Pigeon feeder

A man feeds pigeon in the museum compound.

Barn Owl

Recently, an adult barn owl was seen resting at ground level at our apartment complex at Jagathy, to the amusement of the morning walkers. Many mistook this for the endangered species, Silver Owl, which fetches a fabulous sum in the illicit market. I took these pictures and mailed them to Mr Suresh Elamon, a birder and a photographer. He was of the opinion that this is a common barn owl, but it was unsusal to see it at day time that too in a crowded area. Perhaps it must have been injured or eased out of its normal habitat.

A fortnight later another owl was spotted at Asian School Business, Technocity, Pallipuram. Though this was good 24 Kms from town, the owl was resting in an atrium of the newly built campus throughout the day. It was not seen a day later. A quick google search confirmed the fact the trading in owls (including the common barn owl) is illegal. There has also been cases of passing off common owls as rare species for pecuniary gains.

Kingfisher

Though Trivandrum is slowly going the way of most metros, it has still managed to retain some of its greenery and charm.
The proof of this is a view from my balcony on the 5th floor apartment.  The green trees - coconut, tamarind, areca and many others I can't name - are really soothing to the eye and mind.
Last week there were a couple of Kingfishers on a tree near my balcony. Here is the picture.

From Blogger Pictures

Kingfisher in Jagathy

Here is the other one.

From Blogger Pictures