pappus peregrine

North American birdlist

2011-05-09T11:36:00.000-07:00

This is a growing list.

Osprey (23 April, 5 PM, near Chesapake Bay Bridge, MD)

American goldfinch (1 May, 8 AM Lousiville, NC)
Blue grosbeak?
Eastern bluebird?

Common:
=======

American robin
Northern cardinal
European starling
American crow

Central park, New York City
===========================

Mallard
Canada goose
Red-winged blackbird
Black crowned night heron
Mourning dove
Pheobe
American warbler?
White throated sparrow
Blue jay
Palm warbler
Pine warbler
Ruby crowned kinglet
Golden crowned kinglet
Common grackle
Barn swallow
Tufted titmouse
Downy woodpecker
Yellow billed sapsucker
double breasted cormorant
Blue gray gnatcatcher
Brown creeper
White breasted nuthatch
song sparrow
Red bellied woodpecker
Flicker
Junco
Fox sparrow
Chipping sparrow
Common yellowthroat
Grey catbird
Cedar waxwing
Kingbird
Magnolia warbler
Great egret
Great crested flycatcher
Warbling verio
Eastern wood peewee

North and northeast

2009-01-24T08:01:00.000-08:00

As part of being a research scholar, traveling is a rewarding privilege. So this Jan 2009, I went off to attend WiSSAP at IIT Kanpur, and from there to NCC at IIT Guwahati. In between got to see the Taj Mahal at Agra, and spent a night at Delhi. And on the return, we had a day at Calcutta.

Did some birding whenever I could. These were some of the interesting sightings:

Kanpur-Agra-Delhi

Laughing dove
Pied myna
Brahmini myna
Common myna
Magpie robin
Rufus treepie
Indian peafowl
Blue throated flycatcher
Spotted owlet
Mottled wood owl (?)
Egyptian vulture
Sarus crane
Indian robin
Pied bushchat
Pied wagtail
Some other wagtail (?)
Common stonechat
Rose-ringed parakeet
Blossom headed parakeet (light was poor, so unsure)
Blue rock pegion
House sparrow
Great cormorant
Painted stork
Some duck (didnt have binos) (?)
Black winged stilts
Pied kingfisher
Some tern (?)
Egrets
Baya weaver (nests only!)
Black drongo
Greater coucal
Red wattled lapwing
Pond heron
Adjutant stork (en route to Guwahati)
Dabchick
Rev vented bulbul
Hoopoe
Nothern shoveller
Grey heron

At IITG

Bronze-winged jacana
Great tit
Magpie robin
Common stonechat
Pied bushchat
Open-billed stork
Pond heron
Indian moorhen
Dabchick
Common myna
Red vented bulbul
Common sandpiper
Barn swallow
Egrets
Cormorants

Nelliampathy

2008-12-19T07:36:00.000-08:00

Nelliampathy birdlist

Legend:
N - seen at Nemmara
C - call only
P - seen at Pothundy dam

1. Little egret (N)
2. Cattle egret (N)
3. Indian pond heron (N)
4. Oriental honey buzzard
5. Black kite (N)
6. Brahmini kite (N,P)
7. Crested serpent eagle
8. Crested goshawk
9. Black eagle
10. Booted eagle
11. Grey francolin (P)
12. Grey junglefowl
13. Red wattled lapwing (P)
14. Blue rock pegion (N)
15. Spotted dove
16. Emerald dove
17. Pompadour green pegion
18. Mountain imperial pegion
19. Indian hanging parrot
20. Plum headed parakeet
21. Malabar parakeet
22. Brainfever bird (C)
23. Collared scops owl (C)
24. Jungle owlet
25. Grey nightjar
26. Indian swiftlet
27. Crested tree swift
28. Stork-billed kingfisher
29. White throated kingfisher
30. Chestnut-headed bee-eater
31. Malabar grey hornbill
32. Indian grey hornbill (N)
33. Great hornbill
34. White cheeked barbet
35. Crimson throated barbet
36. Coppersmith barbet
37. Black-rumped flameback
38. Greater flameback
39. Heart-spotted woodpecker (C)
40. Pacific swallow
41. Grey wagtail
42. Scarlet minivet
43. Large woodshrike
44. Red-whiskered bulbul
45. Red-vented bulbul
46. Yellow-browed bulbul
47. Common iora
48. Gold-fronted chloropsis
49. Asian fairy bluebird
50. Brown shrike (P)
51. Malabar whistling thrush
52. Eurasian blackbird (?)
53. Oriental magpie robin
54. Puff throated babbler
55. Indian scimitar babbler (C)
56. Black-headed babbler
57. Indian rufous babbler
58. Jungle babbler
59. White-headed babbler
60. Quaker-tit babbler
61. Blyth's reed warbler
62. Common tailorbird
63. Greenish leaf warbler
64. Large-billed leaf warbler
65. Asian brown flycather
66. Verditer flycather
67. Great tit
68. Black lored tit
69. Velvet fronted nuthatch
70. Plain flowerpecker
71. Crimson backed sunbird
72. Little spiderhunter
73. Oriental white-eye
74. Common myna
75. Jungle myna
76. Hill myna
77. Eurasian golden oriole
78. Black drongo (N)
79. Ashy drongo
80. Bronzed drongo
81. Racket tailed drongo
82. Indian treepie
83. White-bellied treepie
84. River tern (P)
85. Little cormorant (P)
86. Large pied wagtail (P)
87. Palm swift (P)
88. Green bee-eater (P)
89. White-breasted waterhen (N)
90. Grey-breasted prinia
91. Indian robin (P)
92. House crow (N)
93. Large-billed crow (N)

Birding at Bangalore

2008-04-28T10:17:00.000-07:00

18-25 April 2008

Had been to Bangalore for a workshop on machine learning. Got a chance to bird a bit at the Indian Institute of Science. Basav and I saw white cheeked barbets (fairly common), black kites, bank mynas, spotted owlets, magpie robins, red whiskered bulbuls.
Didnt do very serious birding.
Thats all folks!

