A Peregrine and Woodpeckers - a nice start for my birding year

 Jan 1st

Ebird list with Vismaya, the peregrine.

E-bird list with the Flamebacks

I have not been birding much this last fortnight of December, so it was nice to have these chance encounters.  

Vismaya had not given me darshan, being driven away by the on-off rain of the last month.  Jan 1st and I caught sight of her, in her usual perch, preening and dozing intermittently.  

I was fascinated by how it felt like she was staring at us.  Did she sense the movements in the balcony across?  Maybe assessing if we could be lunch?  

In the evening, I was hearing the loud ki-ki-ki call of a Flameback intermittently, and went to the terrace to investigate. And Sekar's eyes picked up not one but two of them!

The Black-rumped Flameback pair - how they clung to the wall, and pried and poked between the bricks.

Every hole was investigated, and then they both flew off with a kikiki call.

A new camera and lens, that gave us some anxious moments gave us some lovely pictures too.

Patch birding in the neighbourhood

eBird Checklist - 20 Oct 2024 - 18 species

October 20th, Sunday 730 am

Patch birding on an empty plot that has water puddles and scrub overgrowth. Overnight rains. Now sunny.  This is an empty shrub-filled plot, off the main beach road at Thiruvanmyur.

3 Red-wattled Lapwing
1 Eurasian Hoopoe
1 Common Kingfisher (Small Blue Kingfisher) - what a nice surprise.  Sat on the wall next to the G Square developed plot.
1 White-throated Kingfisher
4 Blue-tailed Bee-eater
1 Coppersmith Barbet
2 Rose-ringed Parakeet
2 Black Drongo
1 Brown Shrike (Brown) - just shows the difference between incidental birding and binocular birding.  I saw this because I had a pair of binoculars with me.
7 House Crow
2 Large-billed Crow (Indian Jungle)
4 Common Tailorbird
1 Ashy Prinia
4 Barn Swallow
1 White-browed Bulbul
4 Common Myna
5 Purple-rumped Sunbird
1 White-browed Wagtail (Large Pied Wagtail) - Now I was delighted to see a pair of them later on the beach, foraging around the temporary lake/river that has been created from the stormwater drains that are emerging on the beach.  They hopped and flew all around the periphery, chittering to each other as they went.  

Number of Taxa: 18

The wildfowers in the thickets are here.  I also saw some dead marine creatures, which was not nice at all.

The patch where I saw all these birds.

I went on to the beach and the Valmiki Nagar thickets.

I love wandering in these thickets, you never know what you will find.  Today was a butterfly day.

The cricket match had driven the birds away, I guess.

My Valmiki Nagar thicket ebird list here.  Blue-tailed bee eaters were doing their aerial dives and a lone black Kite flew over the water's edge.

The sea looked lovely, and the clouds gave me a bit of shade every now and then.  

The waves fizzed back and forth, but the sand had these green algal residues, perhaps the phytoplanktons causing the bioluminescence these last few nights?

A crow's nest at our feet

eBird Checklist - 17 Aug 2024 - Madras Boat Club, Chennai - 11 species

When we backbenchers meet, it is usually a cheery and noisy affair and this was no different.  After ingesting the omelettes and dosais and coffee, we strolled out into the Boat Club lawns,  only to have a crow's nest fall out of the tree and at the feet of Gayathree and Sagarika.

A set of crows cawed in consternation (I assumed) from the Neem tree above, staring at the nest which was thankfully without egg, and therefore we were in no ethical dilemma.

I admired the inner neat cup - I did not think the crow made a neat nest inside, having only seen the messy exterior so far..  I was quite taken in by the little cup with the thinner lighter twigs.

The stagnant Adyar river had many pairs of Ditch jewels, which is really not good news - they are usually around polluted waters - why I do not know, but they seem to love hanging around.

A Clubtail too, I spied.  (I was quite pleased with my mobile phone via binoculars camera work.)

As we all dispersed to leave, we saw not one, not two, but a trio of Flamebacks going up a coconut tree. Such an unexpected delight, our Bhai was also exhilarated!  Flamebacks are busy always, digging, drilling and hopping up in their odd two-footed fashion.  May we never lose the joy of seeing these beautiful birds, and keep the sense of wonder in us always alive.

The Divi divi along the road was in full bloom, and I enjoyed standing under the tree and inhaling the fragrance and enjoying the "greenness" of the fresh leaves". Sagarika was busy with camera, muttering to herself - oh Tailed Jay, see there Swift, Pansy, I am not able to get a click...so many bees..."  She was in full incantation mode.  I was in Inner Peace state.

Friends and Nature make for a good therapeutic start to the day.

Vismaya - the Peregrine of MRC Nagar

Vismaya - so named by Sanjeev - a Peregrine Falcon whom he had day-to-day eyes on; Vismaya, who came when Maya the Shaheen left, or so it seemed.

10th April sightings

Vismaya - Falco peregrinus peregrinus,

Let me tell you about her, why the fuss.

