Munia Mania

It all began when i noticed my Lemon Grass in the kitchen garden looked like it had been pruned by a 5 yr old. At first I thought it was the cook doing some gardening and gave it no further thought. That was until on a sunday morning while making tea, I heard soft twitters from the balcony and peeked out the window. I had caught the lemon-grass thief in action!



I moved over to the other bedroom window and from there I could get a good view of them ( yes, there were of them ). One sat on the grill as a lookout, while the other picked at a leaf ( they are tough leaves and difficult to cut ). All the while the one doing the picking would give out a soft 'chee' sound periodically. When it was done, it made a 'ti tee ti tee' like sound and the two of them took off with a long green streamer of lemon grass behind them.



This wasn't the first time I had seen a Scaly Breasted Munia (also called Spotted Munia). It was the first time I had heard it though. This has been a daily occurrence since June, there are 2 of them outside the window tweeting away as I type this out. They visit in the morning and in the afternoon.They are nesting in our apartment campus in a Ficus.

Last week there were four of them sitting on the grill near the plant. They are now used to my presence and I was able to open the window slowly and push out my lens between the grills and take these photos. 



Spotted Munia Info (Lonchura punctulata)

Spotted Munia are a species of Finch   They are native to India. They look quite distinctive so are hard to confuse with other birds. They are sparrow sized. Male and Female look exactly alike. Research says that the male sings more than the female and has a slightly darker head.


Nesting season is June - August ( monsoon ). It seems that the Munias are dedicated builders, they seem to be showing no signs of stopping. I don't know how much longer my lemongrass can take the constant pruning. They must be having the most fragrant nest in the neighborhood.

Spotted Munias are easily spotted in flight by the long green streamers they fly around with as they ferry them back to the nest. Ive seen them nest in Ficus quite a bit. We even had one nesting in a potted Ficus in the Office open air cafeteria.  My first sighting of them was at Madivala lake.




Food: Munia eat grass seeds and small insects. They dont seem to like rice grains or mixed dals, because I put a few out and they weren't interested.

Are there other Munias ? Yes there are indeed : 1. Red Munia - Avadavat ( seen only once and record photo by K in Manchinbele ) 2. White Rumped Munia - seen in Ranganthittu 3. Silver Bills - seen in Maidanhalli and Manchinbele 4. Black Headed Munia - Seen in Ranganthittu  5. Green Avadavat - (north and central india) very rare and Threatened species.

Highrise Birding

Living in an apartment building in the middle of the city doesnt mean you are bereft of birds. The Munias are not our only visitors. Other birds that we see on a daily basis from our 9th floor abode:

Large Pied Wagtails
Purple Sun Bird
Bush chat - male and female
Blue Rock pigeons ( these I dont encourage )
Tiny Bats ( we had one as a house guest for a day )
Red rumped swallows

Other birds we've seen from the terrace or on walks around the campus:

Shikra (regular sighting)
Spotted Owlet (regular sighting)
Jungle Myna (not the regular myna, these have a tuft on the beak)
Tree Pie
Kites
1 Peacock - ( I kid you not! )

We saw the peacock a month or so ago, walking on the terrace of the neighboring apartment building. We still cant believe it ourselves. (Checked with people, its not a pet). I also saw a few years ago an egyptian vulture on top of the ITPL building. There is a forested area not too far way, so I'm guessing the peacock, tree pie and the monkeys come from there.


 
Can I get these birds to visit me?


Certainly, You can grow lemon grass for starters. ( just kidding ).

A bird bath is a good bird magnet. But it will encourage pigeons ( which make quite a mess ) so unless you have a large balcony or terrace, I wouldn't recommend it. Place an earthen ware pot filled with water in a shaded area. Place a stone in the middle ( as an island ) for smaller birds.

The best way is to attract small nectar drinking birds like sunbirds. Plant native species of Hibiscus ( Red, Pink, White) or the Blue Clustervine, Yellow Trumpet or butterfly pea vine and with some luck, you will soon have a few sunbirds drop by.

Birds of Ranganthittu

Over the years, I have often visited Ranganthittu and with growing familiarity I've become quite fond of it. Its a must visit spot if you're into birds and even though its rather small ( around 60 odd sq km ) it does boast of a nice variety of bird life, if you know where to look.