Chennai Birdrace on 3rd Feb 2008

2008-01-22T06:27:00.000-08:00

What is a birdrace?

A birdrace is a dawn to dusk event where teams of 4 bird-watchers will spend the entire day birding in and around a city (within a specified geographical limit to its outer boundaries). The participants will try and record as many species of birds as possible, learn about the finer points of bird-watching from the experts & the experienced, and then later in the evening, all teams will meet at a suitable venue over dinner and an interactive get-together.

To take part in the Chennai Birdrace, please register here:

http://www.blackbuck.org.in

Chembarambakkam

2008-01-20T07:33:00.000-08:00

Chembarambakkam tank: 20 Jan 2008

Today we went to Chembarambakkam tank, about 20 km out of the city. We were: Thyagu sir, Doc, Sheila mam and myself. Doc had a big new camera: a Canon DSLR with a 500mm telephoto lens.
This was an MNS trip for the waterfowl count.
It is a big tank, and the source of the Adayar river.
I have mentioned in this blog before; the birdlife of the city changes dramatically a few kilometers away. This spot was also quite urban, with factories and houses and lots of people, but still, the birdlife was good.
It must have been a heaven about 20 years ago.
We saw the following:

Darters (about 10)
Paddyfield pipit (plenty)
Eurasian Wegions (about 4000)
Painted storks
Open billed storks
Yellow wagtails (several)
Pied wagtails
Kestrel
Blue tailed bee eater
Grey partridge
Indian robins
Ashy prinias
Indian rollers (they were spectacular blue, against the bright sun.)
Pied crested cuckoo
Marsh sandpiper (about 30)
Purple heron (3 or 4)
Cotton teals (about 50)
Brahmini myna (1)
Chestnut bittern (1)

We were back by 11.30 AM.

Satyamangalam

2007-12-07T03:13:00.000-08:00

Satyamangalam

1 to 3 Dec 2007

The trip to Satyamangalam was being planned while we were at Penchalakona. I was sure that I would'nt go. But then I had to cancel a trip home (for Vavs engagement) and so I decided I should go to Saty. And the prospect of seeing sholas was too rewarding to resist. So even though it was a weekend + 1 day trip, I found myself booking tickets to Erode.

There were sixteen of us on the Coimbatore Express going to Erode. There were the usuals: Sudhakar sir, Vijay sir, CK, Geetha mam and Sundaramoorthy sir. There were several new others whom I had never met.

Anyway, it was a cold morning at 5 AM when we reached Erode. I had no warm clothing...I didnt get CKs mail asking us to bring warm clothes. So I put on a couple of shirts was ready to face the elements. Our van was waiting for us at Erode station, and it was a three hour ride to Dimbam, near where our rooms were booked.

After some hot tea, we were soon on our way. Dawn was just breaking, and sunrise was delightful over the fields of sugarcane. We got on the ghat road, and soon were climbing up the hairpin bends (twenty seven of them.) Traffic was fairly heavy, and the road was narrow, with lorries coming up all the way. This was a main road, the NH-205 going to Chamrajnagar.

We stopped a few miles before Dimbam, to look at the scenery. There was a lovely view of the Satyamangalam plains far down below. And delightfully, there were a lot of birds: we spotted a grey wagtail, lots of drongos and a green billed malkoha on the side of the highway. We saw the famous Dimbam forest bunglow mentioned in Kenneth Andersons books. But the Special Task Force had taken over the bunglow and we could not go inside.

By nine thirty, we were at the Bush and Bull Resort, a nice little place overlooking green medows. There was lots of birdlife around the resort...lots of jungle mynas and drongos were in constant chatter. At breakfast, I tried the ragi ball (again mentioned by Anderson.) It was absolutely tasteless, a black solid mass. Maybe I ate it with the wrong chutney or whatever. Thankfully there were other things too on the menu! Afterwards we visited the farm house of the owner of the resort, who invited us to walk around his estate. They were growing amonst other things vanilla, pepper, coffee and oranges (but as we later found out, it was not an organic farm.) As we walked around, we saw a flurry of birds: a mixed hunting party amongst the silver oaks. There were treepies, drongs, an oriole, a fairy bluebird, fantail flycathers and a velvetd fronted nuthatch. Sadly, I was not able to spot the fairy bluebird nor the fantail.

Then we crossed the electric fence around ragi plantations and walked into the forest. It was quite sunny, and we were getting roasted. The jungle was thick and the route uphill. We stopped in between, looking at plants and lichens and the occassional interesting bird, eating wild amlas. We also saw the Jerdons leaf bird and jungle babblers. After about four kilometers, we reached a lovely water hole in a clearing. A trio of spot billed ducks greeted us. We also spotted the skin shed by a long cobra and turtles in the water. We reached backed into the resort for a late lunch.

