In search of 1200 Birds of India

Butterfly migration.

2010-09-22T12:29:00.001+05:30

Hello all,

Do have a look at this presentation about Butterflies.

Anto Christy S
http://1200birds.blogspot.com/

Eurasian Stone Curlew

2010-09-17T15:33:00.000+05:30

A couple of days back as I was leaving the office movement on an adjacent shed caught my attention. A closer look and I saw a few birds on the roof in what looked like a meditative trance. About 20 mins latter when the light was almost gone they started to fly on to the nearby fields. No binoculars and fading light made me call it a day.

I returned the next day armed with bino and camera hoping that the birds would still be there. They were there alright about 15 of them again in a meditative trance occasionally calling out. I sent the above snap to Sachin Shurpali and Guruprasad Thimmapur to make an ID of what turns out to be a Eurasian Stone Curlew. Info at this link too.

Today is the third day that these birds have been around. I hope they stick around :).

Bird Sunday - Kumbral, Kalghatgi.

2010-09-15T23:07:00.005+05:30

Last Sunday saw an impromptu birding trip on the road to Sathod Falls. We went up to Kumbral a view point of Kali River about 7 clicks before Sathod Falls.

The participants were Thimmapur Sir, Guruprasad Thimmapur, Sachin Shurpali, Mahesh Yamogi, Ganesh Rao and yours truly.

This was my first outing with Sachin and Guruprasad. Sachin was an example of involvement and focus, he was stepping into the day fresh after notching up a single day (I think he said within two hours) sighting of 120+ species at Attiveri along with Mahesh Yamogi. Hats off Sachin.

Guruprasad was an eye opener, here is a young man who knows his birds, butterflies and you name it. Way to go Guru.

The check list for the day courtesy of Guru : The Puff-throated Babbler and Black-and-Organe Flycatcher are unconfirmed. However, Sachin has a record shot to vouch for the Indian White-rumped Spinetail.

Place:	Satoddi, Kali Back Water, Road To Attiveri
Date:	Sep-12 2010
Weather:	Partly Cloudy and sunny some times. Rained heavily in the evening
Participants:	Sachin Shurpali, RG Timmapur, Christy, Ganesh Rao, Mahesh Yamoji, Guruprasad

Common Name	Scientific Name	Comment
Indian White-rumped Spinetail	Zoonavena sylvatica	Confirmed. It was looking same as House Swift but has pale underbelly. Size was apparently smaller than House swift.
Puff-throated Babbler	Pellorneum ruficeps	Call ??
Tickell’s Blue-Flycatcher	Cyornis tickelliae	Call
Black-and-Orange Flycatcher	Ficedula nigrorufa	Un confirmed.
Indian Pond-Heron	Ardeola grayii
Woolly-necked Stork	Ciconia episcopus	Soaring on thermals. 4 individuals
Black-shouldered Kite	Elanus caeruleus	On the way to Attiveri
Brahminy Kite	Haliastur indus	Near Forest Rest House
White-bellied Sea-Eagle	Haliaeetus leucogaster	Kali Backwater. 3 Individuals. 1 Juvenile???
Crested Serpent-Eagle	Spilornis cheela	Near Forest Rest House
Black Eagle	Ictinaetus malayensis	Near Forest Rest House
Grey Francolin	Francolinus pondicerianus	On the way to Attiveri
Grey Junglefowl	Gallus sonneratii	On the way to Attiveri
White-breasted Waterhen	Amaurornis phoenicurus	On the way to Kalaghatagi.
Pampador Green-Pigeon	Treron pampadora	On the way to Satoddi at first first pit stop
Little Swift	Apus affinis	House swift.
Crested Tree-Swift	Hemiprocne coronata	In Flight
Malabar Trogon	Harpactes fasciatus	On the way to Kali Back Water. Not having Adult plumage.
White-throated Kingfisher	Halcyon smyrnensis	On the way to Kalaghatagi.
Malabar Grey Hornbill	Ocyceros griseus	Sighted twice. Once in group and once solitary bird feasting on Un Ided fruit.
Great Pied Hornbill	Buceros bicornis	In Flight sighted by mahesh and sachin
White-cheeked Barbet	Megalaima viridis	Call
Common Flameback	Picus xanthopygaeus	Kali Backwater.
Wire-tailed Swallow	Hirundo smithii	On the way to Attiveri
Orange Minivet	Pericrocotus flammeus
Common Woodshrike	Tephrodornis pondicerianus	Kali Backwater. But supercilium was missing
Grey-headed Bulbul	Pycnonotus priocephalus	Not 100% about the sighting. Because of the backlight.
Flame-throated Bulbul	Pycnonotus gularis	Sighted multiple times.
Red-whiskered Bulbul	Pycnonotus jocosus
Red-vented Bulbul	Pycnonotus cafer
Gold-fronted Leafbird	Chloropsis aurifrons	Nest pair was found
Asian Fairy-Bluebird	Irena puella	Call is heard more often. But sighted twice.
Oriental Magpie-Robin	Copsychus saularis
Common Tailorbird	Orthotomus sutorius
Velvet-fronted Nuthatch	Sitta frontalis
Thick-billed Flowerpecker	Dicaeum agile	Call and sighting
Pale-billed Flowerpecker	Dicaeum erythrorhynchos
Purple-rumped Sunbird	Leptocoma zeylonica
Small Sunbird	Leptocoma minima
Scaly-breasted Munia	Lonchura punctulata
Streaked Weaver	Ploceus manyar	Sighted on the way.
Brahminy Starling	Temenuchus pagodarum	On the way to Attiveri
Common Myna	Acridotheres tristis
Jungle Myna	Acridotheres fuscus
Black-hooded Oriole	Oriolus xanthornus	On the way to Kali Back Water.
Bronzed Drongo	Dicrurus aeneus
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo	Dicrurus paradiseus
Ashy Woodswallow	Artamus fuscus	At forest rest house. Found feeding on insects. Was it courtship feeding??
House Crow	Corvus splendens
Indian Jungle Crow	Corvus [macrorhynchos] culminatus

