Aigrettes and egrets

A sonnet for the egrets:

Pulicat Lake - a crowd of egrets with a couple of painted storks

In the Adyar estuary,
At Pulicat, Pallikaranai, Nelapattu,
Standing stock still and wary
Even in far away Ranganathittu.

The yellow feet of the little egret

Little egrets, feet so yellow
Intermediates, standing tall in a throng
Cattle egrets, plumage mellow
Great egrets, necks and bills so long.

Cattle egret in breeding plumage. Photo by Mr Ramanan
All dressed in white,
Familiar, in pensive pose
Makes me often wonder, might
They really be so morose?

Now I learn it is their aigrette in breeding season

That used to be a milliner’s delight, all with reason!

Great egret - Casmorodius albus - tallest of the white egrets. Long neck, and bluish green lores. Those feathers on the back are additional breeding plumage. Photo by Mr Ramanan
Intermediate egret - Mesophoyx intermedia - smaller than the large. Yellowish lores during breeding. What you see is additional breeding plumage. Photo by Mr Ramanan
Little egret - Egretta garzetta - small and graceful. What a pose! Photo by Mr Ramanan

Photo by Mr Ramanan

Ko-el crescendoes

A depression in the bay
Oh hurray!
Cool winds and cloudy skies
Leaves green and sun goodbye.

The rains, the koel finds his voice
eager to find a mate of choice.
The call, not romantic,
More than a trifle frantic.
A male koel calls. Photo by Mr Ramanan
Up the scale, a crescendo
Ceasing abruptly, uh oh!
All through the day, the call
Sharp, shrill, not a drawl.

Here comes the lady, speckled
Has she been wooed or heckled?

In need of a nest
A crow’s is the best.
Now here’s the ploy
The koel male a decoy.

Eggs laid in crow mama’s brood.
No, crow papa not at all clued.
Brood parasitism unmatched
koel’s cunning plan hatched.


The female koel arrives. Photo by Mr Ramanan
Koel chicks born domineering
Kicking crow eggs, sneering.
But Nature’s playing field levelled
Nine months, the koel bedevilled.

No call, no mate
That is its fate.
Skulking in trees, soundless,
A life quite joyless?

The koel male has blue-green feathers, adding to its basically black plumage. Photo by Mr Ramanan

Read about The call of the koel.

Courtship in front of the ladies toilet

Let me tell you a story

No, this one's not hoary

A moment of glory

But a setting so corny.

In the forests of Ranthambore,

Peacocks galore.

One morning, Mr Pavo cristatus
Was trying to impress his missus.

That was all very well, I thought

But pay more attention, he ought

To the venue for his courtship

in order to make her heart skip.
Of the toilet behind

he seemed completely blind

But the peahens did seem to mind

As they ignored him and dined

On seeds, insects and anything they could find!

Now the men in our group expressed sympathy

And they did not think the peacock blameworthy

But rather thought the peahen typically hard-to-please

For his fanciful display, she should be begging on her knees!

What a sight it was, those magnificent feathers in a train.

Wonder and awe we expressed, again and again.

A fan of blues, such iridiscent hues

Caused by nanostructures in their barbules.

The wild peafowl roost in trees

And gather in groups called parties.

But nests they make on the ground

Though, so far not one have I found.

Twenty years is their typical life span

Thats the age of a young man!

I will always remember their loud, piercing cries

And the flashes of blue as they took to the skies.

But most of all, I will remember this dance

A beautiful, incongruous, unsuccessful romance?

************************************************

These peafowl we saw on our recent trip to the Ranthambore National Park, one of India's well known tiger reserves in north India. Situated in the eastern part of Rajasthan, the closest railhead is Sawai Madhopur, 11 kms away, while the closest city would be Jaipur, about 180 kms away.

We went in late April, when the day temperatures hovered around 43 -45 degrees C, and the dry hot winds came rolling in off the Thar desert (or so I thought anyway!). The water bodies were shrinking and the local dhok trees (Anogeissus pendula) completely dry. Ideal animal sighting conditions, though not ideal human comfort weather!

The peafowl were a delightful distraction all across the park, and their alarm cries were also very useful in tiger tracking.

Watch this blog for more on tiger, leopard and the birds of Ranthambore!

Tiger spotting at Ranthambhore

***************************************************

PS:

Thanks to Corey of 10,000birds.com, I came across this interesting article of how peacocks happen to now roam wild in Arcadia, LA!

The silly seed rhyme

Don’t moan about the heat
Stop looking at your feet
For up in the trees
Swaying in the breeze
Are seeds and flowers, a visual treat.
Peltophorum pterocarpum - copper pod
Wherever I look there are copper pods
Hanging from a Peltophorum that nods
Dropping yellow flowers to form a carpet
A sight that I can never forget.

Delonix regia - Gulmohar

Look, over there is the Gulmo-har
Without its red flowers does it look below par?
Those brown seed pods, almost two-feet long
Do not induce a song
But did you know, they come from Madagascar?


