Magarpatta City hosts a rather impressive garden at its very center. Flanked on all sides by 'Towers', the garden has a somewhat circular shape and is quite vast. There are mostly lawns, flower beds, a few Nilgiri trees, Bamboo bushes, even a pond. After 2 months in Magarpatta City, a 'recon' mission to this garden was due. So off I went.
First up were Yellow Wagtails. Plenty of them. Scurrying over the lawns, and wagging their tails like a manual water-pump, they were rather amusing to watch. Some were looking for worms, others were just squabbling about. A few were making chirping calls. A good start!
Two Black Drongos were sitting calmly on a small tree nearby. There were Red-Vented Bulbuls flitting in and out of small bushes, apparently chased by Common Mynas. An old man in the vicinity was wondering what I was doing....
Moving on, I came to a big tree. A rather harsh sound made me look up. It was a Eurasian Golden Oriole. For such a nice looking bird, its call (which was somewhat like a cat's snarl) was certainly incongruous. It soon disappeared into the foliage.
And after that came a pond. Not surprisingly, a Pond Heron was standing on some Lotus leaves staring intently at the water. Behind them, almost like magic, two Red-Wattled Lapwings materialized into view. They were nearly camouflaged against the background, which was the pond's white border by the way. Puzzles me how these Lapwings manage to blend themselves against even a white background!
A little ahead were some Bamboo bushes, bursting with activity. Green Bee-eaters were busy hunting for insects. An unidentified warbler was hopping about. A White-Throated Fantail Flycatcher sat on a small white fence (like those in the old Cricket stadiums) and swerved rapidly from side to side. Perched beside it, a Magpie Robin occasionally dropped to the ground and pecked at it, apparently feeding on insects. Red-Whiskered Bulbuls were sitting atop some nearby bushes.
Mission accomplished. Back to work!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
A bird in the shadows
On Saturday, I decided to pay another visit to the mango trees on which I'd seen the Fantail. Armed with binoculars this time, I could see some of the more common birds. There was a Common Tailorbird, some Red-Whiskered Bulbuls, a Common Iora, etc. There was also another bird, a shy one, that seemed to hover on the lowest branch on one of the smaller mango trees.
I couldn't make out what it was. Indeed, for most of the time it was partially covered by foliage. A tiny bird, smaller than a sparrow, that wasn't exactly too active. It dropped down into the grass a couple of times, only to settle back on its branch. I could barely make out a buffish colour on its back, and after quite a lot of eye-straining could make out that it had dark coloured legs. I still couldn't see its face...it was facing the other way!
Then suddenly it turned towards me. And I could see a beautiful smear of pale orange on its throat. It was as if the bird was blushing! The colour was so appealing, and yet not bright or gaudy. I'd never seen this bird before!
When it hopped or flew to a nearby twig, I could see its small tail that forked out into a kind of inverted heart, i.e. into two lobes, thus showing a black and white composition. It stayed in the area for about 10 minutes, and finally flew away. Quite excited, I returned home and began a search through Grimmett. Initially, I thought it was a Northern Wheatear. But a check of its habitat and range quickly eliminated the possibility. Also, this bird didn't have a white rump like the Wheatear.
Then I saw a picture of a Red-Throated Flycatcher in Grimmett, which looked quite like the bird I'd seen. The habitat and range was a match too! Still a little unsure, I called up Adesh to see what his opinion was. A description of the pale orange throat and its habits was enough to confirm the sighting. It was a Red-Throated Flycather! A lifer!
I couldn't make out what it was. Indeed, for most of the time it was partially covered by foliage. A tiny bird, smaller than a sparrow, that wasn't exactly too active. It dropped down into the grass a couple of times, only to settle back on its branch. I could barely make out a buffish colour on its back, and after quite a lot of eye-straining could make out that it had dark coloured legs. I still couldn't see its face...it was facing the other way!
Then suddenly it turned towards me. And I could see a beautiful smear of pale orange on its throat. It was as if the bird was blushing! The colour was so appealing, and yet not bright or gaudy. I'd never seen this bird before!
When it hopped or flew to a nearby twig, I could see its small tail that forked out into a kind of inverted heart, i.e. into two lobes, thus showing a black and white composition. It stayed in the area for about 10 minutes, and finally flew away. Quite excited, I returned home and began a search through Grimmett. Initially, I thought it was a Northern Wheatear. But a check of its habitat and range quickly eliminated the possibility. Also, this bird didn't have a white rump like the Wheatear.
