Birds of Lalbagh: Marashetty Seenappa

As an avid wild life photographer, I never leave home without my camera during my daily morning walks in Lalbagh with my wife, Padmini. I am on the watch out for birds, bees and colourful flowering trees and sometimes get to capture scenic moments in the beautiful surroundings.

Lalbagh spreads across 240 acres and was commissioned by Haider Ali, the ruler of Mysore in 1760 and was completed by his son Tippu Sultan. Later, during the colonial times, a city planner and horticulturist , Mr Gustav Krumbigal modelled it as a botanical garden. Lalbagh has over 1000 species of plants from Europe, Africa and other countries in Asia. Located in South Bangalore, it is popular with local residents and tourists throughout the year for its beautiful seasonal blooms of the purple jacaranda, the orange gul mohar, the magenta bougainvilleas and the pink and yellow tabebuia. No wonder, it is a favorite haunt for men and women walkers, young and old, especially during early mornings and evenings. Its' not just the hundreds of species of flowering plants and shrubs, but its lake that makes Lal Bagh attractive to a vast number of birds, insects and small animals.

Over the years, I believe with my enduring patience, I have come to know where to look and to click pictures of birds and insects rarely seen or known to exist in Bangalore. My vast collection of Lalbagh pictures includes flowers, trees, birds, spiders and insects, sunrise/sunset and early morning scenes of its environs.

This set is selected from my album on birds, some of which have been featured in the“Photo of the Day” series of the National Geographic Magazine. Let me conclude that I look forward to exchanging pictures and comments with XUNICEF colleagues, who are also bird watchers and/or ‘nature’ photographers .