A woman in central Pratapgarh district throws handfuls of ash from the kitchen stove on ripening rice. Many farmers in Uttar Pradesh still limit the use of chemical pesticides, or continue using traditional materials, like ash, alongside chemical pesticides to control insect pests on rice. A Zitting Cisticola sat undeterred (not visible here), presumably near its nest, as a cloud of ash fell on and around it - now that would have been an excellent photo to get!
Albinism - reduction in the melanin content (black colouration) causing whiteness - is a well-known condition in many animals. However, leucism - a reduction in all types of pigments, not just melanin - is probably more widespread and often confused to be albinism. Here, a Red-wattled lapwing, normally textured brown-grey on the wings (see previous post), displays leucism. The black on the neck and face, and on the flight feathers, are normal - this is not a condition of albinism for sure!
(Photograph details: 9 Dec 2008; taken in Rae Bareli district.)
I started this blog to primarily share photographs taken during my PhD field work (2008-2010). I have since expanded this to include observations made during my travels to areas with Sarus, and also other crane species. The idea is to showcase the landscapes that cranes live in. The homes of only 15 species can have incredible diversity of life and human habits. Through cranes, I started to write about areas dominated by humans and human activity, but have now expanded to include the rest of the world. I remain a life-long student of natural history, and this blog is to showcase the things that I encountered and wondered at.
A woman in central Pratapgarh district throws handfuls of ash from the kitchen stove on ripening rice. Many farmers in Uttar Pradesh still limit the use of chemical pesticides, or continue using traditional materials, like ash, alongside chemical pesticides to control insect pests on rice. A Zitting Cisticola sat undeterred (not visible here), presumably near its nest, as a cloud of ash fell on and around it - now that would have been an excellent photo to get!