The park consists of little islands on the banks of the river Cauvery, and is near Srirangapatna town.

Some history that I became aware of only recently - the islands were artificially created when a dam across the Cauvery was built in the 1700s. It was ornithologist Dr. Salim Ali who persuaded the Wodeyar royal family of Mysore to convert the area to a bird sanctuary in the 1940s.

If you time your visit to the sanctuary in the nesting season, you will be treated to quite a sight ( if you can tolerate the pungent odor of bird droppings )

The birds are seen from boats ( human powered with oars ) or by walking along the banks or from a watch tower. The park also has gardens, lawns and artificial ponds which host other little birds.



Black headed Ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus)

Being large birds, these are usually the first to be seen from the boat ride.
These birds breed in South Asia and Southeast Asia from Pakistan to India, Sri Lanka east up to Japan. They build a nest of twigs and lay 2 to 4 eggs.
They feed on fish, frogs and other water creatures, as well as on insects.



Spot Billed Pelican (Pelecanus philippensis)

They breed in southern Asia from southern Pakistan across India east to Indonesia. They can be identified at close range by the spots on the upper mandible. It is a colonial breeder, often breeding in the company of other waterbirds. The birds nest in gregarious colonies and the nest is a thick platform of twigs placed on a low tree. Breeding season from October to May.



Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala)

This is a very large wading bird. Its range extends from wetlands and plains of tropical Asia south of the Himalayas in South Asia to Southeast Asia. Being very colorful birds, identifying them couldn't be simpler. Their distinctive pink feathers near the tail give them their name.

Regrettably I always have very poor luck with these birds, I never seem to be able to capture them photogenically. I'm not happy with my photos of it, so I'm including one of Keshav's as well.




They forage in flocks in shallow waters along rivers or lakes. They immerse their half open beaks in water and sweep them from side to side and snap up their prey of small fish that are sensed by touch. As they wade along they also stir the water with their feet to flush hiding fish. They nest colonially in trees, often along with other waterbirds.
In northern India, the breeding season begins in mid-August while in southern India the nest initiation begins around October and continues till February - April.


Juvenile Asian Open Bill

Asian Open Billed Stork (Anastomus oscitans)

It is a resident breeder in tropical southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to Southeast Asia.

Graceful in flight, this a broad-winged soaring bird, which is not particularly attractive or photogenic at close quarters. It can be seen flying overhead with its neck outstretched. Not as large as the painted stork, it can be easily identified by its unusually shaped beak, which only meets at the tip, leaving a gap between the upper and lower mandibles. They breed near inland wetlands and build stick nest in trees, typically laying 2-6 eggs.



Breeding adults are all white except for the black wing flight feathers, red legs and dull yellow-grey bill.




Eurasian Spoon Bill (Common Spoonbill - Platalea leucorodia)

Breeds in southern Eurasia (Spain to Japan) and in North Africa. Most birds migrate to the tropics in winter, with European breeders mainly going to Africa, but a few remaining in mild winter areas of western Europe north to the United Kingdom.

The breeding bird is all white except for its dark legs, black bill with a yellow tip, and a yellow breast patch like a pelican. It has a crest in the breeding season. Non-breeders lack the crest and breast patch, and immature birds have a pale bill and black tips to the primary flight feathers. Unlike herons, spoonbills fly with their necks outstretched.

The Eurasian Spoonbill can be differentiated from the African Spoonbill by its crest. The African species also has a red face and legs which are absent here.



Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea)

This is among my personal favorites, since its not often seen and is painfully shy. It breeds in Africa, central and southern Europe, and southern and eastern Asia. The European populations are migratory, wintering in tropical Africa; the more northerly Asian populations also migrate further south within Asia.

It breeds in colonies in reed beds or trees close to large lakes or other extensive wetlands building a bulky stick nest. It feeds in shallow water, spearing fish, frogs, insects, small mammals, reptiles and small birds. When spotted, it will often be waiting motionless for prey, or slowly stalking its victim. It tends to keep within reed beds more than the Grey Heron and is therefore less often seen, despite its large size.

