Discovering the Adyar riverfront trail

4th April 5pm

It is April and summer is here, but not yet unbearable according to me.  The sea breeze blows and the day temps are below 35, what's to complain?

Off I went to Gandhinagar, in search of the river trail on the banks of the Adyar, more than two years old, and not visited because it is there, so close, can always be visited etc.  

Entry point near St Patrick's School main gate - https://maps.app.goo.gl/TDykuUoP5cYPbdWn8

Eastern end of trail - https://maps.app.goo.gl/y1wJ5JbzVo4FhHJ28

Western end of trail - https://maps.app.goo.gl/aJiecUxdcGxuZPqx8

I entered the gate to this sight, right in front of me!  The day was clear, the tide was high, and the Adyar river looked misleadingly blue and clean!  I could see the Thiruvika bridge in the far background.  This was the view looking east.

A pelican glided above nearer the bridge and then landed in the water.  Crow and myna calls were everywhere, and I had to listen in-between to hear the parakeets and Koel calls.

This was the view looking west - with the MRTS bridge in the background.

I walked east first, and was delighted at the loose canopy of shrubs overhead, keeping the sun out, and allowing the sea breeze through.  It was very pleasant, and I was mightily pleased at the mud track. No cement, no fountain, no over beautification. And no Exotics either!

Through a gap in the shrubbery, I spied this gang of Cormorants taking in the evening sun.  I did not see any other water birds, but I saw a lot of sunbirds and babblers.

Tecoma was flowering profusely everywhere, there was mangrove species down on the slopes towards the river.  Henna, Pongamia, Nocchi, Guazuma ulmifolia, junglee badam and Bauhinia.

People were having their evening walk, they all seemed familiar to each other, I was the outsider.  I reached the eastern end - there is a gate that goes into Malligaipoo nagar.  That gate is shut, kind of.  You have to be slim, hold your breath and squeeze your way in between the two gates.  Better for people like me to enter via St Patrick's!

I headed back and then went further west of the gate, towards the MRTS bridge.  I crossed a couple of rest rooms - wow - and then a gate to another park with benches and paved walking areas.  This trail has no benches, but is clean which is quite a change from the usual.

A train went by as I went under the bridge admiring the Bauhinias against the blue sky.

The water hyacinths were doing well this side of the bridge - the tides were not reaching here I guess - a km inland from thiruvika.

The pathway is not so crowded and you can enjoy moments of solitude which I found nice.  But there is no getting away from the sounds of the Indian city - over the waters, a loudspeaker carried some songs from a nearby temple. Silence is the biggest luxury in Indian cities.

And then I was at the Buckingham Canal "sangam". I disturbed a White throated Kingfisher as I peered between the bamboo leaves, and he/she sped away with a loud rattly call.  A Blyth's reed warbler called from the bushes as also Tailor Birds.  In the Canal hyacinth, a Swamp Hen, foraged.

Looking down the river, I could see huge numbers of Cattle Egrets in the hyacinth, many in breeding plumage.  I could see the Boat Club on the opposite side, and a sculler was making his way.

The setting sun streamed through, as I watched the children play in the adjacent playgrounds.  Women were plucking some mardani leaves for their use.

My complete bird list here:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S222832754

I am sure the scrub on the sides, near the canal will have flycatchers and maybe even Pittas in the winter.  But the waters are too high for waders.

I  headed back to Gandhinagar club - where friends and food awaited!

This rather zingy jhalmurhi, cleared our sinuses and reminded us of a missing Sunbird, as we celebrated retirements, sailing voyages and new homes.  

 

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?

Fluttered by

 

Yesterday morning 

a Great Eggfly came to rest

only for a while.

This time not to die

catch her breath, escape the sun

momentarily.

It was a different feeling from 2019 - final resting place.

Hypolimnas bolina, the great eggfly - female

Typically, the Great Eggfly underside has more white...so here is another morph then.

PS:  I have to admit - I thought it was a Common Indian Crow initially - lazy dying if ever there was one - and it was Sagarika, sharp as a nail, alert as ever, who said, nooooo!  not a Crow, too big, and see the frilly edge.  

