Birds of Chandigarh

Rufous-vented Prinia from Harike Wetland

2010-01-23T19:35:00.000-08:00

'Near-threatened' bird species, Rufous-vented Prinia photographed by Narbir Kahlon at Harike Wetland in mid Jan 2010.

Nangal Wetland by Narbir Kahlon

2009-11-02T03:58:00.000-08:00

(This photo was sent to me by Navjit Singh on 10 Nov 09 on behalf of Parbhat Bhatti)

(first part - Swaan Nadi)

With the coming Punjab Wetlands Survey in Feb 2010 in mind, we decided to visit Nangal and the Swaan river last Saturday (31 Oct 09). We left Chandigarh at about 5 am with the intention of hitting the Satluj at Kiratpur Sahib at daybreak and we succeeded.

The Canal water is released into the Satluj river bed just upstream of Kiratpur Sahib, What appears to be thousands of cusecs of water is released into the river and offers an incredible sight. As the sun rose, birds began to converge on this stretch to feed; the flow of water was very fast and cormorants were unable to hold their position in the water. They flew upstream landed in the water and a single dive later they found themselves 50 meters downstream, the cormorants braving these waters were mainly the Great and Indian Cormorants.

The spray-washed boulders seemed to be the preferred hunting ground of the Plumbeous Water Redstart and a few Pallas’s Gulls could be seen patrolling this stretch of water. In the bushes adjacent to the railway line, there were some Grey Francolins. A Black Kite was perched on a dry tree nearby. After enjoying the river for a while we proceeded towards Nangal and Anandpur Sahib. While driving down this road we saw some Egyptian Vultures, the juv plumage was a little confusing and this called for a brief stop for verification.

At Nangal, Mr. Prabhat Bhatti was already waiting for us and we proceeded towards Swaan Nadi (river); we decided to drive along the man-made bund made to tame this (at times destructive) river. There were lots of larks on the dusty track mainly the Crested and the Sand Lark. After driving for a while we stopped by a natural pond (Toba) which had a fair share of reeds growing beside it.

Amongst the reeds was a Striated Grassbird its distinctive call making it easy to spot. The pond had some Common Pochards, Common Teals and a Little Grebe. Two Eurasian Marsh Harriers were surveying the Khadar for breakfast circling in the sky.

A short distance away there were two Wool- necked Storks perched on a pole, they seemed to be used to humans, as they allowed me to approach quite close. In the squealchy grassland a few Citrine & Yellow Wagtails and Paddyfield Pipits were seen. A lone shrike brought about a brief discussion on the plumage of grey and long tailed shrikes and it was concluded that it was indeed the Long-tailed Shrike.

Driving along the track we came across a heavily streaked Black (eared) Kite (probably Milvus migrans lineatus), along the waters edge there were a few waders - a Green Sandpiper, Common Redshank, Little stints and Little Ringed Plovers. Little cormorants could be seen harvesting the water for fish and a large Pied Kingfisher was seen perched overlooking a stretch of the Nadi. In the distance we could see Intermediate Egrets feeding in the water and a tree along the bund had a Cattle Egret on it.

A rather aggressive Common Drongo was guarding its area and could be seen chasing away larks, and even Black Kites, this prompted Navjit and Prabhat ji to check out the tree for a nest , but it turned out that it was just in an aggressive frame of mind for no apparent reason.

At the water's edge another heavily streaked wagtail sized bird attracted my attention and after we climbed down the embankment and got a closer view (and a few snaps) we realized it was the Rosy Pipit. A bird I remember seeing a few days earlier near Chatbir but at that time, I had not been able to id it correctly. It was in non breeding plumage and therefore a trickier id.

On the drive back we saw a gull approaching and while I was in the drivers Seat Navjit took a picture it appeared to be either a Yello- legged Gull or a first wintering Pallas’s Gull.