Then I saw a picture of a Red-Throated Flycatcher in Grimmett, which looked quite like the bird I'd seen. The habitat and range was a match too! Still a little unsure, I called up Adesh to see what his opinion was. A description of the pale orange throat and its habits was enough to confirm the sighting. It was a Red-Throated Flycather! A lifer!
Some facts about the bird
The bird is a winter migrant found over most of the subcontinent. Being a Flycatcher, it feeds mainly on small insects. It is now considered a seperate species from the Red-Breasted Flycatcher which has a deep orange upper chest in addition to the throat.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Fantail Flycatcher: powered by Duracell
Some facts about the bird:
About 18cm long, the bird is a common breeding resident found in the southern half of the sub-continent. It gets its name from the distinctive shape of its tail, which is so often spread out into a fan. It is often confused with another similar looking species known as the White-Browed Fantail Flycatcher, which has a much wider range. Both are extremely active birds.
On my way to work today, I stopped by some mango trees to see if there was any bird activity. Sure enough, there was a White-Throated Fantail Flycatcher bubbling with enthusiasm on one of the smaller trees. It is one of the most active members of the bird family, and today was no exception. It's as though it were powered by Duracell batteries! That's right. It just goes on and on!
If you were to write an 'algorithm' for the bird's movements, you'd end up with something like this: 'hop-hop-swerve around-spread tail-swerve back-hop-.....'. This would go on forever and that too at a rapid pace!
Ofcourse, the bird can't keep up this energy level without food. Indeed, it feeds quite often on insects in a single day, and that fuels its engines. It's quite a sight to see this bird leave its perch to chase a fly or a moth, somtimes vertically, catch it in mid-air and return to its perch to devour the unfortunate victim.
I watched this bird for about 5 minutes, and in that time it seemed to traverse its own tree's branches and those of the next tree more than twice! It did show a kind of liking to be in an area for some time before moving on to some other tree.
Meanwhile there were some other birds around too. There was a Common Tailorbird, and probably a Common Iora too, whose bright yellow body was noticeable from a distance. I didn't have binocs with me, so I can't be certain about the Iora. But I've seen Common Ioras here twice before.
I had a bus to catch, and turned away. The Fantail was still merrily hopping about.
A Shikra visits Magarpatta City
While on the terrace today after lunch, I spotted a Shikra on one of the buildings in front of mine. It slowly came up from one side and perched on what looked like telecommunication antennae on the building. Its flight was unmistakeable, rapid flaps and then a glide, almost looking like a koel from far away...
After it had perched, some nearby crows were obviously offended, and they tried to drive it away. There were minor tiffs, with one of the crows coming right at the Shikra forcing it to leave its perch and take to the air. Then another joined, and the Shikra simply settled on a nearby lone spike-like antenna at one end of the building.
But the crows wouldn't have any of it. They had another go at it, and by now I guess even the Shikra had had enough. After dodging the pestering crows, its beautiful falcon like body gently swerved towards my building and with minimum flaps of its wings it traversed that great distance in no time and sped away even across my building!
It was the first time I felt that a Shikra was fit to be called a "bird of prey" based on its flight alone, as I have always seen it fly at an easy pace and wondered "how does this bird fly so easily and still catch prey?"....!! I hope to see it again soon!
After it had perched, some nearby crows were obviously offended, and they tried to drive it away. There were minor tiffs, with one of the crows coming right at the Shikra forcing it to leave its perch and take to the air. Then another joined, and the Shikra simply settled on a nearby lone spike-like antenna at one end of the building.
But the crows wouldn't have any of it. They had another go at it, and by now I guess even the Shikra had had enough. After dodging the pestering crows, its beautiful falcon like body gently swerved towards my building and with minimum flaps of its wings it traversed that great distance in no time and sped away even across my building!
It was the first time I felt that a Shikra was fit to be called a "bird of prey" based on its flight alone, as I have always seen it fly at an easy pace and wondered "how does this bird fly so easily and still catch prey?"....!! I hope to see it again soon!
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Oriental White-Eyes seen from my balcony!
