One fence, two different birds

During an outing last year, on ECR and near Kovalam, I come across these tiny birds skipping here and there on the fence of a farm house. If you remember the Gloriosa Lily, the state flower of TN, I shot along with a fence? It was on the other side of the farm house I found these birds. The little birds have been very active then and I had to click number of shots to get these few shots on the birds. I actually thought, before observing the photos in detail, the birds (in photos below) belong to same species of birds. Though having a shade of yellow, the first two are Purple Rumped Sunbirds (male ‘n’ female) and the last one is a Common Tailorbird.

Purple-rumped sunbird 'male'

The purple-rumped sunbird is an endemic to the Indian subcontinent and like other sunbirds; they are small in size and feed mainly on nectar but sometimes take insects, particularly when feeding young. The males are brightly colored, whereas females are olive above and yellow to buff below. Males are distinguished easily from the purple sunbird by the light colored underside while females can be told apart by their whitish throats.

Purple-rumped sunbird 'female'

Both the genders of the sunbirds are tiny at less than 10 cm long, and have medium-length thin down-curved bills and brush-tipped tubular tongues adapted for nectar feeding. Actually I was bit confused with the female Purple-rumped sunbird, which looked alike Little spider-hunter, but I was only sure after studying the detail.

Below one is known as Common tailorbird. I only remember the name of the bird from the school text book and haven’t seen alive before, perhaps due to its tiny shape (size from 10 to 14 cm and weigh 6 to 10 grams) I couldn’t observe or captured well.

The common tailorbird is a songbird found across tropical Asia and it’s popular for its nest made of leaves sewn together. Although shy birds they are (a common resident in urban gardens) usually hide within vegetation and their loud calls are familiar and give away their presence. This passerine bird is distinctive in having a long upright tail, greenish upper body plumage and rust coloured forehead. 

Linking this post for SATURDAY CRITTERS and Good Fences by Gosia at Looking for identity  

காதல் / Love

காற்றை நேசி 
தூய்மை வாயிலாக, காதலை சுவாசி. 

மரத்தை நடு 
அதன் நிழலில், காதல் இளைப்பாறு.

உழுதிடு 
காதல் விதைகளை உதித்திடு

களை எடு 
காதல் கொண்டு, வெறுப்பு கோபம் இதரவற்றை.

கற்றிடு 
காதல் காமம் வேறுபாட்டை

துடைத்திடு 
காதல் ஊற்றி, நோயுற்ற சமூகத்தை. 

மகிழ்ந்திடு 
இனிதே, காதலுற்ற உறவுகளை எண்ணி.

Love the wind
through purity, breath love.

Plant a tree
in its shadow, love repose.

Plough
raising seeds of love.

Pick weeds
with love, hatred, anger ‘n’ others.

Learn
love, lust distinction.

Scrub
by pouring love on diseased society.

Have fun

greeter, counting love ties.

RGB Monday

Here’s RGB Monday to keep away your Monday Blues and make feel colourful and yet cheerful! And this Link-in feature invites your colourful photos with the content of RGB – Red, Green, and Blue.

Pretty colorful Merry go around at Elliot's Beach, Chennai

p.s. Beaches are my favourite pastime perhaps since we live close to sea and Elliot’s beach has many memories to share, and in our earlier days we visit the beach to enjoy the playground equipment’s like siding, seesaw, swings… installed at the beach sand. Elliot’s hasn’t been crowded then and only a part of beach was used much then, and the manually operated equipment’s like merry go around, ferry wheels aren’t available and also any kind of shops exists except the popular eatery Cozee, which is opp. to police booth. My late uncle is a friend of the owner, who’s a Singh (and he has also acted as Rajini’s friend in Basha) and he would take us there and get ice creams from the shop. Every time I pass the Cozee, the moment spent with my uncle at one of the tables there blink at my mind for few seconds. 