A little while later, the DFO of Erode district joined us for tea. He was quite friendly, and spent more than an hour with us, talking about elephant-human conflict, and nature camps and life in the post Veerappan era. We spotted three grey partridges in the meadow adjoining the resort.

Next day was the long trek to Minchikuzhi. We rose early morning, and it was quite chilly! We piled into the van, and with an armed forest guard and a couple of guides for company, set off for the point where we would begin the trek. There was a halt on the way, and here we saw clearly a white cheeked barbet on a tree. We also saw quite a number of blue winged parakeets. The Blyths reed warbler was giving us company wherever we went...it's quiet 'snick' was there behind every bush. Soon after we started walking , we heard the call of the scimitar babbler, but it was quite far away. Suddenly, we saw everyone crowding around something on the ground. We saw fresh elephant dung, and this was enough to convince the forest guard not to pursue this trail any further. The forests were full of dense lantana bush, and we were in trouble if we came right into the path of an elephant.

So we trooped back into the van to take a different trial to Michikuzhi. We came to a village, and walked onto a side road, which led into the forest. We walked at different paces, one group walked fast and left the others quite behind. I was with the slower group, and we took our time watching the birds and having great fun. We saw an oriental white eye, common ioras and scarlett minivets. After walking for about an hour, we came to a shallow stream, where we found another mixed hunting party: we saw paradise flycatchers, nuthatches and woodpeckers.

We were quite hungry, and soon came into a lovely hillock, where we had breakfast. After a good meal in the billowing breeze, surrounded by lush hills, we were ready to resume our trek. Some of the members went back to the resort, as they were leaving for Madras.

We started off again, climbing over the small cliffs, which gave a lovely view of the valley below. A pair of kestrels put on a spectacular show for us, and it was reluctantly that we left them to continue our walk. We saw shola like forests in the mountains far away. We saw the distant hills of Kodanad, and the ranges of the Nilgiris, the Western Ghats. Satyamangalam is the meeting point of the Eastern and Western Ghats. As time was short, we decided not to go all the way till Minchikuzhi, but to stop at an old hunting lodge built by the Britishers. While some of us rested in the grass near the lodge, the others went on ahead to climb one more hill further away. We would have walked about 8 kilometers.

Soon, we were back together again, starting our trip back to the resort. By four thirty, we were back, and after some tea, went for a drive on the Talamalai –Thalavadi road. Sudhakar sir had spotted elephants, gaurs and dholes a month before on the same road. But we not not so lucky. Some of the members saw a couple of dholes, but I missed it. We saw leopard pugmarks and spotted the Nilgiri verditer flycatcher. We also saw the demolished hunting lodge mentioned by Kenneth Anderson looking out into the plains.

On the last day, we took a ride on an open Tata 405 truck to Dengumarahada on the banks of the Moyar River through SujjalKuttai forest. The road was terrible, and all our bones rattled. The sun was roasting us, but we held on bravely. The highlight of the ride was sighting of raptors: we saw the black eagle, honey buzzards (?) and the crested serpent eagle. The birdlife was amazing, with birds flying all over...bulbuls, drongs, bee eaters, doves, wagtails.
We then reached the village and had a wonderful bath (at least the men did!) in the Moyar river.

We returned back to Satyamangalam by late evening to travel back to Erode. We stopped for a few minutes at the Bhavani Sagar dam near Saty. And on the return to Erode, we were lucky to spot a gaur on the side of the highway...a massive fellow.

Our train was on time, and we wearily turned in for the journey back to Madras.

It was a good trip, with lots of lifers for me. The birds list is given below. The birds in italics were not seen by me, and those in bold were lifers.

