Black Drongo, originally uploaded by Shabu Anower.

The Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus, is a small Asian drongo. The Black Drongo is a common resident breeder in much of tropical southern Asia from southwest Iran through India and Sri Lanka east to southern China and Indonesia.

This species was earlier lumped with the African species which is now referred to as Dicrurus adsimilis. This bird is glossy black with a wide fork to the tail. Adults have a small white spot at the base of the gape. The iris is dark brown (not crimson as in the closely resembling Ashy Drongo). Juveniles are brownish and may have some white barring or speckling towards the belly and vent and can be mistaken for the White-bellied Drongo. The race albirictus of northern India is large and the Sri Lankan race minor is small with the nominate race of peninsular India intermediate in size. Race cathoecus is found in Thailand Hong Kong and China.

They are aggressive and fearless birds, 28 cm in length, and will attack much larger species if their nest or young are threatened. This behaviour led to the former name of King Crow. They fly with strong flaps of the wing and are capable of fast manoeuvres to capture insect prey. The Black Drongo has short legs and sits very upright on perches or electricity wires. They may also perch on grazing animals.

The birds being common have a wide range of local names. The older genus name of Buchanga was from the Hindi name of Bhujanga. Other local names include Thampal in Pakistan, Gohalo/Kolaho in Baluchistan, Kalkalachi in Sindhi, Kotwal (=policeman) in Hindi; Bengali: Finga; Assamese: Phenchu; Manipuri: Cheiroi; Gujarati: Kosita, Kalo koshi; Marathi: Ghosia; Oriya: Kajalapati; Tamil: Kari kuruvi (=charcoal bird), Erettai valan (=two tail); Telugu: Passala poli gadu; Malayalam: Kaaka tampuratti (queen of crows); Kannada: Kari bhujanga and Sinhalese: Kauda.

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Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea), originally uploaded by Z.Faisal.

Locally known as Dhupni Bok, Khaira Bok, Pidali Bok, Daing Bok.

This is a common resident in Bangladesh. Widely distributed in wetlands. Usually occurs solitary or in loose groups. Often roosts in groups in sandbars or on trees. Sits still in shallow water and hunts fish & frogs. Breeds year-round. Nest in colonies.

Muhuri river , Feni.
16th January’09

Note: Smaller one on the left is an Intermediate Egret.

I wish I was a fish., originally uploaded by Z.Faisal.

“It was a hot sunny day. Sun was just above and not showing any mercy. My throat was dry & my tongue got numb. I wish I was a fish.”

Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Merops philippinus): This is a bird which breeds in sub-tropical open country, such as farmland, parks or ricefields. It is most often seen near large waterbodies. Like other bee-eaters it predominantly eats insects, especially bees, wasps and hornets, which are caught in the air by sorties from an open perch.This species probably takes bees and dragonflies in roughly equal numbers. The insect that are caught are beaten on the perch to kill and break the exoskeleton. This habit is seen in many other members of the coraciiformes order.

Ishwardi, Pabna.

Red-wattled Lapwing (Vanellus indicus), originally uploaded by Z.Faisal.

Locally known as many names : Hot Titi (SA), Lal-lotika Hot-ti-ti (IUCN), Lal-lotika Ti-ti (Act), Hattima, Titi, Tittiv (SS).

Muhuri river , Feni.
26th December’08

KOLKATA, India (Reuters) - The number of tiger attacks on people is growing in India’s Sundarban islands as habitat loss and dwindling prey caused by climate change drives them to prowl into villages for food, experts said Monday.

Wildlife experts say endangered tigers in the world’s largest reserve are turning on humans because rising sea levels and coastal erosion are steadily shrinking the tigers’ natural habitat.

The Sundarbans, a 26,000 sq km (10,000 sq mile) area of low-lying swamps on India’s border with Bangladesh, is dotted with hundreds of small islands criss-crossed by water channels.

“In the past six months, seven fishermen were killed in an area called Netidhopani,” Pranabes Sanyal of the World Conservation Union said. Read the rest of this entry »

Debates around the potential benefits of GM crops for developing countries must be reasoned and evidence-based, says Albert Weale.

The World Bank recently estimated that a doubling of food prices over the last three years could push 100 million people in low-income countries deeper into poverty. And the future does not look brighter. Food prices, although likely to fall from their current peaks, are predicted to remain high over the next decade.

As the world considers how to respond, the debate about genetically modified (GM) crops has inevitably reared its ugly head. ‘Ugly’ because the public exchange about this technology has usually seen extreme viewpoints gaining the most airtime. For example, in the United Kingdom, Prince Charles’ spirited but ill-informed attack on GM crops this summer led to a flurry of opinionated responses. We could have been back in the polarised debates of the earlier part of this decade. Read the rest of this entry »

OSLO (Reuters) - Almost half the world’s monkeys and apes are facing a worsening threat of extinction because of deforestation and hunting for meat, an international report showed on Tuesday.

“We have solid data to show that the situation is far more severe than we imagined,” said Russell Mittermeier, president of Conservation International and head of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) primate specialist group.

An assessment for an IUCN “Red List” of endangered species found that 48 percent of the 634 known species and sub-species of primates, humankind’s closest relatives such as chimpanzees, orangutans, gibbons and lemurs, were at risk of extinction. Read the rest of this entry »

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A red-breasted bird discovered by accident in the forests of Gabon is a new species, U.S. scientists said on Friday.

They have named the little bird the olive-backed forest robin, or Stiphrornis pyrrholaemus, but say they know little about it yet.

The Smithsonian Institution team found the bird while visiting the forest on a biodiversity project, said Brian Schmidt, a research ornithologist at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.

“I suspected something when I found the first bird in Gabon since it didn’t exactly match any of the species descriptions in the field guides,” Schmidt said in a statement. Read the rest of this entry »

World Environment Day, commemorated each year on 5 June, is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action.

The World Environment Day slogan for 2008 is Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy. Recognising that climate change is becoming the defining issue of our era, UNEP is asking countries, companies and communities to focus on greenhouse gas emissions and how to reduce them. The World Environment Day will highlight resources and initiatives that promote low carbon economies and life-styles, such as improved energy efficiency, alternative energy sources, forest conservation and eco-friendly consumption.

The main international celebrations of World Environment Day 2008 will be held in New Zealand. UNEP is honoured that the city of Wellington will be hosting this United Nations day (read the press release).

The day’s agenda is to give a human face to environmental issues; empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development; promote an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues; and advocate partnership, which will ensure all nations and peoples enjoy a safer and more prosperous future.

When did it all begin?

World Environment Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. Another resolution, adopted by the General Assembly the same day, led to the creation of UNEP.

How can you celebrate World Environment Day?

The World Environment Day Alphabet - 80 Ways to Celebrate
World Environment Day can be celebrated in many ways, including street rallies, bicycles parades, green concerts, essay and poster competitions in schools, tree planting, recycling efforts, clean-up campaigns and much more. In many countries, this annual event is used to enhance political attention and action.

Heads of State, Prime Ministers and Ministers of Environment deliver statements and commit themselves to care for the Earth. Serious pledges are made which lead to the establishment of permanent governmental structures dealing with environmental management and economic planning. This observance also provides an opportunity to sign or ratify international environmental conventions.

On this World Environment Day, let us examine the state of our environment. Let us consider carefully the actions which each of us must take, and then address ourselves to our common task of preserving all life on earth in a mood of sober resolution and quiet confidence.