Subscribe to this blog's RSS feed

Swans are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae. Swans usually mate for life, though ‘divorce’ does sometimes occur, particularly following nesting failure. The number of eggs in each clutch ranges from three to eight.

Swans are beautiful, white, long necked birds of lake and river shores. Swans are larger than geese and are recognizable by their long, arched necks. They dip head and neck into the water to feed on bottom vegetation, also browsing on shore grasses.

Swans may live up to 35 years, and they mate for life. The young, called cygnets, are pale gray in color and have lead-colored bills.

The largest swan is the trumpeter swan which breeds from Alaska to the Rocky Mountain states.

Swans are a part of the Duck family. A group of swans is called a bevy.
They fly in a V formation or line.

The Peacock, Pavo cristatus (Linnaeus), the national bird of India. It is symbolic of qualities like beauty, grace, pride and mysticism. Peacocok is a colourful, swan-sized bird, with a fan-shaped crest of feathers, a white patch under the eye and a long, slender neck. The male of the species is more colourful than the female, with a glistening blue breast and neck and a spectacular bronze-green train of around 200 elongated feathers it is able to expand its tail erect like fan as ostentatious display. The female is brownish, slightly smaller than the male, and lacks the train. These birds do not sound as beautiful as they look they have a harsh call. The elaborate courtship dance of the male, fanning out the tail and preening its feathers is a beautiful sight.

The peacock is widely found in the Indian sub-continent from the south and east of the Indus river, Jammu and Kashmir, east Assam, south Mizoram and the whole of the Indian peninsula. Found wild in India (and also domesticated in villages) they live in jungle lands near water. They were once bred for food but now hunting of peacocks is banned in India.

The Peacock is depicted in picture with the company of Indian Gods and Goddesses. It is the sacred bird of the India, protected not only by a religious sentiment but also by parliamentary statute. It is fully protected under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

I have a Peacock in my backyard. There are plenty but this is one I was able to shoot. The video is from India, when I last visited in June’07. My apologies for the disturbance in the background, there are two schools nearby and lovely kids love to scream

Enjoy!!

Whoooh!!

Today I have walked one and a half hour in Hyde Perk. Discovered why is it famous around the world. Unveiled a few secrets, secrets I’m here to share with you. I walked from Lancaster gate to Hyde Park Corner, all along the long lake and dancing ducks.

What amazed me is in the in the crowdiest of all places and never stopping city there exists a place where people come to talk with the ducks, where you’ll hear to traffic noise but chatting laughing and quack quack. A place where trees are huge, calm and happy, all green and pink, flowers bloom and sing a lullaby. Wish in the arms of this solitude I could die.

Haha! The poet in me is awakening and it is getting cold, so I’ll take a leave. Here are some pictures I shot. Hope you have a good time as good as I had.