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Newsletter of the Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh New Series Volume 7 Number 01 January 2010
FIELD OUTING
Sunday, 17" January 2010, 6.30AM: ICRISAT, Patancheru. ICRISAT is one of the richest birding spots around the city and a winter visit here is near mandatory. It boasts of a varied habitat with lakes, fields, ponds, grasslands, etc., and this makes for a varied species list. ICRISAT may give us Wire-tailed Swallows, Blue-tailed Bee-eaters and Yellow-wattled Lapwings, besides the water birds, a few raptors and some bush birds as well. This will be a half-day trip. Please carry plenty of water and snacks. For further details and to co-ordinate, please contact Mr. Shafaat Ulla (98492-29552) or Mrs. Shanti Mani (93910- 08302).
INDOOR MEETING: LAND OF THE ICE BEARS Thursday, 28" January 2010, 6:00 p.m.: Association of German Culture, 203, Hermitage Office Complex, Hill Fort Road, Nampally. Mr Janardhan P.J. Reddy will give a talk on his trip to Norway - The Svalbard archipelago - located between 76 and 81 north latitude and about 800-900 km from the North Pole. His talk will be interspersed with photographs of the flora and fauna of that area and information pertaining to climate change and its effect on the Arctic.
SIRAJ AHMED TAHER (1942 — 2010)
Our President Emeritus passed away on the 7” of January 2010. Sirajsaab, as he was fondly called, was a doyen among birdwatchers and an inspiration to all of us. In Sirajsaab’s sad demise we have lost one of our leading lights. We pray that his family may bear the loss with fortitude.
Trip Report — Manjeera, 27" December 2009 Text and photo: K B Rao
I had been staying at Sangareddy (Medak district) from 25 to 27 December 2009, and hence was not affected by the political disturbances that derailed most people’s plans to visit Manjeera on 27" December. I started early and reached Kalabgoor village before sunrise. Driving slowly, looking for bird activity in the fields on either side of the road, my first sighting was the Asian Openbill (Anastomus oscitans). It was quite close to the road, so I spent some time watching it. As the day got brighter, I moved on. My next sighting was a flock of 16 Glossy Ibises (Plegadis falcinellus) flying overhead.
About half a kilometer before the entrance gate to Manjeera Dam is my favorite place. In this swampy area, I saw two Black-headed Munias (Lonchura malacca). J reluctantly turned my head away from the Munias only to find a Baillon’s Crake (Porzana pusilla) in the swamp — the highlight of the trip. Having lost my field guide, my camera behaving erratically and with my limited knowledge of warblers, I was unable to identify or photograph an unusually large warbler-like bird with a white throat. There were Common Coots (Fulica atra) with juveniles in the area.
It was only at the Manjeera entrance gate that I came to know that not many BSAP members would be coming. There were several Cotton Pygmy-goose (Nettapus coromandelianus) all over the reservoir. A couple of Ruddy Shelducks (Tadorna ferruginea) flew quite low giving an excellent opportunity to observe them better. In the distance were Red- crested Pochards (Rhodonessa rufina) and Common Teals (Anas crecca).
At one end of Manjeera, in the marshes, I saw Purple Swamphens (Porphyrio porphyrio), Common Moorhens (Gallinula_ chloropus), White-breasted Waterhens (Amaurornis phoenicurus), Bronze- winged Jacanas (Metopidius indicus) with juveniles, White-breasted Kingfishers (Halcyon smyrnensis) and a Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea).
A couple of Pied Kingfishers (Ceryle rudis) and a Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus) appeared briefly. A Brahminy Starling (Sturnus pagodarum) was sitting quietly on a wire. The aerodynamically molded wings of cormorants made a loud noise as they circled around. I decided not spend much time near
the water as I was not able to get close to the waterfowl.
There were a number of ducks but they were too far to be identified. Quickly coming back to the entrance gate, I saw a number of Indian Golden Orioles (Oriolus kundoo), Green Bee-eaters (Merops orientalis) and a Greater Coucal (Centropus sinensis). Another interesting sighting was a group of 5 to 6 Black-headed Cuckooshrikes (Coracina melanoptera), with a single male amidst them. A solitary Chestnut-tailed Starling (Sturnus malabaricus) was hanging on a tree.
Then I sighted a small raptor in the bushes. I chased it from tree to tree to get a clear view. Finally the bird came into the open at eye level and I found it to be a male Shikra (Accipiter badius). As I took out my binoculars and focused on it, the Shikra flew very fast towards me and attacked me!! As I covered my face with hands and binoculars, it flew past me, just inches away, without hurting me. This is the second time I was being attacked by a bird. On the first occasion, it was a female Koel, and interestingly enough, it was also at Sangareddy in 2008 March!
I then came back to my favorite place. A Bay- backed Shrike (Lanius vittatus) was scanning its surroundings. In the nearby sugarcane fields was a huge group of about 200 Streaked Weavers (Ploceus manyar). | may not have spotted them if a Shikra had not chased them without success. As the Shikra left, the weavers came back giving me a very close sighting. A small flock of Black-headed Ibises (Threskiornis melanocephalus) landed adjacent to the sugarcane field. Red Avadavats (Amandava amandava), both male and female, were seen as I was returning. It was a short but a very satisfying trip with some interesting sightings.
Black-headed Ibis
Trip report - Daroji Bear Sanctuary, Hospet, Karnataka, 13-14 December 2009 Text and photos: Vijay Sirdesai
Sloth Bear
I had not gone anywhere for almost two months and my fingers itched to photograph in the wild. So, I decided to give myself a birthday gift! A few phone calls to the right people and I was off to the Daroji Bear Sanctuary - the only sanctuary dedicated to the Sloth Bear in southern India. The place is also well known for its birds.
A good solo drive later, I reached Kamalapur at 14:45 and was received by Mr. Pompaya Malemath, a friend from India Nature Watch (the photo forum). After a quick snack we were off to the Land of Sloth Bears!
Painted Sandgrouse
We were welcomed to the sanctuary by none other than the Painted Sandgrouse (Pterocles indicus). After watching them for fifteen minutes, we took off to a spot frequented by the bears - they are lured
here with honey and jaggery, which is applied on the face of the rocks. This ensures the bears get their favorite food and do not stray outside the sanctuary, thereby reducing man-bear conflict. The bears are now accustomed to this routine and gather in large numbers by around noon and stay on till evening.
As we waited for the bears to show up, we were thoroughly entertained by the Indian Palm Squirrel (Funambulus palmarum), also known as_ Three- striped Palm Squirrel. These tiny squirrels put up a good show of agility and confidence. They jumped across boulders, which were about 5-2 ft apart and cleared the space with utmost ease each time. Watching them was such a joy!
— sj The whole place was bustling with activity - Jungle Babblers (Turdoides_ striata), Rufous Treepies
(Dendrocitta vagabunda) and Ruddy Mongoose (Herpestes smithii). We happily clicked away.
As if this was not sufficient, along came the most incredibly beautiful couple. Yes! The Painted Spurfowl (Galloperdix lunulata). Gradually, the bears started to show up and we took a number of pictures.
Painted Spurfowl
A little mishap occurred as we headed back. A tyre of our vehicle burst and we found ourselves stranded in the wilderness. It was already dark, the Sloth Bears were out and about, and we had been told that the sanctuary is home to leopards as well! Braving these conditions, we changed the tyre as quickly as possible and drove to safety.
But every cloud has a silver lining. On our way out we spotted three Eurasian Thick-knees (Burhinus oedicnemus) sitting in the middle of the road. I was not about to miss this great opportunity to do night photography! So, I put my newly acquired flashlight (a strobe) to test and here is the result. No red-eye, which a normal flash would give.
Eurasian Thick-knee
Dinner was at Hospet and we returned to the nature camp for the night. The nature camp turned out to be a wonderful birding place. That night I was told about the Eurasian Eagle-owl (Bubo bubo) with 4 eggs, which had last been sighted about 15 days back. The next morning, we were off to check it out, and to our pleasure, we found 2 chicks, warm and snug, cuddling up to the parent, who was keeping the December chill away. A little time here (with no intention to disturb a nesting bird), and off we went to sight another beauty.
Eurasian Eagle-owl
The next stop was Hampi for the Yellow-throated Bulbul (Pycnonotus xantholaemus) - a species of bulbul endemic to southern peninsular India and declared ‘Vulnerable’ on (IUCN 3.1) list.
Yellow-throated Bulbul 7
Lunch was at the University campus - again a great birding spot. Soon it was time to bid adios to my fellow INW’er who was with me right through my visit and without whom the sightings would not have been possible. My heartfelt gratitude to him.
The above are only a few of the 80 - 90 species of birds that I saw that I felt were the highlights of my
trip. The number of mammals and birds at Daroji Bear Sanctuary speaks volumes of the effective management practices of the Forestry Department of Karnataka. Special thanks to Mr. Sammad Kottur
(Wildlife Warden DBS) for the wonderful work he is doing, thanks to Siva AN (fellow INW’er) for putting me on to him and Mr. Ubaidulla Khan, the DFO.
Some interesting sightings Photos: K B Rao
Indian Courser
K B Rao reports sightings of 2 Indian Coursers (Cursorius coromandelicus) and a flock of around 400 Red-headed Buntings (Emberiza_ bruniceps) near Gongalur village (en route Sangareddy to Singur in Medak district) on 25" December 2009.
Red-headed Bunting
He saw another 3 Indian Coursers the next day at the same location.
He also reports sighting the Eurasian Wryneck (Jynx torquilla) at Gandipet on 6" December 2009.
a Eurasian Wryneck
Bird Of The Month Text and photo: Umesh Mani
Rosy Starling (Sturnus roseus)
Order: Passeriformes Family: Sturnidae Genus: Sturnus Species: S. roseus Size: 21-23 cm
Description: A myna-like bird, the male is rose-pink with a black head, neck, upper breast and tail. It also has a shaggy black crest and black wings with a blue-green gloss. Non-breeding and _first-winter birds are much duller in colouration. The pink of the plumage is partly obscured by buff fringes and the black by greyish fringes. The juvenile is sandy- brown and has a stout yellowish bill. The wing feathers have broad paler fringes. The sexes are alike.
Behaviour: Usually seen in small flocks or ‘clouds’ of up to 500 individuals. Among the earliest winter visitors; begins arriving around July-August and leaves by mid-April. Seen around open cultivation (particularly jowari), damp grassland and semi- desert country. Can do considerable damage to
ripening grain, but are also beneficial because they destroy locusts on a large scale. The males have a variable, warbling call consisting of both harsh and pleasant notes, which are uttered mainly when satiated and resting in the shade. The diet includes banyan and peepul figs, lantana, peeloo and other berries, and the nectar of simal flowers. It is distributed all across India in winter; is seen abundantly in north-western parts and the Deccan, reducing towards the eastern parts of its range. Also Pakistan; seen irregularly in Sri Lanka and the Andamans.
Nesting: The Rosy Starling breeds in eastern Europe, western and central Asia, on stony hillsides and among ruins, in May and June. Breeding grounds overlap those of the migratory locusts, which provide the staple food of the Rosy Starlings and their young from the time they hatch.
Local name: It is known as ‘pariki pitta’ or ‘palisa’ in Telugu, ‘gulabi myna’ in Hindi, ‘lal myna’ in Bengali and ‘cholam kuruvi’ in Tamil.
Asian Waterbird Census (AWC)
The Asian Waterbird Census (AWC) has become almost a festival for birdwatchers. Keen birdwatchers, who are committed to conservation of waterbirds and wetlands, are involved in this Census every year in the middle of January. It is also popularly known as Mid Winter Waterfowl Census and is conducted by Wetlands International.
The Asian Waterbird Census for the year 2010 will be held from the 9" to the 25" of January. As part of our contribution to the census, most of the main water bodies in Andhra Pradesh will be covered. This exercise involves estimating numbers of various water birds. This data is used to understand patterns of migration, habitat degradation and climate change. Those who are interested in participating may contact Mr. Shafaatulla (98492-29552) or Mr. Umesh Mani (93912-27173).
For Private Circulation Only Editor: Shanti Mani Email: bsap.pitta@ gmail.com
For information, write to: Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh, PO Box 45, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad — 500034. E-group: http://groups.google.co.in/group/bsap_online. Website: www.bsap.in. Society membership (in Rs.): Admission: 100; Annual: 400 per annum; Student: 200 per annum; Life: 3000. (Add Rs 75 for outstation cheques.)
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Newsletter of the Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh New Series Volume 7 Number 02 February 2010
FIELD OUTING: Sunday, 21“ February 2010, Pocharam. Meeting Point: Hyderabad Central, 6AM.
Pocharam is a large reservoir on the Manjira River, about 70km downstream from Manjira Barrage. The reservoir is situated amidst undulating hills, with dry deciduous forest and scrub jungle. The lake varies in extent from 15,000 to 20,000 ha depending upon the season and fluctuations in rainfall. The lake is known to support a wide variety of resident, as well as migratory waterfowl. More than 53 species of waterfowl are listed for the area. Specialties include Greater Flamingo, Eurasian Spoonbill, and Bar- headed Goose.
Members are requested to be on time as it is a two-hour-long drive. This will be a half-day trip. Please carry plenty of water and snacks. For further details and to co-ordinate, please contact Mr. Shafaat Ulla (98492-29552) or Mrs. Shanti Mani (93910-08302).
INDOOR MEETING: LIFE OF BIRDS
Thursday, 18" February 2010, 6PM: Association of German Culture, 203, Hermitage Office Complex, Hill Fort Road, Nampally. Colourful, mysterious, noble and intriguing, birds have fascinated us since the dawn of history. In ‘Life of Birds’, David Attenborough, one of the world’s foremost naturalists, hosts an extraordinary exploration into the secret lives of these magnificent creatures.
The first appointment is with To Fly or not to Fly — The history of birds, from the first flying reptiles to today’s consummate navigators. From giant, extinct, flightless birds to modern ostriches and emus - see how birds have made a claim to populate not only the air, but also the land.
Trip Report - ICRISAT, 17" January 2010 Text: Shefali Moorty, Photos: Umesh Mani
The group that went to ICRISAT was quite a large one, which meant that there were a fair few eyes spotting a fair few birds.
We were welcomed by Little Egrets (Egretta garzetta) and Cattle Egrets (Bubulcus ibis) at the gate. Indian Pond Herons (Ardeola grayii), Common Mynas (Acridotheres tristis) and Black Drongos (Dicrurus macrocercus) sat around — sunning themselves.
After waiting a while for the stragglers, our enthusiastic group boarded the bus and we soon reached the first waterbody — the Campus Lake.
Here, we saw over 30 Spot-billed Ducks (Anas poecilorhyncha), Grey Herons (Ardea cinerea), Great Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) and Indian Cormorants (Phalacrocorax fuscicollis) sitting close to the water. Purple Swamphens (Porphyrio porphyrio), Common Moorhens (Gallinula chloropus) and Red-wattled Lapwings (Vanellus indicus) were seen in large numbers walking around. More than a hundred River Terns (Sterna aurantia) flew overhead from lake to lake. Also spotted were over 50 Lesser Whistling-ducks (Dendrocygna javanica), several Common Sandpipers (Actitis hypoleucos) and a Brown Crake (Amaurornis akool).
As the sun rose higher in the sky, warming up the cold winter morning, an increasing number of birds came out to soak up the sun. Among them were Indian Rollers (Coracias benghalensis), Purple Sunbirds (Nectarinia asiatica), Long-tailed (Lanius schach) and Bay-backed Shrikes (Lanius vittatus), and Paddyfield Pipits (Anthus rufulus).
Siberian Stonechat
A Siberian Stonechat (Saxicola torquata), along with some Red Avadavats (Amandava amandava), caused much excitement.
Common Hawk Cuckoo
A juvenile Common Hawk Cuckoo (Hierococcyx varius) also gave great views, hopping around on a tree just above head-height.
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Common Hawk Cuckoo
A number of Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) were seen strutting around in their brilliant plumage. A Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus) and some Eurasian Marsh Harriers (Circus aeruginosus) flew low, around the land.
We walked on, accompanied by Rose-ringed Parakeets (Psitticula krameri), Green Bee-eaters (Merops orientalis) and Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica). Ibises were seen in plenty — Black-headed Ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus) in flocks of 9 tol0 each, around 25 Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) and over 30 Black Ibis (Pseudibis papillosa). _Blue-tailed Bee-eaters (Merops Dhilippinus) demonstrated their expertise in preparing breakfast.
As we approached the fence adjoining Patancheru Lake, we saw many of the commoners - Red-vented Bulbuls (Pycnonotus cafer), Ashy Drongos (Dicrurus leucophaeus), White-breasted Kingfishers (Halcyon smyrnensis), Black-shouldered Kites (Elanus caeruleus), a Bronze-winged Jacana (Metopidius indicus), many Common Coots (Fulica atra), Purple Herons (Ardea purpurea) and a couple of Darters (Anhinga melanogaster).
Ashy Prinias (Prinia socialis), Asian Pied Starlings (Sturnus contra), Baya Weavers (Ploceus Philippinus), Indian Robins (Saxicoloides fulicata), Laughing Doves (Streptopelia senegalensis) and Large Grey Babblers (Turdoides malcolmi) sat in the bushes. By far the best of the lot, however, was the Pallid Harrier (Circus macrourus) which made a couple of over-flights before we lost sight of it.
Walking on, we soon reached a place that appeared to be a dump, but had a lot of birds present. The additions to our list included 3 Bluethroats (Luscinia svecica), Red-rumped Swallows (Hirundo daurica), Pied Bushchats (Saxicola caprata), Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius), more Red Avadavats, Oriental Skylarks (Alauda gulgula), Purple-rumped Sunbirds (Nectarinia zeylonica), Indian Silverbills (Lonchura malabarica), Brahminy Starlings (Sturnus pagodarum), White-browed Wagtails, a Shikra (Accipiter badius), an Ashy- crowned Sparrow Lark (Eremopterix grisea) and one of the brown flycatchers.
Bluethroat
At ‘Café Lake-View’ (our traditional breakfast spot), we added a few more species to the day’s tally, including Black-winged Stilts (Himantopus himantopus), Painted Storks (Mycteria leucocephala), Ruddy Shelducks (Tadorna ferruginea), 5-6 Spot-billed Pelicans (Pelecanus Dhilippensis), Northern Pintails (Anas acuta), Common Teals (Anas crecca), Pied Kingfishers (Ceryle rudis), Northern Shovelers (Anas clypeata)
and Tufted Ducks (Aythya fuligula). Our hunger appeased by the ‘pet-pooja’ that was going on parallelly, we took the time to use the scope to good effect, adding the always-special Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucocordia) from across the lake. Since it is not seen so frequently, we took turns on the scope watching the Spoonbill to our hearts’ content. Also seen at the same spot were Little Grebes (Tachybaptus ruficollis), Black-crowned Night Herons (Nycticorax nycticorax), a Small Blue Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), and an Indian Reed- warbler (Acrocephalus brunnescens). Moving on, we decided to drive around the lake to the far side, hoping to get a better look at the Spoonbills. In the process, we also got to see a solitary Great Egret (Casmerodius albus) and a flock of around 40-50 Glossy Ibises from a close distance.
Dr Tom Hash, to whom we owe BSAP’s annual trip to ICRISAT, told us about a new lake that ICRISAT has created, and we decided to take a look at it before calling it a day. There we saw Common Hoopoes (Upupa epops), Greater Coucals (Centropus sinensis), a Ruff (Philomachus pugnax), a Spotted Owlet (Athene brama), an Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) and a couple of Whiskered Terns (Chlidonias hybridus). A Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago), Wood Sandpipers (Tringa gareola) and Little Stints (Calidris minuta) watched us pass by. Flying overhead were a Short-toed Snake Eagle (Circaetus gallicus) and a White-eyed Buzzard (Butastur teesa). Towards the end of the walk-around, our attention was caught by 2 circling raptors. After prolonged viewing and discussion, one was identified as the Tawny Eagle (Aquila rapax). The other, though definitely looking like a falcon, was too far to be identified positively.
By this time, the sun was beating down, and we were all tired of walking. However, birding at ICRISAT is incomplete without a visit to the Red Lake, so we decided to drive past it on our way out. On the way there, we surprised a Montagu’s Harrier (Circus pygargus) sitting in an open field, which took off hurriedly as soon as it saw our bus. We rued the fact that had we spotted the Harrier and stopped the bus a little earlier, we could have got good views of another infrequently seen (or identified?) species.
At the Red Lake, though we did not alight from the bus, we still got very good views of several Black- headed Ibises nesting in the bushes on one of the islands. There were also several Painted Storks, Northern Shovelers, Ruddy Shelducks, Little and Great Cormorants, adding colour to the scenery.
Darter
A little further on, we were treated to excellent views of a Darter sunning itself on a dried-up tree in the water, just a few meters from the shore. The shutterbugs went wild, clicking away at a bird rarely seen from up close.
Soon, it was time to move on. On our way out, a flock of Black-headed Ibises bid us goodbye, nicely rounding off another satisfying morning of birding. ICRISAT had once again lived up to its reputation of giving at least a clutch of sightings not easily seen in other parts of the city.
Nesting Birds
‘Nesting Birds’ is a column that collates data on the timing of nesting of birds in Andhra Pradesh. Documenting and understanding the nesting habits of birds is important as these could be related to climatic changes and human interferences. To participate, please write to sreekar1988 @gmail.com with your observations on nesting species, date, location and notes on behavior, number of nests, nest-site selection if collected. [Please note: While
bird-watching, do remember the first rule of the birder: the safety of the bird comes first. ]
The following observations of nesting birds were made during December 2009 to January 2010.
Abbrevations used:
RS — R. Sreekar, SM — Shanti Mani, UM — Umesh Mani, VSa — V. Santharam, VSi — Vijay Sirdesai, YK — Yashada Kulkarni
Nesting birds:
Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis
RS reports sighting of these birds with chicks on 10" January in Nelapattu, Nellore.
Asian Openbill Anastomus oscitans RS reports sighting of these birds with chicks on 10"
January in Nelapattu, Nellore.
Fulvous Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna bicolor VSi reports sighting of these birds with chicks in
Kolleru on 26" January.
Black Kite Milvus migrans RS reports sighting of these birds carrying nesting
material all over southern Andhra Pradesh. UM reports sighting of these birds with nesting material at Sainikpuri.
Rock Bush-Quail Perdicula argoondah
RS reports sighting of these birds with around 6 chicks on 17" December in Rishi Valley, Chittoor.
Common Coot Fulica atra
SM reports sighting of these birds with chicks on 29" December at Sanjeevaiah Park. RS reports sighting of these birds with chicks on 8" January in the lakes around Rishi Valley.
Dusky Crag Martin Hirundo concolor RS and VSa sighted this bird nesting under a rock in
Rishi Valley on 24" January.
Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri SM reports sighting these birds nesting in coconut
trees on 20" December at Sainikpuri. RS reports
sighting these birds nesting in coconut trees on 1“ January at Rishi Valley.
Pied Bushchat Saxicola caprata RS reports sighting of these birds copulating in Rishi
Valley on 21° January. Breeding males had white secondaries and breeding females developed dark rufous vent and under-tail coverts.
Grey-breasted Prinia Prinia hodgsonii RS reports sighting of these birds in breeding
plumages calling from high perches all day on 20" January. Breeding adults had pinkish legs, reddish wings and white beard.
