13 Sept 2012

Dressed in stripes....

Rhythmic movement  , heads bobbing back and forth,  beautiful crest half opening and closing ,sunset hued bodies with gorgeous black and white stripes....  Hoopoe 


Happy birding ...

12 Sept 2012

Wetland Birds of Mumbai...(Palm beach road)


A mangrove dotted  coastline a natural habitat of wildlife ....Mumbai was a totally magical for me because of extraordinary range of habitats and biodiversity...Nature trails just minutes away .
Palm beach road with high rises on one side and mangroves on the otherside is a'' Birders Haven ''.

Hordes of gulls terns and ducks dotted all around 







Sandpipers lazing around ....basking in the sun.

painted storks  in flight





Black winged stilts 

Egrets  enjoying the first rays of sunlight ...Golden light


Spoonbills generally bossing around ....I could just sit here for hours watching the antics of these birds .



Happy Birding 

11 Sept 2012

And another Waterhen....

The white breasted waterhen are dark slaty birds with clear white face, breast and  belly. They are much bolder than the birds of the Rallidae family . They can be spotted in open marshy areas or even in drains close to busy roads.



There is a pair of white breasted waterhen residing in my society....can be spotted taking a morning stroll with the other residents .Now this what I mean by saying bolder than the other birds of Rallidae family.


 Their enormous feet constantly flickering stubby tail  makes them a amusing bird to observe ....These clicks were made when I spotted it foraging along the lotus pond .Waited patiently to get a shot of the bird on lotus leaves ...but in vain .The  naturalist writer  Eha describes the call of these species as ''it began with loud harsh roars which might have been elicited  from a bear by roasting it slowly over a large fire, then suddenly changed to a clear note repeated like a coo of a dove ''..... Lend your ears to the call of white breasted waterhen
 I would leave you all at this note , would be back soon with some more clicks ..

Happy Birding 

10 Sept 2012

Doing the balancing act....

Just hopped in to say a Hello....Sharing this click of the Heron doing the balancing act and all alert to grab her food..

Happy Birding ..

7 Sept 2012

Angels in flight....(Pheasant Tailed Jacanas)

Don't they look like angels in flight...Pheasant tailed jacanas are one of my favorite birds .
Nape of the neck there is a patch of  brilliant golden feathers the wings and the underparts are a dazzling white.The central tail feather grows very long ...complete description of jacana bird in breeding plumage .




Have a fun filled and a colorful Weekend .... 
Will be back soon with some more clicks of the Pheasant tailed jacanas....
Happy Birding .

4 Sept 2012

Another Moorhen in purple .....

Another bird from  the Rallidae family all dressed in purple ...
Purple Moorhen.

Marshy and swampy lands  bordered with tall reeds are their homes .A glimpse of  purple with long red colored legs clumsily moving among the reeds.







They are really shy birds and run into the reeds with their stubby tails flickering nervously  at the slightest disturbance .They are audible from far thanks to their loud raucous high pitched screechs .Despite being clumsy in flight they are capable of flying long distances

I'll back soon with another bird from the rail and crake  family....till then..

Happy Birding 


3 Sept 2012

Black is in vogue ....Common Moorhen.


Shades of black speckled with white .
Twitching white undertail.. 
Red facial shield 
 Beak dipped in yellow 
Gargling calls ...







Happy Birding ..