Some shots of River Kali at the view point.

Transportation across the river.

Ganesh Rao's take of the day.

Can someone explain what they are doing. Guru...please...species?

A fantastic day...my greed for the smell of the forest sated but for the moment, the fresh air has left my spirits refreshed, the memories of the moist earth under my feet, visions of butterflies weaving patterns in the air keeping me company till we bird again.

First winter visitor @ Attiveri Bird Sanctuary

2010-09-08T19:00:00.000+05:30

Today we have spotted the first winter vistor of the season. A Grey Wagtail. Welcome...hope there are many more to follow.

Image courtesy of Shri J M Garg original file at this link.

The Grey wagtail usually visits after september in this sanctuary. So its a welcome change of timing. I do most of my birding here at the sanctuary because of its proximity. I am looking forward to a great season this time around. This would be my first complete season since I have taken up birding.

New entry in check list of Attiveri bird Sanctuary

2010-08-27T21:06:00.000+05:30

Hello All,

Yesteday, Shri Venu Kagwade, Bird photographer from Nippani spotted a Grey headed Myna or Chestnut tailed Starling ( Sturnus Malbaricus). This is a first sighting in Attiveri. A very special day indeed. A special thanks to Shri Mahesh, Watcher of the sanctuary for bringing this news to me and therefore to you.

Image by Shri Mukerjee.

Original at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:4844_grey-headed-myna_Sturnus_malabaricus.jpg

Image by ; Shri K Mohan Raj

Original at: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chestnut-tailed_Starling.jpg

I am looking forward to more additions to the checklist of the Sanctuary, a beautiful place which can use some positive inputs.

Scaly Breasted Munia

2010-07-28T23:56:00.003+05:30

Photo credit. J M Grag

Today i had my first sighting of this delightfull bird in the SDM campus here in Hubli. What made it really special was that the Munia was at distance of just 5 feet.

Photo credit. J M Grag

I was also able to see a nest of a swallow built of mud, the construction ingenious and the location perfectly protected against the elements. instinct or intelligence, I wonder. If its just instinct, then we would be better off governed by just our instincts.

First rank on google for search term "birding hubli"

2010-07-26T18:08:00.000+05:30

Hello All,

Today this blog was ranked first on Google search for the search term "Birding Hubli". It was a very sweet moment to learn of this. Just when the motivation to keep the blog was ebbing this comes around and brings a new energy to keep going.

Hmmmm so what are we gonna do about it. :)

The BSK and Purple Sunbird - female

2010-07-19T21:15:00.006+05:30

The black shouldered kite, a bird that I can watch all day. Shot this on Gadag Road, Hubli. Thanks to Ganesh Rao for spotting this beauty.

This Sunbird - female was shot at a hotel premises in Badami.

A long way away from the blog but hopefully not any longer.

Birding report of Anand Srinivasa, Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh, May-June 2010.

2010-06-28T17:19:00.004+05:30

The following is the birding report of Shri Anand Srinivasa (bng birds) in the course of his visit to Himachal Pradesh. His photographs bear the tale of a glorious day. Many thanks to him for providing us the details of the trip. We wish him many more such wonderful days.

Location: Kinnaur (HP).

Click here for his report on Live Journal.

The report in Anand's own words...

This is the first time I was birding in north, almost every other bird we saw was a new one for me. One surprising thing was that we didn't see much raptors, spotted Himalayan Griffon 2 times and that is all in 12 days. Also we didn't visit any lakes so didn't see much water birds.
Another point we noted was that orange seemed to be most popular colour amount the birdies. Majority of birds had at least some bit of rufous/orange in them.

