Ranjit Lal

Lal is an author, environmentalist and bird watcher.

How to introduce children to birdwatching

Fri, Mar 27, 2020

Always do it with experts, but prepare for some confusion and questions you can’t answer

As coronovirus rampages through the world, an animal kingdom representative says the epidemic is ‘poetic justice’ and presents a charter of demands for a likely truce — ‘leave us and our habitats alone, stop pumping noxious gases into the air’ etc — and issues a warning: ‘Destroy us and destroy yourself’.

The many joys that songbirds bring

Fri, Mar 13, 2020

Birders and nature-lovers will wake up at unearthly hours to listen to the famous morning “chorus” of birds.

Why we must not look down on creatures that clear the mess around us

Fri, Mar 06, 2020

The cleaning squad of animals, whose lives' work is to clean up, is dedicated to the idea of recycling.

Down in Jungleland: A look into Monarch butterflies’s survival tactics

Fri, Feb 28, 2020

The annual migration of the Monarch butterfly in the US is one of Mother Nature’s technological triumphs. And their fight against predators, parasites and habitat degradation a triumph of their will.

Part II: The Art of Living

Thu, Feb 20, 2020

There is much to learn from our feathered friends and neighbours.

Down in Jungleland: Life lessons that birdwatching can help you imbibe

Thu, Feb 13, 2020

Part I of a series on what birds can teach us, Schooled by Avians.

A gentleman among birds

Fri, Feb 07, 2020

The black redstart stands out in the rude rabble of Delhi.

What do animals’ tails say about them?

Sun, Feb 02, 2020

Most animals, like monkeys, dogs, cats, cheetahs and hippos put their tails to good use, and even have fun with them.

The Vegans Are Coming

Sun, Jan 19, 2020

Or, what scares plants the most.

Voices in the Wilderness

Sun, Jan 12, 2020

Forest stalwarts remain unsung; we need to acknowledge what they do.

Bringing the World Home

Sun, Jan 05, 2020

Keeping a dog or cat as a pet needs to be made mandatory. When my sisters and I arm-twisted our parents into getting us our first dog, we had no idea what we were getting into, but it changed our lives forever.