This stretch is home to one pair of Sarus Cranes and Prabhat ji spotted them in the distance. Parking the car on the Bund we approached them on foot but they were rather wary and moved off a short distance as we approached, we were not in a mood to give up and so we followed and I am glad we did, because they led us to a group of Northern Lapwings and a majestic Long- legged Buzzard. I had not seen either of these birds earlier and one could definitely say discount pe lifer.

The Long-legged Buzzard was a mature bird, while perched its distinctive cinnamon tail was clearly visible, in flight the tarsus also indicating it to be the classical Long-legged Buzzard (No difficulty with its Id). The Northern Lapwing is another bird which is one of its kind and is unmistakable in the field with its distinctive plumage and plume/ crest. The fact that Prabhat ji was very familiar with this lapwing was a help, as he was able to identify them from their flight at a distance.

After this special encounter we drove onto the Mehatpur road, as we drove past a few ponds by the roadside we saw Common Coots, Common Moorhens, and Purple Moorhens, plenty of Black Ibis but surprisingly no Black-winged Stilt . After paying a 'safe distance' couretsy call to the the other pair of Sarus which lives here we drove back into Nangal.

Courtesy Prabhat ji’s hospitality, we had a hearty brunch of aloo ke Parathe (fogot all about Dr Sudhir Oswal's advice to reduce my waiste line) at Chiefs Resteraunt - a nice scenic spot in the middle of Nangal. While we were having our brunch, we were entertained by a thirsty crow that preferred the filtered water on offer in a jug rather than the blue clear fast flowing water of the nearby canal.

I am given to understand that there is a very large colony of Rose-ringed Parakeets in the NFL forest at Nangal and also a growing healthy population of Rock Pigeons and House Crows. A brief discussion on the culling of no-native species in Dubai followed, the pros and cons of such exercises continued to be discussed as we moved on towards the Nangal Lake for the next session of Birding.

Narbir Kahlon
02 Nov 09

Eurasian Hobby

2009-10-31T07:35:00.000-07:00

Surat Singhji Poonia has forwarded this photograph of Eurasian Hobby which he photographed today at Tal Chhapar.

Rufous-breasted and Black-throated Accentors (Morni Hills)

2009-10-27T10:54:00.000-07:00

Black-throated Accentor from Morni Hills in Jan 2007 by me. Not abundant, but not uncommon. A winter visitor to the Morni Hills.

Rofous-breasted Accentor was also seen by me in Morni Hills in Jan 2007. Both these species were seen together.

Python snake killed by ignorant men (photo by Parbhat Bhatti)

2009-10-27T10:50:00.000-07:00

Parbhat Bhatti has posted this image on birds-chandigarh google group today. This beautiful harmless creature was killed by villagers out of ignorance, today.

Yellow-eyed Pigeons (120+) from Tal Chhapar by S.S. Poonia ji.

2009-10-21T21:20:00.000-07:00

It appears that both birds are Isabelline Wheatear.

Mr. S. S. Poonia's photograph - he says there are at least 124 Yellow-eyed Pigeons at Tal Chhapar on 21 Oct 09.

Northern Wheatear (?) by Nikhil Devasar from Tal Chhapar today

2009-10-16T07:53:00.000-07:00

Nikhil Devasar records another milestone from Tal Chhapar, Churu, Rajasthan today. A Northern Wheatear (ID not clear, though?). A rare bird in our region. And possibly a first for Tal Chhapar.
Photo by Nikhil Devasar.

It may be a Isabelline Wheatear. ID still not clear, a photo showing the back may be helpful.

Horned Lark in Chandigarh region (Morni Hills) by Narbir Kahlon

2009-10-16T04:32:00.000-07:00

This Horned Lark was sighted and photographed by Narbir Kahlon on 15 Oct 09 at Morni Hills, Haryana (near Chandigarh). I do not remember anyone else having record it earlier in Haryana or Morni or Chandigarh. Congrats, Narbir.