It has a slow flight, with its neck retracted. This is characteristic of herons and bitterns, and distinguishes them from storks, cranes and spoonbills, which extend their necks. The long neck of Purple Heron looks particularly snake-like, with more of an S-shape in flight. Its call is not melodious, a loud croaking "krek".

In the next parts of this series, I hope to cover :
Cattle Egret, Eurasian Thicknee, Kingfishers, River Tern, Blyth's Reed Warbler and the Streak-throated swallow

Gir Part II : More than Lions

Keshav's gorgeous photo of Gir's gem.

In all national parks that have big cats, they tend to attain super star status. They dominate the conversation between guides, trackers, tourists and hotel staff. Be it tigers, lions or leopards.

When your jeep drops you off at your hotel, the hotel staff greets you with a drink, cold towels and the question " How many lions did you see? ". It is easy to get carried away by all the cat mania and count the day as lost if a feline was not glimpsed.

Gir is a birders paradise, and particularly so in summers. The brush is tinder dry and so drab, the more brightly coloured birds stick out like sore thumbs. Ive seen a lot of peacocks, but never have they looked more beautiful than in Gir. Take my word for it, my photos probably do not do them justice, but they are simply breathtaking.

During the evening, large numbers of them like to sit high up on electric pylons - the light is too poor to take pictures, but the unmistakable silhouettes look beautiful against the evening sky.



As the jeep drives through the forest, the sound of multitudes of chirping birds rents the air. This can be experienced in most forests, but what really pleased me was that you can actually see little birds going about their activities even as you drive past, they are so easy to spot among the bare branches! Minivets, tickels blue fly catchers, bee eaters, magpie robins are present by the thousands. They are no longer nameless chirps in a sea of leaves.



Of course, being able to see and being able to photograph are two completely different things. We saw a lot of dancing peacocks thanks to a heavy down pour on our first day at Gir. Unfortunately, peacocks dance for peahens; not for tourists. So most of the time, we get a back stage view of the performance. Thanks to K for lending me his peacock photo that Ive featured at the top of this blog.



The birds were great, but the real bonus was yet to come.
As we tore through the forest in the quest for lions, our hawk eyed guide abruptly pointed out a movement in a tree. We backed up and stared in the direction he pointed and saw nothing.

A closer look revealed a large monitor lizard that was pretending to be a gnarled branch.



Fortunately it moved and gave a better pose, allowing us to see it better.
I'm glad that I was able to capture the leathery quality of its skin thanks to the sunlight and the new camera. It was a first for all of us, apparently they are not easily spotted.


Monitor Lizard

When not looking at lions, we saw :

Birds : Black Ibis Darter Purple Heron Painted stork Wooly necked stork Koucal Red Wattled lapwings at nest Brahminy starlings Small green bee eater Plum Headed parakeets at nest Eurasian thickknees at nest Changeable Hawk Eagle at Nest Honey Buzzard pair

More Birds White eyes Great tits Small grey un-identified woodpecker Tailor birds Babblers Paradise Fly catcher ( Male, female, juvenile male ) Tickels blue fly catchers Magpie Robin pairs Sunbirds Red vented bulbuls White Breasted KingFisher Small blue kingfisher Pied Kingfisher Yellow footed green pigeon Minivets Rose Ringed parakeet Spotted Owlets at nest

Non-Birds: Monitor lizards Mongoose Sambar Deer Spotted Dear Neelgai herd Langoors Crocodiles Wild boar

I embed my Flickr photos in my blog, I do this because I have a Flickr pro account that gives me unlimited storage, and Flickr has some magic that makes my photos look some how better, no matter what the size.

I recently learnt that Flickr is still not visible in CamelCentral ( it is banned by UAE, Orkut is also banned )

So I thought I'd upload the gir photos of the previous blog to picasa ( not full size ), here is a shot slideshow of those, more will be added as I shake off laziness. :)




This post was delayed by too much work and too little electricity. The electricity part has been dealt with by investing in an inverter, photos can now be processed fearlessly. God bless Sukam and Exide!