See its photo here
Saw this bird today morning on a bush full of big brushy red flowers. The bird was full of energy, constantly jerking its head in all directions, hopping about, occasionally scratching itself! A chubby little bird it is, and the white eye-ring was quite conspicuous. Its bottom too was noticeable as a bright yellow spot. There were two of them. I saw them yesterday too, except that was in the afternoon. Seeing this bird here in the suburbs of Pune was quite a delight! [:)] The last time (and the only time) I'd seen it was on an Industrial Visit organized by our college to some companies around Pune in January 2008. We'd been to a garden named after Indira Gandhi somewhere near Pimpri and I only got a glimpse of these birds, which were in a party of about 7-8 in the scrub-like forest.
This bird has an amazing camouflage! Its lemon green colour nearly blended it into the similar coloured leaves of the bush. Curiously enough, the bird was only tugging at the base of the long red flowers, which had many smaller "sub-flowers" all the way to the tip. Perhaps that's indeed the only way it could feed on the nectar by balancing itself. I recalled David Attenborough's documentary where he mentioned birds being attracted to reddish coloured flowers. I soon realised how much more fun it is to actually see things like these in real life!
There was a squirrel running all over the bush too, and the white-eyes were quite efficient in keeping out of its way. Later, a couple of Purple-Rumped Sunbird females paid a visit, and the bush was busy with activity. But it soon stopped, with the White-Eyes scurrying off to a nearby broad-leaved tree. Grimmet et al. certainly mention its habitat as "Open broad-leaved forest and wooded areas"! The leaves of this tree weren't that broad, but surely about as broad as those of a Cashew-nut tree. Perhaps it is a Cashew-nut tree!! Whatever it is, the bird could now be seen clearly against the dark leaves, albeit only for a few moments. It soon disappeared into the foliage. A perfect start to a Sunday morning!
Facts about the bird compiled from various sources:
Measuring about ~10cm from beak to tail-tip, the bird is a breeding resident found over most of the sub-continent. Its quite a common bird and breeds from February-September. Both sexes look the same, and its usually a gregarious bird. I've yet to find out what this bird feeds on, but I'm sure nectar would be on the menu!
Saw this bird today morning on a bush full of big brushy red flowers. The bird was full of energy, constantly jerking its head in all directions, hopping about, occasionally scratching itself! A chubby little bird it is, and the white eye-ring was quite conspicuous. Its bottom too was noticeable as a bright yellow spot. There were two of them. I saw them yesterday too, except that was in the afternoon. Seeing this bird here in the suburbs of Pune was quite a delight! [:)] The last time (and the only time) I'd seen it was on an Industrial Visit organized by our college to some companies around Pune in January 2008. We'd been to a garden named after Indira Gandhi somewhere near Pimpri and I only got a glimpse of these birds, which were in a party of about 7-8 in the scrub-like forest.
This bird has an amazing camouflage! Its lemon green colour nearly blended it into the similar coloured leaves of the bush. Curiously enough, the bird was only tugging at the base of the long red flowers, which had many smaller "sub-flowers" all the way to the tip. Perhaps that's indeed the only way it could feed on the nectar by balancing itself. I recalled David Attenborough's documentary where he mentioned birds being attracted to reddish coloured flowers. I soon realised how much more fun it is to actually see things like these in real life!
There was a squirrel running all over the bush too, and the white-eyes were quite efficient in keeping out of its way. Later, a couple of Purple-Rumped Sunbird females paid a visit, and the bush was busy with activity. But it soon stopped, with the White-Eyes scurrying off to a nearby broad-leaved tree. Grimmet et al. certainly mention its habitat as "Open broad-leaved forest and wooded areas"! The leaves of this tree weren't that broad, but surely about as broad as those of a Cashew-nut tree. Perhaps it is a Cashew-nut tree!! Whatever it is, the bird could now be seen clearly against the dark leaves, albeit only for a few moments. It soon disappeared into the foliage. A perfect start to a Sunday morning!
Facts about the bird compiled from various sources:
Measuring about ~10cm from beak to tail-tip, the bird is a breeding resident found over most of the sub-continent. Its quite a common bird and breeds from February-September. Both sexes look the same, and its usually a gregarious bird. I've yet to find out what this bird feeds on, but I'm sure nectar would be on the menu!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Nagla Block
On Saturday, Shirish and I decided to visit the Nagla Block area near Bhayinder. The place is known for sightings of the Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher which arrives in Mumbai around this time of the year. Since the ODKF is such a colourful bird, motivation for this trip was quite high.
Note: I've provided links to photographs of the birds mentioned...