Silk Cotton

That silk-cotton tree is completely leaf-less
But oh no, it is definitely not life-less!
See those fat pods just waiting to burst
To every corner seeds dispersed
And into your pillow the cotton may progress!

Mango flowers

Mango trees have flowered
And so we may be showered
With fruits so sweet in the month of May
Oh yes, hip hip hurray!

Neem flowers

Was there ever a tree so supreme
Like Azadirachta indica, aka Neem?
Its resistant to drought
And carries much clout
Used in so many potions and creams!

Tabebuia pod
Tabebuia trees in Madras abound
The purple trumpet flowers everywhere are found
But I found the seeds, and they are dehiscent,
Opening to release their contents!

As the temperature rises
I know there are more surprises
So keep your eyes open,
Ladies and gentlemen
As the trees put on more guises.

The Jacana Junkies at the bird race

There were 4 birders from Madras

who had not birded for a while, alas!

So they decided to change their ways

And take part in the Chennai bird race.

Jacana Junkies, there were four

One slept over

And then were three!

Never mind, we thought, off to GNP!

Bird calls everywhere and we were so excited

I heard the bulbul, but an oriole was sighted!

Parakeets and sunbirds, all so restive

And the butterflies added to make it all so festive.

Oh man, I thought, I am really out of touch

Spotting that calling coucal is proving too much.

The boys from Olcott School

I tell you, were way too cool.

An ashy drongo they showed us

Lurking in the bushes.

On we went to the polo ground

Where blackbuck and chital do abound.

A screeching shikra was identified

And was that a sparrow hawk we spied?

Two jackals with bushy tails, sauntered past

With my camera I should have been more fast.

Baby chitals peered with curiosity

Were we three such an oddity?

An Asian Brown Flycatcher

Had us JJs in a lather

Books were perused and binos viewed

before we deduced

the id of this winter visitor!

Pallikaranai marsh was next on our path

But only after a hearty repast

Pongal, kichdi and dosai with ghee

And good south Indian sweet and strong coffee!

To provide us Pallikaranai never fails

A bountiful supply of feathers and tails!

Jacanas and moorhens,

egrets and herons

Swallows and Swifts

Ducks and Stilts.

But it was the pelicans that were delightful

A couple in the water, unusually busy and cheerful.

Then we looked up in the sky and gasped

Like a busy airport with planes a-circling

Another fifty pelicans lazily gliding

Riding the thermals, waiting and watching.

A Marsh Harrier rounded up our sally

45 was our final tally.

By now, one Junkie was sneezing and snuffling

Another's phone was ringing and calling

Yours truly's car was low on petrol

And so we all headed on home.

I watched Cilic and Wawrinka do battle that night

As they hit the tennis ball with all their might

But guess what I found in the ladies' bathroom

next to the pots and pails and brooms?

A white-browed wagtail,

a fitting end to this Bird Race tale!

******

(The 3rd Chennai Bird Race was organised by the Madras Naturalist Society along with India Bird Races and HSBC on 10th January, 2010. Our team was the Jacana Junkies, after my favourite new bird of 2009, the pheasant-tailed jacana. )

For more sensible accounts of the bird race, read:

Bird watchers have a field day

Rare winged visitors enthral birdwatchers | Deccan Chronicle

Some photo albums as well:

The second placed team Rajali saw munias, terns and crotchety moorhens

Pallikaranai picture parade

All Photos by Mr Ramanan, in this post! He has been busy, catching all the avian stars of Pallikaranai.

The stilts stood in repose

Striking a haiku-like pose.

Black winged stilts

But the spot-billed ducks were swimming purposefully

In a line, so disciplinedly.


Spot-billed ducks

The grebes and coots were all a-chatter

Wondering whatever was the matter.

A congregation of Grebes

A group of Coots

"Look at me!", chirped this one,

"I'm in breeding plumage, isn't it fun?!"

Little Grebe in breeding plumage

"Huh, so what?", grumbled this comb duck

"So am I, but have had no luck.

No mate have I found

in this blessed pond."

Male comb duck, seen at Bharatpur

"Its not a pond, its a wetland

And you wouldn't understand

The joys of solitude, but I can",

said this frequently solitary pelican.

Spot-billed pelican, with a swallow in the foreground, and a little grebe in the background

The swallows swooped so swift,

But this grey heron looked miffed.

The roars of the cars on the road nearby

made him cross and ready to fly by.


Purple heron

This coot wasn't crazy

just a trifle lazy,

It stood on the water's edge,

looking at the water so hazy.

With all this sewage and garbage

Its a wonder its able to forage.

Common Coot (Nama kozhi in Tamil)

The purple moorhen bowed and strutted

and to his lady love, clucked and hooted.

With weeds in his bill he chuckled,

And under his courtship, she buckled!

Purple moorhen
Pheasant-tailed jacana

Up and down the jacana goes

walking on his spidery toes,

"When will my tail appear,

oh will it never, that I fear.