Purple Sunbird Nectarinia asiatica YK reports sighting of these birds nesting on 21"
January in Rishi Valley. Glossy males were sighted/heard calling from tree tops all over Rishi Valley in January. RS conducted a 2km line transect outside Rishi Valley School and counted nine nests. All the nine nests were built in spider webs on thorny shrubs less than 6 feet from the ground.
Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata RS reports sighting of these birds nesting in thick
vegetation behind a road-side dhaba in mid-January on Chittoor-Bangalore highway.
Common Myna Acridotheres tristis RS reports sighting of these birds nesting between
signboards in early January on Chittoor-Chennai highway.
Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus UM reports sighting of these birds nesting at
ICRISAT on 17" January.
Bird Of The Month Text and photo: Umesh Mani
Grey-bellied Cuckoo (Cacomantis passerinus)
Order: Cuculiformes Family: Cuculidae Genus: Cacomantis Species: C. passerinus Size: 23 cm
Description: A slim bird, the Grey-bellied Cuckoo is dark grey above and whitish below with grey chin and throat. It has a white-tipped black tail and black wings with a white patch on the underside which is prominent in flight. The female is similar but may sometimes be ‘hepatic’, i.e. bright chestnut above and on the throat, with black barring on the back and on white underparts. The juvenile is either grey with pale barring on underparts, or similar to hepatic female, or somewhere in between. In its normal plumage, the Grey-bellied Cuckoo may be confused with Black-winged Cuckoo-shrike (Coracina melaschistos) and, in the hepatic phase, with the Banded Bay Cuckoo (Cacomantis sonneratii).
Behaviour: It is usually seen singly in scrub and openly wooded country. It is arboreal, insectivorous
(Sainikpuri, December 20, 2009)
and has a hawk-like flight. Its normal call is a high- pitched p’teer, p’teer, p’teer, or peter-peter. It also has a plaintive whistling pee-pipee-pee...pipe-pee, usually delivered from exposed tree-tops, with depressed tail and drooping wings. The diet consists of plant bugs, caterpillars and other insects. It is distributed practically all across India south of the Himalayas (except the arid North-West), and east to Bhutan, Meghalaya and West Bengal. Also Pakistan and Sri Lanka (in winter).
Nesting: The Grey-bellied Cuckoo nests between July — September (coinciding with the South- Western monsoon). It is parasitic mainly on Tailorbirds and Ashy Prinias, with its eggs matching theirs in colouration and markings to varying extents.
Local name: It is known as ‘chinna katte pitta’ palisa’ in Telugu, ‘kuyil’ in Tamil and ‘cherukuyil’ in Malayalam.
Bird Humour (This column features funny pictures or cartoons involving birds or bird-watching)
ANIMAL CRACKERS
HOW 0D YoU STANPOKN | ACTUALLY, THE HAKD ONE LEG FOK SUCH LONG Pieris HLOING THE PERIO7S OF EE OTHER ONE UP!
(From The Times of India, September 26, 2009)
Our member, T. Vijayendra, has published a book [see below] and has donated a few copies to the BSAP. The book is priced at Rs 120/- and the entire sale proceeds are the author's donation to the Society. Those of you wishing to buy a copy can reserve it through an email to bsap.ap@gmail.com and send your payment by DD/cheque favouring “BIRDWATCHERS SOCIETY OF ANDHRA PRADESH” to the address given below, by ordinary post. No couriers please.
"This book is an attempt to present, in as simple and ane straight forward a way as possible, the present crisis Pan radise [of global warming]. It also offers some solutions that
the author believes will help Indians, activists in
particular, to prepare for such a transition."
For Private Circulation Only Editor: Shanti Mani Email: bsap.pitta@ gmail.com
For information, write to: Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh, PO Box 45, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad — 500034. E-group: http://groups.google.co.in/group/bsap_online. Website: www.bsap.in. Society membership (in Rs.): Admission: 100; Annual: 400 per annum; Student: 200 per annum; Life: 3000. (Add Rs 75 for outstation cheques.)
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Newsletter of the Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh New Series Volume 7 Number 03 March 2010
FIELD OUTING: Sunday, 21° March 2010, 6AM: Narsapur Reserve Forest, Medak Dt.
Spanning an area of 30 to 40 sq km, Narsapur Forest is one of the most popular birding spots around the city. The forest is rich in small woodland birds, woodpeckers and flycatchers. The lake and its environs should also promise interesting sightings. This will be a full-day trip. Please carry plenty of water and snacks. For further details and to co-ordinate, please contact Mr. Shafaat Ulla (98492-29552) or Mrs. Shanti Mani (93910-08302).
INDOOR MEETING: LIFE OF BIRDS
Thursday, 25 March 2010, 6PM: Association of German Culture, 203, Hermitage Office Complex, Hill Fort Road, Nampally. Colourful, mysterious, noble and intriguing, birds have fascinated us since the dawn of history. In ‘Life of Birds’, David Attenborough, one of the world’s foremost naturalists, hosts an extraordinary exploration into the secret lives of these magnificent creatures.
This second appointment is with The Mastery of Flight — For all their grace and agility, birds face serious challenges in getting into the air, staying there, and landing safely. Among their many adaptations is the single weight-saving feature that only birds possess — feathers.
Trip Report — Pocharam, 21* Febuary 2010 Pratik Gupte
Bar-headed Geese & up-ending Northern Pintails (Photo: Vikram Reddy)
Having missed BSAP trips for nearly a year, I entire group had gathered, we set off for Pocharam thought I should make it a point to go on this one. So Reservoir. Sanket and I were given a ride by Mr. my brother, Sanket, and I met the others at Ajit Kumar, for whom this was a first birding trip Hyderabad Central on the morning of 21°. Once the with the BSAP. I barely noticed the 100-kilometre
distance, as it was not a route I knew, but we passed through Narsapur Forest along the way - a favourite BSAP haunt.
As we reached Pocharam at around 8:30AM, we took a few looks around, registering each other in our minds, and then turned to the lake, which seemed to have shrunk quite a bit, from what I remember of it. The first thing we noticed was about 300 Bar-headed Geese (Anser indicus).
Greater Flamingos (Photo: Vikram Reddy)
There were also around 350 Greater Flamingos (Phoenicopterus rubber) scattered in two or three main flocks around the lake, with some more on the far side. As we proceeded towards the lake's edge, we spotted quite a few more birds. The Red-wattled Lapwings (Vanellus indicus) were very intent on chasing away, both, an intruding Shikra (Accipiter badius) and us at the same time, constantly keeping up their calls of “Did you do it, did you do it....”.
Red-wattled Lapwing (Photo: Vikram Reddy)
Also seen was a pair of Ashy-crowned Sparrow Larks (Eremopterix grisea) and a few Paddyfield Pipits (Anthus rufulus).
As we had a couple of first timers, there was the inevitable discussion and advice session on binoculars, guides, etc. An unexpected sight was a flock of Spot-billed Pelicans (Pelecanus philippensis), accompanied by a group of Asian Openbills (Anastomus oscitans) - these, however, did not land.
The lake, as we soon noticed, was full of hundreds of ducks of various species, among which were Northern Pintails (Anas acuta), Cotton Pygmy-goose (Nettapus coromandelianus), Common Teals (Anas crecca), Garganeys (Anas querquedula), Lesser Whistling Ducks (Dendrocygna javanica) and Spot- billed Ducks (Anas poecilorhyncha). Also seen by Kulkarni uncle were a few Brahminy Ducks (Tadorna ferruginea) (for some reason now called Ruddy Shelducks) and some Northern Shovelers (Anas clypeata), whose numbers did not seem to be as large as that of the others.
ss ys ra tee : aK.
Little Ringed Plover (Photo: ‘Humayun Taher)
Walking down to the lake we saw both Little Ringed (Charadrius placidus) and Kentish (Charadrius alexandrinus) Plovers, of which Humayun got good shots with a prosumer cam. There was a distinct lack of artillery style lenses, with only a Canon and an Olympus for representation. We set up temporary camp in a small hollow that had been left dry when the lake retreated, with all further sightings from there.
High on Humayun's list for spotting was the Black- bellied Tern (Sterna acuticauda), of which we saw a couple; also seen was the commoner River Tern (Sterna aurantia), with all the accompanying jokes about left, right and about turns. He was also convinced about the presence of a couple of, or at least one Lesser Flamingo (Phoenicopterus minor) in the flocks of Greater, and also observed that the state of the wetland was in decline, as indicated by the presence of Common Coot (Fulica atra) and Black-winged Stilts (Himantopus himantopus). He also conducted snap tests with the first-timers about various birds, the most hilarious being the differences between swallows and swifts, which people managed to mix up even in the field-guides. All teaching somewhat ceased when a group of Eurasian Wigeons (Anas penelope), and a few Common Pochards (Aythya ferina) were spotted, but what really caught everyone's attention was a single Red-crested Pochard (Rhodonessa rufina) in the same flock. We also saw quite a few Glossy Ibises (Plegadis falcinellus) and two Black-tailed Godwits (Limosa limosa).
Black-winged Stilt (Photo: Vikram Reddy)
We decided to turn back to the cars, as the sun was making the day hotter by the minute. We piled into the cars and drove to an abandoned, or at least,
untended bungalow, to one side of which there was a large tree. We sat in its shade and began the process of breakfast. Seen was a peculiar form of behaviour by Little (Phalacrocorax niger) and Great (P. carbo) Cormorants, where they moved across the water in a flotilla, and then flew back to where they had started. Kullu uncle sagely told us that this was a feeding strategy. A Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea), one we had seen earlier, seemed to have followed us to the tree, as it was not far from the lake's shore. It stood there in the water aptly fitting its description of ‘..emaciated looking heron, with extremely long neck....’. Suddenly, a Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola solitarius) was spotted which threw everyone into full gear, as they started pulling out binoculars and cameras.
as Pied Kingfisher (Photo: Janardhan Reddy)
Mention must be made of the Indian Grey Hornbills (Ocyceros birostris), which welcomed us_ to Pocharam, and a Common Iora (Aegithina tiphia), which some of us spotted; these, of course, were apart from the ‘ordinary’ birds. Special mention must be made of the Greater Spotted Eagle (Aquila clanga), which managed to keep itself hidden in plain view, masquerading as a Black Kite, so bypassing our notice. We left soon after, lost our way, got ourselves on the wonderful NH7 and managed to get to Hyderabad in record time. An interesting trip, all in all.
A trip report from another perspective! Pocharam, 21* Febuary 2010 M Shafaat Ulla
Welcome to the newcomers!
As advised in the PITTA, we all gathered at Punjagutta crossroads at six in the morning. One good thing about this trip was some enthusiastic, new faces. Humayun picked me up, along with Kullu and Shanti (no - not our editor), an M.Tech., now pursuing German language under our very own professor, JVD Moorty. We were joined by Ajit Kumar saab, a retired official from the Geological Survey of India. He kindly accommodated Pratik and Sanket, very regular birdwatchers but seen after along time. Asif came along with two friends of his and agreed to take Nilay Raha, an MBA, now working for a communications company. Just then a Skoda rolled up carrying Janardhan, Vikram and Prithvi Reddy — the last was my classmate from Hyderabad Public School. He is a pediatric surgeon settled in USA and is now on a holiday. A little later Minhaj followed with his family.
The convoy started with our car in the lead as only Kullu knew the way. At about 8AM we made a pit stop at Medak, and after a hot cuppa, reached Pocharam Lake at about 8.30AM. We parked at the usual spot - a high ground overlooking the lake.
The sight that greeted us was just fabulous! Right on the shore were about 350 Bar-headed Geese. A little beyond, in the water, were thousands of ducks (in excess of 4000) followed by a neat line of Greater Flamingos (around 450 at least). What a sight it was!
Sat ly Ba a adds « i ' (ite gare re ite ‘ey
Greater Flamingos (Photo: Humayun Taher)
We all got out of our cars with cameras, tripods, spotting scopes and field-guides in place, and after having had a good ‘dekko’ and briefing the newcomers in the art of birdwatching, we decided to venture closer to the water’s edge. As we were about 200 feet from the water, the geese took off and settled at a distance. Because of their size, they still afforded good sighting. The ducks did not panic as they normally allow birders to come near, and therefore, we inched a little closer for a better look. The flamingos stayed put as they were at some distance anyway.
Photo: Vikram Reddy
It was a great opportunity for the newcomers Shanti, Ajit and Nilay and also for some of us as we identified different species of ducks under the expert guidance of Humayun, who went on to explain the diagnostic features of different species. It went something like this - “notice the pin in the tail of the Pintail, the yellow spot on the bill of the Spot bill, the eye stripe of the Garganey, the whitish ‘tilak’ on the head of the Wigeon, the difference between the Red-crested Pochard and the Common Pochard - the Red-crested being very similar to the Common Pochard but for the pink bill of the former, and hey, what’s that to the left with a strange black bill?” “Well, that’s a Shoveler, so named because its bill is like a shovel”, and so on and so forth as we identified at least 10 species of ducks.
It was the same story when it came to waders — “Black-winged Stilts — red-coloured daddy-long- legs, Black-tailed Godwit - observe the long bill with a black tip and black tail, Little Ringed Plover, see the rings on the chest,” and many more. It was extremely educative and interesting.
There was excitement in the air as 5 Spot-billed Pelicans circled majestically overhead, followed by a flock of Eurasian Openbills in formation, but both decided not to land and disappeared from the scene.
We spent considerable time observing the birds and also photographing them from various angles. Asif was a sight to see - creeping on his belly to get a closer shot!
Photo: Vikram Reddy
Time just flew and we realized that it was past 11:30 and the sun was really hot. We therefore decided, rather reluctantly, to head for the guesthouse premises, where we spread ourselves under a shady tree to do justice to our famished stomachs. After a hearty brunch, we all headed home, with a very memorable birding trip behind us.
Nature Orientation Program by Asian Wildlife Foundation Text: S. Ashok Kumar, Photos: Ram Rudra
Asian Wildlife Foundation, Hyderabad, organized a Nature Orientation Programme from 12 — 14 February, 2010, at Valamur Tented Camp, Rampachodavaram Mandal, East Godavari District, for the students of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan School, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad. The main activities of the programme were nature treks in the moist, deciduous forests, visits to coffee and medicinal plantations, and a PowerPoint presentation on the Biodiversity of Andhra Pradesh.
: : A‘ Ultramarine Flycatcher
During the bird watching trips into the nearby forest, Ram Rudra, an Engineering student, who was the resource person, identified the beautifully coloured Ultramarine Flycatcher, a rare sight in the Eastern Ghats. Apart from several local birds, the Malabar Trogon and the Black-capped Kingfisher were also sighted.
ya im Malabar Trogon
Bird of the Month Text and photo: Umesh Mani
Yellow-eyed Babbler (Chrysomma sinense)
Order: Passeriformes Family: Sylviidae Genus: Chrysomma Species: C. sinense Size: 18 cm
Description: This babbler is cinnamon and chestnut- brown above, and is white on the underside till the belly, with the rest of the undersides being light-to- darker brown. It has yellow irises and a prominent yellow-orange ring around the eyes, white lores and supercilium. There are 3 races, differentiated mainly on colouration. The sexes are alike.
Behaviour: It is usually seen singly or in small parties in scrub, thorn jungle, bamboo, grass and reed-beds, in dry-deciduous areas. Commonly seen in patches separating cultivated fields. Tends to cling to reed stems sideways or upside-down like a tit. A great skulker, it is not seen easily even when its presence is known. When startled, it hops away and disappears through the undergrowth, emitting harsh tittering notes. The flight is feeble and jerky. Its call
(Sainikpuri, Hyderabad, February 28, 2010)
is a clear, somewhat plaintive, loud cheep, cheep, cheep. In breeding season, males climb up to the top of bushes and sing a loud and sweet song. The diet consists mainly of spiders and insects; also berries and flower nectar. It is distributed practically all across India (except some parts of the North-west and North-east); also Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka; in plains and up to about 1500m.
Nesting: The Yellow-eyed Babbler nests between June—September (coinciding with the South-western monsoon). The nest is a deep, neat cup of grasses cemented and plastered over with cobwebs. Nests are usually in bushes, rarely above 1m from the ground. It lays 4-5 eggs, which are yellowish-white speckled with purplish-brown. Both sexes share parental duties.
Local name: It is known as ‘yerra kali-jitta’ in Telugu and ‘bulal-chasm’ or ‘gulab-chasm’ in Hindi.
Bird Humour
Keep YOUR Eyes PEELED
The Perils Of Call Playback! (Courtesy: Sumit Sen, Kolkata)
For Private Circulation Only Editor: Shanti Mani Email: bsap.pitta@ gmail.com
For information, write to: Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh, PO Box 45, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad — 500034. E-group: http://groups.google.co.in/group/bsap_online. Website: www.bsap.in. Society membership (in Rs.): Admission: 100; Annual: 400 per annum; Student: 200 per annum; Life: 3000. (Add Rs 75 for outstation cheques.)
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Newsletter of the Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh New Series Volume 7 Number 04 April 2010
FIELD OUTING: Sunday, 18" April 2010, 6:00AM: Nehru Zoological Park, Mir Alam.
When not watching the creatures in the cages, one can discover that the zoo is actually a good place for bird watching. The lions’ enclosure and the various tanks hold lot of ground and small birds and a number of water birds. Stone Curlews have been known to breed near the Sambhar enclosure. By March-April migrants begin withdrawing, so one can expect to see some stragglers still around. Earlier trips have given us interesting sightings and observations, and this one may throw a few surprises as well.
This will be a half-day trip. Please carry plenty of water and snacks. For further details and to co-ordinate, please contact Mr. Shafaat Ulla (98492-29552) or Mrs. Shanti Mani (93910-08302).
INDOOR MEETING: Thursday, 15" April 2010, 6PM: Association of German Culture, 203, Hermitage Office Complex, Hill Fort Road, Nampally.
Mr. S. Ashok Kumar, who is a Co-opted member of the AP Biodiversity Board and a member of the Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh, will present three short films shot by the UK Environment Film Fellowship, funded by the British Council and by the British High Commission of India.
The three films are ‘Leopards in the Lurch’, “Once there was a Purple Butterfly” and “Corals — Diminishing Resources’’. The duration of these films is 14 minutes each. Each film will be followed by an interactive session.
Trip Report — Narsapur, 21** March 2010 Anjali Pandey
Coppersmith Barbet (Photo: Humayun Taher)
The field outing to Narsapur attracted quite a few regulars and accepted into the group with a friendly first timers including me. At the meeting point, we ease, which seems to be so common amongst birders introduced ourselves, some with enthusiasm, some everywhere.
still a bit shy. We were welcomed warmly by the
We headed north out of the city limits taking the Medak road, crossing the Jeedimetla Industrial Area. The stench of chemicals and the continuous line of plastic waste strewn along the road, marked the boundary of the industrial area.
The first group that reached the little temple near the forest was greeted by Small Minivets (Pericrocotus cinnamomeus), which the rest of us missed. Soon we all entered the track leading into the forest. It was a warm morning. The forest vegetation consisted of dry, deciduous trees like Teak, the bright-red flowering Palash, Babool, etc.
Small Minivet (Photo: Humayun Taher)
The first sighting, which got everyone excited, was a pair of Blue-faced Malkohas (Phaenicophaeus viridirostris). For the first timers it was a nice long sighting of this shy bird. Walking on the dirt track we spotted more common birds like the Red-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer), Pale-billed Flowerpecker (Dicaeum erythrorhynchos), Ashy Prinia (Prinia socialis), Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius) and Rose-ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri). Oriental Magpie Robins (Copsychus saularis) were singing from their perches. We tried listening to the different calls and soon everyone was asking about different calls emanating from the forest cover. Humayun was the inspiration behind our enthusiastic “listening” efforts. But none could hear the Indian Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros birostris) calling, till it was pointed out! Spotted Doves (Streptopelia chinensis) were everywhere, and so were Indian Robins (Saxicoloides fulicata).
Further ahead we saw a Rufous-winged Bushlark (Mirafra assamica). A lifer for me, which I would not have been able to identify but for the expert guidance. We saw a bird with reddish legs and beak,
streaks on the breast, singing a wonderfully melodious song but we could not identify it.
Indian Golden Oriole (Female) (Photo: Asif Husain)
Along the small water stream we spotted White- throated Kingfishers (Halcyon smyrnensis), an Asian Paradise-Flycatcher (Terpsiphone paradisi) and an Indian Golden Oriole (Oriolus kundoo). There was one Red-wattled Lapwing (Vanellus indicus) flying around and few Black-rumped Flamebacks (Dinopium benghalense) too. In flight we also saw a pair of tiny sparrows called “Yellow-throated Sparrows” earlier, now very impressively called the Chestnut-shouldered Petronia (Petronia xanthocollis). White-browed Bulbuls (Pycnonotus luteolus) were seen many times, which provided a good opportunity for the new birders to observe the distinguishing features of the bird closely. Oriental White-eyes (Zosterops palpebrosus) were spotted next followed by Green Bee-eaters (Merops orientalis) indulging in those enchanting flights to catch insects.
Black-rumped Flameback (Photo: Humayun Taher)
With a growing list we came across the second most exciting bird of the day - a Blue-capped Rock Thrush (Monticola cinclorhynchus). Some of us were lucky enough to get a good look at the bird. After a lot of interesting deliberations it was identified based on the white spot on the flanks — a distinguishing feature. It is a beautiful blue bird with a rufous underside. It is not resident here and spends the summer in open, dry forests. During winters, it is found in the Western Ghats and flies to the Himalayas in the summer.
Black Kite (Photo: Humayun Taher)
As the heat increased with the rising sun, it was time for a few raptors. There was a Tawny Eagle (Aquila rapax) cruising over our heads. We learnt the day’s lesson: How to identify a Tawny Eagle. The straight wings, without the typical eagle-like slight curve, very clearly distinguishes it from any other eagle.
Brahminy Starling (Photo: Asif Husain)
Crossing over into the other part of the forest across the road, we saw Large Cuckooshrikes (Coracina macei), Tickell’s Blue Flycatchers (Cyornis tickelliae), Brahminy Starlings (Sturnus pagodarum), a Great Tit (Parus major), and Common Ioras (Aegithina tiphia).
By now it was time to get some ‘fuel’. So in the august company of a big and energetic party of Rhesus Macaques we had breakfast. The Indian Grey Hornbills decided to pay multiple visits, causing a big commotion among the tiny baby monkeys frolicking in the trees.
Short-toed Snake Eagle (Photo: Asif Husain)
Other sightings of the day were Jungle Babblers (Turdoides striatus), Yellow-billed Babbler (T. affinis), Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus), Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala), Purple Sunbird (Nectarinia asiatica), Purple-rumped Sunbird (N. zeylonica), Shikra (Accipiter badius), Crested Treeswift (Hemiprocne coronata), Greater Coucal (Centropus sinensis), Blue-winged Leafbird (Chloropsis cochinchinensis), Black Drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus), Short-toed Snake Eagle (Circaetus gallicus, ), and Black-headed Cuckooshrike (Coracina melanoptera).