24 Aug 2024 - Muttukadu Backwaters morning

eBird Checklist - 24 Aug 2024 - Muttukadu Backwaters - 56 species

eBird Checklist - 24 Aug 2024 - Muttukadu Backwaters - 33 species ( 3 other taxa)

Click on this link for all the biodiversity that we saw.

Stop at the main bridge 

A house crow showering

An egret in plumage breeding

Two wagtails hurrying 

Three spoonbills flypasting

Four Painted Storks huddling

Five Pelicans swimming

Six terns a-turning 

A cloud of cormorants moving 

And four birders in a very good mood!

On to the small bridge

As we arrived - 

Hordes of cormorants fishing
Sanjiv and Chitra birding
Umesh joins and does the wowing
Whimbrels and Curlews stalking
Sagarika Thick Knee Spotting
Cat's Claw flowers dazzling
Fiddler Crabs emerging
White browed bulbuls calling

And six birders in a very jolly mood!

On to Ajwa Cafe side

Walls and boards, alarming

A sandpiper scurrying

Curlew - meditating

We - a tidal pool discovering

Girdled Horn Snails in slow motion moving

A HUGE Brown Land Crab side-stepping

Many barnacles rock clinging

Other crabs just scooting

Sandwiches a-chomping

And nine birders in a very happy mood!

The Brown Land Crab - Umesh's photo.

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.

A moth of such silken beauty

Tusar Silk Moth

More gorgeous than the silk 

you spin, cocooned.

Silky Resplendence.  Evanescent. 

Bed of green.  Go in peace.

Antheraea paphia, South India small tussore moth.  Male.

Last moments of life - it lay there, moving feebly in the sun and breeze, and I marvelled at its markings.

I learnt from Bhanu that they are non feeding adults, with no mouth parts.  These Saturnid moths mate, lay eggs & perish, their job done.

I drew attention to the moth, to all who passed by - some nodded in politeness, others hurried on, not moved by this beauty, I wondered how.  An older man came and peered and nodded and marvelled at nature's creation.  A young woman's eyes lit up at the word "silk".

I will be on the look out for eggs and caterpillars on possible host plants in the neighbourhood - Terminalia species, hoping the moth's cycle of life continues.

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!

 

Illalur morning

March 10th 2024

Hello said the sunbird!

The sun rose over Illalur lake, and we watched.

The magical shimmer of gold across the water, 

the silhouetted trees, 

Cormorants skidded across the surface,

Dew on the grasses, 

Dragonflies  hovering over the reeds

And I listened, to the

Gurgling chuckle of the White-browed bulbuls

Familiar francolins' call

Coucal hoot

Kingfisher's rattling cry

and the caw caw of the crows.

What's not to love in my morning meander

with others on a similar journey, together

Yet separate,

Enjoying our solitary discoveries 

Sharing our delights, 

and sandwiches!

Later at Mudayathur lake, the Thandri under water, unlike my last visit.

The Yellow Wattled Lapwings - an unexpected delight

An Osprey afar!

Cormorants aplenty

A brain fever bird after ages!

Oriental Skylark shot up from the grass, calling and hovering before descending

Smart and perky Indian Robins 

And a new discovery this time - the hillock near Vembedu Lake.  A lovely scrub area which we visited a little too late - next time we need to catch dawn here.

Returning via Nemmeli, and the flamingoes danced in the salt pans, on their amazingly long legs while the Spoonbills wagged their beaks and bodies, almost in time.  And what were the Northern Shovelers doing dabbling in the saltpans I wondered.  Aren't they freshwater, wetland ducks?

81 species for the morning - by Sagarika, Ramanan, Ramraj and me.  

My Visit of 2023 here.

January wanderings on ECR

 Jan 10th 2024

Indian Maritime University Recce visit - eBird Trip Report

50 species not counting the warblers and other scrub birds that we did not have time to focus upon.  So here's a rhyme to celebrate.

There was once a trio of MNSers

Nothing in common, but all birders

To IMU we drove

And found a treasure trove

A marsh full of Warblers and Plovers.

There were Egrets and Pelicans galore

Garganeys, Pintails, Ibis and more

so much joy and delight 

Spoonbills in flight

Oh wait!  Godwits in 100s, furthermore!

Then the dogs, who felt ignored

Into the marsh, they  crashed, quite bored

The Godwits flew off

And the Lapwings did scoff

“Did you do it”, they called, and soared.