Ashy Drongo – Dicrurus leucophaeus
Ashy Prinia – Prinia socialis
Asian Fairy Bluebird – Irena puella
Bay-backed Shrike – Lanius vittatus
Black Drongo – Dicrurus macrocercus
Black Eagle – Ictinaetus malayensis
Black Kite- Milvus migrans
Black-Hooded Oriole – Oriolus xanthornus
Blue-winged Parakeet – Psitticula columboides
Blythe’s Reed Warbler-
Booted(?) Eagle – Haeraetus pennatus
Brahminy Myna – Sturnus pagodarum
Brown Shrike - Lanius cristatus
Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis
Common Flameback - Dinopium javanense
Common Iora - Aegithina tiphia
Common Kestrel – Falco tinnunculus
Common Sandpiper – Actitis Hypoleucos
Coppersmith Barbet – Megalaima haemacephala
Crested Serpent-Eagle - Spilornis cheela
Emerald Dove - Chalcophaps indica
Eurasian Golden Oriole - Oriolus oriolus
Falcon (?)
Flowerpecker (?)
Great Tit - Parus major
Greater Coucal - Centropus sinensis
Grey Heron - Ardea cinerea
Grey Junglefowl - Gallus sonneratii
Grey Partridge – Francolinus pondicerianus
Grey Wagtail - Motacilla cinerea
House Sparrow – Passer domesticus
Honey buzzard (?)
Hoopoe
Indian Peafowl - Pavo cristatus
Indian Robin – Saxicoloides fulicata
Jungle Babbler - Turdoides striatus
Jungle Myna - Acridotheres fuscus
Large Pied Wagtail – Motacilla maderaspatensis
Large-billed Crow - Corvus macrorhynchos
Lesser Green-billed Malkoha –
Little Brown Dove – Streptopelia senegalensis
Little Cormorant - Phalacrocorax niger
Little Green Bee-eater – Merops orientalis
Magpie Robin – Copsychus saularis
Nilgiri Verditer Flycatcher – Eumyias albicaudata
Oriental White-eye - Zosterops palpebrosus
Paradise Flycatcher – Terpsiphone paradisi
Pied Bushchat – Saxicola caprata
Pond Heron – Ardeola grayii
Purple Sunbird - Cinnyris asiaticus
Purple-rumped Sunbird - Leptocoma zeylonica
Red-vented Bulbul - Pycnonotus cafer
Red-wattled Lapwing – Vanellus indicus
Red-whiskered Bulbul - Pycnonotus jocosus
Ringed Dove- Streptopelia risoria
Rose-ringed Parakeet – Psitticula krameri
Rufous Treepie - Dendrocitta vagabunda
Rufous-backed Shrike – Lanius schachs
Scaly-breasted Munia – Lonchura punctulata
Scarlet Minivet - Pericrocotus flammeus
Scimitar Babbler – Pomatorhinus horsfieldii
Spot-billed Duck – Anas poecilorhyncha
Spotted Dove - Streptopelia chinensis
Spotted Owlet – Athene brama
Tailor Bird – Orthotomus sutorius
Velvet-fronted Nuthatch - Sitta frontalis
White-breasted Kingfisher – Halcyon smyrnensis
White-Browed Fantail - Rhipidura aureola
White-cheeked Barbet - Megalaima viridis
White-headed Babbler – Turdoides affinis
Yellow Wagtail – Motacilla flava
Yellow-browed Bulbul – Iole indica
Yellow-footed Green Pigeon – Treron phoenicoptera

Penchalakona

2007-11-02T23:16:00.000-07:00

Penchalakona trip report by Ambika Chandrasekhar

Sixteen members of the MNS went on a weekend trip to visit Kandaleru dam, Penchalakona falls and Somasila dam, in the Eastern Ghats in Andhra Pradesh. All these fall within the Penusila Narasimha Swamy Sanctuary. Cloudy skies, and light drizzle as well as the occasional heavy downpour accompanied us throughout our trip.

Saturday 27^th: We assembled at Gudur, saw some coots and swallows around the Gudur tank and then drove to Kandaleru reservoir on Saturday morning. The earthen dam that enclosed the reservoir has created a water body that stretched from horizon to horizon, filled by the current monsoon rains. It was a spectacular sight, and also reassuring for us Chennaiites, since it is an important water source for the city.

There was good birding in the flat, scrub around the reservoir. The list of birds we saw included:

1. Common Kestrel

2. Pied Kingfisher

3. White-browed Fantail Flycatcher – a group of them

4. Red Vented Bulbul

5. Red Whiskered Bulbul

6. Purple-rumped Sunbird

7. Brahminy Myna

8. Silverbill

9. Coucal

10. Little Egret

11. Little Cormorant

12. Small Green Bee-eater

13. Black Drongo

14. Indian Robin

15. Tailor bird

16. Ashy Prinia

17. Pond Heron

18. Swift

19. Swallow

20. Pied Cuckoo

21. Common Myna

22. House Crow

23. Jungle Crow

24. White Breasted Kingfisher

After lunch, we drove on to Penchalakona. On approaching, we had a grand view of the falls from the road, near the entrance to the Karunamayi ashram. We settled in to the accommodation, close to the Narasimhaswamy temple, and went for a short walk to explore the territory. We found a one-street temple town, (which was sadly already strewn with plastic litter), herds of cows loitering around the temple, a few other visitors, and the lovely stream flowing through the town. As we climbed up a stony path beside the river, we had a lovely view of the falls itself as well as the mountains around, which were dense with scrub jungle, looking green and washed in the rains.

Sunday 28^th morning: a group of us went on a walk upstream, to locate the plunge pool of the falls. With thick undergrowth on either bank, we had to wade upstream for the most part, and after a couple of bends, we left behind traces of the town, and it was a rewarding and fulfilling walk, as we clambered over boulders, waded through clear, cool water, ducked under a thin waterfall, while all the time the roar of the falls got louder. With a thin drizzle overhead, there was hardly any birdcall on this walk.

We reached the plunge pool after a while and it was well worth the trouble, to see the water thundering down into the pool and rising in a mist and spray to drench us all. Some of the men "plunged" into the pool, but by this time the rain intensified, and the guide looked worried that the river bed would be unpassable soon. So, we hurried back, only to find the rain stop when we reached the lower levels! But this meant that we were rewarded with bird activity. Suddenly, the forest was alive with sound, and the members had a good half an hour of sightings – woodpeckers, orioles, sunbirds, babblers and parakeets.

After breakfast, we went for a walk in the scrub jungle around, along with the rain, and saw Acacia, Cassia, Glory Lily and red sanders. Mr Ramakrishna remarked that this was a non-thorny scrub jungle, which is somewhat unusual. There were good specimens of ant nests in the leaves of a mango tree as well.