Intermediate Egrets (Mesophoyx intermedia), a hovering Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis), Great Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo), Wood
a Sandpipers (Tringa glareola), Common Sandpipers (Actitis hypoleucos), Grey Herons (Ardea cinerea), a . Purple Heron (A. purpurea), River Terns (Sterna — —— aurantia) and Little Grebes (Tachybaptus ruficollis). = = = a = = = |
= = == ——
We also saw a nest of the Indian Robin with chicks
—> SS in it on a very low branch near the lake. We quickly
Large Egret landing (Photo: Asif Husain) left it alone so that the kids playing around would
not see it and damage it in their enthusiasm. After a
After breakfast we decided to visit the Narsapur nice cup of tea in a roadside restaurant we called it a
Lake. Along with a lot of bathing buffaloes and day. With warm calls of “See You” and “Nice
Homo sapiens we spotted Black-winged Stilts Meeting You”, we exchanged mobile numbers. It (Himantopus — himantopus), Asian _—_ Openbills was an extremely nice day spent with birds.
(Anastomus oscitans), Painted Storks (Mycteria leucocephala), Great Egrets (Casmerodius albus),
An Accidental Birdwatcher! The First Birding Experience of a Beginner Nilay Raha
It was in the early hours of the morning after Diwali that Sharad sir, Umesh, Sivaji and I met at Begumpet crossroads to start our journey to Himayatsagar. When I was informed by Sharad sir that we would be going to Himayatsagar for half a day, I assumed it was to enjoy the aesthetic beauty of the place. Little did I know that the next few hours were going to be the beginning of my foray into birdwatching.
Within an hour we reached Himayasagar and suddenly all the equipment - binoculars, digital cameras, field guides, etc., started coming out from everybody’s bags. All this led me to wonder as to why binoculars would be needed to view the scenic beauty of Himayatsagar. I soon realized that I was, now, part of a bird watching group!
With no clue whatsoever about birding, I tried spotting birds through the big binoculars handed over to me, but could not spot even one during the first few hours. Since I was a novice, I struggled hard. From the roadside we slowly proceeded towards the fallow land near the lake. After all my efforts, the first bird that I could clearly view through the binocular was a Green Bee-eater. It made its way into my heart due to its bright green colour. My immediate reaction after viewing the beauty was - “it’s awesome”!!! A number of them were fluttering from one branch to another (all these trees were located in the vicinity of the lake). We also saw several tiny birds searching for insects in the marshy low land. The group then spotted a flying Pied Kingfisher and this was my bird of the day. I had never dreamt I would view such a beautiful species of Kingfisher with such a beautiful colour combination of black and white!
Quote of the Day (mentioned by one of the group members): I always note down the names of the birds that has been spotted in the day. This helps me to refer back to the field guide in order to understand the difference in physical features among the species or sub-species.
Now I too follow this tip religiously whenever I go bird-watching. That first trip was great fun, and I realized that Thad found a new hobby!
Bird of the Month Text and photo: Umesh Mani
Dusky Crag Martin (Hirundo concolor)
Order: Passeriformes Family: Hirundinidae Genus: Hirundo Species: H. concolor Size: 13 cm
Description: This bird is sooty-brown above and below, and has a short, square tail and swallow-like wings and flight. It has a round white spot an all tail feathers except the middle and outermost ones, which are clearly visible when the bird wheels or banks in flight. The sexes are alike. In winter, the migratory Eurasian Crag Martin (H. rupestris) is also seen along with the Dusky Crag Martin, but can be distinguished by its slightly larger size and whitish under-parts.
Behaviour: It is usually seen in small numbers around cliffs, rock caves, dams, ruined forts, etc, in company with swifts and swallows. The flight is
(Himayatsagar, Hyderabad, October 19, 2009)
swallow-like and it utters a soft chit-chit as it flies. It is insectivorous and it hawks midges and other tiny winged insects in the air. Its distribution is patchy but practically all across India (except the North- east); absent in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.
Nesting: The Dusky Crag Martin nests mainly between June — October (when wet mud is easily obtained for nest-building). The nest is a somewhat deep oval saucer of mud lined with feathers, etc, and is usually attached to a vertical rock face or wall, under natural overhangs or arches in buildings. It lays 2-3 eggs, which are white, minutely speckled and spotted with reddish-brown. Both sexes share parental duties.
Local name: It is known as ‘katrika-pakshi’ (‘brinjal-bird’) in Malayalam and ‘chatan ababil’ in Hindi.
Bird Humour
“‘He’s evidently the dominant sibling.”
Survival of the Fittest! (From Reader’s Digest, January 2010)
For Private Circulation Only Editor: Shanti Mani Email: bsap.pitta@ gmail.com
For information, write to: Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh, PO Box 45, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad — 500034. E-group: http://groups.google.co.in/group/bsap_online. Website: www.bsap.in. Society membership (in Rs.): Admission: 100; Annual: 400 per annum; Student: 200 per annum; Life: 3000. (Add Rs 75 for outstation cheques.)
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Newsletter of the Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh New Series Volume 7 Number 05 May 2010
FIELD OUTING: Sunday, 16" May 2010, 6:00AM: Sanjeevaiah Park, Necklace Road.
Spread out over 90 acres, this park, abutting the Hussain Sagar Lake in the heart of the city, is a great spot for birding. Though the migrants would have long gone by now, sightings of a number of resident species make for a fruitful summer morning. The shady trees offer refuge to quite a few birds. Many of them should be nesting now, especially the Orioles, Sunbirds, Drongos, Asian Pied Starlings, etc. Leafbirds have been seen occasionally, so also
Coppersmiths. The lakeshore should offer some waders and it may be possible to glimpse some Terns and Gulls.
This will be a half-day trip. Please carry plenty of water and snacks. For further details and to co-ordinate, please contact Mr. Shafaat Ulla (98492-29552) or Mrs. Shanti Mani (93910- 08302).
An Appeal from BNHS
Birds need you this summer.
Summer is at its peak. It has already crossed 37C. Many birds die in summer due to lack of water. Place water pots for thirsty birds in Terraces, Compound wall & Balconies.
Trip Report — Nehru Zoological Park, 18" April 2010
Anjali Pande
Baya Weaver weaving its nest (Photo: Ismail Shariff)
Suppose you were a bird, migrating mainly to avoid extremes of heat and cold, would you choose to be in Hyderabad? I guess not! Not with the mercury soaring to 42°C and the scorching sun beating down since weeks! Well, I joined the birding group on Sunday, not expecting to see too many birds and, definitely not, migrants in the zoo. But the day proved very fruitful, yielding a tally of 54 birds, which included 2 migrant species and a great Bird of the Day - a Black Bittern (Dupetor flavicollis)!
We started our walk from the safari entrance; a large group, which included many photographers with their impressive optical gear. The best part was that we were birding with some old hands at the game! They instructed us about a few basic birding norms and then we started walking, taking a left from the entrance.
Some common birds and a cacophony of birdcalls greeted us. Oriental Magpie Robin (Copsychus saularis) - a sweet singer- was spotted giving a brilliant early morning rendition of its own favourite tune! Numerous Rose-ringed Parakeets (Psittacula krameri) were flying around, bustling to feast on the raw mangoes. These are loud feeders! Equally chatty were the Yellow-billed Babblers (Turdoides affinis) and Common Mynas (Acridotheres tristis). The first excitement of the day came in the form of a Common Hawk Cuckoo (Hierococcyx varius), flying low from one tree to another. It sat on the lower branches, so we could have a good look at the bird. The distinctive bands on the tail, the yellow iris, the rufous breast, ash grey above (almost like a
Shikra) - this is the bird we all know as the “Brainfever Bird”.
i Common Hawk Cuckoo (Photo: KB Rao)
Further on, we saw a Grey Mongoose, perhaps getting ready to start off on a hunting expedition. We also saw the shy but inquisitive Spotted Deer. High up in the sky were some Asian Palm Swifts (Cypsiurus balasiensis) along with some unidentified Swallows. Loud alarm calls of the Red- wattled Lapwings (Vanellus indicus) drew us on. Near one open area, there were Black Kites (Milvus migrans) on different trees, giving rise to a commotion in the Lapwing colony. March to August is the nesting season of the Red-wattled Lapwing, and we saw quite a few of them, loud and noisy, at many places in the zoo.
Rufous Treepie (Photo: Asif Husain)
Indian Grey Hornbills (Ocyceros birostris) made a quick entry, followed by a Rufous Treepie (Dendrocitta vagabunda). A pond yielded a White- breasted Waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus), White-browed Wastails (Motacilla maderaspatensis) and a Common _ Kingfisher (Alcedo Atthis). A little further down there was another small marshy area, hidden from the walkway by some trees. And there on two trees were Grey Herons (Ardea cinerea), Painted Storks (Mycteria leucocephala) and 6 adults and one juvenile Black- crowned Night Herons (Nycticorax nycticorax), all roosting quietly.
Black-crowned Night Heron (Photo: KB Rao)
We kept walking along the laid down pathway, and saw the brilliant yellow Indian Golden Oriole (Oriolus kundoo). The beauty of this bird is dazzling with its bright colours, especially on a sunny summer morning! Next we saw a feeding family of Grey Francolins (Francolinus pondicerianus) with a very cute, small chick. The youngster was quite smart and diligently followed the elders. In the same huge enclosure we saw our first migratory bird of the day, a flock of Rosy Starlings (Sturnus roseus) atop a small tree. They are supposed to leave by mid-April, so we were lucky to see them. It is humbling to see these little birds and to think that they fly away to the breeding grounds as far away as Eastern Europe, Central and Western Asia!
Black-rumped Flameback (Photo: Asif Husain)
We saw 4 Asian Pied Starlings (Sturnus contra) feeding on the ground. March onwards seems to be the nesting season of many resident birds. We saw a Black-rumped Flameback (Dinopium benghalense) pecking busily at a thick tree trunk and on the next branch of the same tree was the nest of a Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala). The Barbet peeped out from its nest hole, which was perfectly round shaped. It then came out, sat around watching what the Flameback was doing, then lost patience and finally just chased away the much bigger Flameback!
Further on there was a big lake on the right side of the path. It had two Wood Sandpipers (Tringa glareola), our second migratory bird of the day. They were busy feeding on the marshy lakeshore. It’s a brownish bird, with conspicuous white spots on the flanks and a supercilium. This little wader, that funnily bobs its tail up and down, also flies away to North European and North Asian marshes to its breeding grounds!
ee —— ae — = =
Spot-billed Duck (Photo: Asif Husain)
Our resident ducks - the Spot-billed Ducks (Anas poecilorhyncha) - were in the lake, along with Black-winged Stilts (Himantopus himantopus), all busy feeding. The bigger lake had many Great Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo), sunning themselves on the dry trees in the water, and one Asian Openbill (Anastomus oscitans). The lake had a very good reed bank and there among the reeds, Aasheesh Pittie spotted a Black Bittern. This was our Bird of the Day. Black Bitterns have long, vertical stripes along their neck, so when they stand with their neck extended upwards, they get camouflaged in the slender reeds. It is about the size of a Night Heron, but bulkier and it hides its black body in the reeds perfectly. It stayed for a few minutes and vanished, so not everyone got to see it.
~~ — > ~~ ™
White-throated Kingfisher (Photo: Asif Husain)
After a very quick breakfast we walked to the newly opened stork enclosure where one can observe all the different storks at the same time. On the final leg of the walk Mr. Varaprasad joined us and we got to know that there was a gregarious flowering of bamboo in the zoo area, which means all bamboo plants flower at the same time. It happens once in 30 years. After flowering, all the bamboo trees die and need to be removed to avoid their catching fire in summer.
Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher (Photo: KB Rao)
Plum-headed Parakeet (Photo: Asif Husain)
Finally some of the other interesting birds seen: Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher (Cyornis tickelliae),
Common Hoopoe (Upupa epops), Indian Robin (Saxicoloides fulicata), White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis), Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus), Black Drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus), Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopacea), Little Egret (Egretta garzetta), Cattle Egret (in breeding plumage) (Bubulcus ibis), Intermediate Egret (breeding plumage) (Mesophoyx intermedia), Indian Cormorant (Phalacrocorax fuscicollis), Little Cormorant (Phalacrocorax niger), Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius), Ashy Prinia (Prinia socialis), Purple-rumped Sunbird (Nectarinia zeylonica), Pied Bushchat (Saxicola caprata), Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio), Large-billed Crow (Corvus macrorhynchos), Greater Coucal (Centropus sinensis), Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus), Baya Weaver (Ploceus philippinus), a pair of Blue-faced Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus viridirostris) and Plum-headed Parakeets (Psittacula cyanocephala).
vA ; | % Blue-faced Malkoha (Photo: Ismail Shariff)
It had become quite hot and we had reached the entrance of the safari. Many of the participants had already left, so we called it a day. It was great to go birding in the zoo, and to see that a lot many free birds and animals share that 380 acres area.
My Sensational Debut! Surekha Aitabathula
It took just half a day’s trip to the zoo to make me a birder for life. Yes it’s official now. I am an incorrigible and confirmed birder!
It all started with me waking up over-zealously at 04:30 am on a beautiful Sunday morning. Excited, enthusiastic and raring to go, I waited for my friends to pick me up and we all headed to the zoo. I noticed that I was quite chirpy during our drive to the zoo. You see I was emulating the birds I was going to watch soon. Watch the birds I did and how
The first bird to steal my heart was the Black- rumped Flameback with its brilliant colouring. It had a red head with a golden back! I stared at him or her (?) with and without binocs, for a long time. He was so interesting to watch. The most beautiful moment of my trip came when we all fell silent to hear the distinctly loud and clear 'tuck tuck tuck' sound that the flameback made as he pecked at the tree. I was amazed at the loud sound he could make because his beak was not too large. The force with which he hit the tree was evident in the resonant 'tuck' sound he made. Wow! For a novice birder like me the moment was surreal!
No exaggeration when I say that I met the nicest bunch of birdwatchers. They all came from an assortment of professions. There were businessmen, a professor and student of German, Environmental Educationist (who benevolently lent his binocs to me and never asked for it till the end of the trip!), editorial writer, techies, book shop owner doubling up as an ace photographer, a homemaker with a huge high tech zoom lens, a little but knowledgeable (about birds) school kid, plenty of lensmen and three of the nicest forest officials who accompanied us on our trail. It was interesting as to how I didn’t need to break ice with any of these wonderful birders. There was this instant click at first sight! The love of birds brought us together.
I was drinking in this rich first experience of bird watching like the one who has been thirsty for so long. I was impressed at the vast knowledge of one seniormost ace birder who spotted a bittern for all of us far away in the reeds with the naked eye! (Not only birds he knew a lot about giraffes too!). Such was my eagerness that I sulked for a while when I couldn’t spot the bittern although two or three kind birders tried to direct my eye towards it.
I perceived the generous inclusiveness when this kind, senior birder gave me thorough advice on the technicalities of good binoculars and where exactly I must scout for it, etc. I felt welcome. What I liked about the experts in the group was the way they imparted their knowledge. They didn’t talk down. They happily shared their expertise. I was the only ignoramus of the group but I was the happiest ignoramus who was so eager to learn.
I patted myself on my back, having seen 20 types of birds on my first ever trip. Not bad for a first timer, I thought. The highest number of birds spotted was 45! Lucky birder this!
I felt drawn to the birds. I felt a great connect with them. I felt a great binding thread of affection for them that still tugs at my heart. At one point of time when I saw several cormorants, egrets and spot billed ducks around a small water body, I heard myself praying, 'God, please let there always be enough fish for all of them to eat’.
The birds however were going about their daily schedule unmindful of gaping birders. A proud and still Black Kite perched atop a tree completely bereft of leaves, fascinated me no end. Equally fascinating was the beautiful Treepie with its striped markings. I stared at the incredible beauty of an Ibis and believe me when I tell you that I did not get an eyeful. When I was told how the purple of the Purple sunbird shines ever so brilliant in sunlight, I yearned to see it some day soon. Spotting a lone Asian Openbill and learning how it cracks open the shells of snails in its open bill, added to the richness of my experience.
Like all good things, the trip also came to end with all of us taking a breather on the lawns and munching my mom's sandwiches. The sandwiches were a hit with my friends and when I passed on the compliments to my mom, her smile was exactly like mine when I heard the singular, wondrous and powerful ‘tuck tuck’ of the little Black-rumped Flameback in the total silence of the zoo.
So I say this to my feathered and non-feathered friends. It is never goodbye. It is always Adieu.
Bird Humour
ANIMAL CRACKERS
Dy LEO iE TT ae Se
Nesting Season is here... (From Times of India, 11-01-2010)
Bird of the Month Text and photos: Umesh Mani
Bronze-winged Jacana (Metopidius indicus)
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Jacanidae
Genus: Metopidius
Species: M. indicus
Size: Male 28 cm, Female 31 cm
Description: The Bronze-winged Jacana has a glossy-black head, neck and breast, metallic bronze- green back and wings, blackish underparts, a chestnut-coloured stubby tail, and a marked white eyebrow extending from behind the eye to the nape. There is a grey patch above a yellow bill, and a marked maroon-red rump patch. It has enormously elongated spider-like toes, which enable it to walk on reeds and leaves in water. The juvenile has an orange-buff wash on breast, a shorter white supercilium and a yellowish bill. The sexes are alike.
Behaviour: It is seen singly or in small groups around freshwater wetlands, jheels and ponds with floating vegetation like water-lily or singara. The long, widely-spreading toes help to distribute the weight of the bird and thus enable it to walk easily on the floating tangle of reeds, stems and leaves. Walks upright with a jerky gait, except while foraging, when it can bend almost in half. Flies with trailing legs. Swims well and also dives on occasion. Its diet consists of seeds, roots, etc. of aquatic plants;
also insects and molluscs. Its call is a short, harsh grunt; also utters a wheezy, piping seek-eek-eek. It is distributed across the entire continental India (except western Rajasthan); also Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar. Absent in Sri Lanka. The female is polyandrous.
Nesting: The Bronze-winged Jacana nests mainly between June — September (coinciding with the south-west monsoon). The nest is a patchy pad of twisted stems etc. on floating leaves, often partially submerged or among rushes along the edge of the water-body. It lays 4 eggs at a time, which are glossy and bronze-brown covered with irregular blackish scrawls. The male usually takes responsibility for incubation.
The name: Jacana is one Linneus' pseudo-Latin misspelling for the Brazilian Portuguese Jacand (from a Tupi name of the same bird) whose pronunciation is approximately [Za.sa.naN]. (Source: Wikipedia)
Local name: It is known as ‘jal manjar’ or ‘pipi’ in Hindi, ‘kanchurekkalu jacana’ in Telugu, and ‘thamnachenbi’ (‘running on lotus-leaves’) in Manipuri.
The Wildfowl of Hyderabad “The Old Shikaree”
The Wildfowl of the erstwhile Hyderabad State comprises about 8 families that include Partridges, Quails, Pigeons and Doves, Ducks, Snipes, Sandgrouse and Bustards. These were birds that were mostly shot for the table in the early days when ‘Shikar’ was less frowned upon and the birds were featured prominently on the menu.
A lot has been said in earlier and current literature on this very human habit of hunting. The urge to hunt is a primeval instinct in all human beings, since the days we dressed in animal skins and used stone arrowheads and spears to provide us our daily sustenance. Homo erectus was primarily a hunter. Even the well-known Neanderthal Man was more a hunter than a settler. It is the Homo sapiens proper that is more settled in his habits and now looks askance at hunting as a means of sustenance. Now hunting is the prerogative of the more conservation- oriented countries and even then, only under strict conditions and regulations.
However, in the early days, during the time of the Raj and in princely India, hunting was the pastime of most of the gentry. It was not, of course, limited to the hunting of large game (though, ironically, it is mostly these that have been written about in most of the hunting treatises of that time). Hunting for the pot was something indulged in by most people of modest, even slender, means and was generally limited to a few birds and small animals, such as, hares and the occasional deer/antelope that were shot mainly for the table.
In these columns, I would like to introduce the readers to some of the birds that were frequently hunted in those old days. Most of the hunting was for the pot to feed the camp, though there is an old record where the guests at a marriage party were served partridge instead of fowls because they were more readily available than the eternal murghee. I would hasten to add, however, that I do not in any sense intend to encourage hunting of these, by now, seriously endangered species. Though an old shikaree, I have no intention of being anything but an old shikaree. I may not have hunted very
extensively (in fact, I have hunted very little when compared with some others I could name), but I do not doubt that I could make some little claim as to be able to write about these birds.
The tyro will find precious little in these notes to guide him/her towards the footsteps of nimrod. I hope to be able to present the habits and behaviours of these birds in a manner that would encourage their preservation and consequent conservation. The Wildfowl of the region, and indeed of the country, are in grave danger in these times because, while “hunting” is no longer indulged in, “poaching” is another matter altogether. I hope that these somewhat incoherent notes may encourage people to take a greater interest in the birds and discourage the pursuit of the species.
A word about the title - Wildfowl is a term more commonly applied to water birds such as Ducks, Geese and Swans. However, the term Wildfowl is also applied to those species of birds that are related to the domestic fowls and these are the Partridges, Quails, Junglefowl, Peafowl and Sandgrouse. Stuart Baker, in his monumental work on the subject, was able to entitle it “The Game Birds of the Indian Empire’; in the matter of titles we are, unfortunately, less well-suited. Terms such as “Game Birds” are best avoided these days.
Following the pattern from my earlier writings, I shall not attempt any detailed descriptions of the species under discussion. For identification, I once more recommend field guides to my readers. My objective in these memoirs is limited to the birds, their habits and behaviours only. And if my earlier memoirs have helped to pass the time not unpleasantly, I venture to hope that I may be able to do similarly through this series. I once more encourage my readers to write in with their suggestions and I shall do my best to correct the defects.
In the meantime, Happy... (And I know of at least one person who will be pleased to see this familiar ending once again) Birding...!
For Private Circulation Only Editor: Shanti Mani Email: bsap.pitta@ gmail.com
For information, write to: Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh, PO Box 45, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad — 500034. E-group: http://groups.google.co.in/group/bsap_online. Website: www.bsap.in. Society membership (in Rs.): Admission: 100; Annual: 400 per annum; Student: 200 per annum; Life: 3000. (Add Rs 75 for outstation cheques.)
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P#TTA
Newsletter of the Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh New Series Volume 7 Number 06 May 2010
FIELD OUTING: Sunday, 20" June 2010, 6:00AM: Mrugavani National Park, Chilkur. Located near Himayatsagar, the Mrugavani National Park covers around 700 acres. This well- wooded area with rocky outcrops harbours chital, sambar, several small mammals, an interesting array of reptiles and several species of birds as well. One can expect to see ground birds such as peafowl, partridges and quails and the usual suspects among the arboreal ones. The Blue-faced Malkoha is almost always seen here. Keep a lookout for the harbinger of the monsoon — the Pied Crested Cuckoo. A watchtower gives one a vantage point over the park, and there is also a small museum with wildlife exhibits.
This will be a half-day trip. Please carry plenty of water and snacks. For further details and to co-ordinate, please contact Mr. Shafaat Ulla (98492-29552) or Mrs. Shanti Mani (93910- 08302).
INDOOR MEETING: LIFE OF BIRDS
Thursday, 24" June 2010, 6PM: Association of German Culture, 203, Hermitage Office Complex, Hill Fort Road, Nampally. Colourful, mysterious, noble and intriguing, birds have fascinated us since the dawn of history. In ‘Life of Birds’, David Attenborough, one of the world’s foremost naturalists, hosts an extraordinary exploration into the secret lives of these magnificent creatures.
The Insatiable Appetite —This episode deals with the amazing range of bill shapes and sizes that birds possess, allowing them to hammer grubs from tree trunks, search out the tiniest seeds, tear meat and sip nectar. And if they can’t reach what they’re seeking, some of them use tools to get a meal.