Skyblue Clustervine

I love the star shape that forms

I first saw this adorable little creeper at a nursery on the way back from Manchinbele. On impulse I bought it and set it on our fence. As it grew, we liked it so much we got it a friend and set it on the other side of the terrace. ( Nothing like a little competition to speed things up, I thought ).

Sure enough, the two actively compete in terms of flowers and height. Among one of the happiest plants I have seen, it is common in most software parks and let loose on fences. It is not invasive. Its a twining vine with stems to 6 feet or more in length. It is a rapid grower, mine has reached nearly 5 ft (in 3-4 months).

Its a lovely bright green plant with small leaves in the shape of elongated hearts. The blue flowers stand up to face the sun, incase you are letting it loose on the ground. The Flowers come in clusters of buds and take turns flowering. The flower is the size of a 1 rupee coin. After flowering, the flowers fold up like an umbrella and drop off.


A closed flower, note the leaves

Details:
Common name: Skyblue Clustervine, Pentantha
Botanical name: Jacquemontia pentanthos
Family: Convolvulaceae (Morning glory family)
It is a perennial( blooms all year round) and is an introduced species in India.

Can I eat it?
No idea. But birds sure like it. Our friendly neighborhood sunbirds cant get enough of it. They visit twice a day ( morning 9:30am and afternoon 1:30pm )
Also seen eating the flowers are younger members of our Jungle Crow family, a group of 3 flower peckers and a whole bunch of jungle mynas ( we counted 5 ).


Purple Rumped Sunbird Female, they visit daily

Care and Growing:
It needs almost no care at all, though if you'd like more flowers, you may want to water it once in a while. :) It likes the sun, as much as you can provide. Its pretty little blue flowers open in the morning and close before sunset.

Experts recommend that we avoid watering the vine excessively, always leaving the soil dry for a few days between one watering and the other. This pretty much describes how I operate; watering once in a while, when guilt strikes.

It can be grown in containers or pots, I have placed it in ground on our terrace. Since it doesnt spread laterally, it can be easily grown in suspended baskets or left to climb over a balcony.

Till date, I haven't seen it being attacked by any bugs, so it would be safe to assume its a hardy little fellow. Insects seem to like it, I have seen butterflies, bees and a praying mantis on it.


Purple Rumped Sunbird Male, (see the purple flash on its tail, from which it gets its name)

Where did it come from?
Originating in Tropical America, it is Native to the Florida Keys. I was alarmed to see it marked as endangered in Florida.
This plant has been said to be natively growing in the following regions:
Punta Gorda, Florida
Coushatta, Louisiana


For the botanist:
herbaceous vine, slender; lvs ovate, acute at tips, bases subcordate, 2-5+ cm long; flrs axillary, densely cymose on peduncles longer than the lvs, usually only 1 to 2 open; corollas blue (may be white), 10-20 mm long and wide when open; capsule enclosed by sepals; seeds glabrous, bumpy; hammocks; Collier, Dade and Monroe [ incl. Keys] cos.


This one has been photoshopped a bit, to darken the white background

Making more Skyblue Vines
It can be propagated from cuttings ( softwood or semi-hardwood cuttings ). I haven't tried this myself. Its relatively cheap ( 10Rs ), so I just buy another one. I haven't the heart to watch a cutting die.

Where to buy
Easily available in most nurseries. Ive seen it in Jeevan Bhima Nagar and in those near Mancinbele.

Sources:
Flowers Of India
Plant Files
Florida Endangered Plants

Feathered neighbours

Eurasian Golden Oriole


I am posting after a seriously long break - having been delayed by work, lethargy, a trip to Mangalore (next post), the flu and a wisdom tooth. But I am now back, albeit minus the tooth, which my dentist extracted, much to my relief.

The combination of flu and wisdom tooth kept me at home for a week and gave me a chance to see the bird life at home. (something we usually get to see only in the mornings at breakfast)

The tamarind tree was the last (among the rest) to shed leaves and when it did, no one was happier than I! At last, there was a clear view of all the twittering little birds that tormented us every morning.

We have had the following visitors this Summer:

The Golden Oriole is back, the Black naped oriole (migratory) is now not seen anymore, so I assume it has returned home. The barbets are nesting and are often seen in pairs. Offlate, we have seen them with berries in their beaks; no doubt, take-aways for the kids at home.