We did not sight any other fauna, but the birds we saw at Penchalakona are:

1. Spotted Owlet

2. Shikra

3. Common Myna

4. Rose-ringed Parakeet

5. White-bellied Drongo

6. Black headed Oriole

7. Paradise flycatcher

8. Wood pecker

9. Jungle Babblers

10. Purple-rumped Sunbird

11. Purple Sunbird

12. Coppersmith Barbet

13. Asian Koel

14. Common Treepie

15. White-breasted Kingfisher

16. Indian Roller

17. Red Vented Bulbul

18. Red Whiskered Bulbul

19. Golden Oriole

20. Common Crow

21. Jungle Crow

22. Tailorbird

23. Golden oriole

The elusive Yellow throated bulbul, and Shama were not seen.

After lunch, we proceeded to the Somasila dam, where again the water was full. The second batch of visitors – Mr Ramachandrandan, Mr Mrutyumjay Rao and Mr Ramakrishna – saw all the gates being opened, and water gushing out at great force. They also saw the Penchalakona falls in greater strength, since they stayed an additional night, and therefore caught sight of the falls fed with more rain. The stream was also full, and so there was no way we could have waded up, the next day.

Yelagiri

2007-08-31T08:44:00.000-07:00

Trip to Yelagiri

Between 24th and 26th August 2007, seven members from MNS visited the Yelagiri hills, near Jolarpet, about 4 hours from Madras.
It is a small hill station, consisting of a few villages, at an altitude of about 3000 feet. The area is serene and has rich birdlife.

Day one
=====
Five of us left Madras on 24th morning by train to Jolarpet, and hired a Tata Sumo from there to Yelagiri. Yelagiri is about an hours drive from Jolarpet. Accomodation was booked in the YMCA dormitory, which is a few kilometers away from Yelagiri town. We checked in by about noon. The YMCA campus is quite large and it seems to be a popular place; a lot of people came in during the weekend. The dormitory accomodation was quite basic, and the bathrooms were somewhat dingy. But it was cheap, at about Rs.200 per day, including food.
There was a lovely sight near the meadows near the dormitory: a colony of Baya weavers with about 30 nests. The birds were busily building the nests, and some of the nests had two 'storeys'. We kept coming back again and again to see the weavers throughout our stay.
After lunch, we climbed the hill behind the YMCA compound. There is a trail, and the scenery was good, but the rocks were steep in some places. Good shoes are essential! The sky was overcast when we started, and before we could reach the top, it started to rain. We were drenched, and the ground was slippery, but we made it back to the dorm, wet and dripping.
The birdlife was rich, and I really wish the experts were with us. I tried to identify as much as I could, but soon I was overwhelmed by the number of different species. The red-vented bulbul seemed to be the most common bird here.
In the night, we were joined by two other MNS members, who had driven down from Madras.

Day two
=====
We decided to trek to Swamimalai, which is about an hour's climb to the top. The scenery was wonderful, and there were lots of butterflies. Sadly, there were also lots of litter, including plastic bottles, biscuit wrappers and such. There is a temple at the top of the hill, and the view from the top overlooking the forest is nice. The locals we met said there are bears in the forest, but we didnt spot any.
It started to rain again as we were coming down the hill. We took shelter under a the rocks and a tree, but the rain soon stopped. We were back at the YMCA for lunch. In the evening, some of the members went to see the town. They visited the lake and a sericulture farm. Later, before dinner, we walked to the nearby Samaritan school, a residential school. We met two students from Nepal, one of whom was joining the school. We didnt meet any other students, as it was late.

Day three
======
This was the last day. After breakfast, we explored the places in and around YMCA campus. Some of the members had an engaging discussion on various matters, while I was mainly looking around at the birds. There was a nice looking trekking trail, but we didnt follow it much, because it was soon time for lunch. The people who drove in from Madras returned back in the morning.
We started to Jolarpet to catch our train back to Madras. In summary, the trip was interesting and fun. This was my first MNS trip. The birdlife was excellent, and I wished an experiened birder were with us. The list of birds identified is given below. Note that I am no expert, and there were many I could not identify.

Birds: Baya weaver, pied bushcat, kestrel, spotted muniya, brown shrike, Indian robin, red vented bulbul, tailorbird, jungle myna, Indian treepie, barn swallow, palm swift, ashly drongo, pied wagtail, purple rumped sunbird, nightjar, spotted owlet, common iora, hawk cuckoo, shikra, scarlett minivet, bluethroat, house sparrow, Jerdons leafbird.
Curiously, we never spotted the common crow.

Tips for future visitors:
=============
Outside Yelagiri town, even small shops are scarce. So keep stocks of bottled water, medicines, snacks etc. You can however, get them in the town.
Due to the rains, the nights are generally chilly, so do take blankets or sleeping bags.
Rain wear (during this time of the year ie early September) would be a good idea.
Wikitravel also mentions that there are no fuel stations in Yelagiri, so full your fuel tanks before driving up.
More detailed instructions can be found in Wikitravel: http://wikitravel.org/en/Yelagiri

Pictures
======
You can see the pictures I clicked at: http://www.lantana.tenet.res.in/~padmanabhan/yelagiri/ (may not be permanent)

Baya weaver nests at Yelagiri

Kudri tank

2007-05-20T08:33:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-01T09:58:00.000-07:00

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.