Trip Report — Sanjeevaiah Park, 16" May 2010 Sharada Annamaraju
Every summer, members of BSAP curse the heat, shuffle their feet and fall back upon trusty old birding spots like the Zoo, KBR Park and Sanjeevaiah Park. On May 16, we once again ambled off to Sanjeevaiah Park, a place which is a treasure trove of bird sightings during winters, but otherwise a place where one can, with some experience, predict which bird will be spotted at which corner, blindfolded. Despite the heat and a
sluggish feel to the morn, there were several faces, old and new, gathered for birding. Sadhana, a new member accompanied by her daughters and the enthusiastic trio of Kalyani, Lakshmi and Vibha from the Confederation of Indian Industries (CID) met us at the gate and were raring to begin their first field trip. Also joining us for the first time was Mahipal, kitted out with a 500 mm lens-camera.
SE MAS 2 ODES he EN Br Asian Pied Starling with nesting material (Photo: Mahipal)
We began the day with Asian Pied Starlings (Sturnus contra), the birds that were the apple of everyone’s eyes when they first began nesting at the park a few years back. Now they have gone forth and bred, and run established committees in the park. Rounded a bend here, and we saw a streak of brilliant yellow - the Indian Golden Oriole (Oriolus kundoo).
iy
Sp
Duck (Photo: Asif Hus
Scanned the lake, whose shores were now covered with some vile cyan scum (no doubt effluents and untreated sewage). Here we saw Spot-billed Ducks (Anas poecilorhyncha) dabbling for food, dumpy Common Coots (Fulica atra) - always dumpy, (they cannot be anything else) looking forlornly into the steel-grey waters and wondering why everything feels like déja vu.
Then we saw fluffed up Little Grebes (Tachybaptus ruficollis) flying in their characteristic funny manner, their feet dangling at an odd angle.
Ashy Prinia (Photo: Asif Husain)
An important observation by Rajeev Mathew and interesting gyaan for the rest of us on the walk was that the presence of Black-winged Stilts (Himantopus himantopus), Coots and Spot-bills in the lake meant that it was in really bad shape. “Bio- indicators they are,” he pointed out and proceeded to explain that they basically feed on matter like algae, that thrives among dead vegetation and pollutants. To this formed a backdrop - a few people who went sculling by in the stinking lake, perhaps from the local rowing association.
y > od Cattle Egret i breeding plumage (Photo: Asif Husain) Half a kilometer inside, we were already yawning and like old hands, talking about past BSAP camps to some fabulous places and how fantastic they were, while casually noting down Large (Phalacrocorax carbo) and _ Little Cormorants (Phalacrocorax niger). The reeds along the coast were alive with the calls of the Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio), White-breasted Waterhens (Amaurornis phoenicurus), and one Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus).
At this point, breakfast was brought out from the recesses of our backpacks and the binoculars were promptly stashed back in. From here on, we just went about birding sans binocs; such was the dismal turnout of birds thanks to the heat. At this point we met Vinita Sreepada with her two very enthusiastic sons and her sister, who promptly signed up to join the birding madness.
Further up, we spotted a Red-wattled Lapwing (Vanellus indicus) flying past, a Pheasant-tailed Jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus) and a bejeweled White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis) perched on a lamppost. This was followed by the sighting of a female Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopacea).
White-throated Kingfisher (Photo: Mahipal)
It was worth noting that a sizeable chunk of the railing along the lake was taken out and the bund extended to accommodate some sailing boats, lubricants and oil drums in a largish shed.
A couple of years ago, the authorities had announced a development programme that would have brought the park closer to the white-light, with plans of a cable car, a miniature park, a party zone, etc. Though protests by nature enthusiasts made for a temporary stop-gap, as is with all things in the name of development, the park is slowly changing, with more wooded land coming under the anvil of manicured lawns, sprinklers and playgrounds.
Coppersmith Barbet (Photo: Asif Husain)
The trip ended with the sighting of several Coppersmith Barbets (Megalaima haemacephala) on a tree near the gate. Having spotted 32 species in all, we headed out after Shafaat Uncle, rounded up all the happy campers, ordered them all to help with the bird-list and proceeded for that great BSAP tradition - chai.
Trip Report - Mrugavani National Park Nilay Raha
On 9th May four of us birders- Col. Prasad, Surekha, Anjali and I went to the Mrugavani National Park in Chilkur, about 18-20 kms away from Hyderabad. We started at 05:30 am with Col Prasad at the
wheel towards the 900 acres Chilkur forest, which houses 400 deer and is alsorenowned as a "Birdwatcher’s Paradise’.
Although we knew that the migrant birds would have left by then, we were very optimistic about spotting resident species and looked forward to a pleasurable and fruitful Sunday morning.
Outside the main gate we saw aGreater Coucal (Centropus sinensis) sitting on the wall as if welcoming us! We said “thank you” and cheerfully walked in.
We are thankful to forest official Mr. Anand, not only for giving us permission to enter, but also for arranging two guides- Kumar and Raju, who patiently and efficiently took us through two rounds of the forest. We walked through the forest, once from the right and once from the left, till all four of us were exhausted but very much satisfied because we got to spot 35 birds, 20 deer and one lone wild boar!
Once inside, the first birds we saw were male and female Red-vented Bulbuls (Pycnonotus cafer). We felt as though the Bulbuls were saying, "Hey! Who are these four people entering so early in the morning into our domain? They look like bird watchers with their binoculars, field guides and cameras. Let us welcome them by presenting ourselves and let us sing for them in our local language". Thus, the Bulbuls heralded a series of different and the most melodious birdcalls we had heard on that day. Beethoven's symphony would have paled in comparison. The bird opera presented to us by various birds in Chilkur was incredibly sonorous.
As we went further we spotted a Jungle Babbler (Turdoides striatus) playing hide and seek with us. While we were comparing its features with the Yellow-billed Babbler, an Ashy Prinia (Prinia socialis) gave the background score in his own sweet lyrics! Kumar took us to the lake where we could only hear the loud and crystal clear calls of the Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) that remained invisible. The calls got fainter as we kept going in; perhaps they frowned at human intrusion and kept away. Can’t blame them because we were on their turf!
We spotted a few Green Bee-eaters (Merops orientalis) in flight and heard the loud calls of Red- wattled Lapwings (Vanellus indius) that kept demanding ‘did you do it’, ‘did you do it', and ‘did you do it’. We looked up at him and said innocently ‘no we didn’t’.
We deviated from bird-watching a little when we picked up the beautiful dark red, velvety insects (Trombidium grandissimum) in our palms and stared in fascination at their bright colour and soft texture. It was then that two Great Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) glided above us. A Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala) was sitting atop a tree far away from us but we did spot it and observed it through our binoculars for a long time.
We reached a bushy stretch where we again spotted a Greater Coucal. We spotted a pair of Blue-faced Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus viridirostris) hopping from one branch to another. We approached them ever so quietly and were fortunate to see them from close quarters for a very long time. We observed their features; the beak, the body, the legs and the eye color and, most importantly, the long white- tipped, graduated tail. All of us gazed at the beauty of the Malkoha to our hearts content.
Then we climbed a small watchtower. As Kumar led us towards it, we came across an Indian Robin (Saxicoloides fulicata), some Warblers, a River Tern (Sterna aurantia) in flight and an Indian Pond Heron (Ardeola grayii). We were taking a breather atop the watchtower, eating oranges and chocolate wafers, when we saw a White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis) and two Peahens in flight. We thought the Peahens were too huge to fly but they did it so effortlessly! We also spotted Purple-rumped Sunbirds (Nectarinia zeylonica) playing in the bushes. While descending from the tower we saw Spotted Doves (Streptopelia chinensis), Black Drongos (Dicrurus macrocercus) and an Oriental Magpie Robin (Copsychus saularis).
We were not able to view the Quail properly because initially it was hiding in the dry grass and when we Sstealthily approached it to study its features, it flew away. We crosschecked with our field guide and concluded that it was the Jungle Bush Quail (Perdicula asiatica).
Then it was time to admire many Green Bee-eaters calmly resting on the electric wires or making short flights to the bamboo and back. One of them was a juvenile. We took some time to identify a White- browed Bulbul (Pycnonotus luteolus) who was feeding on fruits and seeds atop a tree. The four of us spent some time studying the Bulbul as it did not fly away. That greatly helped. Thank you, White- browed Bulbul!
Now it was time to take a second round of the Park and we were waiting for our next guide, Raju, to accompany us. It was then that we saw a beautiful male Tickell's Blue Flycatcher (Cyornis tickelliae) which initially played hide and seek but afterwards came and sat right in front of us on a tree which was less than five feet from us, as if proudly showing off his amazing Prussian Blue coloring to us. Undoubtedly, we were thrilled with his presentation. Our luck was holding out. He came and sat on the ground just two feet away from us on the grass. Perhaps he was expressing his happiness for our visit and gave us the privilege by coming so very close to us. We promptly christened him the “Bird of the Day.”
It was 9AM by the time we started the second round entering from the right side of the park. The
scorching heat made us constantly thirsty and owing to the rising sun, bird activity was gradually diminishing. We could still spot a male Asian Koel (Eudynamys_ scolopacea), Yellow-billed Babblers (Turdoides affinis) and a pair of Common Ioras (Aegithina tiphia) flying right above us, making us strain our necks quickly to look up to identify them. We saw a_ Spot-billed Pelican (Pelecanus philippensis) and a_ Short-toed Snake Eagle (Circaetus gallicus) following him in majestic flight.
Lessons from this field trip: We heard a lot of bird calls and learnt to recognize a bird by its call. No man-made music equals in melody a ‘bird call opera’.
The Wildfowl of Hyderabad “The Old Shikaree”
The term Wildfowl is almost synonymous with Water Birds. Take the example of the Slimbridge Wildfowl Trust, which caters principally to the Ducks, Geese and Swans of the world. In our part of the world, the Water birds include Duck and Teal, Geese, Grebes and Coots, Flamingos, Pelicans, Cormorants, Gulls and Terns.
For purposes of these memoirs, I intend to take only the Duck, Teal and Geese. Of these, there are several species that are to be found in Hyderabad and the vast majority of them are birds of the winter months. I can think of only five species that are year-round residents in the state. These are the common Spot- billed Duck, the little Cotton Teal, the Tree Duck or Lesser Whistling Teal, its larger cousin, the Large Whistling Teal and the Nukta or Comb Duck. All the other birds of this large family are migrants and visit us during the annual winter migration. All are, without exception, fowls that are fond of water and are generally to be met with in large flotillas, some going so far as to congregate not merely in hundreds, but in thousands, on favoured tanks, jheels and marshes of the state.
Of Geese, we have only one species that we may fairly claim. This is the Bar-headed Goose. Though there are unconfirmed records of the Greylag Goose from the state, it is doubtful whether these are genuine records of wild birds or of domesticated fowls. The Greylag being the father of all domestic
geese, many of his descendants still look remarkably like their more august ancestor, and the chances of a mistake in identification are natural. I do not think, however, that there are more than a handful of actually proven records of the existence of the Greylag Goose south of the Narmada and Godavari rivers.
Of the duck and teal there are many visitors, ranging from the genteel little Wigeon to the brash Red- crested Pochard, the little Blue-winged and Common Teal, shy birds of the reed-beds and past masters at the art of dodging the hunting Peregrine and Shaheen Falcons. Past masters too, of dodging the local shikaree on his nefarious rounds, or the gentlemen shikarees of yester-years, who made up large parties to hunt these birds in the days of long ago. The water birds were particularly prized for the table, and the old band of shikarees had already worked out the best and the not-so-goodly-flavoured species. They tell us that the birds that are dabbling feeders are the best of the lot on the table, while the diving birds of the Pochard ilk have a decidedly low flavour. Most highly esteemed was the Mallard, but that is a rare occurrence in the state. In his absence, the Pintail became the most coveted, while some shikarees awarded the palm to the Common Teal for his delicate taste. However, these memoirs are not to encourage readers to sample these birds, so we will refrain from tantalising the taste buds of the public
and return to those matters that are of a less controversial nature.
Public legislation awards great protection to our visitors and it is highly desirable. In spite of this protection, the birds are much pursued by the village shikaree and the bird trapper. My very first sighting of a Cotton Teal (in long-ago days) came in the cages of a bird-trapper. I remember he had five to sell and I bought them all. They were much battered in feather and plumage and so lived very happily in a small pond in the backyard of the house for a couple of months until their livery had become strong enough to enable them to take flight. I was pleased to have played host to them, as I still believe that the Cotton Teal is one of the most pleasing birds to look at. They are the smallest of our resident ducks and their striking plumage is most tasteful, the hen and the cock being so much different from each other as to cause some considerable confusion to the tyro.
The Pochards are the larger of the water birds and they do themselves well in water that is up to three to five meters in depth. Beyond this depth, the birds cannot dive for their sustenance. The dabbling ducks that do not depend on waterweeds for their
sustenance can make do in much deeper waters also, since they use it primarily as a safe spot to rest upon until they start their feeding in the late evenings; mostly on ripe grain from the fields in the vicinity of their tank. Most ducks are of this ilk and use the water mainly for a cool and pleasant couch during the hot hours of the day, until they start on their nightly pursuit of the ripening grain and pea crops. The dabbling ducks are primarily vegetarian birds and feed on seeds, millets and peas; and in so doing, they are guilty of offending the farmer but the birds do not do a great deal of damage and the average farmer is usually not unduly worried about the damage the birds cause in his fields. The major enemies of these birds are human beings, who, through their barbarous taste buds, cause these birds to be so much persecuted.
Contrary to popular opinion, there are very few ducks that are fond of fish. Certainly, none of the species that visit us are fish-eaters. Fish are the prerogative of cormorants, terns and gulls. These also are water birds, but they come not into these notes, as they are not species that can lay claim to be members of the game birds of Hyderabad.
Bird Humour
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Nesting Season is here... (From Times of India, 10-02-2010)
Bird of the Month Text and photo: Umesh Mani
Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala)
(Medchal, Hyderabad, January 4, 2009)
Order: Piciformes Family: Megalaimidae Genus: Megalaima Species: M. haemacephala Size: 17 cm
Description: The Coppersmith Barbet is grass-green in colour and has a heavy bill, crimson patches on forehead and breast, yellow patches above and below eye, yellow throat, and _ green-streaked yellowish underparts. The juvenile lacks red on head and breast. It has a short, truncated tail which looks triangular in flight. The sexes are alike.
Behaviour: It is arboreal and seen singly or in loose groups, usually wherever there are fruiting trees — especially the various species of wild fig, and on banyan or peepul trees — whether in outlying forest areas or in the heart of the city. Its call is a loud, repetitive, ringing tuk, tuk repeated every 1-2 seconds, in long stretches throughout the day — very like a coppersmith hammering on his metal. Its diet
consists mainly of fruits and berries (especially wild fig and banyan); also sometimes eats winged termites captured during awkward flycatcher-like sallies. It is distributed across the entire continental India from about 1000m in the Himalayas southwards; also Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. In the humid forests of South-western India, is it replaced by the allied species - Crimson-throated Barbet M. rubricapilla.
Nesting: The Coppersmith Barbet nests mainly between January and June. The nest is a hole dug out of trunks or branches of soft trees like Coral, Drumstick, Neem, etc, at moderate heights. When the nest is made in a horizontal branch, the entrance is on the underside. It lays 3 dull white eggs at a time. Both sexes share all domestic duties.
Local name: It is known as ‘katphora’ or ‘chhota basant’ in Hindi and ‘kamsali pitta’ or ‘tokoji’ in Telugu.
For Private Circulation Only Editor: Shanti Mani Email: bsap.pitta@ gmail.com
For information, write to: Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh, PO Box 45, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad — 500034. E-group: http://groups.google.co.in/group/bsap_online. Website: www.bsap.in. Society membership (in Rs.): Admission: 100; Annual: 400 per annum; Student: 200 per annum; Life: 3000. (Add Rs 75 for outstation cheques.)
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Newsletter of the Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh New Series Volume 7 Number 07 July 2010
FIELD OUTING: Sunday, 18" July 2010, 6:00AM: Ananthgiri Hills Reserve Forest.
With the monsoons in full swing and great weather prevailing, the day should make for not just a pleasant woodland walk, but also great birding. Ananthgiri has never disappointed and is a paradise for forest birds. One can see Flycatchers, White Eyes, Chloropsis, the Orange-headed Ground Thrush, Nightjars, among others. The Indian Pitta and the Brown Fish Owl have been reported earlier.
This will be a full-day trip. Please carry plenty of water and snacks. For further details and to co- ordinate, please contact Mr. Shafaat Ulla (98492-29552) or Mrs. Shanti Mani (93910-08302).
INDOOR MEETING: LIFE OF BIRDS
Thursday, 22nd July 2010, 6PM: Association of German Culture, 203, Hermitage Office Complex, Hill Fort Road, Nampally. Colourful, mysterious, noble and intriguing, birds have fascinated us since the dawn of history. In ‘Life of Birds’, David Attenborough, one of the world’s foremost naturalists, hosts an extraordinary exploration into the secret lives of these magnificent creatures.
Meat Eaters — From the meat-eating Kea parrot of New Zealand to African eagles that prey on monkeys and flamingos, see the strategies that some birds use to find and catch their prey, including tracking by ultraviolet vision!
Everything That Is Not Bird Watching Text and photos: Rajeev Mathew
Dozing in the Sumo, I was roughed out of my stupor when Shelke the forest guard exclaimed ‘Saamp’ and the driver suddenly applied the brakes. There, in front of our vehicle was a dark snake frantically trying to get away from the now screeching wheels of the vehicle. It then headed off into the bramble. We bailed out. Weary-eyed I followed the beady- eyed, but found no snake. As we debated the species it belonged to, I thought aloud that the snake could have climbed onto the bramble, under which we were now standing. Snakes, I am told are deaf, but this one surely heard me, for why would it have decided to suddenly bolt. The noise about six inches
above my head made us all look up and there was the snake .The snake, much to the relief of Shelke, turned out to be the Dhaman or Rat Snake (Ptyas mucosa); a beautiful specimen some eight feet long.
The excitement over, we raced towards a stream lined with a stand of Arjuna trees (Terminalia arjuna). Giant Indian Squirrels (Ratufa indica), | was told, were to be seen here and being the state animal of Maharastra, every visitor had to be shown one. The Squirrels thought otherwise and were nowhere in sight.
Trees scanned, we pushed again towards the confluence of the Wardha and the Peinganga Rivers, from which union the Pranahitais born. The boulder-strewn tumbling waters of the rivers had a most calming effect, transfixing me for a while. The rivers had the Large (Casmerodius albus) and Little Egrets (Egretta garzetta), Pond Herons (Ardeola grayii) and the Green (Tringa ochropus), the Wood (Tringa glareola) and the Common Sandpipers (Actitis hypoleucos). I was told that Otters (Lutra sps.) gamboled here, something I sorely missed.
This trip, however, was not dedicated _ to birds and bird watching. My mission — to deliver a talk on wildlife and eco-tourism, an hour and a half later of which found me staying over for several days! Let me put the clock back a couple of days, maybe that willexplain whattook meto the forests of Chandrapur. I had been invited to talk on wildlife — dwelling on human-carnivore conflict and eco- tourism. Having struck the right chords following the talk, I was invited tofollow a_ Tiger (Panthera tigris), which had taken a head of cattle close to Chandrapur. The drive to the kill site was interesting and en route dinner in a forest augured well for things to come.
Following the Tiger with kill, from about ten thirty at night to well past one in the morning the next day, was interesting, and soon we got pictures that suggested it was a Tigress. That determined, we pushed through the broad-leafed dry deciduous forest. The Tigress had disemboweled the kill and a while later, a severed leg of the cow apprised us that she was now travelling with a much lighter load, and while she had excellent night vision, we were blundering with celled torches. With a five-foot stride as against our two feet one, she outpaced us, kill and all.
Back from an exciting runabout in the forest after the Tigress, we headed back to Chandrapur, which, for the next several days would be my headquarters. Sleep was out of the question for in a few hours I would embark on a new journey.
Fortified after two cups of coffee at 5:45 the next morning, I left about 6:00 for TADOBA! Uday Patel, the Honorary Wildlife Warden of Tadoba accompanied me. In a short thirty minutes, we were skirting the park, and as we turned right, on the left stood a massive Sambur (Cervus unicolor) stag witha pair of polished duelling sabres, disguised as branches, atop _ his head. Driving through an area rarely visited by tourists, brown-black boulders suddenly flashed white-stockinged feet to transform into Gaur (Bos gaurus). At ten feet, the world’s largest cattle looked huge, only to be dwarfed by the ancient forest of trees of mainly Terminalia and Teak (Tectonia grandis). Bamboo (Dendrocalamus) provided them food and shelter. Grunting only as pigs can were a sounder of Wild boar (Sus cristata) and they were a very disgruntled lot, bolting into the forest as our vehicle came to a stop. Sambur were everywhere.
Changeable Hawk Eagle
‘Fowl language’ in any tongue is often understood; a Changeable Hawk Eagle (Crested Hawk-eagle) (Spizaetus cirrhatus) sat atop a dry dead tree on the far side of a village now partially relocated where the Rufous Treepie (Dendrocitta vagabunda),
Golden Orioles (Oriolus kundoo), Grey Hornbills (Ocyceros birostris) and several others were swearing at the Crested Hawk-eagle. The eagle sat stoically as the storm broke over its head and a vagabond treepie had the nerve to sit next to him and scold, the outcome of which I was not witness to, as my calling then lay in understanding the park and its herbivores that feed the carnivores.
Kolsa reached, the hands of the clock told us that we were in time for breakfast. While ‘poha’ was got ready, a walk onto the bund showed the lake hardly had water as the rains had failed. We watched a Nakta (Comb Duck) (Sarkidiornis melanotos) with a knob on its bill fly past. Breakfast washed down with tea, we set our faces Tadoba-ward.
Stopping every now and then, checking for pugmarks, scats (poop), scratch marks, we made dusty progresstoward Tadoba.The — cheery old Tadoba guesthouse, commissioned in 1907, welcomed us with a very stern and curt message. Notwithstanding the warning, for we intended not to swim,we made _ ourselves comfortable in the guesthouse and were now joined by the field director Sanjay Thakre and my friend Sai Kumar Reddy who facilitated my trip. Over tea and coffee, a council of war held, the upshot of which was to go towards the boundary and oversee the re-location programme.
A very stiff Gaur walked ahead of us, his stiff behavior and a very stiff upper lip told that he had got into a fight with another of his kind and gender, but one much larger than he was! With massive meat hooks for horns (any other lesser being would have been gored) and with skin at least an inch thick, these thick-skins duelled and reached a standoff and stood broadside to each other, the vanquished with his head lowered, while the victor holding his head high and _— chewing Bamboo. Several Sambur were having a stag party and we crashed into it.
Lunch over, Sai turned Chandrapur- ward. Sanjay Thakre and the rest of us got back into the wilder areas of the park. As we drove to the strategically located desolate fort of the Gonds on a cliff face, we marveled at the view but were
dismayed that a temple had come up in the middle of nowhere.
An evil looking gully went down two hundred feet and as the Sumo could not navigate the terrain, it would circumscribe the hill and meet us on the far side. The near vertical descent down the gully was thrilling, broken by boulders and rocks; befitting steps for a giant!