Bird images by Surat Singh Poonia from Tal Chhapar

2009-10-12T09:12:00.000-07:00

Some of the bird images sent by Surat Singh Poonia, Tal Chhapar, Churu, Rajasthan today. Long-billed Pipit (not sure, though), Oriental Turtle Dove, and some of the 54 Yellow-eyed Pigeons.

Shaheen Falcon (Peregrine) by Narbir Kahlon

2009-10-12T09:04:00.000-07:00

This is Shaneen Falcon, seen and photographed near Berwala Bird Safari, Morni Hills, Chandigarh on 10 Oct 09, by Narbir Kahlon in the company of Navjit Singh. Looked like an Oriental Hobby also, but experts identified it as a resident species of Peregrine Falcon known as Shaheen Falcon. I do not remember anyone else having seen or reported it from Chandigarh area in the last 10 years, at least.

Congrats, Narbir.

The miracle birdwatcher - Mr. Surat Singh Poonia

2009-10-09T07:20:00.000-07:00

This Range Officer of Tal Chhapar Blackbuck Sanctuary, Churu, Rajasthan has shown us Great Indian Bustard, White-browed Bushchats, Yellow-eyed Pigeons (all globally threatened birds) and Caspian Plover (a first from Rajasthan). And all within a short span of 2 months.

We birders at birds-chandigarh google group congratulate him.

Yellow-eyed Pigeon by Mr S.S. Poonia from Rajasthan

2009-10-08T09:29:00.001-07:00

Mr. Surat Singh Poonia, Range Officer, Tal Chhapar Wildlife Sanctuary has sent this photo of a Yellow-eyed Pigeon Columbia eversmanni from the sanctuary, spotted and taken this morning (8th Oct 09).

This is a 'vulnerable species'.

9th Oct 09 : Mr S.S. Poonia rang up to tell me that there were 13 of them in the morning of 9th Oct 09.

150+ Ferruginous Pochards arrive at Sukhna, Chandigarh

2009-10-08T09:17:00.000-07:00

Wintering ducks have arrived at the Sukhna Lake, Chandigarh.

On 7 Oct 09, Navjit and I visited the lake and were delighted to count 150+ Ferruginous Pochard Aythya nyroca (a near-threatened bird)

Regards
Narbir Kahlon

This seems to the highest number of Ferruginous Pochards in our region. I have never seen more than 20 at one place - Suresh C Sharma.

White-rumped Vultures from Punjab by Mr. S.S. Bajwa

2009-10-05T09:01:00.000-07:00

On 4th August 09, a new born male buffalo-calf died next to my farm near Pathankot town in Punjab. Believing it should be free from any harmful substance which might effect the gyps vultures as the calf was from a reliable cattle keeper, I got it placed at a site which was often visited by the birds. I observed that the first day the Egyptian vultures visited the carcass and on the second day the White-rumped Vultures numbering about 50 visited the site.

These two photos were taken on 4th Aug 09.

Regards,

S.S. Bajwa

White-rumped Vulture from Punjab by Mr SS Bajwa

2009-09-28T07:37:00.000-07:00

This photo was sent by Mr SS Bajwa from Punjab to birds-chandigarh google group on 28 Sep 09. This is a critically endangered bird.

Birding Highlights from Chandigarh region by Narbir Kahlon

2009-09-27T07:34:00.000-07:00

Is it a Paddyfield or Blut-winged Warbler? Photo by Narbir Kahlon from Sukhna, 21 Sep 09.

This is a Variable Wheatear, a winter bird to Chandigarh region. Photo by Narbir Kahlon.

Birding Highlights :

Dr Sudhir Oswal recommended a sizing down of my tremendous girth, so I found the ideal solution i.e. walking on the Sukhna Bund keeping a track of the migrants. While I do walk at a reasonable pace, My eyes are free to wander and I take in the beauties of the lake every morning (Feathered of course ) Every few days I treat myself to a walkabout in the marsh with a camera or a drive down the Saketri road and it seems to be working for me.