Visit to Nanmangalam

2007-03-29T07:40:00.000-07:00

Visit to Nanmangalam

With a few members of MNS we set out to Nanmangalam reserve forest a few kilometers from Madras. The place was the site of several abandoned quarries, and is now supposedly an Army commando camp. We didnt see any signs of military life, just some local kids playing.

We were there to see the Eurasian Eagle owl (or Great Indian Horned Owl) which was reported to be nesting near the quarries. Vikram had come here before and seen the owl. It was late afternoon, about 3 pm when we reached Nanmangalam. It was hot, and we were getting roasted. There were not too many birds. I was having a fever, but I didnt want to miss this chance.

We came to the first quarry where some guys were boozing and taking bath (the quarry had filled up with rain water). We didnt wait there, and went on to the next quarry. The rock was dull and grey and we didnt see any owl. Then Vikram, who had been scanning the area with his zoom lens, told us very quietly that he spotted the owl. I looked through my binos slowly over the rock and, for a while i didnt see anythng. Then suddenly, I saw it, a large great brown shape, perfectly camoflagued with the rock. The horns were clearly visible. There was no nest, the owl was just sitting on the rock. It was sometimes looking in the direction of the boozing guys who were just visible in the adjacent quarry. Then, with great orange eyes, it looked straight at us. It was a great moment.

Then suddely it moved to the edge of the rock, flapped its wings and flew into another nearby quarry. We probably disturbed it. Only when it flew did I realise its size...it was huge.

It was an unforgettable experience.

Pallikarnai revisted

2007-03-02T07:31:00.000-08:00

On Sunday 25th Feb, a few of us from MNS visited the Pallikarnai marshes to see the pelicans. It was a hot day, but we were delighted when we saw the birds. There were so many varities, and the marshes abound with birdlife inspite of the pollution and the garbage. We saw:

Purple moorhens (lots)
Black winged stilts (lots)
Little grebes (lots)
Some type of duck - I have to see my notebook to update this
Purple herons (2)
Common sandpiers (few)
Marsh sandpipers (few)
Wood sandpipers (few)
Common snipes (2)
Little ringed plover (lots)
Red wattled lapwing
Greenshank
Pied kingfisher
Yellow wagtail
Black bittern
Kesterl, hovering over the garbage
Shikra
Common kite
Rosy pastors (lots)..kind of brownish colour, not exactly rosy
Spot billed pelicans (about 100)
Marsh warbler
Openbill stork
Painted stork
Little, median and cattle egrets
Pond herons, mynas, ashly wood swallows

So it was a good time we had. The place is really becoming polluted but the birds were there.

Pallikarnai marshes

2007-02-05T08:29:00.000-08:00

Some members from the Tamilbirds egroup had reported good waterbird spotting at the Pallikarnai marsh in Madras. So, with the weight of my comprehensive exam over at last, I set off to Pallikarnai from IIT today afternoon (Feb 4 2007).

It was hot, and I cycled quite a bit to Perungudi and Thoraipakkam. I turned into the road leading to Pallavaram, and there was garbage all around, most of which were burning. It was smoky and smelly.

But I was joyed to see a fairly large group of little and median egrets. And there were lots of black winged stilts, marsh sandpipers, little and great cormorants, lapwings and moorhens. The birds were not very near, but I could identify most of them.

All these spottings were from the main road, with traffic buzzing by, and mega constructions and full of garbage all around. I cycled further, and then to my real delight, I saw them...a whole flock. Spot-billed pelicans...soaring overhead. Many of them were sitting on the large pylons right in the middle of the marsh. I also saw painted storks...my first sightings in Chennai.

I think pelicans have a mejastic flight...almost as graceful as the raptors.
It was a sad thing to see these magnificent birds flying around garbage and dirty waters.

I also saw something which i think was a western marsh harrier. It was some raptor, chocolate brown, and quite larger than a crow. A flock of little egrets flew up as the harrier soared close to the reeds.

It was a nice experience, with some good spottings. I have been told that years ago, the marsh extended for miles around the area, and was a birders heaven. But what to do, we have developed.

Shikra or sparrowhawk?

2007-01-03T04:48:00.000-08:00

For the past two-three days, I have been waking up to a call of 'kichew...kichew'...just outside my hostel window. There, on the neem tree, was a little hawk...so familiar in IIT, and yet so unfamiliar to me. For I have been trying to correctly identify what this is. It is quite common in the woods around IIT, and I have even seen it capture mynas. It made a typical 'wing-tent' on the ground around the captured myna...I am almost sure it is a sparrowhawk. It is either a shikra or a sparrowhawk (besra or eurasian). Sometimes it has the characteristic greyish-blue shikra back, but sometimes it is brown. The bird on the neem tree looks superb through my binos.
Even Salim Ali's book mentions it is difficult to distinguish between the sparrowhawk or shikra.
Any suggestions anyone?

Vedanthangal

2006-12-01T23:58:00.000-08:00

On Dec 1 2006, Sujith and I went to Vedanthangal, a well known bird-sanctuary about 100 km from Chennai. We didnt have a vehicle, so we went by bus: first to Chengalpet, then from there to Vedanthangal. Going by bus is ok, but not comfortable, as connecting buses from Chengalpet are few and in between. Best is to go by own vehicle.
Anyway, we reached the sanctuary by 4 pm, and most of the birds had already roosted. But there was lot of activity, and we had some good sightings.
We saw the usual ones: open bill stork, cormorants (little, great), darters, pelicans (spot billed, great white), spoonsills, white ibis. And of course the egrets and herons. The painted stork was absent. Maybe I didnt see it, but I dont think so...