ODKF: http://www.indianaturewatch.net/displayimage.php?id=24211
The forest was lush green and though we heard many birds calling, we saw quite few. One of the more vocal ones was the Puff-Throated Babbler making its “Ithe-ye-tu” call (as Adesh describes it!). The calls seemed to be pretty loud, but we never actually saw the bird.
Puff-Throated Babbler: http://www.indianaturewatch.net/displayimage.php?id=34161
Brown-Headed Barbet: http://www.indianaturewatch.net/displayimage.php?id=45875
The first birds we saw were the Indian Grey Hornbills calling away merrily on a nearby tree with their typical “kiiaeaeae….” call. Later, we also heard the Brown-Headed Barbet and got only a brief glimpse of the bird.
Indian Grey Hornbill: http://www.indianaturewatch.net/displayimage.php?id=47894
Walking on, we soon reached the “tower” which is a ~15 feet tall structure like a machan. We climbed aboard, and almost instantly saw a male White-Rumped Shama sitting not too far away in a clearing. The bird had something pinkish in its mouth and was giving all kinds of poses on the branch. It jumped, hopped, tweaked its tail, much like a Magpie Robin, and was curiously making a “krack-krack-KRACK” call…It was soon joined by the female, which perched only inches away from its mate. It too had something in its mouth, and we thought it was nesting material. I spoke to Adesh about this, and he says it was probably food for the chicks. Whatever it was, the birds kept us company for nearly 40 minutes.
The view of these birds was so good that we could literally examine each feature of the bird’s plumage and compare it with the illustration in Grimmett. Particularly noticeable was the size difference between the male and the female.
White-Rumped Shama: http://www.indianaturewatch.net/displayimage.php?id=49967
While on the tower, we also saw a large raptor swooping about, like it was scanning the forest for food. I’m quite sure it was a Tawny Eagle. It flew past quite close to our tower, and seeing a big bird fly so close was quite rewarding. Besides the raptor, some sunbirds and bulbuls also kept us company.
The forest right now is filled with mosquitoes, and had it not been for Shirish’s Odomos cream, we’d look quite ungainly when we came out. The mosquitoes are quite stubborn and one even bit me through my socks! What’s worse is that they stay put even when you try to swap them!!
We couldn’t see the ODKF on our trip. That was a little disappointing. But it’s a long season, and I hope to see it soon!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Malshej Ghat
I visited Malshej Ghat on 16th June for a 2 day overnight trip with my mom and dad. It's a beautiful forested area about 160km from Mumbai, and even more so during the monsoons. We stayed at the MTDC resort, which provides decent accommodation for trekkers/birdwatchers. We roamed around in this lush green area a lot, and we saw many birds. Here's a brief account of that trip:
As soon as you step out of your vehicle at Malshej, the first sound you'll probably hear is the Malabar Whistling Thrush singing in the background. The other sound you'll hear is that of the non-stop strong winds that blow in almost all directions at this place!
Our first bird was a Laughing Dove sitting right outside the MTDC canteen….I saw it while sipping tea! I went outside for a better look, and this fellow wasn't disturbed at all. He was looking at me no doubt, occasionally shutting his eyes tight in a rather cute way. The dove seemed to be totally at ease, strutting along on the small path it was on. I'm used to seeing Spotted Doves fly away at the slightest disturbance in Mumbai, so this was a welcome change! I silently acknowledged a good start to this trip…
After checking in to my room, I asked the locals if they knew any nature trails that birdwatchers normally take in this region, but they had no clue. All they could tell me was that the flamingoes hadn't arrived yet at the "dam", which we could see from the resort. The dam actually starts at a place called Khubi Phata, which is a 40 min walk along the highway (NH 222) from the MTDC resort. The dam goes all the way upto the village Khireshwar, which is the base village for a trek to Harishchandragad. Dad and I decided to take a walk along the highway, and try to do some bird-watching, for there's good forest cover on either side of the highway. We set off.
Soon enough we saw a Brown-Headed Barbet on a tree somewhere off the highway. It kept visiting a neighbouring tree quite often, and was quite well camouflaged against the green leaves. Since this bird is relatively rarer than the Coppersmith Barbet which we see so often in Mumbai, I was quite happy. I've seen it in Mumbai also only on 2 occasions, once at
Red-Whiskered and Red-Vented Bulbuls are pretty common in the area and are also quite vocal. Their typical "qui-qwayou" was heard I think as often as the whistling thrush. And soon enough, I saw the myna sized black bird land next to the highway and disappear in the next-door bush. We heard a loud continuous whistling, louder and clearer than ever before. A quick flight revealed its shiny Prussian blue plumage, and I knew it was the Malabar Whistling Thrush. There were two of them, and they settled on a nearby tree and kept hopping about on branches that were about 30 feet above the ground. It really is a splendid bird. And when it flies, the dark-bluish wings make it even more beautiful. Lifer #1.
