Kudri tank

Flamingos in flight...while returning to Madras.

Date: 20 May 2007
Location: Kudri tank, SHAR road, near Sriharikota
Time: 6 AM

Comments: Good birding activity. Falmingos, pelicans, spoonbills, waders, some ducks.
HIGH DRAMA IN THE WATER: The flock of flamingos suddenly rose into th air. A jackal rushed into the water and chased a purple swamphen and finally caught it (see pics.)

Birds:
Greater, lesser flamingos (about 500 together)
Bar tailed godwits
Black winged stilts
Spot billed pelicans
Caspian terns
Whiskered terns
Kentish plover
Lesser sand plover
Common sandpiper
Redshank
Greenshank
Black ibis (lots)
White ibis (lots)
Spoonbills (lots)
Gargeny duck (few)
Spot billed duck (few)
Open bill storks
Grey herons
Painted storks (lots)
L, C, M egrets and pond herons
One lone raptor (shikra ?)
Indian moor hen
Purple moor hen
Other waders, but all far away

Good birding. Back in Madras by 12 noon.

Pictures by Dr Arun Kumar, Madras Naturalists Society

Pulicat by boat

Photos by Dr Arun Kumar, Madras Naturalists' Society

Three MNS members (Thiagu sir, Doc and I) went on a morning trip to Pulicat, as part of the monthly bird count and survey. Kannan, a reseacher with the BNHS, joined us on the way.
We went on to Annamalaicheri where we hired a boat from the local fishing community. The lake is quite shallow. We saw many types of waders, herons and egrets. The highlight of the trip was the sight of a thousand flamingoes on the lake. It was a beautiful sight. My first sighting of flamingoes.

Birds:

Kentish plover
Pacific golden plover
Curlew sandpiper
Little ringed plover
Greater/lesser flamingo
Spoonbills
Painted storks
Cormorants
Greenshank
Redshank
Brown headed gull
Caspian tern
White ibis
Little/large egrets
Little stint
Pond heron
Black tailed godwit
Grey plover
Black kite
Black shouldered kite
Montagu harrier

The raptors were seen away from the lake.

It was a nice trip and we had a good time. we made it back to Madras by 12 noon, to beat the heat of the day.