Backyard Babblers

YellowBilled Babblers are a frequent visitor of our backyard in the morning and evening and the birds arrive as a group of 5 or 6 squeak like squirrels or mouse until they keep away. I remember following or seeing these birds from our days in apartment, with open vegetation in front of our home, the birds forage frequently on ground and trees. Lately, I see one of the babblers, a common resident breeding bird in Sri Lanka and southern India; keep hitting the mirror of a neighbour’s window and sometime the rear mirror of dad’s bike, perhaps seeing its own reflection thinking it to be some other.

Not only babbler, I have seen bulbul behaving similarly and hope many other birds follow the same. The babblers here were shot during noon sunlight in late August and they were digging on the corners of the compound wall for forage. This species, like most babblers, is not migratory and has short rounded wings and a weak flight and is usually seen calling and foraging in groups. 

Hai dude what's up? (below)

nothing to say ya, let me find

Linking this post with SATURDAY CRITTERS

OPS, Out of the Blue

Unexpected has become the state of Tamil Nadu now, from the unexpected illness of former chief minister Jayalalitha and her sudden demise, and the grand revolution of youth andenforcement of violence and law on jallikattu, Chief Minister O. Paneerselvam’s (OPS) resignation and his open speech (last night) at the Marina beach, following his silent prayer at the memorial of Jayalalitha has kept the state furore. The almost people of Tamil Nadu is already in dispute once Sasikala, the close aide of Jayalalitha, sworn as general secretary of AIADMK and when she was selected as ADMK’s assembly president (which will let her to become CM) has intensified the against feeling. At this situation, O.Panneerselvam’s sudden visit to J’s memorial and his silent prayer for about 40 minutes and claiming that he was forced to resign the office of the chief minister has provoked the public and all social media started to flood with support for the OPS.

It’s obvious who should be behind the scene and of course, it’s the Sasikala and team. Except being a close aide of Jayalalitha, she had nothing to do with public and political scenario, but her takeover of Jaya’s house and now office is approved by none including millions in their own part, AIADMK. It’s the upper level leaders and ministers of certain groups, who celebrate her for their need and deed, lead her to these posts which she deserves not. Nowhere in their long run of friendship had Jaya indicated her to take leadership after her or gave a little post in the party and in between she was expelled from the house by Jayalalitha after she come to know Sasikala’s family had misused in name of her. Things’ being like that how the party men go behind her and propose for the post of general secretary and now CM is shameful. While there are many true party men and seniors with experience at the 45 years party, selecting an inexperienced and corrupted to lead the Tamil Nadu will absolutely won’t be fair.

More than an assistant of Jayalalitha, she hadn’t put front on anything or focused anywhere. But all of sudden she emerged as Chinnamma (small mother) and speakers of the party started to praise her for reasonless.  Perhaps this inspired her to take bold step and before all, her family was back once Jaya breathed last, and thus forced OPS (who have been appointed as CM for couple of times by Jayalalitha during the difficult situation) to resign by giving pressure via his colleagues. If this was the scene even before she took oath as CM, we couldn’t imagine what kind of attitude the govt. would hold and the state of public if she became CM. There couldn’t be a limit for the unruly things and what has been achieved through the one man army, by Miss Jayalalitha, would be collapsed due to ineffective ruling.

The Jaya’s demise continues to be a mystery even though the doctors reveal certain details, OPS has said to form a commission to enquire about her death. After the OPS opened up, the overnight meeting held by Sasikala with all MLA’s had removed him from the post of party treasurer, but he has said to take oath as CM, again, if people of Tamil Nadu wishes. After the midday meeting held at the presence of Sasikala, once again, the 131 MLA’s (who supported Sasikala for CM) has been hijacked in buses to safest places or on tourism to keep them away or meeting OPS to lean their support. Things has been going on its own, and don’t know what’s gonna happen tomorrow where they are meeting the governor and request to form a govt. headed by Sasikala. But the overall support of Tamil Nadu is for OPS, including myself who admire his simplicity and down-to-earth attitude. Let’s hope for the best. Support OPS!