On the 21st Sept 2009, Navjit and me indulged in one such trip in the afternoon and were pleasantly surprised to see the Variable wheatear, No confusion this time as it was clearly the Oenanthe picata opistholeuca both males any easy Id of a not so common bird in our area.

We were not so lucky with a warbler in the reeds adjacent to the lotus pond the pictures taken were not too great it could be the Paddy field warbler or the more uncommon Blunt- winged warbler. Call- tchk- tichk. The brow according to Suresh-ji and subsequently me is not contrasting with the Supercillium. I am enclosing the Pics and would be grateful if a positive Id could be made.

The Common stonechat and the Blue throat have also arrived at the Sukhna. The Blue throat is possibly one of the most Photogenic Robins to visit Chandigarh. Plenty of Bee eaters both the green as well as the Blue tailed were out hawking insects.

The lotus pond had its fair share of Pond Herons and Common Moorhens there was one White-breasted Waterhen moving stealthily through the reeds. The shy Purple Heron decided to take wing from its well camouflaged hunting spot and the pied King Fisher was keeping a close eye on its happy hunting ground. On The Main Lake there were two Terns and plenty of confusion on their Id and so after a reference to Bill and other experienced birders all confusion was put to rest with a clear ‘Whiskered Tern’ Id. In the spring migration I had seen them with their bellies dark grey and in autumn they are white on the belly supporting a black beak and red legs closer look at facial markings and you realize why we call it the whiskered tern.

Somebody needs to put the record straight on why the scaly breasted Munias at the lake are still carrying nesting material, do they keep changing the lining (Read linen ) of their nests or are they moving into late nesting?

The drive down to Saketri during which we saw the Wheatears also produced the Yellow-wattled lapwing, The Oriental lark and the Long-billed pipit. This area is being developed as a residential colony and seems to be doomed as a birding destination.

Beyond Saketri the story changes as we move into Chandigarh (Saketri is a Haryana village) The Forest department has taken over the land adjacent to the road. Tree plantation is in full swing and hopefully they will leave some fallow land for the Yellow- wattled lapwings.

There is a turn off at Kaimbwala over a culvert or should I say bridge towards Kansal Forest, the track leads up to a Govt owned tube well. Along this track we came across a couple of European Rollers; by the way where have all the Indian Rollers gone? We only seem to be seeing their European cousins. Chasing some warblers around I happened to photograph what turned out to be the Eurasian Wryneck its distinctive head pattern visible through the acacia branches, the wires were full of Blue tailed bee eaters and the Lantana bushes had a few plain Prinia, Crested Buntings (juv/sub adult) and the Indian Robin .The adjoining trees had the Bayas and two Pied Cuckoo’s still enjoying the Hospitality of this region getting ready for their southward journey to beat the Cold Winter of the North.

It is needless to say that we saw the Brahminy, Bank and Common mynas in reasonable numbers and a sub adult Shikra along the road. With the sun turning red and visibility dropping we decided to call it a day.

The warbler and the Tern Kept banging around my head all night and so next morning I decided to carry my camera along. I found four terns (same species as the day before), a Black headed Gull, A Grey Heron, the White-breasted Kingfisher, Pond Herons and Common Moorhens on the lotus, the Great egret, the Little egret, Purple Heron, plenty of Spot billed ducks and a flight of the Lesser Whistling Duck. It was also great to see the Yellow bittern (a single bird) at the lotus pond, but the highlight of the morning was the Black bittern in flight. It is a large bird and though I had been wanting a photo record of this bird from Chandigarh for the last 1 year it had eluded me. Out in the sky I could not miss it, and got a good Id shot. I also got a close up of the Asian open bill stork with a shell stuck to its upper mandible. Like this last passage the walk was fast and hurried after all I need to follow doc’s advice (Reducing My girth.)