Bird list:
Great Barbet
Common Blackbird
Black Bulbul
Himalayan Bulbul
Rock Bunting
White Capped Bunting
Yellow Billed Chough
Eurasian Cuckoo
Oriental Turtle Dove
Black Drango
Little Pied Flycatcher
Vardite Flycatcher
Yellow Breasted Greenfinch
Common Hoopoe
Rufous Necked Laughingthrush
Streaked Laughingthrush
Yellow Billed Blue Magpie
Eurasian Golden Oriole
Wedge Tailed Green Pigeon
Black Redstart
Plumbeous Water Redstart
White Cap Water Redstart
Common Rosefinch
Long Tailed Shrike
Rufous Sibia
Russet Sparrow
Blue Capped Rock Thrush
Black Throated Tit
Green Backed Tit
Rufous Naped Tit
Rufous Vented Tit
Spot Winged Tit
Treecreeper
White Wagtail
Oriental Whiteeye
Himalayan Woodpecker
Himalayan Griffon

Till next time lets bird.....

The Yellow throated Bulbul (YTB)

2010-06-18T11:46:00.006+05:30

The joy that his photo brings...In the little birding that I have done, I had heard discussions about the YTB, that it is spectacular, endangered and that there is a small population in Hampi. beyond that it did not really register to find out more. Until I saw this photo in an article in the Hindu by Marianne De Nazareth.

That is enough to get the fire going. I need to go find this guy. Will update when I find him. Wish me luck.

Black Kite

2010-06-16T14:26:00.003+05:30

This photograph was one of my first attempts at birds. This is one of the resident pair, nesting opposite a friends office.

Report of Sunday Birdwalk at Okhla sanctuary, Delhi - 06 June 2010 - Indianbirds.

2010-06-07T14:39:00.002+05:30

A typical summer birding at OBP with the last night's showers ensuring a pleasant and windy morning for over two dozen birders who turned up here this morning.

The stars of this season's birding - Black Bittern Yellow Bittern, Cinnamon Bittern and Watercock - showed up very well and a close flypast by a Black Bittern being the highlight of the day. The Watercock usually keeps it end May date for this site every year and we saw one that flushed out from nearby grasses as against four that we saw here last Sunday.We missed out on the Pied Cuckoo that's already been reported from here two weeks ago but numerous Golden Orioles here today were a delight. Also over half a dozen Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters, in the air and sitting on the reeds, with beautiful views obtained through the scope.

The other residents viz. breeding streaked Weavers, Straited Grassbird, Yellow-bellied Prinia, Lesser Whistling & Spot-billed Ducks, Plain Martins, few River Terns, Bronze-winged Jacana, Purple Swamphens, Yellow-eyed Babblers etc adding up to the day's birdcount that easily reaches c60 during a couple of hours birding here even in the hot summer months.
Good birding.

Kanwar B Singh

Report of Sunday Birdwalk at Sanjay Van, Delhi - 16 May 2010 - Indianbirds

2010-05-25T12:30:00.002+05:30

Hello All,

Indian Birds is a group on facebook created by Kanwar B Singh. The group is self described as "Facebook community of everyone with an interest in the Birdlife of South Asia. In association with Indian Birds Journal and New Ornis Foundation".

At last count this group is 2109 strong with members from all walks of life. Among other activities, this group conducts Sunday Birdwalks on a regular basis in and around Delhi.

I had approached Kanwar B. Singh to consider allowing this blog to carry the reports of these birwalks on this blog. He has consented to allow the same. Many thanks to you sir.

The following is the first of these reports of Sunday Birdwalk at Sanjay Van, Delhi conducted on 16 May 2010. The report is in the words Kanwar B Singh. He has this very inspiring signature...

"I'd rather be birding"

Ditto sir, Ditto.

The report:

Dr Surya Prakash and Pankaj Gupta led us through delights of summer birding, early in the morning today, through leafy Sanjay Van; a large stretch of city forest measuring over 600 hectares.Over twenty delhibirders who turned up here this morning had a wonderful birding indeed.

The flutey calls of Golden Orioles rent the morning air during much of our walk and several pairs were seen very well. Common Hawk Cuckoo proclaiming the summer loudly and the other usual residents viz. Oriental Magpie Robin, brown-headed Barbet, Coppersmith Barbet, Black-rumped Flameback, Yellow-crowned Woodpecker, Indian Robin, Ashy & Grey-breasted Prinia, Indian Grey Hornbills, Jungle, Large Grey & Common Babblers, Indian Silver Bills, Grey Francolins, Purple Sunbirds, Yellow-footed Green Pigeons, Green Bee-eaters, Spotted Owlet, rufous Treepie, House Swifts, Common Tailorbird, etc. Pankaj's quick eye caught a Sirkeer Malkoha, walking rapidly - mongoose like - on the ground and many of us managed fairly nice views.

