A Twinkle in the Eye - What does it mean?

In the above picture, there is this twinkle on the Gharial's right eye, top right corner. By the way, its natural lighting. The same Gharial in the second (below) photograph gives us one of the comic-villains' smile. :-) Look. Isn't it?

I searched and found out that one of the meanings of "A twinkle in your eye" was: a happy expression in your eye. Being aware of the meaning, when I looked at these two pictures again, I was little confused. Though it posed nicely, Was the animal truly happy to see me? or Was it eyeing me as an option for a grand lunch? Look at the second picture again! You get the same feeling. Right?

But through further reading, I came to know that Gharials do not kill and eat humans. And they are also popularly known as Gavials, and the fish-eating crocodiles. Phew! I am relieved. Don't you get it? The Gharial was indeed happy to see me; and the smile was a very friendly one. :-)

Place: Guindy National Park, Chennai

Month/Year of Photography: April 2015

A Treat for your Eyes :-)

"A Treat for your Eyes :-) " is a set of snaps carefully chosen from my archive of photographs. Emphasis is on quality and clarity. Please see it on full screen mode. Zoom it if required to check out the details and colors.

Birds: 1. Seagull 2.Red-vented Bulbul 3.Yellow-billed Babbler 4.Rufous Treepie 5.Rosy Starling 6.Oriental magpie Robin

Night Heron reminds me of Alfred Hitchcock's Birds!

Flower Sticks Tricks - A Splendid Performance by Christian

In May 2015, I happened to visit Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India to attend a three-week yoga class. There I happened to meet a participant called Christian. He was from Germany. Occasionally we spoke.

One day after the session, all were relaxing. I was walking towards my stay area, and saw Christian practising "Flower Sticks Tricks". It was a splendid experience watching him juggling the sticks. I wanted to record it, so I asked him the permission to film him. He agreed, and then I began rolling my MotoG mobile camera. :-)

On the last day of our class, I went to Christian to say goodbye, and exchanged contact details. I remembered about the video, asked him if I can post it on my blog, and share it with my friends. Christian happily agreed.

Check out the video (edited one) below for your viewing.

I would like to thank Christian, and wish him a great blissful life.

Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
May 24, 2015
Videography - M.M.Prabhu

Slicked-back-hair or Spikey : Black-rumped Flameback Woodpecker - II

               

 

Place: Malaikovil, Trichy, Tamil Nadu, India
Month/Year: March 2015

In the first snap, the Black-rumped Flameback Woodpecker posed with its red-hair nicely combed backwards. The moment it heard a call from its other fellow woodpeckers, it became curious and immediately turned its head in that direction forgetting that there was a photoshoot still in progress.

Just kidding! But I was amazed at the control the bird had over its hairstyle. One moment slicked-back-hair, and next moment spikey. :-)