Narbir Kahlon

Russel's Viper mistaken for a python

2009-09-27T07:31:00.000-07:00

While watching birds in a forest patch near Chandigarh, Narbir Kahlon (photo by him) and Navjit Singh came across this Russel's Viper. Navjit mistaking it for a python wanted to catch it by hand... but just in time he realised his mistake. Even Narbir was trying to block the escape way of the snake.

Birders must remain alert in the Chandigarh region particularly as the three deadly snakes - Cobra, Krait and Viper are found here.

Indian Long-billed Vulture - mating

2009-09-22T08:01:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

I recently photographed mating behaviour of vultures. This was the first time I observed it. Do you know of any literature on this?

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1899
I would appreciate all help.
Regards,
Sabyasachi

Variable Wheatear (capistrata) and Mourning Wheatear

2009-09-19T20:04:00.000-07:00

(Aloke Gupta's post at birds-chandigarh google group and telephonic affirmation by S.S. Poonia (the man who has made Tal Chhapar the hottest birding spot in the Thar) about the sighting of a Mourning Wheatear generated lot of discussions. However, the wheatear in question turned out tobe a Variable Wheater (capistrata). Krys puts to end to the confusion by his following comemnts:

"First of all I'd like to make the small point that in my field guide Oenanthe lugens is given in square brackets with status symbol X, clearly explained in the introductory section as indicating that the species is extralimital (has not occurred in the Indian Subcontinent). It was only included on the basis that it is a potential vagrant to Pakistan.

In order to be an acceptable new record for the Subcontinent, any sighting must be completely incontrovertible. I'm afraid, my diagnosis is that your bird is a male of the capistrata morph of Oenanthe picata. The rufous wash on the vent I feel is an artefact of the lighting and photography. If you examine the photo attached (originally sent by you) VS-TC(7)-060909-LR (one of the better shots), it shows no such rufous wash at all. The same bird in another shot on the same perch in VS-TC(8)-060909-LR appears to show a rufous wash on the vent, but if you look at this carefully, you will see that it is distinctly asymmetrical and caused by the lighting/shadow and a perhaps a photographic effect called fringing. You can see this fringing if you look at the broken part of the branch the bird is sitting on. The top side of the broken part has a reddish fringe, not actually there in nature, but an effect of fringing.

One of the main differences between lugens and capistrata is that the black bib of lugens is smaller and does not extend onto the upper breast. To show this I am including a composite photo with lugens on the left and capistrata on the right. The patern of your bird is clearly that of capistrat and not lugens.

The best confirmation would be to have a shot showing the spread wings. Lugens shows a prominent whitish panel on the open wing. A good photo of the spread tail would also confirm one way or the other since, although the basic tail pattern is similar, the black on the outer edges of the outer tail feathers on lugens is even with the other outer tail feathers, but on capistrata extends distinctly upwards.

I hope that closes this issue since I don't have time for further consideration of it.

Kind regards

Krys"

--Krys Kazmierczak

OBI Editor

krys@krys.net

imagemaster@orientalbirdimages.org

www.orientalbirdimages.org

Greater Whitethroat

2009-09-18T20:18:00.000-07:00

Photograph by Narbir Kahlon, 13 Sep 09, Mirzapur, Chandigarh.

Sykes's Warbler at Tal Chhapar, Rajasthan

2009-09-17T08:13:00.000-07:00

Sharad Sridhar has posted these images of Sykes's Warbler from Tal Chhapar, Rajasthan, Sep 09.

Siberian Lesser Whitethroat from Tal Chhapar, Rajasthan

2009-09-17T08:08:00.000-07:00

This photo of a Siberian Lesser Whitethroat (Sylvia c. blythi) and the photograph is by Sharad Sridhar, taken at Tal Chhapar, September 2009, identification may not be 100% correct, though.

Will write a note as soon as I am able to get some time.