Few Blyth's Reed Warbler and a lone Green Sandpiper at the check dams were the only lingering winter migrants. Also at the water body were a flock of about a dozen Black-headed Ibis, a lone Black Ibis, Common Moorhens, White-browed Wagtails, many Wire-tailed Swallows, Indian Pond Herons, Cattle Egrets, White-throated Kingfishers, Black-winged Stilts etc. A well camouflaged Eurasian Thick-knee here was quite expertly picked out by Soma, which Chander immediately scoped in, much to the delight of many.

Sanjay Van, including it's contiguous areas like Asola and parts of South Delhi ridge, remain one of the few rich repositories of the avian biodiversity of our capital. It's nice to see this fact returning into the consciousness of the local birding community.

Good Birding.
KB.

Golden Oriole Image courtesy of Shri J M Garg.

Until Next time, lets bird......

Bird Sunday Report (16-05-2010) of Bangalore Birds

2010-05-24T10:26:00.004+05:30

This is the report of Bird Sunday (16-05-2010) of Bangalore Birds. Many thanks to Mr. Anand Srinivasa of Bangalore Birds for providing the report.

Many thanks are due to Mr J M Garg for having permitted his photographs of about 400 species and his other works available on wiki to be used on this blog. The following is the link to his work on wiki.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:J.M.Garg

Sir, if you are reading this hats of to you.

Report:

We went around the trails near Ramakrishna Mission School in Shivanahalli. Breakfast was at the ashram. Later few of us visited the lake near Ragihalli and also spent some time birding on the way back till Bannerghatta Road.

The best sighting of the visit was Red Rumped Swallows.

Image courtesy of Mr J.M.Garg.

Surprisingly they were quite bold. They were lot of them, and would come down and perch just 2 or 3 feet from us in a water puddle. This was near Ragihalli Lake. We also saw lot of butterflies.

Following is the bird list.

White cheeked Barbet
Coppersmith Barbet
Green Bee-eater
Yellow Throated Bulbul
Red Whiskered Bulbul
Red vented Bulbul
Common Babbler
Pied Bush Chat
Little Cormorant
Greater Coucal (Call Heard)
Pied Cuckoo
Spotted Dove (Group of six)
Black Drango
Cattle Egret (Breeding Plumage)
Tickell's Blue Flycatcher
Pond Heron
Asian Koel
Red wattled Lapwing
Ashy Prinia
Indian Robin
Oriental Magpie Robin
Purple Rumped Sunbird
Red Rumped Swallow
Oriental White-eye

Till next time, lets bird......

Bird Tour in Goa

2010-05-18T12:03:00.001+05:30

Hello All,

Rohan Naik offers the following services in Goa,
1) Bird watching
2) Butterfly watching
3) Monsoon Nature Walk
4) Nature trails or treks
5) Visits to various waterfalls and rivers.

The usual spots of his tours are:-
1) Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary (Bird watching and Butterfly watching)
2) Bhagwaan Mahaveer Wildlfie Sanctuary (There are various parts of
these sanctuary good for various fauna)
3) Chorla Ghat (For Monsoon Nature Walks, wild flower watching and
butterfly watching.)
4) Tambdi Surla Waterfall trail ( Bird watching, monsoon nature walks
and butterfly watching.)
5) Carambolim Lake ( Migratory and resident water bird watching,
butterfly and drgonfly watching)
6) Dudhsaagar Waterfall trail ( Butterfly watching or monsoon walk)

He can be contacted on email at rahutherebel AT gmail.com

His Blog: http://rohannaik90.blogspot.com/

Those who avail his services may please provide a feedback for the benefit of others.

Till next time, lets bird.

Birding Invitation - Sakleshpur

2010-05-15T23:51:00.003+05:30

Hello all.

Dr. H. Javid offers invitation to interested birders to avail of a birding opportunity on his estate, near Sakaleshpur, on the foothills of the Western Ghats.

Please contact.

Dr. H. Javid,
Cullerhully Estate,
Raxidi,
Sakleshpur.
Mobile: 94483-79913.

Those who avail this invitation. Please provide a feedback for the benifit of other future aspirants.

Till next time. lets Bird.

Sunday Birding Report - Kirvati, North Karnataka.

2010-05-11T21:44:00.014+05:30

A Birding trip was long over due, there was a longing to get back to that divine fragrance of the forest and it so happened that a meeting with Mr. Gurunath Desai in connection with the website for the NKBN led to a half day Birding trip being planned for Sunday to Kirvati, a wooded area about 59 km from Hubli and 9 km away from Kalghatgi. Kirvati is on the Hubli-Karwar Road. On the way back we planned to bird at Thampur Lake on the same highway.

To get directly to the complete list of the birds seen or heard during this trip please scroll to the end of this post.

A four member team comprising of Ms. Shailaja Yadwad, Mr. Gurunath Desai (GND), Mr. Ganesh Roa and your truly commenced the journey at 0700 hrs. .