Bird survey at Pulicat lake

2006-11-28T09:05:00.000-08:00

It is surprising how the avian life changes when you just step out of Chennai city. We were on our way to Pulicat lake, about 100 kms away from Chennai. I was travelling with the Madras Naturalists Society, which I had joined recently. Right from outside our car window, we saw so many birds! Indian rollers, WBKs, drongos, kestrels, bee eaters, hawk cuckoos and larks were in plenty. They were everywhere...in the bushes, on telephone wires...

Anyway, we saw quite a lot of birds (although very far away...the spotting scopes were essential)...including stilts, terns, pelicans, painted storks, open bill storks, and many different types of plovers.

Members from MNS go every month during the migratory season.

Birds and buildings

2006-11-14T18:39:00.000-08:00

Modern buildings have glass facades, which is proving fatal to birds. The glass reflects the sky and clouds,
and the bird just flies bang into them, not realising the reflection. This has been a problem worldwide.
A google search on "birds hitting glass buildings" returns lots of information and statistics.

This has become a problem in IIT too. The pictures below show the a lab in the Aerospace dept, and a female koel which died hitting the glass facade, and another unidentified bird which too died. A security guard says that on a average two to four birds hit the building every day.
Photographs by Balaji Chellappan, Dept of Aerospace Engg, IIT Madras.

Racket tailed drongo in Kochi city!!

2006-11-12T21:03:00.000-08:00

I was amazed to see a racket tailed drongo in
Kochi city on a recent visit home. In fact, I saw lots of birds on the train journey home. Wish I had taken my binos.

Trip to Guindy National Park

2006-11-04T07:18:00.000-08:00

Guindy National Park

On Saturday, 4th November 2006 a few of us from IIT visited the nearby Guindy National Park. We were: Bimal, Sanand, Swapna, Vinu and Sudheesh and myself. Dr.Venil Sumantran, a biochemist too joined us. Dr.Kamaraj, the park biologist was our guide. Incidentally, Dr.Sumantran was the first non-IIT birder I have met.

It was a nice and interesting trip. Dr.Kamaraj spotted most of the birds for us. He has intimate knowledge of the park. He told us much about the plants and animals of the park.

Birds sighted:

Indian Pitta
Booted eagle (?)
Serpent eagle
Female paradise flycatcher
Forest wagtail
Shikra (sound only)
Golden backed woodpecker
Common iora (sound)
Bee eater
Kind of warbler or flowerpecker (could not identify properly)
In addition to common ones like parakeets, koels, magpies, coppersmith barbrets, spotted dove, black drongos, hawk cuckoo, spotted owlet, bablers, bulbuls (white throated, red vented), loten sunbirds

According to Dr.Kamaraj, migratory birds would come to the park by January. So we look forward for a visit to the park then.

Bimal took some nice photos. You can see some of them here: http://picasaweb.google.com/vbimal/GuindyNationalPark

Travelogue - Silent Valley

2006-11-04T07:06:00.000-08:00

Travelogue - Silent Valley

On Friday, 29th September, six of us from IIT visited the famous Silent Valley National Park in Palakkad. It was a long standing desire of mine to visit the Valley, which has been known as one of the richest biodiversity spots on Earth.

The nearest town is Mannarkkad. From Mannarkkad we travelled to Mukkali, where the forest department has an information centre and a dormitory/resthouse. Mukkali is just a couple of shops and several jeeps, so you have to book accomodation in the rest house in advance. In the tiny hotels, food will not be available for a large group on short notice. From Mukkali, the Valley is about 30 km away, over a winding hill road, which only jeeps can traverse. You have to get permission from the Asst Wildlife Warden at Mukkali before you proceed to the Valley. Entry is allowed only from 8 AM to about 2 PM.

We reached Mukkali in the afternoon on Saturday, the 30th Sept. It was too late to go to the Valley, so after checking into the dormitory, we spent time on the banks of the nearby Bhavani river. Mukkali is a bird watchers paradise. With my rudimentary knowledge, I identified at least 10 different species in the first ten minutes. We then had a refreshing bath in the cool waters of the Bhavani. It was an enjoyable experience.

The next morning, we hired a jeep and after getting the written permission from the Wildlife warden, set off for Silent Valley. The road is a hill road, built by the British, our guide Ravi tells us. The view from behind the jeep is captivating, with thick jungle all around, little streams and waterfalls splashing onto the road. And we havent even reached the Valley! On the way, our guide spotted a beautiful animal, the Malabar Giant Squrriel. It is just like the ordinary squrriel, but several times bigger, about the size of a small dog, and reddish brown in colour. But they are as active and agile as the smaller squrriels, jumping from tree to tree. We also saw a monitor lizard.

We reached the entrance to the National Park at about 10.30 AM. We walked to the 30 m high watch tower, which overlooked the jungle around us. Far below, the Kunti river flowed a milky white path though the dense forest. This was the river where the Kerala Electricity Board wanted to buld a dam. Nationwide protests led to the then prime minister, Indira Gandhi, to order the state government to abolish the project. We then trekked down to the Kuntipuzha (puzha = river in Malayalam). Leeches were in plenty, and the salt we carried from Mukkali helped remove the creatures from our legs. We soon got used to the leeches, and I felt amazed by their adaptation to their food source. We also saw a fast, black monkey, which according to Ravi, was the lion tailed macaque, Silent Valley's most famed resident. I could not make out the features, but it was some type of monkey. There were bird calls all around, but I could not identify most of them.

