List of birds I had seen

I used to be an amateur ornithologist once... and I had compiled a list of birds and behaviours that I had observed. Found that old notebook again and before I lose it, this is my effort to preserve my past. I realise that the taxonomy has changed behind my back so this is the 80's way of naming them

1. Brown rock Chat
2. Chiff Chaff
3. Pariah Kite
4. Whitebacked Vulture
5. Domestic Duck
6. Grey Wagtail
7. Plain Wren Warbler
8. Tailor Bird
9. House Swift
10. Wiretailed Swallow
11. Common Swallow
12. Black winged Stilt
13. Common Peafowl
14. White Throated Munia
15. Indian Robin
16. Magpie Robin
17. Shikra
18. Ring Dove
19. Little Brown Dove
20. Crow Pheasent
21. Purple Sunbird
22. White Eye
23. Large Green Barbet
24. Crimson Breasted Barbet
25. Yellow Eyed Babbler
26. Large Grey Babbler
27. Jungle Babbler
28. Common Babbler
29. Cattle Egret
30. Black Drongo
31. India Pippit
32. Baybacked Shrike
33. Rufusbacked Shrike
34. Crested Lark
35. Paddy Bird
36. Blue Rock Pigeon
37. Yellow Legged Green Pigeon
38. Koel
39. Pied Crested Cuckoo
40. White Fantail Pigeon
41. Redvented Bulbul
42. Redwhiskered Bulbul
43. Blossom Headed Parakeet
44. Roseringed Parakeet
45. Jungle Crow
46. House Crow
47. Spotted Owlet
48. Black Redstart
49. Red Munia
50. Brahmini Myna
51. Bank Myna
52. Pied Myna
53. Indian Myna
54. Hoopoe
55. White Wagtail
56. Yellow Wattled Lapwing
57. Red Wattled Lapwing
58. White Breatsed Waterhen
59. Indian Moorhen
60. White eared Bulbul
61. House Sparrow
62. Grey Hornbill
63. Lesser Goldenbacked Woodpecker
64. White Breatsed Kingfisher
65. Golden Oriole
66. Ashy's Wren warbler
67. Small Green Bee eater
68. Common Sandpiper
69. Grey Partridge
70. Wood Sandpiper
71. Long Tailed Minivet
72. Baya weaver Bird
73. Pied Wagtail
74. Yellow Wagtail
75. Rosefinch
76. Painted Storks
77. Black Ibis
78. Indian Tree Pie
79. Blue Jay
80. Black Drongo
81. Little Cormorant
82. Darter or Snake Bird
83. House Swift

Carbon Footprint of a Close Relationship

I always think.. one should encourage ones' close buddies to tie the knot for the sake of Carbon efficiency [Warning : check out the legal ramificaions of gender marriages before doing anything drastic]. Not only its better that they would know each other quite well, its Eco - friendly too....

Q: Why should you play cupid between your good friends?
A : Because its Carbon efficient in the long run. In case they do get hitched up,
1. You just need to travel to one place and meet them both. Saves fuel.
2. You can get away with buying one gift. Again saves effort and fuel.
3. You need to send them just one common invitation card. Saves trees.
4. One phone call at the appropriate time and you can speak with both.. energy eficient.
For the two of them, it becomes C - Eff as well
1. Energy savings in terms of electricity and dwelling costs. [a high chance this would happen]
2. They become natural car poolers to office and common parties which otherwise they would individually travel to..

Q : Then why dont you implement your preachings?
A : In case things dont work out between your best buddies, it will get messy and you would have to choose loyalities. Things get complicated over a period of time. But as always, my clinching argument is... Too much effort & I am lazy.

The Element C

There has been a lot of talk in recent times of Carbon Footprint, Carbon Audits and like which set my train of thought towards the decision we make in life. Can we use the overall Carbon impact to guide us in our personal choices or is it something limited to weird consultant world!!!

Q : Why are you a Vegetarian?
A : Being a Vegetarian is more Carbon efficient on an average. If we assume that the C - Efficiency of an average living being is 60% (includes Plants, Chicken.. maybe humans) then the farther up you dine in the food chain, the less carbon efficient your food habits become e.g. - If you eat chicken; then for 100 gm-energy equivalent of C absorbed by the Maize, you get 60 gm-E inside the chicken and you get only 36 gm-E from it. If you directly ate maize, you got 60 gm-E which is better. This is gross oversimplification but you get the idea!

Q : So why are you Non - Vegetarian then?
A : If you answer the above Q purely on energy basis, it does not give a full picture. The higher node you gobble from the food pyramid, the more processed food becomes. So if I live in Iceland where plants are few and maybe none edible, I will eat fish/ animals who in turn eat those plants and make them palatable. Alternatively, if I need Omega 3 fatty acids from fish! The clinching argument being I like the taste of Non -Veg fare...

..... This argument will continue with more Q n A