The white breasted Kingfisher made a rare appearance on our terrace on a sunday morning, much to our delight. We have seen a pair of them recently.

Barbet Couple

White Breasted Kingfisher

The lake at bagmane is being fished by the fishery dept. and this presents a great opportunity to watch kites ( black kites and brahminy kites ) fish in the lake and then squabble over the rich pickings. We also saw a nice yellowish water snake. Bad pictures though. The pied kingfisher was also seen on his favourite perch, though the male was alone this time.



Lakeview Bldg - Bagmane Tech Park (see the nets, white dots)


To help our feathered friends beat the summer heat - I have been keeping a shallow clay vessel filled with water, in the shade of the red hibiscus I have growing in the garden. I was pleasantly surprised to find a pair of Great Tits using it to bathe and drink every morning. If you are planning something similar and don't have a shallow vessel, place a few large stones in the pot so that the birds can use it as a island.



Great Tit - Early Morning.


Another surprise visitor and one who often comes in at tea-time is a Shikra. An adult male; ( I know this, because it has red eyes ) he likes to use the terrace fence as a lookout post, always sits in the same spot and tolerates our presence, albeit from a distance.

Shikra Adult Male

Greenish Warbler?

The fearless visitors are the pied wagtails. Four of them, who like to occasionally inspect the garden by walking along the edge and sing cheerfully from the cable wires that are overhead. Even the presence of Keshav; bazooka in hand, a few feet away, does not bother them. But their constant movement prevents me from getting any good photos.

The regular visitors are there as usual, the spotted dove couple, the three drongos and a bunch of flowerpeckers, one of which bravely posed for photos.

Spotted dove at dawn

Flowerpecker

Some new visitors; recently, but not often spotted are the Red whiskered bulbul ( seen only once ) , a warbler ( possibly greenish warbler - id confirmation is appreciated) and the Coppersmith barbet ( seen only in the afternoons, when the light is too harsh for good photos )



Surprised Pond Heron


Nothing lasts for ever .... And the bare tamarind tree returned to its former glory recently, sporting a most luxuriant growth! No doubt, it surprised this pond heron who decided to test it by perching at the very tip of a twig.

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Lalbagh has been in the news lately, and while reading an article on it on Google News, i came across the unauthorized use of 2 of my photos by the Mid-Day Newspaper.

Link:
http://www.mid-day.com/news/2009/apr/300409-Lalbagh-Metro-Construction-No-Bird-Watching-Bangalore-news.htm

The photos - 2nd and 3rd are taken from an early blog post on lalbagh.
I'm not surprised that a paper would not have asked permission before using pictures found on the net. I am however surprised when a email to their editors, pointing out their oversight, is not replied to.

As a general rule, I have decided now, to place the © mark on all my posted images.

BR Hills

If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, then our road to BR Hills was paved with great expectations. I can imagine that most will now know where this is heading. We did not go to BR Hills with hopes of seeing Tigers and Leopards; I have given up all hopes of ever seeing a South Indian Tiger. We went to see some raptors that BR Hills has become famous for.

History & Facts
Biligiriranga Hills is in south eastern Karnataka, the area is called the BRT Wildlife Sanctuary, which is a protected reserve forest. The area has several unique eco-systems (such as the hill forests) and serves as a bridge between the Western and Eastern Ghats. Our guide there, Narayan informed us that the area is doubly special since it is the only route that can be used by the Elephants to travel between the two ghats.

Dawn	On the Trek

Where to Stay
There is not much by way of choice, when it comes to accommodation here. Jungle Lodges has a resort here which can be booked online.

Note however that "booking online" means precisely that, your room is only temporarily booked. It doesn't mean that you can pay online. To pay, one must visit the JLR office at Shringar Complex, MGRoad. Booking ahead is not just advisable, it is mandatory, since BR Hills, like all Jungle Lodges is nearly always fully booked during holidays.



We decided to book for 3 days to maximize our chance of sightings, surely no respectable serpent eagle could hide itself for 3 days. I had last been to BR Hills with my parents nearly 7 years ago and we had taken a most memorable safari there. Then, we were the only people at the resort.