CSK bus below

Bedecked in yellow

And most miss this raptor in plain sight, thus.

Off to the marsh at dusk and dawn

From this perch, she will be gone

Pigeon  stunned

with fist, not gun

Cleaned and eaten on the adjacent pylon.

A Chennai Life lived in solitude

Not even the crow dare intrude

Back north for the summer

She may meet a Tiercel partner

And hopefully eyases, they will together brood.

We wish you safe travels up north

And hope you come back, as you go forth

Maybe next time as a pair?

Chennai does treat you so fair

with enough prey through our winter for you both!

 

The Sunbird

 

Blue Skies
greens and browns
my window frames.

Quiet sunbird!
Yellow breast reflecting in
my window frames.

Watching sunbird
Catching her reflections, in
my window panes.

Working moms
exchanging glances, through
my window frames.

A moment's experience
a connection in a blink, through
those window frames.

Female, Purple-rumped Sunbird Leptocoma zeylonica

All it takes is a few trees - Mumbai birds

eBird India Checklist - 3 Dec 2023 - Dosti flamingo complex - 14 species

I didn't see the flamingos since the Sewri spot is now inaccessible.  

Dosti flamingo complex
03-Dec-2023
6:46 PM
Traveling
2.01 km
66 Minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments: Empty plots around have fig trees


30 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
1 Asian Koel
6 Black Kite
1 Coppersmith Barbet
1 Alexandrine Parakeet
7 Rose-ringed Parakeet
1 Spot-breasted Fantail (White-spotted Fantail)
9 House Crow
2 Common Tailorbird
1 Blyth's Reed Warbler
2 Red-vented Bulbul
5 Purple-rumped Sunbird
6 Indian Silverbill (White-throated Munia)
25 House Sparrow

Number of Taxa: 14

In the heart of Sewri, it just takes a couple of fig trees and a Jackfruit to create a little haven for birds, it seems. 

The Alexandrine, the Silverbills and the fantail were such a delight. 

A Mocis frugalis - Sugarcane Looper -Identified via iNaturalist - spent the night on our room curtain.

A Blue pea vine had these beautiful blooms.

The Banyan did not have much bird activity and I wondered why.

It was the Jackfruit corner that was buzzing with sparrows, babblers, sunbirds and the fantail,

Peregrine hunting along OMR - eBird Trip Report

26th Nov '23

Peregrine hunting along OMR - eBird Trip Report

What an interesting morning with Ramraj, Anitha and Sagarika.  Pictures here.  

Three Peregrines, 

on three towers, 

up high 

in very urban locations.  

We craned our necks,

Peered through our binoculars 

and yes there they were!

Ferrari Falcons

sitting motionless

on nondescript ledges.  Noiseless

Pigeons and parakeets

which one would it be today, 

at the end of that famous dive

would breakfast be green or grey?

*****

An Osprey and a Black Shouldered Kite 

We saw them too.

And those fabulous Blue Tailed Bee Eaters 

Shimmering in the sun.

Green marsh.  Sky so blue.

The waders (Ruffs most likely)  - a large flypast

Probably even more skittery 

because of the soaring Osprey.

*******

27th Oct '23

An odd looking shadow on the Leela Business Towers had me scurrying for the binoculars at MRC Nagar.  

Even through those dimmed, old lenses I could see that it was no crow, no pigeon, but a falcon.

It sat motionless in that pose, from 130 in the afternoon, until 6 in the evening.  I wondered why this peculiar and precarious position at the edge?  She preened, cleaned her talons and feathers, but did not move an inch.

.

Sanjeev hurried down and took this picture - yes Peregrines get that kind of attention.

At 605pm Vismaya (as she has been named) , took off, circled the building and flew off south.

Oct 31st - seen again by Sekar, while I was away at Bangalore.  Same perch, same position.   

And then the rains came and Deepavali came...and we have not seen it on this side of the building since.

I loved this description - Fantastic Falcons: Streamlined, Superfast Raptors in Many Avatars by Ranjit Lal

The peregrine is a cosmopolitan hunter — even found nesting on skyscraper ledges in New York City and other metropolises, from which vantage point it picks up pigeons. The shaheen has been observed doing the same in Mumbai. Having selected a victim, the peregrine, with its fastback wings gives swift chase, with the pigeon twisting and turning to avoid being caught. If the falcon fails to capture its prey, it will rise to its “pitch” (the highest point) and then fold its wings to its side and whistle down like a missile straight at its victim in a “stoop” or high-speed dive. The fastest stoop has been clocked at 390 kmph, faster than most Formula 1 racing cars, which peak at around 320 kmph. A special membrane protects its eyes from the rush of air, and the bird will often dive beneath its victim and then rise up and grasp it in its talons. Or it simply attacks from behind, the force of the impact often killing the bird mid-air. Watching a peregrine stoop is a never-to-be-forgotten experience. This guided missile of a bird was once in serious trouble in the West when the rampant use of DDT and other organochlorine pesticides caused their numbers to plummet. Thanks to conservation efforts, the birds seem safe for now.

