New House Guests

Last Sunday when the skies opened up right since morning, we had a couple of new house guests. Had seen them around the neighbourhood before but never at such close quarters.

Wet and dripping, as they made themselves comfortable in the kids' balcony (much to the kids' delight), we did a frantic Google search to figure out their names. Meet the drongos - fork tailed and square tailed.

They are racuous creatures, constantly chattering away! By the second day they were so taken in by our premises that they fought and drove away the regular visitors, the mynahs. The fork-tailed drongo even allowed me to go pretty close.

And their faith in us was evident when by next evening they had already invited friends over to join them! :)

Meanwhile the other balcony had a house guest of quite another sort.

I'm still confused about his identity - whether he is a locust or a grasshopper remains open to debate. The fellow should thank his stars though that the drongos didn't spot him; he surely would've made a sumptuous dinner.

Awash In Pink

Our front sit-out is awash in shades of pink, all thanks to the monsoon.

The varieties of pink portulaca look awesome against the dark monsoon skies.

Who says too much of a good thing is bad? At least my garden is happy! :)

One For Bird Lovers

The urban pigeon holes (read apartments) that most of us live in barely allow room, and open space is almost a luxury. But living in one such I realized that there are things one can consciously do to attract our feathered friends. So here is my list of tips for all bird lovers wanting to catch a glimpse of wings in their balconies and decks.

Firstly, go out and green your open space. Even if you don't have the proverbial green thumb, there are some perennials and evergreens with which you just cannot go wrong. Get hold of a 'maali' (gardener) or befriend a nursery chap who can give you fully grown plants. For starters, try jade, asparagus and lily varieties. Don't just stick to boring pots and planters, get some hanging containers as well.

And invest in some seasonal blooms in spring; then watch the magic unfold!

Birds like all sorts of perches, so any kind of projection is a good idea. When we were getting our trellis done for security reasons, we had no idea it would lead to such wonderful bird watching opportunities! Just see for yourself...

Lastly, add a birdbath. You don't need something fancy, a regular terracotta one works fine and gets them to visit. If you place this at the same spot everyday, over a period of time you'll notice a steady set of visitors who return frequently, and get friends along. I placed mine outside the kitchen window; gives me lots of stuff to look out for while pottering around. :)

Hope this helps you attract the chirps and tweets!