And how can I forget those Grey Francolins, endearing

Across the road they went. to the edge of the clearing

I counted seven

Quite a procession

And all through our walk we heard them calling.

Openbills flew across along with Painted Stork

Drongo, Coucal, Treepies did disembark

A Roller flashed blue

And the Kingfisher flew

Oh that sweet call - a Jerdon’s Bush Lark!

Powder Puffs played host to many Purple Sunbirds aglow

A Solitary, stock-still Thickknee in the scrub below

We rounded the corner

And there found a charmer

An Oriole above, a flash of sunshiny yellow.

And then as a finale, on a faraway stone

A raptor for sure, that did our goodbyes postpone

A Falcon, a Peregrine

Its claws it did preen

Enjoying the sun and solitude, but no not alone.

We will be back at IMU, that is for sure

The AWC will be a joy and a sinecure

When we go birding

The uncertainty is rewarding

And the company brings laughter in good measure.

And here are the photos:

From Sunbird

From Ramesh

Bauhinia

Rosy Milkweed Vine

Powder Puff - Calliandra

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

The Loten's and the Gliricidia

March 4th 2023

Here I am, just returned from Kaziranga and Manas, and writing about Illalur and Madayathur.  Sekar looked disbelieving at my plan to go off on Saturday - weren't the wondrous and spectacular sightings of Assam sufficient - but I felt this tug to see and experience my backyards again, like re-connecting with the familiar, after a trip to the exotic!

And more than the birding, it was the company and the beautful spots - so close to home.  OK not so close, but closer than Assam for sure.

Illalur lake - the last time I was here, the lake was dry and we walked everywhere.

The morning was magical, with the clouds, the sun and the water, and a light mist as well.

This photo by Sagarika was one of several highlights of my morning.  The singing Loten in the flowering Gliricidia.

These beautiful stalks bloom between Feb and April, usually. Photo by Sagarika.

And this wonderful video by Umesh.  (Enjoy it in full screen.)

Some walking up and down the bund and disturbing various men from their morning peaceful open-air defecation later, we thought we saw Pratincoles fly overhead, and we did see blue-tailed bee-eaters swoop and settle on the Milkweed.  

Purple-rumped sunbirds were nesting - rather the female looked like she was dismantling and completely disapproving of the nest, while the male chirped and flew off quite seemingly quite hurt by this.

Sagarika spotted a White-eyed Buzzard on a pole fa-aaaar away, which was nice (yes, she showed all of us too), and then they all saw a Jerdon's Bushlark which I didn't because I guess I was busy and distracted by the little wildflowers on the lake bed.  

Possibly a Bladderwort.  

Dwarf Morning Glory

Some cute looking grasses

Around this time, Gayathree decided that she had to pick some Prickly Pears, and at the end of that she was, well, pricked.  The Cactus did not approve of her actions.

Some friendly FD guards who were on their rounds, stopped to have a chat, and Mr Prakash was happy to see us and the documentation would help towards the bird census of the lake.

He then took us to another lake that I had never been to - what an amazing discovery!

Madayathur lake - with this lone standing Thandri tree (Terminalia bellerica).  What an absolutely delightful surprise.  A large serene lake, with a RF on one side and the village and temple on the other.  

The tree was magnificent and awesome.

There were a few waders at the water's edge - a trio of little ringed plovers, a lone black-winged stilt and a couple of wood sandpipers.  I enjoyed watching the paddy field pipits and the wagtails scurry across the grass.

It was an ideal picnic spot, and we munched on an odd assortment of cake, sandwiches, black grapes and chips.  And believe it or not, Gayathree had a flask of chamomile tea....which I shall not comment upon.  Those who drank it were calmer and those who did not were happier.  

We all bundled in Gayathree's car to return back via Nemmeli, when we saw this temple procession.  From the Thiruporur Murugan temple.

The temple, as we moved away from it. Photo by Umesh

And at Gayathree's stomping grounds - the Nemmeli salt pans - we saw the water had receded, algae had formed, and the curlews were fewer in number.

Illalur lake list

Madayathur lake list

Nemmeli salt pans from the vehicle

As summer rears its head, the remaining winter visitors will leave sooner than later, and we will commune with the resident pelican and storks.

Safe travels, bon voyage and see you next winter, our feathered friends from far and near.