MRC Nagar unknowingly plays host to both - the Shaheen and the Peregrine!

Next goal is to somehow catch it at its hunt

Watch out for those geckos!

 

Black ant home building

Bangalore 

Saul kere

4th May - the beginning

7th May - work in progress

A chamber inside is visible

One cuckoo flew out of the nest

Eudynamys scolopaceus

raucous and  rapacious

uninvited eggs were deposited

she emerged  brown and spotted

And the crows found her appetite quite capacious.

Through August and September

Her loud demands I remember

The crows found her rude

But kept her in the brood

Until she fledged in October.

14th August 2022 - the first time I spotted the Koel fledgling in the neighbour's teak tree.

Most days I would see her tail and hear her insistent rattling call

15th August - and she flew from one branch to the other, first flight, but no proud parents to watch or guide.

25th August 2022  - and she flew to our terrace! My attention drawn by the ballyhoo of her calls and the rattling of the clothesline.                                               

From then on, she was a regular up there, getting strength into her wings and begging for food.  Every time there was the shadow of a crow passing, her calls would be more frantic.  The crows ignored for the most part.  Every now and then one crow would desultorily feed her.

And then one day, she was not there.  Flew off!

The mystery to me is that crows and koels don't mate, so they do recognise them as different species, then why do they feed the fledglings?  is there altruism here, that we cannot even begin to fathom?

The videos 

Koel learning to fly and balancing on a wire

Trying her luck with the crows

The crows are unimpressed

 

Adyar Poonga from the outside

 11th to 13th February 2022

Day 1

Morning walks in a different neighbourhood bring different joys and delights.  A little peek through the gap in the shrubbery revealed the waters of the Adyar Poonga, as I walked down the western sidewalk of Greenways road, towards Santhome.

No Binoculars and myopia meant I saw the Pelican swimming serenely, but what were those little waders?  They stood still and seemed rather lethargic.  Too big and inactive for sandpipers, too plump for Black-Winged Stilts.  

I enjoyed the breeze, the call of the white-browed bulbuls, the flight of the little egret over the water's surface, instead.

Tried to wheedle my way in to the Poonga via the side gates, but no luck - watchman were pretty firm about not letting anyone in.  I walked through one eastward cul-de-sac, which ended in the Fisheries Office, alongside Quibble Island cemetery.  A nice walk but for the smell of well, fish.  

On going back home, Sekar casually says there is a pedestrian bridge across the Poonga, from the road next to the India Cements building - How does he know these things, seriously?  I am very sceptical - first of all where is this road next to IC office, and how can there be a bridge across the Poonga, I mean, how??

Day 2

Next morning, I retraced my steps, armed with binoculars, and lo and behold, those gundu stock still birds were revealed - Grey-headed Lapwings.  I was very happy to come across them - after a few years.  Winter migrants, they are rather different from the busy resident Red Wattled Lapwings.  Striking looking with their black breast band.  There was also a large flock of BWS, with their pink legs, mirrored in the water too.

A couple of Night Herons were busy in their own focussed worlds.

I had another goal from the previous day - finding that bridge - which I was quite sure didn't exist.  So I retraced my steps, back to the Indian Cements building....and there was the road going west...Karpagam Gardens...ok Sekar, I found it!  Nice tree-lined avenue, with the regular morning sounds.    

And there at the end of the road, was Karpagam Bridge!!! Across the Poonga, yes indeed, Sekar.  I loved the way it was designed, with the trellis to allow a look-see into the Poonga, and little wider alcoves, to sit in the evenings, if you so desired.  

The view through the trellis, looking west. One of the Poonga workers was picking up trash - bottles carelessly chucked over the bridge (Why, people?)  I thanked him for doing his job, and commiserated with him.

I spied the Poonga walking paths

And the workers going about their work, sweeping and cleaning the paths.  Squirrels enjoyed the trellis racing up and down, and getting startled seeing my face suddenly.

The view on the other side.  The Portea tree was full of the sound of white-browed bulbuls.  A lady passing by with her shopping told me that I should come earlier to find the birds (It was after 8am), as she hurried back home.

At the edge, I could hear the loud cackling of white-breasted waterhens, among the reeds at the water's edge, while a pelican paddled away from me.

As I crossed the kalyana mangalam, I saw this sewage truck that had the Made in India lion - a recycling sewage tank is it?

Day 3

I followed the lady's tip and started with Karpagam bridge, but no luck there.

I walked back via Quibble cemetery, wandered through the ancient graves, and saw a large blooming Kapok

14th Feb saw the BWS on the backwaters, and I managed to get on decent binocs-phone-cam shot

That evening, the sunset over the Adyar, brought gold to the waters - I could see the wader flocks near the bridge take to the air, but they were too far for me to figure out whether they were plovers or sandpipers, stints or shanks.