The Asian Koel Visits Our Backyard - Everyday !!

Sunday morning,7 am,chilly breeze,peculiar of the month of October.Standing on the terrace,as I was waiting for the warm rays of the sun,springing from the east like golden arrows to penetrate my insensate skin,I caught a glimpse of a fairly large flecked bird landing on one of the branches of the Mango tree.Excited and enthralled by this discovery,I carefully moved closer ,careful not to make it aware of my presence.After a few seconds of admiration, I quickly realized that it was a sight worth capturing on camera.Out came my DSC H-10.The bird noticed it,trying to hide itself in the canopy.I did not want to let go of this beautiful moment and tried desperately to locate it.There it was but again the bird was quick to make a move.It landed on the fence this time and I made sure that I had captured atleast one shot before it flew away.

After analysing the photo,it was clear that the bird was a female Asian Koel. It has been regularly visiting our backyard since then.

White Eye - Failed Nesting

A few days ago, at about noon time,as I was walking past a Litchi tree in my backyard, I heard some feeble birdy calls which were probably being made by the young ones of some bird.I was elated and started searching the tree for a nest.Suddenly my eyes stuck on a well rounded nest,prettily covered with cobwebs with two chicks in it.The nest seemed to belong to the White-Eye and it was a matter of a few seconds before the bird made its appearance,carrying a moth in its mouth and eagerly waiting to feed its hungry chicks.Realizing that it was time for me to leave, I left the area and decided to visit the nest next day.

But as fate had in store for our feathered friends,the next afternoon when I went to check the nest,it was all but gone. Not even a trace of it was to be found either on the tree or on the ground below.The feeling of euphoria that was present yesterday had vanished. What do you think could have happened to the nest ? Comments awaited...

Miss Bulbul...Where's Your Tail ?

This Red-vented Bulbul had taken birth last year in a nest in the Bougainvillea shrubs in my garden. Although it is not dependent on its parents for food,yet it spends the majority of its time in their company.However,it is only today that I noticed that its tail was missing...Wonder what the reason could be ?

Its Roosting Time !

Its Roosting Time...Dont disturb please !

A Spotted Dove (Streptopelia chinensis) roosting among the fallen leaves at about noon time.These birds are often seen roosting,largly on the roof tops of houses and even on the ground.A nice capture indeed.

The Summer heat is on !

 It's Summer Season in India and its effect is pretty much visible on our winged friends.The dreaded heat is having its trademark effect on the birds,with temperatures soaring sky-high and hot summer winds blowing for the major part of the day ! There seems to be little respite for the little creatures as bird baths are fairly uncommon (or not at all present should I say ! ) in the houses present in the Dun valley and the little bit which I am doing to cool them down is obviously not turning out to be enough. For now,this tap (below) is proving to be a boon for them as it provides just the right amount of water.

Here is an example of a Male purple sunbird with its female counterpart(above),trying to escape the heat and quench their thirst.


                                               Jungle Babbler (Turdoides striata)

For now,I can only hope that the rain gods pour down some rain so that our winged friends could help beat the heat !

Local Migration of Starlings,Rosefinches

This March, many kinds of starlings could be seen hovering in the sky along with Common Rosefinches.Every year,before the Summer season in India (April-August) commences,these birds have been witnessed to undergo local migration,probably from the nearby hills where Dehradun acts as a midway stop.Moving in large congregations,they usually stay for around a month or so,after which they continue their journey to their ultimate destination.




During this time,one could witness the Common Rosefinch (Carpodacus erythrinus) and its female counterpart,both of which are not seen in the Dun valley although they are present in large numbers in the nearby hills of the so called "Queen of Hills", Mussoorie. The birds would spend a fairly large amount of time flittering from one tree to another,but the most preferred ones seemed to be "Bamboo" and "Himalayan Silver Fur" . Surely one of the prettiest birds around...What say ?