On the way we had a lightning stop at Devikoppa Lake (DL), this lake boasts of a lodge for hunting Ducks built by the British. Though the IB is in dilapidated condition, the location of the IB and the Road leading to and away from the IB, impress the eye. Shailaja called out a purple heron on the far bank. Coot Teal, Purple Muren and Grebe were the other spoils at the lake. A mental note and a promise to return to this lake at a latter date are made and the journey towards Kirvati resumes.

On the way, GND pointed out the turn leading toward Icheenahalli Lake (IL). Great place for a day outing but almost no birding is how he chooses to put it. The exit to this lake is about half a Kilometer from the Satho Saheed Darga on the Hubli - Karwar Road

Kirvati is one of the largest timber yards in Karnataka. Reaching Kirvati we turned right and 2 km, a pea fowl and a couple of pea hens latter we reached Thatihala. We took a trail and were immediately ambushed by mosquitoes, black, big and hungry. A mental note to carry repellent, the next time around.

In the 45 minutes spent on this trail we spotted a good number of birds, the pair of Pygmy Woodpecker and the velvet fronted nuthatch getting the most sighs. We also spotted a Giant Squirrel keeping us company and a whistling Thrush provided the back ground score throughout.

Getting back from the trail post breakfast we continued on, GND was all Moses like when he lead us to a ficus tree promising us delights and we were not disappointed. A Crested serpent Eagle at close quarters set the tempo. The orange headed Thrush, Yellow eyed Babbler, Tickles Flycatcher added to the excitement. The fichus tree and the surrounding area were alive with calls. A promising spot requiring an extended stay. Enroute a pea fowl posing majestically on a tree stump left an image that will stay a while. Near the ficus Shailaja swears that she heard a pitta call here but a search returned a blank.

We turned back towards the highway and 2 km latter the magic began, the Shama pictured here played out a 15 min spell binding routine tantalizingly close to us. This guy was redefining the term playing to the gallery, latter a Minivert pair joined the act and kept us captivated.

A little further Ganesh Roa spotted a lizard, which was identified by GND as a Draco and educated us that it was very rare. The short video below will do more justice than words possibly can.

Back on the road, we drove on to check out the Lake, where a pair of Crested serpent Eagle is reported to be in permanent residence. The lake was picture perfect as promised by Mr. Desai and bare of birds but for Open bill Storks. We found the CSE pair along with a Juvenile CSE. The lake has a high bund to one side; on the other side of this bund is a wooded region from where several calls could be heard. A return to this lake is imminent.

We drove on to Thampur Lake and reached there at about 12, but the birding here was almost next to nothing. Some bronze winged Jacanas, purple Muren, coots and grebes were all that we could spot. The lack of birds could be because it was noon but we were disappointed none the less.

We returned to Hubli at about 1330, smiling, the senses sated but just for the moment. Many thanks to Shailaja for joining us. We hope you get that Pita sooner than latter. For Ganesh Roa, this was a first outing with members of the NKBN. Welcome Sir.

For Ganesh Roa and myself, the banter between Shailaja and GND was like Birding 101. Shailaja with her words painted up a magnificient canvas about the Rann of Kutch, Gujarat and Bhigwan, that made us want to run up there. Suddenly that wife's friends wedding in Gujarat looks so very interesting, Jasmine, should you be reading this, please get married in bird season.

A complete list of the birds spotted / heard during the session is given below. The abbreviations next to bird names indicate sightings of the species in different birding locations on the trip.

Devikoppa Lake - (DL)
Kirwati - Thatihala - (KWT)
Icheenahalli Lake - (IL)
Thambur Lake - (TL)

Purple Muren. (TL, IL)
Coot Teal. (TL, IL)
Purple Heron. (DL)
Magpie Robin. (KWT)
Brown Headed Barbet. (KWT)
Indian Peafowl (KWT)
Racket tailed Drango. (KWT)
Whishtiling Thrush. (KWT)
Plumheaded parakeet. (KWT)
Pigmy Woodpecker. (KWT)
Spotted Dove. (KWT)
Rufous Woodpecker. (KWT)
Velvet fronted Nuthatch. (KWT)
White breasted Drongo. (KWT)
Ashy Drongo. (KWT)
Black Headed Oriole. (KWT)
Shama. (KWT)
Crested serpent eagle. (KWT)
Tickle's Flycatcher. (KWT)
Orange headed Thrush. (KWT)
Yellow eyed Babbler. (KWT)
Black headed Munia. (KWT)
Indian Treepie. (KWT)
Scarlet Minivert. (KWT)
Oriental White eye. (KWT)
Bronze winged Jacana. (TL)
Asian Openbill Stork. (KWT)
Grebe. (TL)
White-breasted Kingfisher (TL).
Black Ibis. (IL)
Spotted Owlet. (TL, KWT).
Greater Coucal. (KWT).
Red-wattled Lapwing. (TL).
Pita (KWT)

Till next time....lets bird.

