Xmas Tree at Leela Palace - Dec 2013

Gozu was out on business travel through the first half of December, and that meant that the father-daughter duo had to find things to do over the weekend. One such weekend, we joined a couple of more friends on the expedition to go see the big Xmas tree that is put up at the Leela Palace Galleria. Not knowing how big a tree it was going to be, I wasn't carrying a wide angle lens (big mistake). The tree was about 3 storeys high and with the limited area to shoot around it, it would have needed atleast a 16-17mm lens to fit it in the frame.



Anyways, the tree was an exciting thing for the kids, they had a fun time around it as well as at the cookie house where both of them got their share of goodies.

Birding at Ganeshgudi - Nov 2013

Pozu's b'day celebrations were followed by a quick weekend trip to Ganeshgudi. The Jungle Lodge guys have a property by the name of Old Magazine House there. It's an awesome place and offers excellent birding opportunities, especially for the lazy arm-chair birder like me.

The JLR team has setup water bowls around a specific area which attracts a lot of the resident bird population all through the day. The place offers excellent photography opportunities since the position of the bowls can be modified based on need to get a proper background etc.

All you need is patience to sit around waiting for the little birds to arrive and then your camera can be let loose. Here are a few snapshots from the place.

Orange Headed Ground Thrush


White Bellied Blue Flycatcher (Male)


White Bellied Blue Flycatcher (Female)


Asian Paradise Flycatcher (Male)


Flame Throated Bulbul


Sadly we just had a one day booking at the place and so the next day we went around Dandeli to see if we can get the Great Indian Hornbill, but instead returned back with some distant sightings of the Malabar Pied Hornbill and the Grey Hornbills.

Malabar Pied Hornbill

Pozu Turns Another Year Older

Pozu had good fun in October with an unplanned trip to Pune, enjoying the awesome company of her elder cousin. The two girls were ready to bring the house down, literally!



Come November and it was time to celebrate Pozu's 4th birthday already. This time it was a super yummy Winnie the Pooh chocolate cake on popular demand. No points for guessing who chose the flavor!