Down the evil gully and into the bush we went! Stooping we walked, our height now to that of a Tiger at shoulder. The exercise - to get to where a Tigress had littered. With the hills casting long shadows, four in the evening seemed two hours older. The trilling of the Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher (Cyornis tickelliae) over the murmur of a brook came wafting down, while the soft soil yielded pugmarks of Tigers. The Bamboo, Lantana and other native bushes and climbers effectively halted ourprogress;a roundabout brought us to a wallow used by Sambur and Gaur.
The wallow prompted a discussion on the Arna (Bubalus bubalis), otherwise the mean- tempered, now extremely rare, Wild Water Buffalo, the conspecific ancient progenitor of the lethargic domestic buffalo, which come into Chandrapur forests from adjoining Chhattisgarh.
Nightfall had Indian Nightjars (Caprimulgus asiaticus) all along the road, taking off at the very last moment.
Many Sambur, several Black-naped Hare (Lepus nigricollis) and a couple of Small Indian Civets (Viverricula indica) later, we reached the guesthouse at Tadoba.
As much as I wanted to stay overnight at Tadoba, with the promise of going around on patrol at night and a whole day with Sanjay Thakre, I could not avoid the next day’s calling — Chaparla and the confluence of the Wardha and the Peinganga, the union of which resulted in the Pranahita.
Giant Indian Squirrel
To Chandrapur we headed - my stop for afew short hours to catch some sleep. Driven to Chaparla and further, and visiting the predominantly Teak forest, I wondered what the animals would feed on. Teak is definitely not a staple food for any of the denizens. Plantations, to stave off human hunger for wood has hit the target but missed the point. Fruit-bearing trees in the plantations will go a long way in helping populate the area with wildlife, changing them from green deserts to verdant, vibrant areas of biological diversity.
On a lone Arjunatree sat a Giant Indian Squirrel munching on an Arjuna fruit. I got to see the state animal ambassadorand the forest department staff were pleased thatthey had shown me one. The drive back to Chandrapur was interesting. I had to keep my eyes open but being deprived of sleep, it was a task indeed.
An early night and a sound sleep later I awoke fresh, now to get to Nagpur. The drive was pleasant and comfortable and three hours later I parked myself at the Forest Guesthouse in the Seminary Hills. A trip was organized to visit the Maharaj Pratap Animal shelter in Nagpur to see the Leopard (Panthera pardus) that had uncannily escaped traps and marksmen (orders had been issued to shoot it),
the climax of this being it was trapped hardly a twelve month agoin a house it had entered. The many harrowing tales of the man-eater of Navgaon and its dance of death was discussed earlier with Rama Rao (the DFO, a part of whose area the Leopard had terrorized).
The next day found me heading towards Melghat (meeting of Ghats or Hills). M.S. Reddy, the Divisional Forest Officer, had graciously agreed to host me for as long as I cared to stay there. Lunch eaten, flasks with tea, we set off to Narnala, beyond Akot. Narnala, a fortress on the hills overlooks Akot and Akola. Three rifled, 250 pounders — known as nau gazis (9 yards) — stood sentinel, protecting the then rulers of the area, and now the Tigers and other denizens that call Narnala their home. Tea drunk; and drunk overthe splendorous _ gorges, ravines and sheer cliff faces of the landscape, which took my breath away! We walked areas where camera traps had _ captured Tigers, Leopards, Sambur among a host of other animals.
Apart from a few staff stationed on the ridge and the hundreds that gather at the Mosque at Narnala for an annual festival, no one ventures or is allowed to venture in. Ancient tanks for storage of water for the fort, have transformed into pools for animals - a spectacular place if one has the nerve to sit on the ledge and watch wildlife go by.
Spotting is something that I love, and M.S. granted me this wish! Patrolling is something he takes seriously, so armed with searchlights we scoured the area. With cliffs and hills on one side and valleys and gorges on the other, all we ever saw were the disappearing hinds of Sambur. All the tea drunk and sleep pulling our eyelids shut, Akot we reached.
When we sat for breakfast, M.S. suggested we go to the Wen sanctuary, the Wen River lending its name. We wound our way along dirt roads going up and down the hills. Barricaded at places to stop an unintended entry, with no humans in sight for a long while, we reached a Forest Guesthouse in the hills with manicured lawns. Three pie dogs welcomed us, suggesting there were no Leopards. This being Tiger Country, Sambur were on the menu, while the dogs barked and stayed safe.
Sitting down to lunch in the guesthouse overlooking the Wen River, almost a half mile below we saw several birds of prey prompting us to concur that Wen River gorge be declared a sanctuary for Birds of Prey.
Again, Melghat is full of Teak or at least three quarter of it, while the rest comprises Bamboo, Terminalia, Bauhinia and similar.
My eyes now unable to remain open, we headed back to Akot and a late dinner saw me replete and in deep slumber.
Yellow-footed Green Pigeon
The soft calls of the Yellow-footed Green-pigeon (Treron phoenicoptera) had me up in a trice. Their courtship more of a fight or was it a matter of a pinion? The birds seen truly amazed me. Forty- five of them in about double the time, incredible indeed! I got to see the Orphean Warbler (Sylvia hortensis), Lesser Whitethroat (Sylvia curruca), Black Redstarts (Phoenicurus ochruros) and the Grey Francolin (Francolinus pondicerianus).
The lake outside Akola had a surprising number of Snipes. Wading through the many common, green and wood sandpipers and the usual suspects - the Egrets and Pond Herons, we spotted a flight of Garganey (Anas querquedula) and a_ few Common Coot (Fulica atra). The evening Sun over the lake told me it was time to return home — Hyderabad - which over a week ago I had left; my mandate then to talk on leopards and eco-tourism.
The Wildfowl of Hyderabad — Water Birds “The Old Shikaree”
Water birds that we are most concerned with in this part of the country are of three main families. We will discuss these in some detail now. The three main families are Geese, Ducks and Teals.
Geese
There is but one species that is of interest here to us, and that is the Bar-headed Goose. This is a large bird, about the size of a large domestic duck. The most prominent feature of this fellow are the two black bands on the head, the one extending from eye to eye and the second close to the nape. These geese are wont to forgather in large skeins, which can go up to several hundreds. At the same time, once they
reach their wintering grounds, they scatter into smaller gaggles and can be encountered in twos and tens up to large flocks of three hundred or so. The largest gaggle I have seen was one of over three hundred and fifty on Pocharam Lake.
Geese are mostly vegetarian and they can damage grain crops when they alight to feed. But on the whole, they confine their attentions to grass and weeds on the shores of lakes and marshes. They were not particularly favoured by the early shikarees on account of their apparently rank flavour and their ability to absorb considerable quantities of small shot without any apparent effect.
Ducks
Of these there are many species that visit our part of the country. We have 10 species (including the Pochards) and of these, two are resident birds (Spot- billed Duck and Comb Duck). The majority of these birds are dabbling ducks; though the Pochards also specialize in diving habits. Most ducks are fairly easy to tell apart when they are drakes, though the females are another matter entirely. Their habit of forgathering in large rafts out in the middle of some large body of water does not help either. Ducks are some of the most gregarious birds we have; rafts of up to 8000 birds being not unknown in some areas. One of the largest mixed flocks I have seen was a count of some 15000 on the Kolleru Lake.
The dabbling ducks are primarily grazers and do themselves well on grass seeds and standing crops on the shores of lakes and jheels. They are also, on the main, nocturnal in their feeding habits and go ashore to graze in the evenings. Come morning, they hie themselves to a convenient lake and there, safe from harm, spend the hours of daylight, until fading light again tells them that it is time for another visit to the local commissariat. Pochards prefer to do their feeding on the lake itself and, for this purpose, they dive to great depths and reappear festooned with weeds and underwater algae which forms their main sustenance. The diving ducks were generally
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considered rather poor game as their flesh was supposed to be rank and unfavourable. The dabbling species were eagerly pursued, with the exception of the Shoveler, which again (so the old-time shikarees tell us) was a bird poorly suited for the table.
Teal
Though, strictly speaking, Teal are also nothing more than small ducks, for purposes of game, they were classed as a tribe in itself. Of these, we have five species (including the Tree-ducks or whistling teals). The Whistling teals and the Cotton Teal (the smallest of the tribe) are resident fellows, while the Blue-winged and the Common Teal are visitors. Again, all are gregarious birds and the Lesser Whistling Teal particularly, delight in large rafts of over a thousand birds. The Fulvous Whistling Teal is less given to flocking, and prefers to remain in small family groups of up to twenty birds.
There is this peculiarity also in that the resident birds are uniformly diving species, while the transients prefer to dabble. The old shikarees eagerly pursued the Common Teal as being a most especially dainty fellow for table. I believe that the Blue-winged Teal was equally renowned. All these are well-known to the old shikarees and form part of the species of the Game Birds of Hyderabad.
BIRDS IN BOOKS Three Hundred Years Of South Asian
Ornithology — a Bibliography By Aasheesh Pittie
(Book Review by Rajeev Mathew)
This is about the man behind the book: his passion culminating into this prodigious work of bibliography titled ‘Birds in Books’.
Our friendship is as old as the BSAP itself. We would set off on trips, which were memorable. We have shared books, notes, and trips and for such as him, it is a privilege and an honour for me to review a very worthy book, nothing less could have been expected of him.
A very attractive cover beckons one to the book that is simply outstanding! The title is apt, for it portrays the works of so many whose books have been the inspiration and stepping-stones for works that have followed. This book is vital for it is a window from the past to now on the checkered path of ornithology for those interested to peek, or a door for those who wish to do work that is more substantial; herein is a readymade volume of references. A bibliography spanning nearly 300 years of ornithology, this book is a work of passion and dedication. It spans the areas of Afghanistan, Pakistan, India Myanmar, Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka. Though this book is mainly for South Asia, it spans the Palearctic to the Orient. The author has researched a very wide collection of material... from paintings by artist / naturalists to monographs, field guides and checklists, which vary from the rarest to the most common. It also talks of the people of yore to the present — from the British clergyman and Botanist John Ray’s book published posthumously in 1713, which laid the foundation to
TO SEE EVERY BIRD ON EARTH A Father, A Son and a Lifelong Obsession Dan Koeppel
(Book Review by Anjali Pande)
This book is about the birding obsession of Richard Koeppel, father of the American author Dan Koeppel. We witness the endearing bond between a father and son as Dan takes us through the love, pains and losses in their lives. Strengthening this
systemic ornithology to the “Ten Volume Handbook’ of Salim Ali and S. Dillon Ripley.
This book also peeks into the lives of authors of various books from various times coming from diverse professions, thus being a further reference for those interested in the life and times of people who lived in very interesting times. T. C. Jerdon, a Scottish Surgeon Major in the British Regiment of the Jerdon’s Courser fame, E. C. Stuart Baker of the Imperial Uindian) Police has written several books and two volumes of the Fauna of British India, Allan Octavian Hume (the founder of the Indian National Congress)... “British Civil Servant and a colossus of Indian ornithology in the late nineteenth century was and is rightfully called the ‘Pope of Indian ornithology’.
The list is stupendous, the work monumental and it is a brilliant work, meticulously researched by a brilliant amateur ornithologist.
loving bond and bringing them closer is a hobby verging on obsession.
After a bitter divorce, Richard Koeppel’s interest in watching birds turned to an obsession as he set out to list all the birds in the world. It shaped his life and made him what he was to his son Dan - a loving father, undoubtedly, but also one who he resented, at times, for his obsession. This (auto)biographical book unfolds this obsession through 13 chapters written in a beautiful and simple language.
Richard Koeppel was a passionate birder of the ‘species’ called the “Big Listers”. These people are intensely dedicated and highly competitive birders. Dan says,” Approximately 9600 bird species are found on earth. About 250 people have seen 5000 of them; about 100 birders have reached 6000. Several of the 12 or so birders at the 7000 level, are racing towards the eight thousand mark - a mark only two birders (only one now living) have reached.” Richard Koeppel was among the world’s top ten in the list of the ‘Big Listers’ with a tally of 7200 birds!
Richard Koeppel was actually a medical doctor by profession, who spent all his life watching and listing birds. But this hobby cost him his family and great amounts of money and time, while his personal relationships suffered. “To see every bird on earth can be, sometimes, dull, sometimes dangerous, and very often absurd”, says Dan. But as a son who himself loved watching birds and who understood how it all contributes to science, Dan, nevertheless, tries to figure out the “why” underlying such an obsession.
Richard’s hobby started when he was 12. For days he would watch the “Brown Thrasher” without knowing what it was. All he knew was that this bird was fascinating. The constant question, “what is it?” pushed him into this lifelong obsession of watching birds, sometimes for hours, sometimes for days or months, crossing mountains, rivers and traversing continents.
Dan also explains why birds are so critical for understanding “life”. He introduces the reader to the fascinating world of pioneer birders and well-known ornithologists, from Audobon to the eccentric and gifted Kaestner, at a very humane and personal level. I found it very interesting, as I don’t know much about the history of birding outside India.
Dan says at the end, “The birds don’t have any need for the names we give them; they’d still fuss in the trees and fill the skies. But in the listing, in the categorizing, in the identifying - whether at the backyard feeder or deep in the rain forests of Brazil - we untangle the web of creation. “
A must read for everyone interested in birds and humans.
Published by: Plume-Penguin Books USA; New York 2005 ISBN 0-452-28539-9
Excerpt from the book (page 252-253)
It happened fast. We nabbed two birds quickly — the Brown-headed Greenlet and Cherrie’s Antwren - from the deck of the boat. Then we pulled on our rubber boots and rowed to the tiny island; not much bigger than a baseball diamond, but dense with brush. We stepped just a few feet into the woods. The ground was soft and wet. I was wearing my backpack; inside was stashed a bottle of champagne, brought all the way from the Miami Airport.
Suddenly, Whitney raised his arm. He’d heard something.
The night before, Dad had given me the names of a half-dozen potential life birds we were likely to see that morning.
“Tt could be a Black-Tyrant.” Whitney whispered.
Neotropical birds always have interesting names, usually based on their behavior. Screamers scream; antbirds follow ants. (In fact, one of the best ways to find birds on your own in the jungle is to look downward, following the huge swarms of army ants that often form somewhat eerie, moving carpet on the ground. As the ants travel, other insects jump out of their way, and dozens of birds swarm in to eat them. Ornithologists call this kind of frenzy a “bird party.”’)
Tyrants are a kind of flycatcher known for their aggressive behavior.
But I couldn’t remember if the bird we were now hearing was one of the birds Dad hadn’t seen. I turned to ask, but Dad shushed me before I had a chance to speak. That’s how I knew this would be it.
There was a moment of slow-motion silence. The jungle is a noisy place, but it can also be absolutely still. You don’t hear plane or cars, voices or music, and the sound of the birds and other wildlife sometimes seem to merge into a single, omnipresent hum that soon vanishes beneath the range of your hearing.
Whitney pointed his microphone and touched the RECORD button. The bird sang again. Whitney rewound the tape; then hit PLAY. One beat. Two. The returned call seemed a little angry; the bird was responding to the territorial challenge we were making. I looked over at Dad. He had a calm and intent look on his face; so did Whitney. They both knew that this was it, even before the bird appeared.
Dad was the first in our group to actually see it — a small, gray figure, deep in the brush, suddenly emerging into full view. It is a small bird. Some of the Tyrants have crests, but this one didn’t. For a lister; not every bird can be special because of its physical characteristics, and even the dullest species can occupy an immortal spot on your tally.
Bret played the tape again. The bird came closer. This time, everyone saw it, and Dad stepped toward me and pointed my binoculars in the right direction, as well. I caught a quick glance, then reached into my backpack. We
drank champagne; we took pictures. Dad threw his arms around me.
Then it was time to move on. There were, of course, more birds to see.
Editor’s note: The Pitta does not carry a Trip Report as the trip planned for Mrugavani National Park,
Chilkur on June 20" was cancelled due to rain.
Bird Humour
ANIMAL CRACKERS
(From Times of India, 21-01-2010)
Bird of the Month Text and photo: Umesh Mani
ae
Order: Gruiformes Family: Rallidae Genus: Gallinula Species: G. chloropus Size: 32-35 cm
Description: The Common Moorhen is a slaty-grey- to-black and brown marsh bird. It has a bright red frontal shield (forehead); a greenish-yellow bill with a bright red base; long greenish legs and ungainly feet. Also conspicuous white under-tail coverts and white edges to wings when closed. Non-breeding adult has duller bill and legs. The juvenile has a dull- green bill and is mainly brown.
Behaviour: It frequents the edges of ponds, lakes, jheels and marshes, and nearby moist ground overgrown with tangles of bushes, but is more often seen on the water itself, where it displays a characteristic jerky bobbing of the head and a flicking up of its tail, showing off the white under- tail coverts. While walking, it carries the stumpy tail erect and often jerks it up and down. Its flight, like
Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
——
(Lotus Pond, Hyd
most rails, is laboured — low over the water, with rapid wing beats, neck stretched in front and legs trailing behind. Its call is a sharp, loud and abrupt kirrik-crek-rek-rek uttered from inside a reed-bed, usually in the mornings and evenings. Its diet includes insects, worms, molluscs, grain and shoots of paddy and marsh plants. It is distributed throughout India up to an elevation of about 2000m; also Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. The race seen on the mainland is G. c. indica, which is replaced by G. c. orientalis in the Andamans.
Nesting: The Common Moorhen nests between June and September. The nest is a bulky contraption of weeds and sedges, built on ground amongst aquatic herbage, or up in a low shrub near water. The clutch consists of 5-12 eggs, pale-yellowish to buff-brown in colour, blotched with dark reddish-brown.
Local name: It is known as ‘jal murghi’ or ‘pani murghi’ in Hindi and 4jumbu kodi’ or ‘bolli kodi’ in Telugu.
For Private Circulation Only Editor: Shanti Mani Email: bsap.pitta@ gmail.com
For information, write to: Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh, PO Box 45, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad — 500034. E-group: http://groups.google.co.in/group/bsap_online. Website: www.bsap.in. Society membership (in Rs.): Admission: 100; Annual: 400 per annum; Student: 200 per annum; Life: 3000. (Add Rs 75 for outstation cheques.)
kar
PIA
Newsletter of the Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh New Series Volume 7 Number 08 August 2010
FIELD OUTING: Sunday, 15" August 2010, 6:00AM: Shamirpet Lake
Some 20km away from Secunderabad, on the Hyderabad-Karimnagar highway, is this lovely man-made lake, which is an excellent spot for birding. The large freshwater source and the surrounding rocky grassy terrain make this ideal for water birds as well as larks. The Ashy-crowned Sparrow-lark and the Sykes’s Crested Lark have been seen here. The place has yielded Yellow-wattled Lapwings as well. This will be a half-day trip. Please carry plenty of water and snacks. For further details and to co-ordinate, please contact Mr. Shafaat Ulla (98492-29552) or Mrs. Shanti Mani (93910-08302).
INDOOR MEETING: LIFE OF BIRDS Thursday, 26" August 2010, 6PM: Association of German Culture, 203, Hermitage Office Complex,
Hill Fort Road, Nampally.
Aasheesh Pittie has been following his passion for birds for many years, culminating it into a prodigious work of ornithological bibliography - Birds in Books. Meticulously researched, this book is vital for it is a window from the past to now on the checkered path of ornithology. A bibliography spanning nearly 300 years of ornithology, this book is a work of passion and dedication. It spans the areas of Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Myanmar, Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka.
Aasheesh will present his book and take the audience through all that went into the writing of this brilliant and monumental work. He will also talk of some well-known bird books and how they have evolved with time and how bird art is used in books and how it has reached the present stage of near-perfection.
Trip Report - Ananthagiri, 18 July 2010 To Bird Paradise and Back Surekha Aitabathula
Photo: Praveen Sirdesai
When there’s great birding in store, then can a birder be far behind the wheel and our gregarious Secretary in the behind? No. So off I went on the 18th of this month to a very passenger seat, the rides back and forth turned out to be just slushy Ananthagiri. With the rock steady hands of our President as much fun as the birding.
After a quick cup of tea and introductions, we set off once again with the strains of Louis Armstrong’s song, ‘What a wonderful world’, playing in my mind.
Just short of Ananthagiri we stopped, hoping to spot some birds. We were not disappointed. We saw the White-eyed Buzzard (Butastur teesa), a Common Hoopoe (Upupa epops) in flight, Spotted Doves ( Streptopelia chinensis), Pied Cuckoos (Clamator jacobinus) - slim black birds with a distinctive crest and a white wing patch and the Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala). This beautiful bird has a crimson forehead and breast patch and is best known for its metronomic call that is likened to a coppersmith striking metal with a hammer. We also saw the Grey-breasted Prinia (Prinia hodgsonii). This bird is typically found in open woodland and scrub forest. Its call is a repetitive chiwee-chiwee-chiwee-chip- chip-chip.
The Ashy-crowned Sparrow Lark (Eremopterix grisea), Yellow-billed Babblers (Turdoides affinis), Black-shouldered Kites (Elanus caeruleus) and Baya Weavers (Ploceus philippinus) were also spotted. The Baya immediately caught my interest when I was told about its nest engineering. Their pendulous nests are retort-shaped with a central nesting chamber and a long vertical tube that leads to a side entrance to the chamber. Bayas use their strong beaks to strip the strands of paddy leaves or rough grass and expertly weave and knot them to make a hanging nest.
The male Baya partially builds the nest and begins to display to passing females by flapping its wings and calling, while hanging from the nest! The female then inspects the nest and signals acceptance. Once they are paired, the male goes on to complete the construction by adding an entrance tunnel. The male completes construction only on finding a mate. Conditional access if you please!
Oriental Magpie Robin (Photo: Asif Husain)
From here we drove straight to Ananthagiri. It is located 75 km away from Hyderabad. The river Musi is said to have originated here. An ancient Anatha Padmanabha Swamy temple still stands here as also some ancient cave-like structures within the forest. It was a pleasant day. The sun did peep out a couple of times but seemed reluctant to shine forth, preventing insects and birds from venturing out. Human
activity was another deterrent. However, the forest was swarming with thousands of colourful butterflies.
The first thing we did on reaching was open our breakfast baskets. I found that chatting with each other while exchanging a variety of sandwiches, chips, omelets and washing it all down with the, much sought-after, cuppa tea, actually builds camaraderie amongst us.
Post-breakfast we entered the forest, which has some remarkably old and splendid trees. Here we bumped into plenty of fellow-birders and eagerly asked each other the regular question," Which birds could you see?"
Thick-billed Flowerpecker (Photo: Asif Husain)
The birds we spotted here were the Oriental Magpie Robin (Copsychus saularis), Tickell's Blue Flycatcher (Cyornis tickelliae), Brahminy Starling (Sturnus pagodarum), White- bellied Drongo (Dicrurus caerulescens), White-browed Fantail (Rhipidura aureola), Small Minivet (Pericrocotus cinnamomeus), Blue-faced Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus viridirostris), White-browed Bulbul (Pycnonotus luteolus), Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis), Oriental White-eye (Zosterops palpebrosus), Thick-billed Flowerpecker (Dicaeum agile), Rufous Treepies (Dendrocitta vagabunda) and a lone Large Cuckooshrike (Coracina macei). I normally dislike grey but fell, instantly, in love with this predominantly greyish bird. They are mostly insectivorous, and fly just above the forest canopy. They have a loud call that goes klu-eep, klu-eep and have this characteristic habit of shrugging their closed wings shortly after landing on a perch.