Walking on, we reached the Khubi village, indicated by a sign-board off the highway. There's a small parallel road to the highway that goes past some houses and fields though this village. Since there'd be less traffic on this road, we took it. Looking at the village life here was rather touching. A woman was sifting through a huge heap of bajri seeds that she claimed had got spoilt due to the rain. We also met an old farmer who wasn't too happy about the dam forcing some of the fields to be drowned. How, I don't know. But the simple style of talking, walking, living, was a welcome change from the life in Mumbai. A few more paces down the road, we saw a group of Brahmini Mynas on a tree next to a house.
We reached the dam. Surprise! A couple of Wooly Necked Storks were standing gracefully on the water's edge, about 200 feet away. And quite close to them, say 50 feet or so, a couple of village women were sitting on the ground and doing something like washing clothes, I'm not sure exactly what….Emboldened, we tried to approach the storks. We deliberately walked at an angle, so as not to scare them off. But when we were only 100 feet away, they flew off without warning! They settled in the distance, and there wasn't any point in following them there…it was getting late for lunch. Lifer #2.
Before they took off, I tried to take some pictures through my 4x optical zoom Canon PowerShot A520. I even tried to stick the camera behind my 8x Stokes Talon binoculars, and the result wasn't too bad! Talk about digi-binoc-ing! OK, sad joke…
On the way back, we saw a Pied Bushchat. Sure enough, it was on a "bush" next to the small parallel road I mentioned. It was flying around quite close to the ground, visiting this bush then the next. We got a particularly good view of this bird when it was about to land on a dried bush: a small black bird with three white patches, 2 on the shoulders and one on the rump. Too good. This too was a lifer.
3 lifers in one day isn't too bad!
In the evening too, we set off along the area right behind the MTDC resort. It’s a vast expanse with trees, bushes and moderate forest. Here too we saw the Whistling Thrush, and this time I noticed an almost indigo patch on its shoulder. Perhaps it was my imagination!
And just before we left the resort to start on this trail, I saw a quail!!! There's this small platform between the canteen and the main building, and the quail was standing silently at the end of the small "wall" of the platform, probably to shield itself from the wind. The winds at Malshej are simply incessant. And strong. Anyway, having never seen a quail before, I couldn't identify it at once. I registered a grey head and a brown body. I went towards it. And I couldn’t find it at al!!! I took one more step and this fellow flew away from a distance of less than 10 feet! The flight was quick and direct. It flew only 4-5 feet off the ground and landed about 30 feet away, at the base of the small 1-storeyed building. The flight reminded me of the flight of a sandpiper. I followed. I noticed some barring or lines on the chest. But again, it flew before I could see more of its features. This time it landed farther off, but not too far. And then I lost it in the bushes! I tried to identify the quail using the book by Grimmett…but couldn’t find a match. I was a little disappointed.
Back to the trail. We were walking along, when suddenly, a large bird came from nowhere and settled on a cactus/bush, about 70 feet away. To my delight, it was a male Common Kestrel. In these overcast conditions, the bird looked simply awesome. And it was nearing sunset too, although there wasn’t the typical sunset lighting. Looks like these winter visitors come in June itself! A sighting to remember!
The next day too, we tried to do some birding. But this time luck wasn’t on our side. We saw the thrushes, barbets, and also a Crow Pheasant. But no new species.
So! An excellent trip to an excellent place. Do visit Malshej. I'm not sure if birding in the heavy rains is a good idea, but when I went, there wasn’t any rain. It had rained a week back, and had made the place quite green. I'm sure you'll take back fantastic memories….the way I did.
I compiled a 360 degree view of the area just behind the MTDC resort. You can see the dam which looks like a flat wall to the left of the buildings. Here it is:
Here are some random pictures taken on this trip:
Farmers ploughing the field
A dead snake. If you know which species it is, please let me know.
This bright green bug is known as the Jewel Bug. What a fitting name!
Pretty flowers on a tree
Common Garden Lizard
The winding road offers good birding opportunities, but mind the traffic!
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