Patna
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Patna is part of Patna, India.
Location is derived from the great work of WikiMapia
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Patna is part of Patna, India.
Location is derived from the great work of WikiMapia
Check this place on Socialmapia
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solar eclipse patna
Made by Scorius
We did sight the sun moments after totality. It was a long night..checking filters,batteries,tripod n stuff..but it was weather reports on CNN that were giving me this sinking feeling..we had cloud cover over Patna. Was out of my tent by 5.00Am hooked cameras to my laptop..but it was bad. Totally overcast..not a shade of sun...& then it started raining..a smart shower..by that time eclipse had already started.My heart sank..one week of preparation..& now this..it wasn't fair. Suddenly..I could actually see darkness racing towards us..almost like a flash flood..& in no time we were drenched in darkness..it was freaky..& wonderful..absolutely mesmerizing..birds were totally confused..dogs was going crazy..then suddenly..there was light :) I cud see the faint crescent after totality.. I grabbed my gear..climbed to my vantage point starting shooting..it was unbelievable how harsh the sun was..I just kept going till the moon was off the sun. It was a disappointment not to witness/capture the ring..but at least I experienced two day breaks within 45 minutes..& was bang in middle of total moon shadow as it raced over us. ..I am thankful ..happy..exhilarated..lucky..to be here at Patna when this happened. Thank God for small mercies :) I WAS THERE :) This one, though was taken with dvd as filter
Vishwa shanti stupa.Rajgir
Made by Scorius
Nichidatsu Fujii,a Buddhist monk from Japan and founder of the Nipponzan-Myohoji Buddhist sect set an example for world peace through Peace Pagodas. In series of establishing peace pagodas world over he established one such peace pagoda at Rajgir which is called Vishwa Shanti Stupa. A pagoda is a type of stupa which provides equality for worship and gathering at one place for common cause. The Nipponzan-Myohoji sect has been successful in spreading the views of Lord Buddha for peace and harmony among people. These stupa or Japanese Pagoda are excellent example of oriental style of architecture. Though all of the pagodas are not built under the guidance of Nichidatsu Fujji, most of them have been built either under his guidance or under his recommendations.
Beetle on a lemon tree
Made by tomato umlaut
I saw the shimmering green carapace of this lovely creature as it sat on a branch of a lemon tree late in the afternoon. As I began to shoot it, the insect became aware of my camera lens and quickly scurried down the branch to look for a hiding place. It found one between two closely spaced leaves. Once it had crawled between them, it was very hard to see. Fortunately it moved slowly enough for me to take several photos. This shows it off to best advantage, I think: both the shimmer on the carapace and the strange acid magenta on the underside. Complete ID thanks to : Chrysocoris stolli. zxgirl adds that the common name is, very appropriately, a jewel bug. This is a true bug; not a beetle.
Halcyon days
Made by tomato umlaut
When I heard an unfamiliar chattering song I looked out at my mother's garden and saw this bird. For several days I noticed that it came there at the same time of the morning, rested a while on the garden wall, sang, dived down for something on the far side, and then flew away. I got it one of those days, but I was quite puzzled by its behaviour since it was clearly feeding, but there was no water nearby. Trusty Salim Ali to the rescue: Food: fish, tadpoles, lizards, grasshoppers and other insects. Occassionally also young birds and mice. Pity it always had its back to the garden, so I never got to see the distinctive white patch in front except when it flew. Here you can just about make out that there is some white below the bill.
Cow 'boy'
Made by Scorius
This child sticks around the whole day with his best friend..his water buffalo. Its amazing to see and feel the kind of bonding the animal shows towards his 'friend'. They grow up together..and take care of each other. Ex chief minister, Lalu Prasad had envisioned and started a chain of government schools throughout the rural areas of bihar specially for these children, who could ride inside the school with the cattle and attend school. These schools were known as 'Charwaha Vidyalaya' ( Herdsman school). Its a pity these schools were not very successful. education.nic.in/cd50years/r/6H/HK/6HHK0701.htm
Crowning glory !
Made by Scorius
Housefly with lots of attitude :) riding a cobra ! This cobra was in the process of shedding its skin, hence the eyes were still clouded with old skin layer. They are a bit touchy at this time..cause they cant see; so one has to be careful. ...and I really loved this small fly..I am lying on the ground, at cobras eye level, 50mm lens b/w us, with my cell phones vibrator going of periodically way to the left.. to distract him..i wanted close up of one eye..was almost set.. when this little beauty fly comes n sits on cobras head and starts hopping around. The snake just turned n stared at me.Was kinda scary !
Water world
Made by tomato umlaut
In the lush green growth induced by the monsoon, this red hibiscus bud growing in an ant-infested bush reminded me of William Blake's poem: O Rose thou art sick. The invisible worm, That flies in the night In the howling storm: Has found out thy bed Of crimson joy: And his dark secret love Does thy life destroy Of course this was no rose, and those ants were unlikely to fly purposefully through a howling storm. Most of all, this bush has lived through years of monsoon infestation, and is unlikely to be destroyed by this year's ants. Thank you, , for telling me what we have here: ants milking aphids.
Up, down and strange
Made by tomato umlaut
Last week I saw two species of moths which always sat on the undersides of leaves or blades of grass. This was the larger of the two, more spectacular in colouration and form, and rarer: I saw it only once. Its long body with a hairy yellow pom pom at the end was wiggling energetically as it skipped from one blade of grass to another. Eventually it settled below some leaves and I could crouch to photograph it from below. Thanks to I now know that this is a female cucumber moth, unfertilised. She was wiggling the abdomen in order to spread her pheromones which attract a male.