Birding Madness Stage - X

2010-05-07T10:07:00.000+05:30

Has the birding madness set in when you look at a colleague in a yellow, black and white Salwar and go...Common Iora!.

Till next time, lets bird.

Hierarchy at Birding camps

2010-05-05T17:19:00.004+05:30

Hello All,

I came across this interesting piece on the blog urban babblers.

This post is by Sharada, a member of the Urban Babblers. Many thanks to her for permission to post the same here.

विचार: A highly interesting state of affairs observed at birding camps. The hierarchy progresses thusly:

Car 1: The Executive/Administrative vehicle. Is usually occupied by the most solemn birders whose sole objective is to notch up the birding list and capture shots of raptors gliding in some obscure part of the horizon with their fantastic cameras. The latest news in the world of the environment and ornithology is discussed here.
Car 2: Comprises the party workers. A degree less in the feverishness that grips the first vehicle, but will ensure they overtake cars no 3 and 4 just to retain their position.
Car no 3: The Opposition: Will bird in west while the rest bird in east.
Car 4: Supplied with Biryani, loaded onto trucks and brought for birding program.:p The last vehicle in the convoy, its occupants are the small-fry to whom people rarely listen to. “Ooh! That’s an Ultramarine flycatcher!” Expert walks by and says, “No. That is an Ultramarine flycatcher.” Rest of the horde rejoices, "Yay! It’s an Ultramarine Flycatcher!” Apart from birding, occupants involve in various activities like eating junk-food, napping, singing, discussing interesting random topics like Politics and Sports, playing Dumb Charades and laughing at the most absurd jokes on the planet. Interested newbies may apply C/o Last Car of Convoy.

Hope you enjoyed it.

Till next time...Lets bird.

Small Pratincole (Glareola lactea)

2010-05-01T12:15:00.003+05:30

This Small Pratincole (Glareola lactea) was photographed in Attiveri Bird Sanctuary in March 2010. These birds were on a small island in the sanctuary. There were about 20 of these birds. They were surprisingly calm on our approach. During the half hour that we spent at this spot viewing these mesmerizing birds, these birds went about their business like we were not there.

From The Indian Birding Blog

Recently, Mr Pompayya Swamy from hospet, had visited the sanctuary and reported that there were Pratincole nesting on a different island on the lake.

Eurasian Spoonbill

2010-05-01T11:34:00.002+05:30

This Eurasian Spoonbill was photographed in Attiveri, a bird sanctuary about 40 Kms away from Hubli.

Mr Owl comes calling at 3 AM

2010-04-30T22:41:00.007+05:30

This morning at about 0300 hrs, my sleep was disturbed by a call that was unmistakable from an owl. I was instantly awake and realized that the call was from within my bedroom balcony. I tiptoed to the window and what do I see... a Barn Owl (Tyto alba) about 12 inches tall. But this was a special one, cause I was standing exactly three feet away. I could make out its facial features perfectly, the face was snowy white, the fine feathers blown-in on one part of its face by the wind.

It was a catch 22 situation, I make a move towards the camera and this fellow was a gonner, if i don't then its a sitter in my mind alone. After about 3 mins of peering at me with smart tilts of its head, it flew to an adjacent house about 45-50 feet away. I got my camera and tried all possible combination to make a shot but the lack of light and the distance ensured that all I got was worthless shots. one of them is below.

From this spot it flew on to my roof. The sight of it swooping down and then up to my roof was spell binding. I could hear its call a few more times and then it flew down to a vacant plot overgrown with weeds and never came again. I stayed awake till 5 AM armed with a torch, hoping that it would come back and let me take another shot at it, this time with the light. It never did come back.

On my return from the office, I was informed about an injured bird in a neighbouring house. It was a female Pied Bushchat (Saxicola caprata) (thanks to Adesh on INW for helping me with the ID), It seemed to be pretty comfortable where it was and the male was getting all worked up when i tried to get near it to see the damage. Decided to let it be and got a photo off.

Looking forward for some birding come Sunday morning. Can hardly wait.

Bird Humor

What do you call a very rude bird ?
A mockingbird !

Until next time...Lets bird.

My first Bird

2010-04-29T12:39:00.000+05:30

In January 2010, the North Karnataka Birders Network (NKBN) had their meet at Bhadra Tiger Reserve. I joined NKBN for this meet which was a three day affair and became a member. I had carried the camera along and made this image during the first birding session. I would like to share it with you. This is my first Bird image.

Small Sunbird

The making of this image made me extremely happy. It also brought out the limitations of the my camera the Panasonic DMC FZ28.

Allabux has drilled it into me that the blog needs photographs. I plan to place them in the blog over the the weekend.

Till then, as the NKBNites would say.. let's bird....

