Red Hibiscus Flower in Yellow Hibiscus Plant (A rare phenomenon)

Hibiscus is a flower which is integral to the rituals and customs of Hinduism, especially Kali puja. Worshiping Goddess Kali remains incomplete if we don't offer red hibiscus flower to venerate her. There is a devotional Bengali song "Mayer payer jaba hoye othna phute mon", sung by many popular singers including Pannalal Bhattacharya. In the garden of our co-operative society (Keramik Co-Operative Housing Society in Baishnabghata Patuli Township), there are few hibiscus plants, which include both red and yellow hibiscus. One day, I noticed that the yellow hibiscus plant near the boundary wall of our premises has blossomed a red hibiscus flower and this is quite an uncommon sight for me.

The day before the same thing had occurred but I did not have the opportunity to see that or photograph that since someone plucked the flowers very early in the morning. This day, I did not let off the chance and entered the garden with my Canon PowerShot SX500 IS point and shoot camera. I took two snaps of the flower from the side because it was difficult for me to get a view from the front as there was not much space. The link of the two photos is given below. Next blog coming up soon!

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Freedom of a Sandpiper (A lifetime experience)

When I went to Purbasthali, Chupi Char in Burdwan, last year, I had a wonderful experience and I would like to share this with everyone I know. I went there on 30th January 2014 along with my friends Bimalendu and Soumyadip and spent around four hours in the famous oxbow lake, clicking pictures of various indigenous and migratory birds. Birds from the distant Siberia can also be seen here during the winter months.

During our exciting boat ride, at around 12 o'clock, we noticed something odd in a particular area of the lake. A common sandpiper was trapped in a fishing net and it was in such a bad condition that it was impossible for itself to come out of the trap on its own. We immediately felt bad and tried to push our boat as close to the tangled bird as possible. It was in the middle of a ditch and due to shallow waters and other hindrances in it like branches of trees, weeds, and leaves, our boatman (majhibhai) faced tremendous difficulties to reach the spot. At last, we could reach there and free the bird from its predicament. I could not resist the temptation of taking a few shots of this bird of rare species and the link of the photos is given below.

About Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)

The common sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos) is a tiny Palearctic wader bird. It belongs to the genus Actitis and hybridization also takes place between the green sandpiper and common sandpiper. Its wingspread is 32-35 cm and its length is around 18-20 cm for adults. It has some similarities with the spotted sandpiper but the latter is somewhat bigger in size. Common sandpiper usually feeds on insects, is gregarious in nature and prefers to live in flocks.
 
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