Baya Weavers nesting on Electric Transmission Wires

2009-09-17T08:05:00.001-07:00

Photographs by Mr Parbhat Bhatti

Swan Nadi, Ropar, Punjab

2009-09-13T08:20:00.000-07:00

Post by Mr Parbhat Bhatti

My trip to Swan Nadi, Ropar, Punjab, from Sep 10-Sep 13

Downpours have filled the river and turned the surrounding farms into water ponds with lush green vegetation all around. The water channel looks like an immense grassland.

Winter migration of the birds has started. While the resident Black-winged Stilts & winter Sandpipers species have also appeared. Then I saw Indian Pond Heron was taking his brea fast of the little fish, Ferruginous Pochard (2) and Common Coot (2) were floating in water with Spot-billed Ducks nearby. Then I saw Black Drongo, Black Francolin, Grey Francolin, Purple Swamhen were also feeding.

When I went to one kilometer ahead from roadside, I saw 5 Painted Storks and one pair of Wool-necked Storks. On the way a House Crow was seen perched on a cycle-career. A pair of Collared Dove was mating. On both days of my 8 hour visit I saw Crested Lark, about one hundred pairs of House Sparrows, White-browed Wagtail, Citrine Wagtail, Paddyfield Pipit, many flocks of Red Munia, Baya Weavers, Scaly-breasted Munia, Common Rose-finch feeding on ‘Bhang’ plants, Common Tailorbird, Ashy Prinia, Yellow-Bellied Prinia, Plain Prinia, Pied Starling, Common Mynah, Bank Mynah, Pied Bushchat ,Common Stone-chat ,White-tailed Stonechat, about 50 Black Ibises, Yellow Bittern, Cinnamon Bitterns, Little/Intermediate Egrets, pair of Common Hoopoe, Common Moorhen, White-breasted Waterhen, Pied & Eurasian Cuckoos; Pied Kingfishe, White-throated Kingfisher.

In the end, when I went to the nearby village Bathri, I saw a pair of Sarus Crane with a new-born baby. It is very good news for me and other bird-lovers . (There are only four pairs left in Swan Nadi area)

Regards,

Parbhat Bhatti

Bird photographs from Kangra by Abhinav Chaudhary

2009-09-12T06:39:00.000-07:00

Alpine Accentor, Himachal Pradesh

Scaly-breasted Munia, Himachal Pradesh

Kalij Pheasant, Himachal Pradesh

Asian Barred Owlet, Himachal Pradesh

Himalayan Griffons, Himachal Pradesh

Dark-throated Thrush, Himachal Pradesh

Cinereous Vultures in flight, Himachal Pradesh

Photographs by Abhinav Chaudhary, posted at birds-chandigarh googlegroup today.

Chakki Mor towards Nahan (Chandigarh region) - by Narbir Kahlon

2009-09-10T00:55:00.000-07:00

(Unidentified butterfly)

Mr.Prabhat Bhatti was here and as I am always looking for an excuse to get into the field made our way towards Parwanoo. We left Chandigarh at about 5am with intention of getting back to office and the mundane routine of work by 10.30 am. In which we were successful much to the surprise of my Family. (I normally leave for birding at the appointed hour but seldom manage to get back in time.)

We gave ourselves two options :-

(1) Parwanoo Kasauli Road (an area, I am well conversant with)
(2) Chakki Mor towards Nahan (an area , well-known to Prabhat ji)

We decided to follow the latter, i.e., Chakki Mor towards Nahan, and were not disappointed.

You turn left from Chakki Mor and go into the Khud (on a motorable road, of course); there at the base of the hill is a stream which seems to be a favourite with week-end revelers, considering the incosndierate manner in which the variety of whisky cartons were strewn along an otherwise picturesque and birdfriendly landscape.

We decided to scan this stream for redstarts instead we came across a few juvenile Red-billed Blue Magpies, followed by a nice long sighting of Kalij Pheasants. Infact there were two pairs.