Oh blimey, oh banana,

then I will not be a pheasant-tailed jacana!"

Pheasant-tailed jacana

When you do grow your tail, Mr Jacana,

Mr Ramanan will be there with his camera.

Then make sure you strike him a good pose

So I may salute you with poetry, not prose.

Tell all your feathered friends in the marsh

On us, please dont be too harsh.

We've made a mess

that I confess

But we'll try our best

to reverse the process

and make your homes green once again.

***********

Pallikaranai is the marshy wetland, now very much a part of the city of Madras, encroached upon by development, and spoiled by garbage disposal.

Reading, learning, birding, blogging - I and the Bird #109

I and the Bird is a carnival celebrating the interaction of human and avian, an ongoing exploration of the endless fascination with birdlife all around the world. It is also a biweekly showcase of the best bird writing on the web published on alternating Thursday.

Its my pleasure to host this fortnight's IATB.

IATB I was to host
For which I received many a post.
With virtual wonder I did embark
to mountains, deserts and nature parks.
I share with you now all that I learned
As from one blog to another I turned.

Close to home, on the outskirts of Bangalore
T&S discovered a treasure.
Streaked Weavers they found
And their joys knew no bound.
They clicked away at leisure,

for all our viewing pleasure.

Ashwin, further north, was wandering the deserts of Thar
Looking for Raptors and Agamids near and far.
Falcons and eagles a plenty he did find
Uromastyx hardwickii, they did not mind.


A pair of Black Drongos, Ameen did see
As he drove along Ranthambore in his Gypsy.
They screamed and duelled and rolled about,
Is this war or love? Read and find out!

Over the oceans, to a place called Mull

Where Ian
Saw Dunlins,
Sanderlings and plovers,
Godwits and even an Otter!

Across the Atlantic, GrrlScientist's in NYC,
Birding and educating,

Travelling and teaching.
Check out her mystery bird from South Dakota,
Of which I had no inkling, not even an iota.


Larry is in California
Writing about Athene cunicularia.
This Burrowing Owl
Has him concerned
Can we give homes to these fowls?

Connie in nearby Colorado
Had a sunny interlude with a Junco.
While it bathed in the sun
She had so much fun
That she has written all about it!



Up at the Idaho Bird Observatory,
Rob tells this story.
Hawk trapping -
netting and banding
raptors attracted to lures.
And then came the Peregrine
In a stoop, dive-bombing,
Roaring,
Putting a jetplane to shame!

The Peregrine was also spied in Arctic bay

By Clare on a snow day.

The hungry fellow wanted a raven.

The latter definitely not craven.

Ravens, though common in the concrete jungles of Mumbai,
Is not among Sunita’s favourites which fly.
She prefers Oriole and Weaver
Bulbul and Flycatcher
And even that thieving parakeet is better!

Amila, these days is making excuses.
The dSLR that he uses
Is attracted to dragonflies and spiders
Butterflies and grasshoppers.
Between Macros and Skywatches
Frogs and such obsessions,
There is no digiscoping,
And acute paucity of birding!

But Nate loves his mudflats, shorebirds and digiscoping.

On the shores of Jordan lake in NC, he was hoping

to sight a Ruff.

But though the going was not tough,

the American Golden Plover was real enough!

Rooster Sunny was not amused
To see a Sharp Shinned Hawk peruse
Summer Foovay’s chicken and hens
Early one morning, out in the pen.

Down in Bukit Tinggi in Malaysia
A cicada of the genus Dundubia,
BESG found, clamped in the bill of a Trogon.
It sucked on the plant sap
and urinated from the back
before ending up as bird food and a goner.

Science on Tap has two book reviews
And here I am giving you a clue.
Alex and Wesley evoke many smiles and tears
The parrot and owl, such lovely creatures.

Duncan went to Peach Flat Phoenix
To see if Latham’s Snipe he could fix.
There was a first sighting of the season,
But to visit, an even better reason
Were the Flame Robins, spectacular in pics.

Jo at J M Oudesluys
Sketches all the birdies
This time its Ovenbirds she spied
And drew, as her they eyed.

At Potter County, the grosbeaks blushed

Chickadees roamed

and the yellow rumped was actually a Cape May Warbler!

And Mike was amply rewarded

as Ruffed Grouse his path crossed,

and a hen allowed him to photograph her!

In India, our vultures are now scarce

Felled by disease and diclofenac.
More scavengers we need
And for this I do plead
Lets rehabilitate
Before its too late.

Liza Lee Miller at Egret's Nest

also wishes these scavengers all the best.

With a link to IVAD

So please drop by and see.

And so I round-up my verse
Which I hope was better, not worse!
And see you next time
In a different clime
At Foovay's Cauldron, a blog so diverse!

IATB 110 to be hosted by Summer Foovay at Foovay's Cauldron on October 1st 2009. Come join the celebrations!

{All Photos are from the respective blogs..}