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

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

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......