Encouraged we continued to scan this interesting stream from the road which runs alongside but the Plumbeous and the White-capped Water Redstarts eluded us.

At the next bridge we came across a confluence of two streams and there was a Mandir just above the bridge.

At this place we saw a heron take to the air and take refuge in the thick undergrowth on the steep banks. In flight there was no white coloration and it was a Yellow bittern sized bird which leads me to believe it may have been the Little Heron but I cannot be sure.

The area around the temple was teeming with birds apart from the Himalayan and Red-vented Bulbuls we saw the Rusty-cheeked Scimitar Babbler, the Black-chinned Babbler, the Speckled Piculet, the Common Chiffchaff and a number of Gre- breasted Prinia.

The road leading further is a narrow single road with very little traffic; all the same the driver needs to keep alert because jeep trundles down at break-neck speed without any warning.

My knowledge of trees is limited but there is a healthy population of Cymbal, Figs a few Pipul and some fruit bearing trees like, the Khurmani and Plum growing wild in these parts. Lantana bushes, stepped fields of Corn touching the road and the rivulet bellow make for a very interesting Habitat.

While driving down this stretch we came across the Streaked Laughing thrush and the Verditer Flycatchers (3). Amongst the other fly catchers seen that day were the Whit- throated Fantail Flycatcher as well as the Dark-sided Flycatcher, in the area we also the White-crested laughing thrush. The thrushes were quite obliging and gave us plenty of photo opportunities we on the other hand were both stuck on the 'Lucknowi style of politeness' and in the 'pahle aap' - we lost a great opportunity.

The melodious call of the cuckoo shrike made us stop in our tracks it turned out to be alone male Black-headed Cuckoo Shrike. On the same tree were a long tailed Shrike and its juvenile who also posed for their portraits .There was a tree stump in the center of the lush green corn field where we had parked and on top of it was a Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker, Mr. Bhatti was able to get some nice pictures of the woodpecker

Driving along the road you leave behind the deciduous forest and enter the world of the evergreen pines the forest is a little more open and the slopes are covered in thick grass.
We came across The Red Jungle Fowl the Black Francolin as well as a number of Grey Treepie in the area amongst the other residents were the great Himalayan Barbet and the great tit.

We decided to call it a day exactly 50 Km from Chandigarh at which point we spotted the Jungle Owlet, on the way back the forest kept us on our toes with a brief encounter with a Flameback I got a brief glimpse of the bird in flight and am not sure whether it was the Greater Flameback or the Himalayan Flameback. Mr. Bhati got to see plenty of Black Bulbuls a rarity in the area around Nangal as per him, The crimson sunbird male gave us a good display and we enjoyed the lovely views of the Red billed Leiothrix calling from a bush not more than 15 ft away.

By the end of the day we were able to see 38 species, a short but interesting trip. For me it was a totally new area and what was exiting was the number of perennial streams and the untouched beauty of the place. I intend keeping a watch on this area I expect it to be very interesting from the birding point of view.

Narbir Kahlon

Common Cranes from Punjab (by Parbhat Bhatti)

2009-09-09T08:39:00.000-07:00

I visited the Shalla Pattan area of Gurdaspur on 25^th January 2007, after the meeting with Mr SS Bajwa who had told me that he had seen numerous Cranes in that area. When both of us visited the area, we counted more than 1000 Common Cranes winter in about 40 in sub-groups.

We intimated S. Gurmeet singh as he was the Deputy Chief Wildlife Warden of Punjab at that time. On being enquired, local people told us that the cranes were wintering there on a regularly basis. Wetland was very good. Land was used by farmers for paddy only. The situation is same even now. After paddy harvesting is over, the farms are left uncultivated, till the next paddy season begins.

There were hundreds of juvenile/sub adult cranes with the adult.

