim the other jumped in and splashed around to glory! Then One morning I heard the raucous call of a white breasted Kingfisher with its cherry red beak and multicoloured plumage including the trademark metallic blue wings. The shot was a quick one taken in a rush and I was lucky as you can see to get a really creative shot! There were Jungle Babblers and the regular Oriental Magpie Robin. But one afternoon as a treat came the Asian Paradise Flycatcher in all its russet glory. It kept dive bombing up and down and then I realised, it was catching insects on the wing. What a beauty! I had to rub my eyes to believe it was for real. Just its harsh cries made me realise, yes it was a real live bird! Goa is a birders paradise! Go if you like to spend time with nature and her feathered beauties which are fast getting extinct in the name of 'development'.