BIRDING AT YELAGIRI

All these great photos by Mr Ramanan

White bellied drongo - (Dicrurus caerulescens), endemic to the Indian subcontinent

Indian Robin - Copsychus fulicatus

Brahminy Starling - Sturnia pagodarum

Red whiskered bulbul - Pycnonotus jocosus

Who is the wildlife?

Demoiselle cranes in thousands....

....Sarus cranes in pairs

Sambar deer shy and solitary,

Peacocks in monsoon, gorgeous and flashy,

Sunbathing calotes...

...screeching terns

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Wild asses in Kutch
We have so much.

A tiger glared....

...while the wild boar stared

....and the elephant seemed to chuckle

Flamingoes in the east, flamingoes in the west 

Langurs everywhere, sometimes at rest.

Peaceful Blackbucks locked in combat,
yes! we saw that!

Kingfishers feeding on baby snakes

Rock pythons doing whatever it takes

a baby sandgrouse in disguise

Fluttering dragonflies

Lions in Gir, resting in the shade

Darters in Bharatpur, as if in the fashion trade

Curious Nilgai, 

curious gaurs,
the planet is theirs as much as ours

Magnificent hornbills,
why do we slaughter?

Let those bustards live
for our grandsons and daughters

We are more beastly and wild  it appears to me

read the newspapers and you will agree.

Black shouldered kite at Sholinganallur

Photo by Mr Ramanan

Elanus caeruleus 

A beautiful capture by Mr Ramanan, of a black-shouldered kite, seen on a wire at Sholinganallur.    It seems to be fixing Mr Ramanan with a piercing look!

This smaller bird of prey has an interesting habit of hovering, like the pied kingfisher.

On the open plains at Bharatpur, we would regularly see them almost stationery in the sky as they hovered over, looking for small prey like rodents, frogs and lizards.

The beautiful bee eaters

The beautifully colourful bee eaters. I never tire of seeing them, as they flash through the air in search of insects or sit on wires sunning themselves. Every trip I've made into the forests is "greened" with a sighting of these birds. And even the backyards of Chennai for that matter.

I remember the one sitting on the wires at Siruthavoor, swooping, picking up insects, and munching them with glee.

At Bahminidadar in Kanha, among the tall brown grass of the plateau, there were these bee eaters perched on the grasses, a spot of green against the brown.  That sight has stayed with me all these years, and everytime I relive that moent of driving in the jeep, the grass crowding us on either side, and these flashes of green that made me gasp with wonder.

So I was especially thrilled to received these pictures from Mr Ramanan, a veritable bee eater photo festival!

The blue-tailed bee eater, seen at Sholinganallur.  A little bigger than the green bee eater.  Merops philippinus

The same chap.  They love to sun themselves and also watch for insects from these perches.

Notice the beak.  Sharp and pointed to catch those flying insects.  They generally bang about their insect morsel before eating it, to get rid of the venom.  They love bees incidentally.

Mr Ramanan photographed this pair of blue-tailed beeeaters at Corbett.  They are pretty gregarious birds, hang around in large groups, and are also monogamous for a season, so this may have been a "pair"?

The smaller green beeeater, seen at Corbett.  Merops orientalis, the more common one that we see around our cities as well. seen at Chennai near the marshes.

The chestnut headed bee eater seen at Thengumaragada, Kotagiri, Nilgiris.  Merops leschenaulti.  I have not yet seen this bird.  The chestnut head glints in the sun!

And neither have I seen this one.  The blue bearded bee eater!  Nyctyornis athertoni.  Amazing isnt it?  It is o the largest bee eater in India I'm guessing at about a foot in height, with a different square-ended tail.

Check out the beard feathers in this profile shot!  They are supposedly loners, and have a loud cackling call.

Little birds, with prominent sharp beaks, the bee eaters are a delightful introduction to birding, as they are active and busy and not so shy either.

Maybe this year I will see the bearded fellow?

The Indian roller

Coracias benghalensis - Photo by Mr Ramanan

A bird I never tire of seeing.  Its brilliant blue colourations even more striking in flight, with colours that would do a Kancheepuram silk weaver proud!

Candid camera!

Paradise flycatcher.  Photo by Mr Ramanan

Photo by Mr Ramanan.  A Shikra poses

Photo by Mr Ramanan.  Spotted Owlet at Vedanthangal

Pongal at Goa - birds, by Mr Ramanan

Crimson-backed sunbird

the female

Coppersmith at the Madhe bridge

A very cold white-cheeked barbet

A beautiful red-whiskered bulbul

A vernal hanging parrot, seen at the resort

Black-hooded oriole seen at Bondla

All photos by Mr Ramanan

I saw some 28 new species for the first time, on this Goa trip.

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Great Crested Tern
Terek Sandpiper
Peregrine Falcon
Slaty-breasted Rail
Collared Kingfisher
Fulvous Whistling-duck
Brown-breasted Flycatcher
White-throated Fantail
White-rumped Munia
Blue-eared Kingfisher
White-bellied Blue Flycatcher
Black-hooded Oriole
Spangled Drongo
Black-naped Monarch
Grey-breasted Prinia
Wire-tailed Swallow
Black-crested Bulbul
Grey-headed Bulbul
White-bellied Sea Eagle
Savanna Nightjar
Chestnut-headed Bee-eater
Malabar Trogon
Malabar Pied Hornbill
Rufous Woodpecker
Speckled Piculet
Large Cuckooshrike
Streak-throated Swallow
Crimson-fronted Barbet

The Malabar trogon was my most special sighting, followed by that gorgeous ruby throated bulbul (aka black crested)

I saw some 88 species, and the entire list is here.  The entire group saw "160 Birds, 9 Mammals, 5 Frogs, 9 Reptiles, 44 Butterflies, 8 Dragonflies & Damselflies and 11 other invertebrates"

A pelican-sized quarrel

Mr Ramanan witnessed this squabble in the pelican colony at Nelapattu

As he says, if their pouches get torn/punctured, then feeding is a problem and could lead to their eventual death

It's the Chennai Bird Race today, and I am not birding.  Sigh!  Some birding in the virtual world atleast!