White-bellied Drongo (Photo: Asif Husain)
With these sightings ended yet another invigorating birding trip. We exchanged mobile numbers and Facebook ids and said our goodbyes. As we cheerfully drove back home with
the lingering memories of the beautiful birds still upon us, I recalled a cheeky one liner. Why are most American men fast balding? Because their National Bird is the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus).
In The Grip Of Talons Surekha Aitabathula
Picture this. You are alone in a mountainous terrain. Suddenly you spot a large raptor soaring high in the sky. You are thrilled to watch him glide effortlessly and confidently, like a King undertaking an aerial survey of his kingdom. He soars high, circling smoothly in an unhurried manner. After a while he readies for descent by flapping his huge wings and lands, with a whooshing sound, right on top of a huge tree, bereft of all leaves.
Mesmerized, you drink in the details of his remarkable features, totally in awe of his regal bearing. The mean- looking, sharp talons can dig into its prey, disallowing escape. His rapacious and fearsome hooked beak holds the promise of efficiently tearing any piece of flesh under the sun! His strong wings are his powerful flight propellants. His round, alert eyes are like glassy, piercing beads of fierceness. He is perched motionless. The feathers on his breast are ruffling in the wind as he gazes far beyond the horizon with his superb vision. While you are taking in the incomparable beauty of his stern profile, he suddenly swivels his head and turns his intense, predatory gaze on you. No prizes for guessing who will blink first! He seems to be aware of the fact that he commands respect. And how do you feel? You simply want to prostrate in admiration before this awesome commander-in-chief of the
skies. You salute his might and you surrender to his hypnotizing beauty. If you love birds, this is a sublime experience.
We were treated to one such experience in a film on ‘Meat Eaters’, which is a part of the BBC series titled, ‘Life of
TERK
Birds’. It was screened at the indoor meeting of the BSAP at the German Centre on the 22nd of this month. Despite the rain, a good twenty bird-enthusiasts made it to the screening and thoroughly enjoyed it. The pin drop silence, interspersed with gasps of amazement and thrill, being indicative of the enjoyment. The superb visuals and excellent script totally gripped our interest from start to finish.
I was amazed to learn that the Lammergeier's (Gypaetus barbatus) diet is 90 per cent bone marrow. It drops bones from a height onto a rock so as to break them. Some Lammergeiers have been known to drop bones as many as fifty times! The name Lammergeier originates from German Lamb Vulture or Lamb Hawk from the belief that it attacked lambs. However, the bird is incapable of killing lambs. Hence the misleading nomenclature is being phased out and it is now more commonly referred to as the Bearded Vulture, owing to its tuft of black moustache.
We at the BSAP are ever grateful to the Goethe Zentrum for giving us their premises for our monthly indoor meetings. And may I say that we always happily look forward to the tea and refreshments. Vielen Dank!
After watching this film, I fell in love with birds of prey. My scientific temperament did not deter me from wondering about my next birth, in which I hope to return as a bird of prey! Does anyone in the BSAP know where to apply?
Bird Humour
ANIMAL CRACKERS TINGE IM WELAST Dopo | BIRD, I'VE BEEN ASKED TO WRITE A MEMOIR,
$ i
Now you know ay this bird was called the Dodo!
(From Times of India, 30-12-2009)
The Wildfowl of Hyderabad — The Waders “The Old Shikaree”
By natural stages, we proceed from the Waterfowl to those that spend their lives on the edges of ponds, tanks, lakes and the sea. These are the wading birds, and they include Sandpipers, Stints, Snipes, Woodcocks and Plovers. Though the majority of the tribe are mostly to be met with on the shores of large lagoons and estuaries, there are plenty of others who prefer the smaller lakes and marshes, that were a feature of the old Hyderabad state landscape, and where the shikarees carried on their activities.
On the whole, the birds of this tribe were fowls of particular favour with the hunting fraternity, mainly for their taste. The other feature about them was their peculiar mode of flying, and their habit of exploding into the air from the feet of the approaching sportsman, made them a capital test for the wing- shooting skills of the young nimrod. Snipe shooting in the correct season was generally a vast excursion, complete with beaters and retrievers that would have shamed the preparations for a tiger hunt of the princes of Jaipur.
The birds of this tribe that are commonly met with around the Hyderabad regions include the Sandpipers, Stints, Stilts, Snipe, Plovers and Pratincoles. Of these, only the Pratincole does not come under the purview of the shikaree as they were never pursued or, if they were, I have never come across a reference of such. The most popular game was snipe hunting in the marshes and fields, particularly along the edges of paddy fields, where the birds were frequently to be found. One of my more pleasant memories is walking along one of the rather unsteady bunds of a large field, having a snipe purring out almost under my feet and letting fly with both barrels of the ancient fowling piece I was carrying. The snipe flew away unharmed, no doubt thinking hard thoughts, and I took one of the finest tumbles imaginable, straight into the, rather chilly, waters of the paddy field, from which I emerged looking like one of those “sons of toil buried beneath tons of soil”. My companions thought this most capital sport and one that almost compensated for the loss of a fine snipe.
There was a time when the bird catchers used to bring around baskets of such birds for sale; all these going under the
miscellaneous name of “snippets” - a term unknown to science. The bulk of this varied bag used to be the Little Stints, but there came sometimes, odd fellows mixed up amongst them. I have picked up Wood Sandpipers and Grey Plovers from this mixed bag. This was a long time ago and I have not had any “snippet-walla” coming around for many- a-year. A pity, as, in a way, I learned much about the habits of the birds from these old fellows. They were capital ornithologists in their own right, and had a repertoire of many quaint anecdotes and tales of their exploits.
Huge flocks of these birds are met with on the edges of the ocean or on lagoons and estuaries. Flocks of more than 20000 used to be seen on the old Adyar Estuary in Chennai and also on the mudflats around the Pulicat Lake on the Hyderabad State borders. Massive congregations are to be seen at Point Calimere and other estuaries along the edges of the sea. When a large flock of the birds is in flight, they present a wonderful sight as they flash white and dark alternately as they fly along, anon twisting and turning; hundreds of birds with but one mind. They are fast birds through the air and also great travellers. Their migration routes span the globe and extend out over the open ocean. How they manage to make these transcontinental flights over the open sea is a subject of much discussion. The birds are not given to swimming; in fact if they landed in water out of their depth, they would rapidly drown. So they cannot possibly rest on the sea surface. As such, they are, perforce, obliged to fly without rest. Hardy they must be, for who can make such gruelling flights. And for this reason, they eat a great deal of food. They feed mostly on worms and algae, probing with their long beaks into the slush at the water’s edge. Some of the larger species extract small sand-crabs from their holes and make rather a good thing out of it too. Still others confine their attention to worms and other arthropods. They are always, (especially towards the end of their stay with us), encased with a good deal of fat, as reserve fuel for their travels. This makes them particularly tasty and accounts for their being considered as capital additions to the tribe of the Game Birds of Hyderabad.
Hummingbird Hawk-moth Text and photos: Vijay Sirdesai (Ananthagiri, July 18, 2010)
Macroglossum bombylans
Macroglossum bombylans
Macroglossum bombylans, Macroglossum stellatarum and Cephonodes picus are species of Hawk-moth of the family Sphingidae and genus Macroglossum.
Sphingidae is a family of moths, which include hawk moths, sphinx moths and hornworms consisting of about 1,200 species. It is best represented in the tropics; however, there are species in every region. They are medium to large in size and are distinguished from other moths by their rapid, sustained flying ability. The narrow wings and streamlined abdomen are clearly adaptations for rapid flight.
Some hawk-moths, like the hummingbird hawk-moths, with their long proboscis, hovering behaviour in midair as they feed on nectar from flowers, accompanied by an audible humming noise, are, sometimes, mistaken for hummingbirds. This hovering capability has evolved only three times in nectar- feeders like hummingbirds, certain bats, and these sphingids (the hummingbird hawk-moth) - an example of convergent evolution. They have been much studied for their flying ability, especially their ability to move rapidly from side to side while hovering. This is called 'swing-hovering.’ It is thought that this characteristic evolved to deal with ambush predators that lie in wait in flowers. They also aid pollination.
Teo
It flies during the day, especially in bright sunshine, but also at dusk, dawn, and even in the rain, which is unusual for, even, diurnal hawk-moths (the other diurnal species being Cephonodes hylas, — Leucostrophus —hirundo and Macroglossum trochilus). Some species fly only for short periods, either around dusk or dawn, while other species only appear later in the evening, and others around midnight. But such species, may, occasionally, be seen feeding at flowers during the day. Its visual abilities have been much studied, and it has been shown to have a relatively good ability to learn colours. Some of the sphingids are among the fastest flying insects, capable of flying at over 50 km/h and have a wingspan of 35-150 mm.
We were lucky to sight and photograph 3 species at Ananthagiri - Macroglossum bombylans, Macroglossum stellatarum and Cephonodes picus. All three were feeding on nectar from flowers of Lantana (Lantana camara).
Cephonodes picus
Ref: - (Pinhey, 1962), (Scoble, 1995), (Kitching, 2002), (Grimaldi & Engel, 2005).
Ave Aves et Lepidopterae (Hail Birds and Butterflies!) Rajeev Mathew
The monsoon set over Hyderabad, and a trip to Anantagiri Hills close-by was what we were looking forward to. So, to the Hill retreat we went. The monsoon had played its role well, for the landscape, now attired in verdant vesture, was impregnable. Cocky-tailed little birds of the genus Prinia kept the watchers watching for birds. Distant calls of various others came wafting to the eager ears of the listeners, Aasheesh and I wondering whether it was the bird calling or Kulkarni mimicking. Soon, the Sun warmed the land below, and the eye caught sight of Lepidopterons — more commonly, the gaily-flitting butterflies flying about.
@ ~ar' Common Mormon (Male) (Photo: Asif Husain) They were migrating! Their erratic flight made haphazard with the slightest breath of breeze, caught our attention, and bird watching diluted. With the conditions prevailing, watching something with wings — be they feathered or gossamer-scaled dainties — was the impromptu agenda. Naked eyes for butterflies and binoculars for birds were in order. Their annual migration was in full swing with the Common Immigrants (Catopsilia Pomona) taking the lead, and Lime Butterflies (Papilio demoleus) following a distant second. Males of the Common Mormon (Papilio polytes) were busy stocking up minerals through a habit known as ‘mud-
ae
puddling’. The forest was teeming with Common Crows (Euploca core), Common Pierrot (Castalius rosimon), Tiny Grass Blue (Zizula hylax), Common Cerulean (Jamides celeno), Chocolate Pansy (Precis iphita), Common Jezebel (Delias eucharis), among others.
Santhi Rekha photographed a butterfly that I initially identified as a Plain Tiger (Danaus crysippus), but later close scrutiny showed it as the female of the Danaiad Eggfly (Hypolymnas misippus). This led to a discussion on mimicry, which is a useful dodge to avoid predatory birds, insects and others, while on the mission of egg laying. A little later Shafaatulla pulled out some pages out of his pocket; these were pages in turn pulled out of a book on butterflies; thus rested the identification of the butterflies until books that are more comprehensive were referred to.
A pleasant walkabout in that verdant forest close to home with Aves and Lepidopterons and mighty and ancient trees for company was by far the best soul food in a long time.
White Orange-tip (Male) (Photo: Asif Husain)
Birding Camp at Goa 23.9.2010 to 26.9.2010
necessary arrangements
e Departure: by bus on 22.9.2010 evening (Wednesday); Return: early morning on 27.9.2010 (Monday) e Charges would be, approximately, Rs. 6,000/- per head (all inclusive) e Those desirous of coming may please give your names, along with the amount, by 14.8.2010 to enable us to make the
e Registrations would be done on first-come-first-served basis and preference would be given to life members ° For further information, please contact Mr.Shafaat Ulla (0-9849229552)
Bird of the Month Text and photos: Umesh Mani
Pied Bushchat (Saxicola caprata)
Pied Bushchat (Male) (Sainikpuri, January 2010)
Order: Passeriformes Family: Muscicapidae Genus: Saxicola Species: caprata Size: 13-13.5 cm
Description: The Pied Bushchat (male) is black with white on rump, abdomen and wings, with the last being especially conspicuous in flight. The female is earthy- brown in appearance, with dark-brown upperparts, rufous-brown underparts and a rufous-orange or rust-coloured rump. In non- breeding and first-winter plumages, the male has rufous fringes to the body.
Behaviour: The Pied Bushchat is a widespread resident. It frequents cultivated areas and open country with scattered bushes and tall grass; also sparse scrub country and hillsides, especially near cultivation and villages. Commonly sits on exposed perches on the tops of bushes, stakes or pillars in fields, etc, and darts down to the ground to pick up insects. May also jump in the air or make short sallies after winged
Pied Bushchat (Female) (nkriyal, November 2009)
insects. Its call is a harsh chek, chek, ending in a quiet tweet. In breeding season, the male delivers a tuneful whistling song (similar to the Indian Robin’s) from a perch or during a display flight, during which it shows ‘delayed-action’ wingbeats. The song may also be given out as a threat to rival males, with a depressed tail, neck craned forward menacingly, white rump fluffed out and wings down, displaying the white wing-patches. It is resident or a winter visitor throughout India; also Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.
Nesting: The Pied Bushchat nests mainly between February and May. The nest is a pad of grass, lined with wool or hair, usually in a hole on the ground or in cut earth. The clutch is 3-5 eggs, pale bluish-white, speckled and blotched with reddish-brown. Incubation is done by the female, though the male occasionally helps in nest-building, and shares in feeding the young.
Local name: It is known as ‘kala pidda’ in Hindi, ‘kumpa nalanchi’ in Telugu and ‘kallu kuruvi’ in Tamil.
For Private Circulation Only Editor: Shanti Mani Email: bsap.pitta@ gmail.com
For information, write to: Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh, PO Box 45, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad — 500034. E-group: http://groups.google.co.in/group/bsap_online. Website: www.bsap.in. Society membership (in Rs.): Admission: 100; Annual: 400 per annum; Student: 200 per annum; Life: 3000. (Add Rs 75 for outstation cheques.)
a
P# TTA
Newsletter of the Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh New Series Volume 7 Number 09 September 2010
FIELD OUTING: Sunday, 19" September 2010, 6:00AM: Rampally Cheruvu, Cherlapally. Meeting point: ECIL Crossroads, 5:45AM.
Route: Marredpally - RK Puram Flyover — Neredmet — Sainikpuri - AS Rao Nagar - ECIL Crossroads — NFC - Cherlapally. Alternative Route: From Secunderabad side, cross Tarnaka, take a left at CCMB and go straight on to NFC, take a right after railway over-bridge, come to a T-junction, take a right again and straight on till you see the lake on the left.
Situated in the Cherlapally Industrial area near ECIL, this water body and its surroundings abound in a large variety of avifauna. One can see a number of water birds like Teals, Cormorants, Coots, Ibises, Ducks, Herons, Waders, etc, in and around the lake. A bund separates the lake from the fields, marshes and scrub and a walk along it yields not just the regulars, but also some rare species. Many of these birds have been seen nesting here. The Cinnamon, Black and Yellow Bitterns, the Red-necked Falcon and the Slaty-breasted Rail have also been sighted here. This lush green area is relatively unexplored and quite undisturbed, making a visit mandatory.
This will be a halfday trip. Please carry plenty of water and snacks. For further det ails and to co-ordinate, please contact Mr. Shafaat Ulla (98492-29552) or Mrs. Shanti Mani (93910-08302).
INDOOR MEETING: GUIDE TO WADERS Tuesday, 21 September 2010, 6PM: Association of German Culture, 203, Hermitage Office Complex, Hill Fort Road, Nampally.
What are the differences between a green, wood and common Sandpiper? Or between the Little and Temminck’ s Stint? Or between their breeding and non-breeding plumages? The differences are subtle and, at times, not very easy for the untrained eye to ascertain.
The migration season is fast approaching and some migrants are already here. Amongst them are the waders and shore birds. But, how does one distinguish between these innumerable oystercatchers, stilts, avocets, pratincoles, plovers, lapwings, sandpipers, snipes, godwits, curlews, and many more?
This film throws light on these feathered visitors and the key to success ful identification. The high quality footage has been specially filmed to show the birds in their various plumages - breeding, migrating and
wintering.
The duration of the film will be 2 hours.
Trip Report — Shamirpet, 15% August 2010 K B Anand
For any birding trip I eagerly reach the location early and this time was no exception. I was the first to reach! I remember parking the vehicles next to the Deer Park, from where one could see the water in the lake. With this in mind, I drove further and reached the Peddamma temple close to NALSAR. By this time, I knew that I had overshot that point. From this temple I walked about 300m towards the lake to find water. There was none.
Here I saw a couple of Sykes's Larks (Galerida deva), Ashy- crowned Sparrow Larks (Eremopterix grisea) and Large Grey Babblers (Turdoides malcolmi). A pair of Red-wattled Lapwings (Vanellus indicus) flew over my head, calling continuously. I tried looking for their nest, but un fortunately, the birds were too restless and I decided to leave the place.
I then went in the opposite direction and found a few vehicles of the birdwatchers on the road. The lake was not visible from the road because of the newly constructed houses and fencing. Bharadwaj, his colleague Hussain Partapuri (a new addition to BSAP), Umesh and I started walking towards the lake. No water could be seen even after walking 200m. Surveying the vast green patch, Bharadwaj noted that the lake was probably covered with Hyacinth. We then came across a pool of water, which was much smaller than the Shamirpet Lake that I had always known. After considering various possibilities, we felt the problem lay in the catchment area of the lake or at the inlet, given that there was more than normal rainfall this year.
a
~ Red A vadavat (Female) (Photo: Asif Husain)
Though we were very disappointed with the condition of the lake, the birds did not let us down. There were Eurasian Thick-knees (Burhinus oedicnemus) amidst the boulders. They took off as our presence disturbed them. We then saw Red Avadavats (Amandava amandava) circling around and crossing the fence of the deer park. We noticed araptor on a patch of ground in the middle of water. It was too far so I walked a few steps towards it to identify it. It was a sub-adult Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus). A pair of Black Ibises (Pseudibis papillosa) flew over us and landed quite close by. There were Spot-billed Ducks (Anas poecilorhyncha) and Lesser Whistling-ducks (Dendrocygna javanica) in small numbers. About a dozen River Terns (Sterna aurantia), including juveniles, were very active. Some of them were on the ground giving us a chance to see them clearly.
Lesser Whistling-duck (Photo: Asif Husain) ;
There were big flocks of Painted Storks (Mycteria leucocephala), including several immatures, and Little Cormorants (Phalacrocorax niger). A number of Grey Herons flocked together at one place, which was probably due to the shrunken size of the lake. There were Wire-tailed Swallows (Hirundo smithii) and Red-rumped Swallows
AND SO, HAVING EATEN HER FILL, THE MOTHER BIRD RETURNS To HER NEST...
THE WORMS To FEED HUNGRY BROOD. -
7) God =a) ==) =) = = = = = — wel = oO
Bird Humour
(Hirundo daurica) doing sorties and giving us good opportunities to see them from up close. A pair of Pied Kingfishers (Ceryle rudis) was fishing in the shallow waters. Aasheesh identified a distant call as that of the Rain Quail (Coturnix coromandelica).
One of the interesting sightings of the trip was the Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia). There were 3 of them on the opposite shore. Common _ Sandpipers (Actitis hypoleucos) and Common Redshanks (Tringa tetanus) seemed to be the early migrants. They were busy feeding. There were plenty of larks everywhere - on the boulders, on the grass and flying around. We saw 4 species of larks, which included the Oriental Skylark (Alauda gulgula) and the Rufous-winged Bushlark (Mirafra assamica).
t ae r A
Sykes’s Crested Lark (Photo: KB Anand)
The take-away from the trip was the condition of the lake. Something has seriously gone wrong with it. It was nothing like what I had known of it. There was hardly any water. A lot of construction activity was going on. All this does not bode well for what has long been one of the best birding spots near Hyderabad. I hope the concerned authorities take some urgent action to rectify the situation.
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~ WHERE SHE REGURGITATES WER
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(From The Hindu, 11-05-2010)
Report — Indoor Meeting, 36" August 2010 The Intrepid Birdman
Surekha Aitabathula
Photo: JVD Moorty
Tall, fair, lanky and a self confessed shy guy, he is an amateur omithologist who has seen around 800 birds across India, Kenya and the United Kingdom and can instantly recognize about 300 of them! He is an authority on birds who doesn’t flaunt his knowledge, but is, nevertheless, very confident about its accuracy. He has a pleasant disposition and commands a lot of respect amongst the birding community in India. He is a bibliophile who chills out on Western Classical and Shastriya Sangeet. He edits a bimonthly glossy magazine called Indian Birds. He recently published a compilation of a bibliography, which is the first of its kind, titled - Birds in Books - Three Hundred Years of South Asian Ornithology. He answers to the name Aasheesh Pittie.
On arainy evening Aasheesh made a detailed presentation on his book at the indoor meeting of the BSAP at the German Centre.
He began with a sonorous recording of the Whistling Thrush and went on to clearly explain each and every slide with a simple-minded and honest enthusiasm that was totally bereft of fanfare. It was evident that his slides, which tracked down birding history, were methodically, meticulously and lovingly prepared. He gratefully devoted a sizeable chunk of his presentation to his mentors and all-time greats who were positive influences in enriching his passion for bird watching.
His book takes pride of place as a mammoth reference guide! It is a detailed, extensively researched and annotated bibliography that lists over 1700 books, covering ornithology across South Asia, and spans three centuries. Aasheesh Pittie’s Herculean task began in the early eighties.
To identify and list 1715 books on birds spanning three centuries across South Asia, and to write a brief about the contents of every single one of them, necessitates a garg antuan effort. He also lists a brief account on the life and contribution
of no less than 200 renowned ornithologists. An index of new names also figures in the book. We cannot even begin to imagine the kind of consistent, backbreaking and exhaustive research he would have undertaken for nearly three decades to bring out this book. (To give out a bit of unrevealed information - at one point of time, he lost around 17,000 entries/inputs of his research when his computer crashed!) An unfazed Aasheesh rededicated himself He researched and recompiled the lost entries all over again. This speaks volumes about his willingness to go the distance to realize his dream.
What is the purpose behind the attempt? "Primarily because nothing like it existed,” says the author who was hooked to birding right from his school days, being inspired by Capt NS Tyabji's talks.
This kind of book cannot see the light of day unless tremendous mental and physical labor goes into it. However, not once during his presentation did the author mention how tough and difficult it all was. He made light of his effort by saying that it is not so much about the book as it is about his enjoyable journey. These are typically the words of a person who, clearly, is not given to chasing fame. There was only one clearly detectable factor that came across to the audience throughout his presentation - his love of birds — a profound love with his favorites being the Thrushes and the Pitta (a member of the latter family graces the brilliant front cover).
With one solid stroke of publishing Birds in Books, he has removed for good, the tediousness and the difficulty hitherto present in a birder’s search. If you are trying to look for any kind of information on any bird, your search ends right here in the 866 pages of this book. For having the courage to write this remarkable and outstanding ready-reckoner, that is all set to become one of the best and the most exhaustive reference guides, Aasheesh Pittie deserves an applause that is as phenomenal as his book.
4
The Wildfowl of Hyderabad — The Waders “The Old Shikaree”
In the last column, we spoke about wading birds. There are three main families of wading birds in these regions that concern us. These are the Sandpipers, Snipes and Plovers. Stints, which are also of this tribe, are included in the Sandpiper fraternity. Curlews were also part of the Game Birds, but not very often, as these are birds are more of the sea-shore and estuary and, therefore, came very little into the purview of the old Hyderabad fowlers.
