The Water Bird and its Brood

One fine morning after a shower of rain the rain water was flowing down the storm water drain. I saw a dark bird of a chicken size swimming against its flow. Now two tiny softies glided down the slope of the bund and hopped on to the water one after the other, and swam after the bird! They were the chicks of that bird! I wondered about the abilities of these softies to swim soon after hatching out. The bird is a ‘White-breasted Waterhen’. Both the male and female of this species of bird accompany each other in catching flies under the cover of bushes, along the sides of waterways. Their calls can be heard both in the mornings and evenings as rumbling sounds. The calls are like this: 'kooodoorrrrdoo.kuraaughkkuraaughk' - this is repeated rhythmically. When they are unaware, one can watch them walk along wagging the tails from side to side and turning their heads this and that side often. On giving a slight sound or movement, they run and fly away into the bushes just like pea-fowls do. They withstand urbanization and are specially adapted when provided with bush cover and waterways to thrive on. It is a wonder bird to look out in our neighborhood.

A Wonder Word Definition Searcher

As computer technology is fast developing, the web-users have to update their knowledge about using the new technologies. What is it? Why should it be used? And when should it be used? These are the questions that tease the minds of web-users, especially those of non-technological people. One wonderful website comes to the rescue of web-users. Yes, it is http://www.webopedia.com. Simply type the technological word in its box of SEARCH and click Go! button. You get the narrative definition and details of it. No need to waste time in finding it in the search results of any search engine: you get it in a single pick! Webopedia is a word specific 'Wonder engine' indeed!

The Mighty Drizzling Rain

Each rainy season I see that a continuous sharp drizzling is mightier than a heavy downpour! Yes, after such a drizzling the blue metaled-roads in the city have pits - due to its bombarding action on the sand content of the roads. It levers out the sand particles and loosen the gravels. The heavy vehicles that ply on the road do the rest of the job - a pit is formed on the disintegrated road.

Swimming and Sleeping Snakes

In the recent rains invariably snakes were seen swimming on or swept along the flowing water of storm drains. They are washed away from their cryptic crevices by the flood water and transmigrated to a new habitat; they visit thus near human dwellings in rainy season.
In Winter snakes (like The Little Indian Snake) sleep under small rocks. It seems they don't want to get out in cold climate - indicating that they are cold-blooded. At early mornings, as the day warms up, they get out and go on hunting to appease their hunger. You could hear the preyed upon frog or rat squeak on being devoured by them! (Here a better example could be the Rat snake).
At full moon days, it is said that the snakes become romantic! And so both male and females can be seen at night-time of these days, increasing the probability of seeing a snake (or a pair).

The Weird Rainy Season of South India

In India the North East monsoon rains end usually in the first week of January itself, each year. But this year it appears to continue further after two months gap - in this March. Generally the weather in South India, from January to April, will be dry, and chill to warm. Due to the rains the March is wet and cold now unusually! Yesterday night (21st March, a full moon day) it rained when there was moonlight!
As the previous monsoon brought inadequate rains, is it now a deferred compensatory raining? Or is it due to the newly started Solar cycle? Why does this happen? I wonder so about the Nature's weird ways of influencing the weather of the Earth!

The Wonder in Golden Shower Tree Sapling

I transplanted a six months old sapling of Golden shower tree. But its tap root tip had been 'left out' in the earth when it was dug out. It shriveled up in two days.
I persevered with transplanting: another sapling was transplanted (with the tap root intact) on the same spot again. The leaves of this sapling also dried down as happened before and fell off leaving a stick-like stem. But I didn't lose hope. I watered it on and on though I didn't see any change in it. Later I came to a conclusion that this too has become a failure. But I still watered it. On one day I saw the 'stick' to bear tiny greenish buds of tender leaves - after a month! I wondered about the Nature's in-built avidity to survive in this tree.