Target

2010-04-27T16:49:00.000+05:30

There are 1200 species of birds in India.

1200 X the joy of birding = Pure Bliss.

The target to see as many as possible. To photograph all that I can see.

A wrong turn leads to the right spot - Birding at Bird trail, Kulgi Nature Camp, Dandeli.

2010-04-19T12:34:00.000+05:30

Sighting of the day: Malabar pied Hornbill.

The much delayed family outing with Ganesh Rao and family came to be on Sunday. The destination chosen was Sathodi falls. Incidentally, this was the second time this destination was chosen for an outing. The first time, the trip was canceled due to the ill health of a family member. This time around we had planned to start after lunch and leave sathodi falls after sunset.

Was it Robert Burns who wrote "the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray". With all respect to Burns, with the way the trip turned out, the "go astray" part can well be "led astray".

We started out at about 14:45 and had an uneventful drive till the cross road that breaks up into Dandeli and Yellapur. It was at this point that Ganesh Rao decided to make his so called first wrong turn in all his driving. Apparently he was looking for an Sign Board in English that even the locals have not heard off. If anyone knows anything about this sign board plz drop a line and educate us.

The wrong turn lead us to Dandeli and since it was already about 1640 hrs, a couple of phone calls latter we decided that we will head to the Kulgi nature camp and go birding on the Kulgi bird trail. My suspicion of Ganesh's intentions that this trip should be a birding trip was getting stronger.

During the drive Ganesh Rao was praying Hornbill Dhikhade Bhagwan i.e GOD show me a Hornbill.

So we hit the bird trail at Kulgi Nature Camp. We were not able to complete the trail due to an uprooted tree blocking the trail. The birding was poor even though we could hear calls all around us. We spent sometime at the watch tower on the trail. As it was getting dark fast, we decided to turn back.

At that precise moment it happened..... A Malabar pied Hornbill chose to favor us with an appearance. It was a magnificent sight. It perched itself on a nearby tree giving us a clear view of its glory. We were gaping at it open mouthed forgetting that we had a camera in had, not even a record short was made. Then it leaped into the air, one flap of its wings and with out stretched wings it made soared in a semi circle over us and moved on to a tree about 25 meters away.

For almost a minute there was a stunned silence and then we were all speaking at once :) PURE JOY. At once, I could understand the joyous expression that covers a birders face on a sighting such as the one we had witnessed. After all had such an expression over our face.

So Ganesh Rao, got his wish after all. The turn he took towards Dandeli finally made sense. But i do not think that anyone will pass over the chance to pull his leg over the turn, which he still maintains was the right way to Sathodi Falls.

When we got back to the car, it was almost 1900. We started towards Hubli, with a prayer that we do not get caught in the rain. Our prayers were answered and we got back to Hubli at 2130.

What a day, good people, some laughter, lots of teasing, the smell of the forest at dusk , a wrong turn leads to the right spot hmmmm there is my Title.

Here is to more days such as this.

Rain Respite and birding at Neersagar

2010-04-17T20:07:00.000+05:30

After two weeks of dry heat and two days of muggy weather, it rained here in Hubli yesterday. Rain turned my lane into a muck bath. The usual trouble of water logging, black soil sticking to your shoes, feet and everything else is back this year.

The trouble began last year, when the pipeline for 24 hrs water supply was laid. The contractors did not do a clean job of filling up the pit and that meant the black soil stayed on top and mixed with water its pure hell for pedestrians as well as motorist.

This year starting three weeks back, my lane underwent work for laying the sewage line. The pit dug up was 15 feet deep. The contractor once gain goofs up in filling up the pit. Lo and behold black soil on top and with the rain yesterday and today. Grrrrrrrrr.

I have been running from pillar to post to do something about the state of the road, but to no avail.

Today:
Birding with Ganesh Rao at Neersagar lake.

Sighting:
Red-Whiskered Bulbul. Some great light enabled a leisurely viewing. one this outing the Bulbuls outnumbered any other species seen and Ganesh Rao was wondering if we should name neersagar, Bulbul Paradise.

White-browed Fantail Fantail-Flycatcher: My first sighting of this common bird (am i a novice or shat) A sweet melodious call compelled us to track down this bird. the delight was in finding it in its nest. The nest itself is a work of art, an almost perfect cup. The sweet call made us nutty with delight.

Shikra: A juvenile Shikra was harassing a squirrel and the squirrel was dishing out a run for its money. The daring squirrel seemed to be inviting the Shikra by venturing out onto the open branches. Looking back now, just wondering if it was trying to distract the Shikra from its young. Got a decent photo.

Yellow Wagtail: The wagtail was spotted on the way to neersagar at a small pond. In some great light, it ventured close to where we were. Ganesh Rao was elated at the have a close sighting.