Sandpipers
Our Sandpipers are, for the most part, migratory birds and visit us during the winters. There are several species that come to us, the commonest being the Common Sandpiper and the Wood Sandpiper. The Green Sandpiper, the Ruff the Greenshank, the Redshank and the Spotted Redshank also are birds of this same fraternity and often congregate together. The birds come in an array of sizes ranging from the Little Stint, which is little larger than a long-legged sparrow, up to the Ruffs, which can go up to the size of a small crow. The majority of the birds, at least with us, are found in small wisps, ranging up to a dozen or so birds. Towards the time of the return migration, they start to gather together and flocks can then go up to a hundred or so birds.
The species are mostly to be found on the edges of lakes and tanks; on the marshy banks of which they get their sustenance of small shrimps, worms and other arthropods and crustaceans. These birds are very fast on the wing and used to be a test for wing-shooting in the old days. A single day yielding a bag of around 10 brace to a single gun was considered quite good going. The best I ever managed in my early days was a bag of five brace in as many hours. All were, without exception, much favoured for the table.
Snipe
Only a few species of this splendid table bird are to be found in our regions. Of these, one is only masquerading as a Snipe. This is the colourful Painted Snipe which, so the scientist tells us, is a member of the family of Rails and not a genuine Snipe. The shikarees had already worked this out, as a bird not fit to expend shot upon. It has the reprehensible habit of disappearing underwater and then popping up again, well inside the reedbeds, if fired at.
The Fantail, the Common and the Jack Snipe are fully paid-up members of the tribe and were the birds most pursued. They make themselves at home in flooded paddy fields and the reedy shores of marshes and small lakes. Here they skulk, mostly in solitary state, living on small crustaceans, worms and water beetles. They were considered capital sport and a test for the best wing shot. Their habit of exploding into the air from almost under the feet of the unwary shikaree earned them much praise, and considerable profanity was expended upon this reprehensible trait. I have seen people so taken aback by this display that they lost their balance and took many a tumble into paddy-field or marsh. I have had a few such experiences myself
Plovers
There are only a few ofthis tribe that come into our ken here. The commonest of these are the Little Ringed and the Kentish Plovers. The Grey and Golden Plovers, though common enough around estuaries and lagoons, are not often met with inland. The Little Ringed Plover is most common and is often met with on the shores of large lakes and tanks. It is a small bird, smaller than a myna, but very fast through the air. They live mostly in small groups of five to ten, pattering about looking for small insects, worms and other delicacies. Their small beaks give them a very snub-nosed look, but that beak is a sufficient tool to keep the bird well fed.
The plovers were all popular game birds in the old days and used to be eagerly pursued, both by the shikaree and the bird trapper. They were considered to be great delicacies, on account of their superior flavour and also, being fast birds, were a test for sporting skills.
Apart from the above, there are other species like the stilts, the avocets and the Pratincoles. These are also wading birds, but they fall not in the purview ofthe old shikaree as they are not fowls that were considered part of the Game Birds of Hyderab ad.
ANNUAL GENERAL BODY MEETING The Annual General Body Meeting of the Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh will be held on Wednesday, 15
September 2010, at 6PM at Vidyaranya High School, opp. Secretariat (old gate), beside Hotel Anmol International,
Hyderab ad.
Birds of Himachal Pradesh — a photo-collage (Part-1) Text and photos: Umesh Mani
These photographs, taken during our summer trip to Shimla, Manali and a few other places in the vicinity, are testimony to the amazing variety and beauty of our avi fauna. I have tried to put together photographs (including some not-so-great ones) to show species that we in the South generally do not get to see.
Brown Dipper
tian Vulture
Brown-heaced Barbet
Bats \ Oriental Turtle Dove
Slaty -backed Forktail
(To be continued)
Bird of the Month Text and photos: Umesh Mani
Yellow Bittern (xobrychus sinensis)
Yellow Bittern
(Cherlapally, July 2010)
Order: Pelecani formes Family: Ardeidae Genus: Ixobrychus Species: sinensis Size: 38cm
Description: The Yellow Bittern has a yellowish-fawn body with an overall general colouration of yellow, brown, rufous and chestnut. Yellowish-buff wing-coverts contrast with dark-brown flight feathers. The male has bluish- or pinkish-brown mantle and scapulars, and the face and sides of neck are vinaceous (the colour of red wine). The female is generally similar to the male, typically with rufous streaking on dark crown, variable orange/brown streaking on foreneck and breast, and diffuse buff edges to rufous - brown mantle and scapulars. The juvenile appears buff with bold streaking on upperparts including wing-coverts; foreneck and breast also show heavy streaking.
Behaviour: The Yellow Bittern is a widespread resident. It frequents reed-beds and flooded paddy fields, inland swamps, coastal mangroves, estuaries, etc. It is largely crepuscular but is more active during the day in cloudy overcast weather, and hence it is also seen somewhat more easily during cloudy or rainy weather. A great skulker, it is commonly seen on or among the reeds, and when startled, freezes into typical bitten posture, merging itself effectively into the reed background. It is resident throughout the Indian subcontinent; also Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Sri Lanka.
Nesting: The Yellow Bittern nests mainly between June and September. The nest is a pad of reed stalks on reeds or in shrubs near a pond. The clutch consists of 4-6 pale blue or greenish-blue eggs. Both sexes share in parental duties.
Local name: It is known as {jun bagla’ or ‘peela bagla’ in Hindi, ‘Pasupu wakha’ in Telugu and ‘manal narai’ in Tamil.
For Private Circulation Only Editor: Shanti Mani Email: bsap.pitta@gmail.com
For information, write to: Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh, PO Box 45, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad — 500034.
E-group: http://groups.google.co.in/group/bsap_online. Website: www.bsap.in. Society membership (in Rs.): Admission: 100; Annual: 400 per annum; Student: 200 per annum; Life: 3000. (Add Rs 75 for outstation cheques.)
a
P¥ TTA
Newsletter of the Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh New Series Volume 7 Number 10 October 2010
FIELD OUTING: Sunday, 24" October 2010, 6:00AM: Edulabad / Inkriyal.
Route: Ghatkesar village crossroads - right turn, drive about 4km towards Edulabad - Inkriyal (2km after Edulabad).
The water bodies in these places should be full after the recent rains. One can look forward to seeing a number of water birds, waders and field birds. The lake abounds in varieties of ducks, storks, cormorants, bitterns, ibises, sandpipers, stilts, etc. The scrub and the trees around Inkriyal are home to some woodpeckers, owls, cuckoos, hoopoes and some birds of prey as well. We can expect to see some migrants too. A ride in the coracles into the lake offers good opportunity for closer viewing of the birds.
This will be a halfday trip. Please carry plenty of water and snacks. For further details and to co-ordinate, please contact Mr. Shafaat Ulla (98492-29552) or Mrs. Shanti Mani (93910-08302).
INDOOR MEETING: LIFE OF BIRDS Thursday, 21" October 2010, 6PM: Association of German Culture, 203, Hermitage Office Complex, Hill Fort Road, Nampally.
Colourful, mysterious, noble and intriguing, birds have fascinated us since the dawn of history. With the series The Life of Birds, David Attenborough, one of the world’s foremost naturalists, hosts an extraordinary exploration into the secret lives of these magnificent creatures.
Fishing for a Living - Birds not only find food in every part of the land, but are also experts in collecting it from water. Over time they have developed many ingenious methods — from diving to dancing, skimming to spearing — to reap the rich bounty in Earth’s waters.
ROCK WALK: Sunday, 31" October 2010: Fakhruddingutta. Meeting Points: Hyderabad Central, Punjagutta, 6:30AM; NMDC, Masab Tank, 7:00AM; Delhi Public School, Khajaguda (near Gachibowli), 7:30AM.
A special Rock Walk has been planned with members of the Society to Save Rocks. The Society aims to preserve and protect the spectacular ancient granite formations of the Deccan Plateau - a natural wonder of stony ridges and hillocks, shaped into picturesque balancing forms.
ANNUAL GENERAL BODY MEETING
The Annual General Body Meeting of the Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh was held on 5" September 2010. The following were elected as the new Executive Committee:
Aasheesh Pittie - President Sushil Kapadia - Member JVD Moorty - Vice-President K. Bharadwaj - Member MS Kulkarni - Vice-President Umesh Mani - Member Shafaat Ulla - Hon. Secretary Shanti Mani - Member K Nanda Kumar - Hon. Treasurer Asif Husain — Member
TR RK
Trip Report — Rampally Cheruw, Chenapally, 19" September 2010 Nilay Raha
Cinnamon Bittern (Photo: Mahipal)
“Rain God’ had almost bid adieu to Hyderabad and this thought made me confident that the 19th moming would turn out to be a clear, blue, sunny day — a perfect day for birding. Rampally Cheruvu is situated in Cherlapally Industrial Area, near ECIL and comes under the Ghatkes ar Mandal of Ranga Reddy District of Andhra Pradesh. It is surrounded by fields, marshes and scrub. The Cinnamon, Black and Yellow Bitterns along with many other species have been spotted here, making a visit to Cherlapally worthwhile.
I joined Ms. Shila Ram Mohan and her son at 5:30 a.m. and we headed towards ECIL cross road where we met the other birders. I was delighted to meet all my friends and a number of novices who were keen on joining BSAP. This appeared to be one of the biggest gatherings for a BSAP field trip since January 2010. Almost 10-12 cars followed one another in a convoy from ECIL cross road to Rampally Cheruvu.
We were delighted to see the lake filled to almost 80% of its capacity but were disappointed to see the banks littered with idols of Lord Ganesha after the immersion. As we got down from our vehicles, we saw a Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) with its chick, happily swimming in the lake. Within five minutes we saw Black-crowned Night Herons (Nycticorax nycticorax) (including a juvenile) roosting on a tree near the bank, Common Coot (Fulica atra), Purple- rumped Sunbirds (Nectarinia zeylonica), Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius), Little Egrets (Egretta garzetta) and Little Cormorants (Phalacrocorax niger) in flight. We then divided ourselves into small groups. The bigger group walked along the bund, which separates the
lake from the fields, marshes and scrub, while I joined the group that went towards the lower left side of the bund.
——
a a —_ me A Little G rebe with chick Photo: Asif Husain)
We noticed a few Green Bee-eaters (Merops orientalis) playing with one another on the electric wires with the Ashy Prinia (Prinia socialis) giving the background score as they enjoyed the wind in the reeds. We then saw a lone Red- vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer) and massive Purple and Grey Herons (Ardea purpurea and Ardea _ cinerea respectively) flying across the lake. I recollected the phrase “Good things come in small packages” when we saw a group of Red Munias or Red Avadavats (Amandava amandava), White-rumped Munias (Lonchura striata), Scaly-breasted Munias (Lonchura punctulata) and two Black-headed Munias (Lonchura malacca) near the reeds.
Ashy Prinia (Photo: Umesh Mani)
As a beginner, I try recognizing birds by their calls and, therefore, paid attention to the different calls emanating from the reeds. However, I could only identify the call of the Prinia. We again saw the Black-headed Munias for almost three minutes as they came and sat right in front of us merely six feet away, as if proudly showing off their amazing colours of jet-black, white and brown to us. Undoubtedly, we were thrilled with their presentation!
Spot-billed Duck (Photo: Mahipal)
The resident pair of Spot-billed Ducks (Anas poecilorhyncha) flew above us calling out in alarm as we entered their territory, while a Black Drongo (Dicrurus macrocer cus) sat on a wire a little far off from us. We then spotted two Coppersmith Barbets (Megalaima haemacephala) sitting atop a dry tree. Spotted Doves (Streptopelia chinensis), few Jungle Crows (Corvus macrorhynchos ) and an Indian Robin (Saxicoloides fulicata) also shared the space amicably. In the same tree, we saw a White-throated King fisher (Halcyon smyrnensis) which was resting for over 15 minutes as if not intending to fish in the first few hours of the day. Further ahead, we saw a male Streaked Weaver (Ploceus manyar). We took some time understanding the differences between this bird and the Baya Weaver (Ploceus philippinus) as it made short flights between a small tree and the nearby reeds.
As we approached the lake, we saw two Pied King fishers (Ceryle rudis) hovering above the lake, but they were
unable to catch any fish. While observing the King fishers, I spotted a Cinnamon Bittern (xobrychus cinnamomeus) flying above us, and with great enthusiasm I called my group members to view its beauty!!! It was 7:45 by then and we were ready to take a walk on the bund. On the way to the bund we saw Rose-ringed Parakeets (Psittacula krameri) in flight, Laughing Doves (Streptopelia senegalensis), Rock Pigeons (Columba livia), a pair of White-browed Wagtails (Motacilla maderaspatensis) and Baya Weavers. The right side of the bund has paddy fields and marshes and the nesting bitterns there, make this place a highlight for all the birders.
Yellow Bittern (Photo: Umesh Mani)
As soon as we climbed onto the bund we saw a Yellow Bittern (xobrychus sinensis) that flew at our eye level and then settled in the reeds nearby. We also saw Cattle Egrets (Bubulcus ibis), Indian Pond Herons (Ardeola grayii), House Swifts (Apus affinis), Asian Palm Swifts (C ypsiurus balasiensis), Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica), a Wire- tailed Swallow (Hirundo smithii) and Red-rumped Swallows (Hirundo daurica). On the reeds we saw Indian Silverbills (Lonchura malabarica) and on the other side of the lake we spotted a pair of Asian Pied Starlings (Sturnus contra). We were a little disappointed as we did not see the Black Bitterns (Dupetor flavicollis). But one of the waders - the Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos) did not let us down and made its presence felt. It was our only migratory bird of the day. We also saw a couple of enthusiastic River Terns (Sterna aurantia) flying above the lake and bobbing their tails up and down. I observed its deeply forked tail, deep yellow bill and black crown very closely. I deviated from bird watching for a while as I noted down the names and contact details of the trip attendees. BSAP uses these details to update its database.
While returning from the bund we saw a big flock of Great Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) flying high above us. Mr. Kulkarni explained the uniqueness of the V-shape these birds maintain while flying in groups. He also explained that the shape tends to change quite often when they try and overtake one another.
We all then gathered under a tree to have breakfast. While having our breakfast I updated my bird-list. The birds spotted by the other group members were Greater Coucal
(Centropus sinensis), Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopacea), Ashy-crowned Sparrow Lark (Eremopterix griseua), House Crow (Corvus splendens), Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), Black Kite (Milvus migrans), Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus), Common Myna_ (Acridotheres tristis), Jungle Prinia (Prinia sylvatica), Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis) and White-breasted Waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus).
As we were saying our goodbyes, my attention was diverted by a black creature that went into the branches of a tree. I was curious and stood still for a while, waiting for it to appear. After playing a hide and seek with me, it revealed itself It was the Blue-faced Malkoha (Phaenicaphaeus viridirostris). I christened him “The Bird of the Day”. I called the other members and showed them the unique features of its beak, the body, the legs, eye color and most importantly the long white-tipped graduated tail.
At the end of this half day trip we all were exhausted but very satisfied as we got to spot 56 birds, all thriving in this eco-system of Cherlapally.
Report — Indoor Meeting, 21° September 2010 Guide to Waders Sharad Murdeshwar
Winter is a season that is keenly awaited by birders like us from the tropics and warmer parts of the globe. It, not only, is a pleasant change from the heat and humidity, but also signals the arrival of the winter migrants that reside here after winging their way southward.
Among the numerous migrants that come to the Indian sub- continent for these brief months, or, use it as a stopover in their journey, are a group of relatively ‘long-legged birds’ wearing a subtle, patterned plumage. These handsome birds, known as ‘shorebirds’ in the US and ‘waders’ in Europe and the rest of the world (in the US, the term ‘wader’ is used to refer to long-legged wading birds such as storks and herons), present a significant challenge to amateur birdwatchers. Though there are many field-guides available, identifying these birds is difficult for the untrained eye. The fact that these birds show considerable plumage variation by season and age also adds to the problem. Moreover, the bold patterns and colours of the breeding season give way to more subtle ones by the time they migrate to our regions.
Since the migration season is upon us, the Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh (BSAP) and the Goethe-Zentrum, Hyderabad, very thoughtfully, organised a screening of the documentary ‘Guide to Waders’ at the Goethe-Zentrum Hyderab ad.
The high quality footage; possibly sourced from different film-makers, specially filmed to highlight their plumages
during breeding, migration and when wintering, is an excellent source of information on our winter visitors. The documentary is a direct, to-the-point presentation on each of the listed species and anyone expecting long shots of waders against the setting sun, moving to a_ synchronised background score, was in for a big surprise.
Some of the important species that migrate to the Indian sub-continent are the Eurasian Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus), the Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta), the Crab Plover (Dromas ardeola), the Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus), the Oriental Pratincole (Glareola maldivarum), the Cream-coloured Courser (Cursorious cursor), the Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius), the Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula), the Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) and the rare, Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Calidris pygmaeus).
While this is an excellent film, which highlights the key characteristics of waders and differences among species that closely resemble each other, I felt that if one was able to refer to a field guide, watch and discuss the points mentioned in the film and take notes, one would gain a lot more from this film. This may be wishful thinking, given the extended duration that such a screening and discussion would entail, but it would be extremely helpful to anyone hoping to clearly identify these waders in the field. However, our heartfelt thanks to BSAP and the Goethe- Zentrum, Hyderabad for screening this film.
The Wildfowl of Hyderabad — The Ground Birds “The Old Shikaree”
Some of the more important members of the Wildfowl fraternity are the ground birds. Of this, there are several different families, as diverse as the Bustards and the Quails. The families are not very clear-cut, but they have one common quality, and that is that they were all universally esteemed for culinary purposes.
The ground birds also have one other outstanding characteristic in common. All are fast on the wing and are expert dodgers and very difficult to see. They are, indeed, more often heard than seen. After having been persecuted for so many years, perhaps, that is not so surprising. Still, the resilience of some of the smaller species has been commendable. The larger species, such as the Bustards, have suffered much due to systematic hunting and, in recent years, wholesale habitat destruction, but the smaller members of the tribe such as the Partridge and Quail, on account of their shift from scrubland birds to farmland birds, have managed to fill up a vacant niche in their changed environment and have adapted well.
The ground birds, as their name implies, subsist mainly on the ground. Very few are given to ascend into trees, though Peafowl are known to fly into low trees to roost. But the bulk of the ground birds prefer to forage and roost on the ground.
Ground birds subsist largely on seeds, locusts, worms and, occasionally, small lizards and skinks. Peafowl are popularly supposed to be a deterrent to snakes, and there is no doubt that, since the birds habitually nest on the ground, snakes form a large part of the predators to the nest and as such, are a threat that the birds take quite seriously. I have seen a peacock dancing all around a small rat snake, so disconcerting it that the unfortunate reptile beat a hasty retreat from the heavily stamping bird. The large and very sharp spur on the legs of males of most of the ground birds is a rather effective weapon, but it is mostly used as a weapon in fights between rival birds and is not brought into action against other predators.
In bygone days, the ground birds were much pursued for sport. Partridge and Quail formed a regular part of the menu at many
Tha
a frolic and merry-making. There is also a record of a wedding feast amongst the nobility, where the guests were served Partridge in preference to the eternal village murghee. In my time, I have hunted these birds and, what is more, eaten them too. This, of course, was in long-ago days but the memory of the taste still lingers on the tongue. Others, not concerned about the dwindling population of these birds, continue to feast (if in a somewhat clandestine fashion) — and to cater to this market, the bird-sellers continue to stock the birds in their cages. I once saw a Hill- Partridge being sold on the steps of the Jama Masjid in Delhi! Grey and Painted Partridge are fairly regularly seen in the cages of the bird sellers at the Chowk market in Hyderabad. But, by and large, in the older days it was mostly for the chase that these birds were valued. In the grand old days of sport hunting and falconry, all members of the tribe of ground birds were esteemed for the chase. Sandgrouse were, apparently, greatest in demand and their meat was pronounced as excellent eating by those who had experience in these matters. Quail, for all that they are so small, were equally esteemed on the table. Large flocks of migrating quail were regularly trapped on passage and sold to the gentry in the old days. The old time fowlers used to also catch partridge by the ingenious method of securing a tame partridge behind the nets. The challenging call of the captive bird used to bring the wild birds into the nets. I was once out with an old-time fowler who used this method and we trapped around 7 birds in under an hour by this method. I felt rather sorry for the tame bird, though. He sounded quite hoarse by the time his owner finally called it a day.
The fowls that comprise the various species under the ground birds fall under 6 different species. These are, in order of size: Quail, Partridge, Sandgrouse, Spurfowl and Junglefowl, Pheasants (which include the Peafowl) and Bustards. Almost all these six tribes were represented in the old Hyderabad state, although the Pheasant tribe has only one representative. Pheasants, on the whole, are Himalayan birds and, though they were extensively hunted in the northern regions in the early days, they form not a part of the tribe of the Game Birds of Hyderabad.
Bird Humour
paoe ears CRACKERS
THATS NO A TO ENCOURAGE Y ¥ Oye 30H Wey:
(From The Times of India, 16-04-2010)
5
Birds of Himachal Pradesh — a photo-collage (Part-2) Text and photos: Umesh Mani
These photographs form the second & final part of the photo-collage on Birds of Himachal Pradesh, in which I have tried to show species that we in the South generally do not get to see.
Blue-cappred Rock Thrush
Crimson Sunbird
~ 4
; Streaked Laughingthrush ;
“White-capped Water Redstart Red-whiskered Bulbul
ip - J 7
Russet S aitow (Male) ; — - = - - — P: Russet Sparrow (Female) eating rice put out by the armymen every ‘a morning
Asian Paradise-fly catcher (Female)
Whiskered Yuhina
Himalayan Griffon
Abd ti Pied Flycatcher
~*~.
Grey Bushchat
Ss =
Grey -hooded. Warbler
——
Long-tailed Minivet (Female)
Bird of the Month Text and photos: Umesh Mani
Black-headed Munia (Lonchura malacca)
Black-headed Munia (Cherlapally, July 2010)
Order: Passeriformes Family: Estrildidae Genus: Lonchura Species: L. malacca Size: 10 cm
Description: Also known as Tricoloured Munia, the Black-headed Munia is a small chestnut, black and white munia with a typical short, heavy and conical bill. Its head, neck and upper breast, vent, thighs, centre of belly, and undertail-coverts are black. The abdomen is white. Lower breast and flanks are white in the nominate race, and chestnut in the races of the North and North-east. The sexes are alike. The juvenile has uniform brown upperparts and buff- to whitish underparts, and a blue-grey bill.
Behaviour: The Black-headed Munia is typically seen in flocks in marshy, tall grassland and is partial to swampy, low-lying areas (or those with poorly drained water) with feathery grass or reeds. It is also seen near wet paddy cultivation fields. The flocks hop around on reeds or grass, trying to glean grass seeds etc, and sometimes also eat winged termites emerging ftom the ground. They fly in disorderly, close-packed, undulating waves, uttering feeble cheeps all the while. It is seen in the peninsula south of Madhya Pradesh; also Sri Lanka. Not seen in Bangladesh, Pakistan or Myanmar.
Nesting: The Black-headed Munia nests mainly during the monsoon, i.e. from June to October, with some variations depending on local conditions. The nest is a large ball of coarse grass lined with finer grass, with a lateral entrance hole, and is usually built in low bushes or among the stems of coarse grasses. The clutch consists of 5-7 pure white eggs.
