Birding at Madivala Lake

It has become a weekly routine with me to look out for new birding locations.
Birding and Flickr can be exceedingly addictive. Infact, they feed off each other.
All photos in this post can be viewed on flickr. Pls click on them to view larger sizes.

After the MiniForest trip (see last post) turned into a more "Life in the Undergrowth" kind of outing, I thought we simply must find some birds.
We set off to Madivala on a rainy morning last Saturday. Mind you, it wasn't raining when we left at 6:00 am, but it did drizzle along the way.

We reached Madivala Lake and Park in around 30 min. We got a tad lost, then had to look for a suitable place to park. The entrance does not have any parking; we parked next to a temple, a little beyond the entrance.

The entrance is far from impressive, and the "park" is rather small. But almost at once, we were met by a pair of Ashy Prinia. They were in joyous mood and sang continuously for the time that we were there.






The Lake itself is rather large. The distances make it difficult to get good pictures. The Pelicans and cormorants are all over the lake. We were not able to see the herons and the kingfishers also eluded us. I was glad to see that the Hyacinth has not colonised the lake, though it is present all along the edges.






We chanced upon a dead fish near the lake bank, under a jetty. And set up our tripods in the hope that a snake may chance by. And it did! It wasnt very pretty though, and was very shy.
Further reptiles revealed themselves in various cracks and crevices.






The crowning glory of our trip was a busy pair of Spotted Munia. This was my first sighting of the birds. In their breeding plumage, they are simply a joy to watch.
They had made their nest in the coconut palm (next to the defuct loo)- enduring the stench, was well worth it. [:)]





We watched for nearly 20 min while the pair actively made trips back and forth, collecting grass for the nest. While waiting for it to return, saw a sun bird nearby. My first capture of the sunbird. Its a female. I was hoping for the colourful male - gender equality doesnt apply to sunbirds :)

Bird Sightings:
Ashy Prinia (several)
Spotted Bill Pelicans (serveral)
Spot Bill Ducks
Purple Moor Hen
Little Cormorants
Pond Herons
SunBirds (several)
Indian Robin (Female)
Small Green Barbet
Brahminy Kite
Pariah Kites (several)
Spotted Munia (breeding pair)
Rose Ringed Parakeets

Reptilians:
Snake - species unknown
Chameleon
Lizards (2) - One green, other grey.

IMP Notes:
Caterpillar like bugs, they are every where. (beware of them - 2 of them hitched a ride on mom's back)

The loo is defunct, so try not to drink a lot of water. The next loo is a km away, so you really have to hold it. :)

The Park has a laughter club, and frankly, I jumped out of my skin hearing loud guffaws while I was intently creeping up on my sunbird. No worries though, the sunbird was made of tough stuff, it was unfazed.

I learnt of this place from here : http://thoughtsinflight.wordpress.com/2007/04/29/birding-in-the-city/

Getting there:
Coming down Hosur Road from Koramangala, take the right at Silk Board, leading into BTM Layout. Take the left at 31st Main. This is after the Kuvemu Nagar BMTC Bus Stand, and leads you right to the park/lake.

Breakfast:
At Woodys. Refer previous post for instructions on getting there.
The Rava Masala Dosa was good. Steer clear of vadas - they were cold. The Puris were a bit too thick.

Many thanks to Keshav for spotting the munias - Though he didnt know what they were. :) Also for the directions, I would never have remembered the way.