Brahminy Starling: Having photographed this bird buring the last visit, i was able to id it only today. Never thought that, there existed a bird with a blue patch along the side of its beak.

We were back in Hubli by noon. Dropped of a dear friend at the station and rushed back home before the rains come visiting and render the road a nightmare.

Shikra and Brahminy kite Sighting

2010-04-08T22:46:00.000+05:30

Today's sighting:- A pair of Shikras and a pair of Brahminy kite on Club Road.

Chose to go to the Railway grounds for my morning walk. Was pleasantly surprised to spot a pair of shikras on the perimeter of the ground. Spoke to one of the regulars and was informed that they are nesting there and that there is another pair about 50 meters away.

Link to Shikra-Male
Link to Shikra-Female

There is also a Brahminy Kite (pair) nesting in the adjacent tree. I found it kind of strange. I will check with the experts if thats a common occurrence and come back on that.

Link to Brahminy Kite -Male
Link to Brahminy Kite -Female

Since the binocular was with me I could get a good sighting.

Should I make the railway ground my regular morning walk venue. Naaaaaaaa its to far and I am too lazy.

Birding Equipment

2010-04-07T14:45:00.000+05:30

Bird Sighting of the Day: Coppersmith Barbit on Gadag Road.

I am currently using a Olympus Binocular DPSI 10 x 50 (got a great deal from an online shop,) Initially I was apprehensive that the binocular would be too heavy and that i would be unable to handle the hand shake. A couple of weeks of using the binocular and it feels great. I was pleasantly surprised by the results in low light situations.

My field guide is Salim Ali's Book Of Indian Birds 13th Edition.

In a couple of months, I want to add Pocket Guide To The Birds Of The Indian Subcontinent by Richard Grimmett , Carol Inskipp & Tim Inskipp and Field Guide To The Birds Of Southern India by Richard Grimmett & Tim Inskipp.

I also use a digital camera, the Panasonic DMC FZ-28 along with a Olympus tele converter, the TCON 17 for taking photographs. Using the camera on field has underlined the fact that super zoom/prosumer cameras are not fit for bird photography. The culprit being the small sensor on these cameras.

At best the images can be used for record shots. Having said that I have to submit that at times I have been pleasantly surprised by the results given good conditions i.e great light, birds at close range and a steady hand day.

I confess that I have ambitions of doing some great Bird photography. Hmmmm any wishing well known to grant wishes of Canon 50D and/or at least a Sigma 170-500mm F5-6.3. OK getting back to reality... What I need is a Guru for photography and then bird photography.

I also use the following two sites extensively for identification of birds.

http://indiabirds.com/
http://indianaturewatch.net/

A sincere thanks to Mr Vijay Cavale for granting permission to link to his site (http://indiabirds.com/) to enable easy identification of birds mentioned in this blog.

Until next time.....lets bird.

Neersagar birding on Easter Sunday

2010-04-05T14:42:00.000+05:30

Commissioned in 1956, Neersagar Reservoir in Bedthi Valley (20 Kms from Hubli) is the source drinking water for Hubli and Kalghatgi.

The reservoir is one of the birding spots nearest to Hubli.

Although the spot has more than a fair share of birds. Sunday's birding apart from the common birds resulted only in a pair of Grey Frankolin, Purple Sunbirds and a Coppersmith Barbit.

The guard of the premises spoke about a flock of Peacocks that were seen after sunset. But on this day the peacocks were elusive.

Cheers until next time

Easter Sunday.

2010-04-04T23:47:00.000+05:30

Easter Sunday,

0700 hrs mass at the Infant Jesus Church, Shanti Nagar.

Lovely Biryani from leony. Ganesh Rao for company.

Post lunch there was a sudden urge to go birding.

So off we were to Neer Sagar lake in Kalghatgi. The lake is the source of drinking water to Hubli City and Kalghatgi.

Returned home to find BSNL broadband connection intermittent and its too late, so the birding report will be on tomorrow.

The begining.

2010-04-03T22:11:00.000+05:30

Welcome and Wishing one and all a very happy Easter.

This blog will be about life in Hubli, a city in North Karnataka, India. Birding will figure prominently in it. So will nature and the importance of its conservation.

As a child, I was initiated into birding by my grandmother. Come feeding time,with me on her lap, she would point at bulbuls, house sparrow, crows, koels and woodpeckers that frequented the tree in my backyard, just to get me to eat (May the good LORD bless her soul). Lunch time at school and food got left on the ground for black kites to swoop down and carry it away.

As I grew and journeyed through life, the black kite remained an object of envy, for its gift of flight. New interests, the pain of school itself etc ensured that birds were a there but as a distant memory.

Last year the interest got kindled. A trip to Magadi Lake to see the bar headed geese and a meeting with Shri Gurunath Desai of the North Karnataka Birders Network (NKBN) did the trick.

This blog essentialy takes off from there and its a work in progress.

Your comments are welcome.