Local name: It is known as ‘nakalnor’ or ‘telia munia’ in Hindi, ‘nalla jinuwayi’ inTelugu and ‘thinai kuruvi’ or ‘nellu kuruvi’ in Tamil.
For Private Circulation Only Editor: Shanti Mani Email: bsap.pitta@ gmail.com
For information, write to: Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh, PO Box 45, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad — 500034. E-group: http://groups. google.co.in/group/bsap_online. Website: www.bsap.in. Society membership (in Rs.): Admission: 100; Annual: 400 per annum; Student: 200 per annum; Life: 3000. (Add Rs 75 for outstation cheques.)
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Newsletter of the Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh New Series Volume 7 Number 11 November 2010
FIELD OUTING: Sunday, 14 November 2010, 6:30AM: Acharya N G Ranga Agricultural University, (ANGRAU), Rajendranagar. Meeting Point: Hyderabad Central, Panjagutta, 5:45AM.
BSAP will be visiting the Agricultural University after a gap of over two years. The large campus, with its fields and forests, should yield a good number of birds, including some migrants
This will be a half-day trip. Please carry plenty of water and snacks. For further details and to co-ordinate, please contact Mr. Shafaat Ulla (98492-29552) or Mrs. Shanti Mani (93910-08302).
INDOOR MEETING: LIFE OF BIRDS Thursday, 18" November 2010, 6PM: Association of German Culture, 203, Hermitage Office Complex, Hill Fort Road, Nampally.
Colourful, mysterious, noble and intriguing, birds have fascinated us since the dawn of history. With the series The Life of Birds, David Attenborough, one of the world’s foremost naturalists, hosts an extraordinary exploration into the secret lives of these magnificent creatures.
Signals And Songs - Birds communicate with one another using signs, signals and occasionally a bit of mimicry. With sound and visual display, they warn one another of danger, defend territory and offspring, maintain social hierarchies, attract mates and even settle their conflicts peacefully.
FIELD OUTING: Sunday, 28 November 2010, 6:00AM: Manjeera Barrage, Sangareddy, Medak District.
Made up of several small islands, the Manjira Bird Sanctuary spreads over 20 sq km and is nestled between the Manjira and Singur barrages. A number of migratory and resident birds nest and breed here. Painted Storks, Herons, Coots, Teals, Cormorants, Pochards, Black and White Ibises, etc, can be found here. A few Mugger crocodiles too call this sanctuary home. It is located 60km from Hyderabad.
This will be a half-day trip. Please carry plenty of water and snacks. For further details and to co-ordinate, please contact Mr. Shafaat Ulla (98492-29552) or Mrs. Shanti Mani (93910-08302).
| HSBC-BSAP HYDERABAD BIRD RACE |
| After a gap of two years, the HSBC-BSAP Hyderabad Bird Race will be held on 21 November 2010. The details | | have been posted in the e-group. Please rush and register your names for this wonderful event. The last date for | | receiving the entries is 6:00PM on 18'" November 2010 (Thursday).
| You can give your names and contact details (including those of your team members) to:
| Shanti Mani - 9391008302/ shantimanid @ gmail.com (OR)
Sushil Kapadia — 9393319333/ sushildk @ yahoo.com (OR) Asif Husain Arastu — 990861 1496/ asifjoy@ yahoo.com
Trip Report — Inkriyal Lake, 24" October 2010
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My wife and I have joined BSAP recently and this was our third field trip, the first being to Ananthagiri Hills, followed by Cherlapally last month.
We all gathered at Uppal crossroads by about 6:30 in the morning and 13 of us started for our destination in a convoy of four cars and a motorbike. We took a right turn at Ghatkesar crossroads and after a quick cuppa, went straight to Edulabad. However, although we had planned to do birding here, we decided to proceed to Inkriyal as we could not see any bird life at the tank.
We had traveled a few kilometers when we spotted two raptors high up on an electricity pylon. We all stopped to investigate and after looking through the spotting scope, we discovered that they were Black Kites (Milvus migrans). Stopping here, however, was a blessing in disguise as the surrounding landscape of thorny bushes and scattered trees was rich in birds.
For both of us all birds were new and fascinating — including the Red-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer), which we were told was a very common garden bird! Some of the birds that we saw here were the White- browed Bulbul (Pycnonotus luteolus), Brahminy Starling (Sturnus pagodarum), Long-tailed Shrike (Lanius schach), Baya Weaver (Ploceus philippinus), Green Bee- eater (Merops orientalis) and Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis).
After some good birding we proceeded to the village of Inkriyal. We went through it to the other side to the lake. Not only were there lots of House Crows (Corvus splendens) but also quite a few House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) - a sight that made us very happy because they have become so rare in our city. We parked our
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vehicles at the edge of the lake and got out and were immediately treated to a sight of many birds all around.
First we saw a White-browed Wagtail (Motacilla maderaspatensis) on top of a small temple, wagging its tail. On the opposite side was a beautiful White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis) perched on a dry tree and further ahead we could see the Black Drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus) with its two-pronged tail.
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Greater Coucal (Photo: Asif Husain)
Just then Meena, my wife, noticed a rather large bird on a neem tree, which we were told was a Crow Pheasant or the Greater Coucal (Centropus sinensis) which, subsequently, came down and snatched a small fish from the nets kept by the villagers. Suddenly there was excitement among us as a Pied Crested Cuckoo (Clamator jacobinus) came and sat on a babool tree, followed by a beautiful Golden Oriole (Oriolus kundoo), Asian Pied Starling (Sturnus contra) and some Yellow-billed Babblers (Turdoides affinis).
Painted Storks (Photo: Asif Husain) We then proceeded and walked along the bund and saw a mongoose in the grass along a water channel. The lake was full to its capacity because of the recent rains but there were hardly any birds in the lake. Nevertheless, we saw a flock of Painted Storks (Mycteria leucocephala) at the far end of the lake and a lone Darter (Anhinga melanogaster), sunning himself with his wings open.
We also observed some Grey Herons (Ardea cinerea), Purple Herons (Ardea purpurea) and Little (Phalacrocorax niger) and Great Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) flying around, not to forget a Brahminy Kite (Haliastur Indus) majestically gliding over the lake. Of course, there were plenty of snowy white Egrets all around. After spending some time here we started back and stopped on the way as we saw a raptor soaring high up in the sky. But in spite of our best efforts, it remained unidentified.
Grey Heron (Photo: Asif Husain)
We then noticed a River Tern (Sterna aurantia) flying in the vicinity. Since we had stopped we decided to have our breakfast, as we were anyway famished. The variety of food was amazing as everyone brought out picnic boxes. It was the most enjoyable experience for us, sharing our food with one another. After having had our fill, we started back, having notched up a list of about 40 species.
Before we end this note we would like to put it on record that we are thoroughly enjoying the BSAP outings and the company of such wonderful people. Our sincere thanks to the BSAP team, especially Mr. Shafaat Ulla for making us members, as this is giving us the opportunity to meet people from different walks of life. We have also decided not to miss future trips and we hope to become more and more familiar with birds as days pass by.
Report — Indoor Meeting, 21° September 2010
Network of Perfection Asif Husain Arastu
Two-thirds of our planet is covered with water and amongst all the animals living out of water, it is birds that have developed a very wide range of techniques to collect their food. That is what the documentary “Fishing for a Living” by Sir David Attenborough was all about.
We learnt how birds all over the world have devised unique solutions to extract little fish from shallow pools. Superbly captured films showed how Skimmers, with their long lower mandible, plough the surface of water. When it touches something solid, they snap their beaks shut with a quick reflex action. A unique bird in New Zealand called the Wrybill amazed us all. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it has a beak that is bent to one side and the bend, quite surprisingly, is always to the right.
Another fascinating bird discussed was the Diver bird. It is the most skillful underwater swimmer. Its spectacular white and black plumage made us stare open-mouthed. The boobies were another awesome sight as they divebombed the ocean’s surface with such beautiful precision like the Fl6s! We were equally fascinated by the wingspan of the Royal Albatross, which has the biggest wingspan measuring more than 7 feet. Lastly, we observed how the sea birds have tube-like noses, which are absolutely crucial to their survival. This feature helps them detect odours - a rare ability among birds that enables them to find floating food at great distances.
As the documentary continued, it made us realize how perfectly different birds adapt to the environment and it looked as though there was an infinite chain, so uniform, spreading all around the world.
Trip Report — Rollapadu, 2" - 4 October 2010 Text and photos: KB Anand
Blackbuck
After all the excellent planning and organisation by Humayun and kind help from the Forest Department officials, we set off from Hyderabad at 5AM on October 2 to Rollapadu Wildlife Sanctuary. After an hour's drive we came across the corpse of a Jungle Cat (Felis chaus). It was a road kill. We all felt very sorry for the young and healthy animal.
About 140KM from Hyderabad, we noticed a Black- headed Ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus) flying. Initially I found this odd. However, a minute later we found a heronry at Amadabakula village. Not a very well known place, it has a bund which was built in 2005 to store water. An old man at this small lake told us that the last four years had witnessed many birds. There were dozens of Black-headed Ibises and a few Glossy Ibises (Plegadis falcinellus). River Terns (Sterna aurantia) and Black-bellied Terns (Sterna acuticauda) were seen fishing.
There were Little Cormorants (Phalacrocorax niger) and Little Egrets (Egretta garzetta) galore. A Eurasian Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus) was flying low, scanning the ground. There were Common Coots (Fulica atra) and White-breasted Waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus) with chicks and Lesser Whistling Ducks (Dendrocygna javanica) with young ones. A female Yellow Bittern (Ixobrychus sinensis) and a pair of Brown Crakes (Amaurornis akool) played hide and seek with us, giving us occasional glimpses. Four Darters (Anhinga melanogaster) were resting on trees. Happy to have seen some special birds, we moved on.
We reached Rollapadu Sanctuary by 1PM. Tall grass up to a meter high welcomed us. The Forest Department has
planted this grass in a small portion of the sanctuary in front of the office and guesthouse. We visited a small museum and laboratory in the premises. The laboratory had a few insect and reptile specimens. The Forest Guard, Adi Seshaiah, accompanied us on a tour of the sanctuary. He told us that seven guards constantly monitor the sanctuary, keeping an eye out for the Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) and its movements. He told us about the migrants which had arrived this season. His list of residents and migrants in the sanctuary increased my interest in the place.
We started on foot at 3PM. A pair of Zitting Cisticolas (Cisticola juncidis) was constantly calling in this otherwise silent area. Common Stonechats (Saxicola torquata) appeared to have arrived here in good numbers. A small pool of water in the grassland had very interesting birds. A lone Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia) was standing still, undisturbed by our presence. Two pairs of Little Grebes (Tachybaptus ruficollis) were feeding while their chicks watched them. A Fulvous Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna bicolor) was closely followed by seven chicks. Few flocks of Chestnut- bellied Sandgrouse (Pterocles exustus) flew right over our heads.
There are so many Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) that no one can actually miss sighting this beautiful animal. It was amazing to watch some of those little fawns. The watchtower in the middle of the sanctuary gave an excellent view of the plains. From here we could see an Indian Fox (Vulpes bengalensis) scurrying around, probably searching for food.
We stayed there in anticipation of few more interesting sightings. Around sunset we sighted the Indian Wolf (Canis indica). Though it was quite far we saw it for at least ten minutes. As it was about to get dark we came down from the watchtower.
It was time for the Harriers to come to their roosting grounds. Though they were not in great numbers, some had already arrived this winter. By the end of the day, we had sighted four species of Harriers - Marsh (Circus aeruginosus), Pallid (Circus macrourus), Montagu's (Circus pygargus) and Hen (Circus cyaneus).
Finally it became too dark to see anything. As we were returning, we saw a Nightjar making short flights. It was not clearly visible in the darkness, but it was, most likely, an Indian Nightjar (Caprimulgus asiaticus). About 9PM we saw two Common Kraits (Bungarus caeruleus), probably two days old, venturing close to the sanctuary office.
It was satisfying to see several rare birds and mammals on the first day of the trip but there was no sign of the bird we were all after - the Great Indian Bustard. Seshaiah claimed to have spotted the bird in the area close to Alaganuru village just the day before and said that the bird is a frequent visitor to the fields in surrounding villages. The next day's plan was to visit one of those places which the Bustards frequent.
We started early on day two. The beautiful Southern Grey Shrikes (Lanius meridionalis) were everywhere. They were perched on the cactus and other small plants. The bird looks more beautiful in flight, with black and white wing patterns.
We noticed a Short-toed Snake Eagle (Circaetus gallicus) from a distance. We moved closer to get a better view. I have always seen this bird in flight but never perched. It is a huge raptor. As we approached closer, it took off and flew almost at ground level. I was really amazed by the size of the bird and was thrilled to see it from close quarters.
AS we were returning, an Indian Fox and a Blackbuck saw us and ran. It appeared as though the fox was chasing the antelope. It was really nice to see the chase but we quickly lost them in the grass. The closest of all sightings was the Common Babblers (Turdoides caudatus). Three Babblers perched on the cactus paid no attention to our presence and allowed our car just 15 feet from them.
Sighting them was really pleasant. They are one among the several birds I saw for the first time during this tour.
Common Babbler :
The desire to see Bustards intensified as time was running out. Seshaiah took us towards Jalakanur village, which is in the southwest corner of the sanctuary, where Bustards are seen quite often. On the way, close to Rollapadu village, there is a small scrub jungle. Here, close to a small water body we saw a pair of Red Munias (Amandava amandava) mating. The male Red Munia has vibrant colours, but to me the female is more beautiful.
We glimpsed a Rain Quail (Coturnix coromandelica) here. I have come extremely close to quails, but have never seen them for longer than a second. Either they run into bushes or fly too fast before I even realize their presence.
Blue-faced Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus viridirostris), Pied Crested Cuckoo (Clamator jacobinus), Greater Coucal (Centropus sinensis) appeared to fill the void due to the absence of Cuckoos in the trip. There were hundreds of Ashy-crowned Sparrow-larks (Eremopterix grisea) en route.
The vast plains were dotted with occasional small trees. There were two White-eyed Buzzards (Butastur teesa) on these trees. A Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) perched on one of these trees allowed us close to it and we had a good sighting of the raptor. Seshaiah informed us that Lesser Kestrels (Falco naumanni) were also seen in that area, but we were not so lucky to see it.
Isabelline Wheatear
We then sighted the bird of our trip. No, not the Bustard. It’s a small bird about the size of a Common Stonechat. Having seen so many Stonechats during the trip, we almost ignored it and wrongly identified it as a Common Stonechat. It’s only when it appeared before us for a second time that we started to wonder what it was. It was the Isabelline Wheatear (Oenanthe isabellina). There are very few records of this bird in South India.
We spotted a Common Indian Monitor (Varanus bengalensis) basking on the ground. We went closer to it and observed it for few minutes. It was very huge. We noticed a couple of Woolly-necked Storks (Ciconia episcopus) landing in adjoining rice fields.
Common Indian Monitor
After dinner we ventured out again and saw a Banded Kukri (Oligodon arnensis) and a Common Wolf Snake (Lycodon aulicus). There was a big colony of Spotted Owlets (Athene brama). There were so many of them that it was hard to miss sighting them.
On day three, we went towards the wooded area near Rollapadu Village. There we saw the Asian Paradise Flycatcher (Terpsichore paradise). We then quickly went to the watchtower. We could see a few herds of Blackbuck. A White-eyed Buzzard flew past us, and a Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis) was soaring high.
We then decided to go to the place where the Wheatear was seen the day before. By the time we reached this place it was 9:30AM and there were not many significant sightings. On our way back to Hyderabad, we again stopped at Amadabakula. We sighted 7 Painted Storks (Mycteria leucocephala) and 2 Black Ibises (Pseudibis papillosa) along with several other birds we saw during the onward journey.
There are some disturbances to the calmness of the Rollapadu Wildlife Sanctuary in the form a huge cement factory coming up right next to the sanctuary, to the east, close to the reservoir. The lighting from the factory is clearly visible from the sanctuary and the night sky was not all that dark. A small temple at the north end of the sanctuary is being rebuilt and is being constructed in a big way. All the construction material is strewn around and the workers go through a path right in the middle of the sanctuary.
Not sighting the Bustard is not just disappointing but is of great concern. There are rare reptiles and birds in the sanctuary, which is a good sign and it further enhances the importance and need for proper conservation of THE GREAT GRASSLAND.
The Wildfowl of Hyderabad — The Ground Birds “The Old Shikaree”
Ground birds, in this part of the country, are from six distinct families. These are Quail, Partridge, Sandgrouse, Spurfowl, Junglefowl, Pheasants and Bustards. As mentioned in an earlier installment of these memoirs, they were all birds much esteemed for the table and a common addition to the menu of sporting gentlemen in the grand
old days. From this persecution developed their uncanny knack of keeping a very low profile, being mostly heard and not seen and, lastly their extreme speed and dexterity on the wing. The ground birds recognized, quite early on, that to stay in flight was to draw both attention and gun- sights to themselves.
So they countered this by only indulging in short flights from where they were flushed, to the nearest cover. Here they hurriedly drop to the ground and, invariably, continue forward at a run to a distance of a few dozen yards. You go to the spot where you saw it going to ground and the bird is nowhere to be seen. Cast around in all directions and the bird will again flush from under your feet and repeat the performance. Very ingenious it is, too. I was once taken in by this performance no less than 5 times by a particularly rotund partridge that I was determined to add to my menu. I finally called it a day when, at the sixth attempt, the partridge no doubt tiring of this profitless hide-and-seek jamboree, took wing and sailed off to quite a distance. I have never seen a longer flight than that made by this particular partridge. It went a good couple of hundred yards from its starting point.
Quail
In the old Hyderabad state, there were four species of quail recognized by the shikarees. These were the Common Quail, the Rain Quail, the Jungle and Rock Bush Quails and the Common Bustard Quail. This last is hardly deserving of the name of Quail as it is much smaller than any of the preceding species and can, indeed, give a Sparrow a good run for its money in the matter of who is smaller in size. Owing to their diminutive size and their capital use of all available cover, quail shikarees seldom achieved any notable bags. A bag of over a dozen brace in a single day was considered very good going.
The Quail family are miniature Partridges, from their appearance, their legs being a trifle stunted and their tails a mere apology. They are quite happy running about on the ground in little coveys from about 6 to 8 birds, scratching up grass seeds or running through recently harvested fields, feasting on spilled jowar, bajra and rice seeds. Small incautious insects and moths also fall to their
sk
lot, particularly if the birds have a family to feed. For some reason, most seed-eating birds have young that are distinctly carnivorous in habits and insist on having fresh insects as an inseparable adjunct to an _ enjoyable childhood. To this end, the adults often forgather at dead and decaying animals to take their pleasure on the many maggots and grubs that such putrefying fauna quickly accumulate. I have also seen large coveys of quail that had learned to recognize feeding time for Spotted Deer at a national park near Hyderabad. As soon as the bell rang to inform the deer that their feeding trays had been filled, the area quickly became alive with quail, all running up to the trays and stuffing themselves before the deer could come up and spoil their feasting. This argues intelligence of a high order.
Intelligence was much required by the birds. They were favourites of the sporting gentry and many day-long excursions were organized for the express purpose of doing battle upon them. I have, in my day, participated in battles of this nature and generally considered myself as doing passably well if I made a bag of four to five brace of the birds. Some of my companions were better shots than me and they made considerable bags, of up to ten brace of the birds. The most frequently encountered were the Common and Rain Quail. We also, I remember on one particular occasion, came across a nest of these birds. Cunningly situated under a thick tussock of dried grass, there were six eggs and one chick inside. The chick had evidently hatched just a couple of hours ago. We hurriedly retreated behind suitable shrubbery and awaited the return of the parent. After an interval of a few minutes, there stepped out of the adjoining bushes, a small Button Quail (the smallest of the tribe). Our sense of guilt was suitably diminished as this bird, whatever else it may be, is not a part of the tribe of the Game Birds of Hyderabad.
Bird Humour
ANIMAL CRACKERS
DONT LOOK AT ME- 1 YOURE THE ONE WHO | WANTED TO ADOPT
70 | AN OSTRICH!
(From The Times of India, 19-06-2010)
Bird of the Month Text and photos: Umesh Mani
Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
i
Great Cormorant — Adult (L) and Immature (R)
(Cherlapally, July 2010)
Order: Pelecaniformes Family: Phalacrocoracidae Genus: Phalacrocorax Species: P. carbo
Size: 80-100 cm
Description: The largest of the cormorants, the Great Cormorant is generally glossy black and has an orange gular pouch, white cheeks and throat, and white head plumes and a white thigh patch during breeding season.
The non-breeding Great Cormorant is more blackish- brown, lacks the white head plumes and thigh patch, and has a duller gular pouch. The immature bird has whitish or pale buff underparts, and acquires adult plumage from the fourth year.
Behaviour: The Great Cormorant is typically seen singly or in small flocks and inhabits large inland water bodies, sand banks, lagoons, etc. Its diet is almost exclusively fish, which it hunts by diving and chasing underwater. Courting behaviour includes raising the tail, bending the head backwards till it almost touches the back and (in the males) flapping the wings slowly. It is resident and migratory, and seen throughout India up to over 3000m.
Nesting: The Great Cormorant nests from September to February, with some variations depending on_ local conditions. The nest is a large platform in mixed heronries. The clutch consists of 3-6 pale blue eggs overlaid with a layer of chalky white. Both sexes share domestic duties.
Local name: It is known as ‘pan kowwa’ in Hindi and ‘bonta kaki’ in Telugu.
For Private Circulation Only Editor: Shanti Mani Email: bsap.pitta@ gmail.com
For information, write to: Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh, PO Box 45, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad — 500034. E-group: http://groups.google.co.in/group/bsap_online. Website: www.bsap.in. Society membership (in Rs.): Admission: 100; Annual: 400 per annum; Student: 200 per annum; Life: 3000. (Add Rs 75 for outstation cheques.)
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Newsletter of the Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh New Series Volume 7 Number 12 December 2010
FIELD OUTING: Sunday, 12 December 2010, Pocharam. Meeting Point: Hyderabad Central, Panjagutta, 6:00AM.
Pocharam is a large reservoir on the Manjira River, about 70km downstream from Manjira Barrage. The reservoir is situated amidst undulating hills, with dry deciduous forest and scrub jungle. The lake varies in extent from 15,000 to 20,000 ha depending upon the season and fluctuations in rainfall. The lake is known to support a wide variety of resident, as well as migratory waterfowl. More than 53 species of waterfowl are listed for the area. Specialities include Greater Flamingo, Eurasian Spoonbill and Bar-headed Goose.
Members are requested to be on time as it is a long, two-hour drive. This will be a half-day trip. Please carry plenty of water and snacks. For further details and to co-ordinate, please contact Mr. Shafaat Ulla (98492-29552) or Mrs. Shanti Mani (93910-08302).
INDOOR MEETING: IDENTIFICATION OF RAPTORS Thursday, 9" December 2010, 6PM: Association of German Culture, 203, Hermitage Office Complex, Hill Fort Road, Nampally.
Rajeev Mathew, President BioWILD Foundation, Hyderabad and a member of BSAP, will be speaking, with a presentation, on field identification of Raptors. He will concentrate on Eagles found in Peninsular India.
Rajeev was a field biologist with