Ants, grass, aphids
Made by tomato umlaut
I watched one of the large ants seemingly stroking the grass stalk. When the second one climbed up the same stalk, they touched and probably verified that they were not enemies. After enlarging the photo I realized that I was probably seeing an aphid farm. When the small ant at the very bottom climbed up, one of the larger ants gave chase, and drove it right off the stalk. It succeeded in driving off the stranger, but then didn't find its way back to its starting point. I wondered about this strange territorial behaviour until I saw the aphids. Highest rank on Explore: #424
The breeding edge
Made by tomato umlaut
The common house fly originated in the steppes of central Asia, but can be found now on all inhabited continents and in all climates, tropical to temperate. It is commonly associated with animal feces, but has adapted well to feeding on garbage, so it is abundant almost anywhere people live. The usual lifespan is about two weeks, but with abundant sugar supplies, they can live upto two months. They need food immediately before copulation, and copulation can last between 2 and 20 minutes. Protein is needed in the diet before the female can lay eggs.
Tailorbird
Made by tomato umlaut
This little chirper, about 10 cms long, was one of a bunch which was having a ball in my mother's garden. I was having my breakfast when I heard their pleasant chirps and twitters. I grabbed my camera and rushed into the garden to see the bunch merrily chirping as they flitted from bush to tree, probably feeding on insects. The dark neck makes me give it the id I've added in the tag, but that would place it somewhat to the west of its normal range. Alternatively, it could be the common tailorbird, but that has a very white throat.
Ashokan Pillar and Buddhist Stupa at Vaishali, Bihar
Made by Scorius
Vaishali, said to be among world's first republics was named after King Vishal, a ruler during the times of Ramayana, .The city was ruled by the Lichchavis till 6th century BC. The Lichchavi state is said to be among world's first republics. Vaishali, is also the birthplace of Lord Vardhman Mahavira, last Tirthankar of Jainism, and is equally sacred for the Buddhists. Lord Buddha gave his last preaching in this city and announced his Mahaprayan. In tribute to Buddha, king Ashoka erected a pillar (Famous lion pillar) here.
Oleander Hawk-moth
Made by Scorius
Oleander Hawk-moth/Pandorus Sphinx Moth. Wingspan 80-120mm. Adults of this beautiful species have intricately patterned forewings, mixture of olive greens, suffused with small blotches of pink and white. There is also a pale apical streak on each forewing. The hindwings are greyish green, with a pale white wavy line. It has a similar resting posture to the Eyed Hawk-moth This is a beautiful moth, the best that I have reared.
Wasp in yellow
Made by tomato umlaut
Stand around in a pumpkin patch for long enough and you'll see an incredibly large number of insects adapted to this one plant. The vines play host to many varieties of ants, beetles, bees, wasps, and flies. Here is a wasp which flew into my field of view as soon as beetle had flown off in a huff at my attempts to record it for flickr. The wasp seems to have no problems with on-line communities. One of the interesting things about wasps is the eyes. Highest rank on Explore: #279
The pioneer
Made by tomato umlaut
Even at the height of the Indian summer the garden was full of butterflies. Most of them didn't ever seem to rest. This one did, but was very conscious of the camera. Here it is busy feeding, with its proboscis deep inside the flower. Any help with the id will be appreciated and acknowledged. ( helped the id along: it belongs to the Pieridae family, Honey Monster clinched it: it's a pioneer.) Highest rank on Explore: #104
Pumpkin sipper
Made by tomato umlaut
Stand around in a pumpkin patch for long enough and you'll see an incredibly large number of insects adapted to this one plant. The vines play host to many varieties of ants, beetles, bees, wasps, and flies. Here is a little butterfly which flapped its way straight to the nectar, and waited long enough for me to take one shot at it. On most flowers, the golden wings of the butterfly would have looked gorgeous. On a pumpkin flower it looks a tad dull.
Green eyed monster
Made by tomato umlaut
Fly? Mosquito? The green hornet? Hannes Mitchell (the one with the humongous camera) points out that it is a fly (order: Diptera) belonging to the family of long-legged flies (Dolichopodidae). With that start, a little search told me that adult flies in this family all have long legs and metallic (blue, green or copper) bodies. The larvae are aquatic (hence, they are common after a bad monsoon). Thanks Mitch, there was a lot to that name!
Flower lady
Made by Scorius
Been seeing this lady for as long as I can remember...each morning, 365 days a year..she comes with her children to sell marigold garlands for 'puja'.She disliked my long hairs when I was in school and used to say ' Bauaa, aisae rahaba ta shaadi ke kari'( If u stay like this then who is going to marry you) . Rough life has taken its toll on her..but she still chats me up whenever we meet.She gives a new meaning for 'routine' life.
A working bee
Made by tomato umlaut
Stand around in a pumpkin patch for long enough and you'll see an incredibly large number of insects adapted to this one plant. The vines play host to many varieties of ants, beetles, bees, wasps, and flies. The way they work is interesting. Ants bumble round and eventually stumble onto the food. Bees fly straight to the nectar. Look at the brush on this one's back: just right to collect pollen while its drinking its fill.
Evening out for the brown
Made by tomato umlaut
The dry season form of the Common evening brown looks like a mouldy leaf. When it sits below bushes in a garden it is easy to overlook. Like this, on top of plant, basking in the last light of the sun, it was hard to miss. I've seen one fluttering around a discarded peel of a custard apple, at the side of a busy road, flying away when a car passed, but coming right back afterwards. I'd earlier met it in Bombay in its
