Raditha’s Photos

There is a Dengue fever epidemic going around. Every year, as soon as the monsoon starts the dengue menance raises it’s ugly head, but it dies down during the dry season.  This has lead health officials to mistakenly believe that dengue is caused by Mosquitoes. Finally they have now realized that Dengue is really caused by Parrots and have ordered people to cut down all trees on which Parrots reside in. These instructions are music to the ears of a nation of tree haters and they are gleefully complying. And in doing so they are helping the country’s economy as well. Lots of unemployed persons are finding new work, as wood cutters.

Parrots build their nests by digging holes in tree trunks

There were three Cashew trees on this plot of land, home to at least 20 parrots.

Parrots often fight with Kingfishers, Mynas, Barbets and Redbacks over the same nests. Now they are all being left homeless and hopefully they will all be eliminated. After all Kingfishers might be the real cause of Aids and flamebacks are said to be responsible for Malaria. Rumour has it that Barbets might be carriers of Swine flu. A positive side effect is that we will no longer have to put up with the rackets caused by birds in the mornings.

Late last year, a pair of spotted doves built a nest amongst the rafters in our house. They laid eggs on it at least three times. Sadly just after the third pair of eggs were hatched, one of the parents fell victim to a cat. Fortunately the Single Parent family did survive, but after the chicks flew off they never came back, That is until now. This photo is the last time I so them, they were wondering about out of the nest and the next morning, they were gone

I don’t know the life span of a dove, so I would tend to think this is one of the hatch lings, now all grown up that has returned to the nest rather than the surviving bird from the original pair with a new partner.

A pair of Imperial Pigeons on a withered Jak Fruit Tree

It’s said that you will love your Sigma 50-500mm lens as long as you don’t point it up a tree. Here is proof. I shot about 20 photos of this Changable Hawk Eagle perched on an Alastonia tree but only one came well. Even then there is room for improvement.

There are certain light conditions though which allow the lens to be pointed up at a tree, a clear sky with the sun behind your shoulder is one of them.