We reached the Kuntipuzha and crossed the hanging bridge. The force of the water was great, and we carefully crossed over the rocky ledge. Ravi then led us down to the rocky bank. We spent some time there, taking photographs and collecting rocks. The jungle was still around us, with the gurgling of the river giving company to the birds.

We were caught by a sudden downpour on the way back to the jeep. We finally reached the jeep, all drenched and tired. We got back to Mukkali by 3.30 PM. After lunch, we started back to Palakkad to catch our train back to Madras.

The trip was wonderful, beyond all expectations. The forest dept officials are sincere and helpful. After we visit the Valley, we get the feeling that it is indeed a well looked after place, protecting its precious flora and fauna. We didn’t go into the core of the National Park; this requires special permission from the Forest department, and a four day trek, camping in the jungle. But this trip itself left us exhilarated and marveling the wild beauty of the Valley. Let us hope Silent Valley is preserved as it is, for generations to enjoy.

You can see some photographs at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23483695@N00/

Getting there: The nearest railway station is Palghat Junction (Palakkad.) From Palakkad, go to Mannarkkad, and from there to Mukkali. Both places are well connected by private buses. If you are planning to stay at Mukkali, reserve rooms in advance at the Forest dept resthouse. Or else you can stay at Mannarkkad and hire a jeep to reach Mukkali by 8 AM. Mukkali is about 60 km from Palakkad, with Mannarkkad en route. The visit to the Valley and Kuntipuzha will take only a day, and you can return back to Palakkad the same evening.

Contact details: The Wildlife Warden, Silent Valley National Park, Mannarkkad, Palakkad dist, Kerala. PIN – 678582. Phone: 04924-222056

2006-10-22T05:31:00.000-07:00

Birding equipment

Birding requires some investment for equipment. The major cost is for a good pair of binoculars. Binos come from around Rs.3000 to over a lakh or more. Reasonable binos can be bought by amateur birders for about Rs.3500 to Rs.5000. This is the most expensive item in a birders kit.
A field guide is a must, for quick reference in the field. A good guide can be bought in most major bookshops, for about Rs.500 or less.
This is all what is absolutely required for starting bird watching.
Other small things can help: backpack, water bottle (for long days in the field), a logbook (to note down your observations), good (trekking) shoes.
If you have lots of money, you can buy: spotting scopes (a valueable instrument for viewing distant birds), birders jacket (with pockets for most of your stuff).

Bird photography is different from bird watching, although several birders also take photos. Photo equipment requires a good SLR camera and several lenses.

My equipment is quite modest, but it is quite sufficient:
1) Bushnell Trophy 10x42 roof prism binos (approx Rs.7000)
2) "The Book of Indian Birds" by Salim Ali (field guide) (approx Rs 500)

Equipment is a long term investment...your binos, if used carefully, should last a decade or two.

Buying binos is difficult in India (at least in Madras.) Most of the camera shops have one or two binos for namesake and you may not get the model you want. I got mine through a friend in Singapore. I bought these Bushnells after extensive research on the Internet. Bushnells are 'value for money' binos...nowhere near the top class brands, like Zeiss, Swaroski and Steiner. But they are quite good for an amateur birder like me.

A disadvantage in buying through someone else is that you cant try out the binos. They may be too heavy for you, or you might not find them handy. Anyway, try to see the model in person. Keep reading reviews on the internet (the birding sites have specific sections for equipment.)

Wish: If I had lots of money, then I would buy a Steiner Peregrine 10x42 bino!!

2006-10-22T05:23:00.000-07:00

Peregrine falcoln

This blog is named after the Peregrine falcon, one of my favourite birds. Raptors, in general, are my liking (so are wetland birds.) Wikipedia quotes the perengrine falcoln "the fastest creature on the planet", reaching speeds in excess of 300 kmph.

2006-10-20T09:46:00.001-07:00

This is my newly created birding blog. Birding is an activity I enjoy immensly. I have just started birding, and I am hooked. I hope to share on this page my experiences with birding and hopefully I will find time and energy to update this.

And this is also an invitation for other fellow birders to contact me.

I do not know how popular bird watching is in India. It is a sort of refined hobby, and it does require some investment (binos, for example) and ready access to information (the internet.) So it is not popular...I say this, because other than the people who intoduced me to birding, I have not met any other birder (so far.)

More about me is in my homepage/profile pages.

I should, at this point say that I have been introduced to this fascinating hobby by Dr.Susy Varughese, a faculty member in the department of Chemical engineering at IIT Madras. I shall always be grateful to her, and Prakriti (IIT Madras Wildlife Club) for having instilled in me the love for Nature and birds in particular.

India is a fascinating country, with a rich and varied wildlife (although an alarming portion of it is dwindling.) Let us try our best to help conserve it (although I am having the feeling that it is a losing battle.)

I hope to give my trip reports, bird findings, and other routine stuff here.

I am also the member of two discussion forums, www.birding.in and www.birdforum.net.

Hope to have a good time in this blog!!