Times certainly have changed, when we got there after a rather frustrating drive on some of the worst roads on earth, reaching nearly 2 hours later than scheduled, we found it packed to capacity with guests and loud, unruly children.

Id help Pls

Jungle Owlet

After a nice lunch ( food and service at Jungle Lodges is always good, thank god ) we explored our Tent and its surroundings. Denied a log hut since all were booked, we had settled for a Tent. ( This, after booking a month in advance )

The BR Hills resort is more of a rough-it-out kind of place, unlike the other JLR resorts I've seen (Dandeli, Devbagh). Our Tent (named Hoopoe) was clean, with a huge white-tiled bathroom with all the facilities.



Our first safari yielded the usual chittal-sambar-barking deer sightings, so we moved on at a rather bone rattling pace, might I add. We tore through the jungle in search of the elusive tiger/leopard/sloth bear/wild dog; finding none. We shared our jeep with a brightly colored family of four who kept reminding the driver that his only duty on earth was to show them a glimpse of a big cat - spotted or striped.

Cheer up, I philosophically told Keshav that evening as we charged our batteries, how bad can it get? Next morning, at 6:00 am we were ready to go and scour the jungle for the holy trinity : Changeable Hawk Eagle, Crested Serpent Eagle and the Brown Fish Owl.



We finally spotted the Brown Fish owl as it flew over a lake. Unhappy at being spotted, it decided to sit grumpily on a distant branch and sulk. We were delighted at being able to see it, if only through binoculars. The Tiger hungry family, no doubt must have thought us insane to waste precious time on an Owl when there were 17 Tigers out there, waiting to be found.

With the brown fish owl being the only sighting that morning, we decided to take a nature walk instead of the Temple visit organized by JLR. We saw a few birds, with not many opportunities for photographs, but undoubtedly it was better to appreciate BR Hills on foot than on a jeep.

During our walk, our Guide chanced upon a small treasure, a pile of Tiger scat. Prodding it, fresh!, he declared. A little further, we discovered Tiger Pee! Our guide was beside himself, he collected the holy earth where it had pee-ed in his palm and asked us to sniff. No way! was my response. The brave men with us, stepped up to the challenge. Smells like basmati rice gone bad was the verdict.



Our driver for the evening, saddened that he had not been able to show us a single carnivore decided that he would show us elephants at least. His enthusiasm and sincerity gave me my only pictures of wild elephants till date. We spent nearly 20 minutes photographing them, grazing happily, in the splendid evening light, until one of the herd decided to charge the jeep.


Yes, I chickened out, this was all I could manage

We skipped the morning safari for a bird watching trek for the next two days. It was a good idea. Not only did it provide us with much needed relief from bouncing on the jeep, it was a great way to see the amazing landscapes of BR Hills. It was on these walks that we saw most of the birds on the list below and I was simply overjoyed at the displays put up by 2 adult male Paradise flycatchers as they set about catching their breakfast.

Gaur Spooked

Mom & calf

Nitty Gritties

JLR@BR Hills has no electricity but has a generator that provides power to Tents and Log Huts in the evening from 6:30 - 10:30 pm.

There are 2 lights, one in the bathroom and one in the tent. There are two plug points in the bathroom, an emergency light and an extension cord provided to charge batteries, phones and other appliances that you may have.

Each Safari lasts approx. 2 hours (4:30 - 6:30) A jeep seats seven comfortably.

What I liked

Our morning Trek with our guide Narayan and two friendly dogs was the most enjoyable part of the trip. The enthusiasm and courtesy of JLR staff is simply wonderful.

What I disliked

Majority of the guests at JLR were loud and noisy. We would often lie on the hammocks and think deep thoughts about changeable hawk eagles, only to have our pleasant reveries broken by people shouting at each other across the campus.

Despite guides briefing people daily on the need to wear forest friendly clothing, guests insisted on wearing their bright and shiny best.

Getting there: Distance & Directions
Distance from B'lore : 251 Kms
Our Route:
Blore -140km-> Mysore -16kms-> Nanjangud -45kms-> Chamrajnagar -40kms-> BR hills (Kgudi)

We stopped at Ranganthittu on our way for birds and breakfast. (Its the only bathroom break you'll get, make it count) Road till Chamarajnagar is good, it gets progressively bad as we cross it.

Notable Sighting List
Birds
1. Brown Fish Owl
2. Honey Buzzard (seen in flight)
3. Rosefinchs
4. Scarlet Minivets (M&F)
5. Velvet fronted nuthatch
6. Paradise Fly catcher (M&F, juvenile)
7. Bronzed Drongo
8. Spangled Drongo
9. Black Drongo
10 Racquet Tailed Drongos
11. Verditer Flycatcher
12. Lesser Flameback woodpeckers (Pair)
13. Jungle Owlets
14. Malabar Parakeets
15. Blossom headed parakeets
16. Great Tit
17. Blue Capped Rock Thrush
18. Black Headed Oriole
19. Unidentified flycatcher female
20. Green Leaf Bird - Jerdon's Chloropsis
21. Hill Myna
22. Rufus TreePie
23. Pygmy Woodpecker (fleeting glimpse)
24. Fairy Blue Bird (fleeting glimpse)
25. White bellied Drongo

Mammals
1. Gaur (Herds, one with calf)
2. Spotted Deer
3. Barking Deer
4. Sambar Deer
5. Elephant Herd
6. Wild Boar
7. Gray Langoors (Glimpse as we drove by)

During our time there, we also drove to the temple ( for want of something to do ) - the road is good and the drive certainly is pleasant. The JLR campus is a great place to do some birdwatching as well, its better than sitting and contemplating ones poor luck and becoming the Incredible Sulk.

Birding @ Bagmane TechPark

White Cheeked Barbet

When cooler weather makes it increasingly hard to leave ones bed in the pre-dawn hours to go birding; one wishes that the birds would be kind enough to drop by home for a photo session.

Sometimes, they do just that. We're having a good run since the last week. For a previous post on the "wildlife" at bagmane, see this post - Nature at Work


Night Heron

In case anyone is wondering what happened to the Pied Kingfishers, I have seen them at the other lake (near the Oracle Building (formerly iFlex).

I was rather surprised to read in the TOI that the White cheeked barbet is endangered. Check this link for the article. I also smiled to note that the barbet was "tiny", it may be small, but compared to a sunbird, its a giant :)


Verditer Flycatcher

The other day, while looking at a few parakeets that were creating quite a din on the terrace, we spotted a small blue bird in the distance. A bad photo identified it as a verditer flycatcher. A few days later, the little guy obliged us with a few pictures on a sunday afternoon. It sat pensively, looking at the lake, in the bright afternoon sun. It also caught a bee a little later.

I did a little research on the Verditer FC:

Breeding season ( March - October ) Breeding grounds are in the himalayan foothills
Can be seen in Southern India from October to February, and in the north from September to March.
Diet : tiny flying insects. Birds may maintain a feeding territory.

Source : RiverBanks.org


Golden Oriole Male

The Golden Oriole is a recent discovery as is the Verditer Flycatcher. The female was also present, but sadly was more shy, and gave poses hiding behind a very distracting twig.

A little research on it:
This species O. o. kundoo has its eye stripe extending beyond the eye in the male. It is a visitor to the northern parts of India in Summer and moves southwards from August to September. Breeds - May to August.

Source : Popular Handbook of Indian Birds By Hugh Whistler

Bird List

Golden Orioles - 3
Purple Sunbird
Purple Rumped Sunbird ( M & F)
Small Green Barbets (3)
Spotted Doves (Pair)
Drogos (group of 3)
Night Herons ( 4 at a time )
Egrets (seen at the lake)
Pond Heron 1
Rose Ringed Parakeets (4)
Verditer FlyCatcher - 1
Great Tit - 2
Tailor Bird - 1
Large Pied Wagtail
Pariah Kites
Bats (large and small)
Koel (M&F)
Cormorants (several)

All the birds here are photographed on the same tree that is on the edge of the lake. I would attribute the huge numbers of birds to near by DRDO, which has extensive green cover.

PS: The Oriole and the Verditer photos have been post processed.
Next post will include details on what was done. I'm also finally learning to use Photoshop after watching Keshav use it with great success. :)

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