Other birds seen were Ruddy Shellducks, Bar- headed Geese, one pair of Sarus Crane, Common Teals, ,White-tailed Lapwings, Steppe Eagles, Purple Swamphens, flocks of Red Munias etc.

Comman Cranes arrive in these parts of the state during November and winter there till March. Later on, I had re-visited the site on 25 Nov 2007, Feb 2008, Jan 2009. Cranes were still to my much delight.

Hope to see them again this November.

Regards,
Parbhat Bhatti

Bhiwani Wetland - highlights on 6th Septemer 09

2009-09-07T08:58:00.001-07:00

With Dr Chetna Shrma, Ms Geeta Goswami, Anil and Ram Mehar, spent 30 minutes watching birds at Bhiwani Wetland from the road, on 6th September 2009.

Birds visible to us without any efforts on our part were Glossy Ibises, numerous Ruffs and Reeves, White-tailed Lapwing, Wood/Green Sandpipers, Common Redshanks, Pied Avocets, Shovelers, Comb/Spot-billed Ducks, Lesser Whistling Teals, Gadwals, Openbill Stork, numerous egrets, herons and cormorants.

A newly built concrete drain passes across the wetland, obviously to drain out its waters. Garbage from the citiy is being dumped all over the road towards wetland.

How long will it survive?

Suresh C. Sharma

Bhiwani Wetland, Haryana on 6th September 09.

2009-09-07T08:52:00.001-07:00

Glossy Ibis - there were at least 10.

The pool adjacent to the road was crowed with Ruffs.

There were three nests, this was still occupied, Black Ibis.

Despite drainage of the wetland and hardly any rains in Haryana, Bhiwani Wetland still harbours impression population of water fowl.

A Cuckoo being fed by a Long-tailed Shrike

2009-09-02T08:28:00.001-07:00

On 20^th September 2006 early moorning, I watched a Long-tailed Shrike feeding a much larger cuckoo (definitely a cuculus species) chick near Bharmpur village which is situated between two canals.

Parbhat Bhatti

Mirzapur Dam (Chandigarh region)

2009-09-01T09:04:00.000-07:00

Mirzapur village and the jheel, there is an old Forest Rest House. This scenically beautiful area is rich in bird life. Photo by Narbir Kahlon.

White-rumped, Long-billed and Cinereous Vultures

2009-08-30T07:49:00.000-07:00

These photographs were taken by Nangal-based Mr Parbhat Bhatti from Rainy Khad, Pathankot, Punjab on 6th January 2008. On the top two photographers, Cinereous Vulture can also be seen. There are a few Longbilled (Indian or Slender-billed) Vultures also in the group.

Hope they survive, unlike from other parts of the country.

White-rumped Vulture sighted in Pubjab

2009-08-30T01:19:00.001-07:00

Mr S. S. Bajwa from Hoshiarpur, Punjab, a member of birds-chandigarh has sent wonderful photographs of White-rumped Vultures. These have been posted at birds-chandigarh by Narbir Kahlon. Hope these (according to Mr Bajwa there might be about 200 of them) birds surive. One picture also shows an active nest with a pair perched nearby.

Chakrata and Deoban, Uttarakhand - Trip Report

2009-08-28T23:09:00.000-07:00

(old trip report, thought - could be of some help)

Trip Report – Chakrata and Deoban, Uttarakhand

Dates: 12 May 07 to 15 May 07

Birders: Dr Sudhir Oswal, Dr Chander Kumar Ballal and Suresh C Sharma

12 May 09 (Saturday):

Left Sonepat at 0615 hrs and drove to Asan Barrage via Yamunanagar-Paona Sahib without stopping at Kalesar.

A whistle stop at Bata River bridge yielded River Lapwings, one Pond Heron with red legs and Red-rumped Swallows.

Asan Barrage. (stopped at Asan and scanned the reservoir from 1215 to 1300 hrs) Full of water, no sign of Pallas’s Fish Eagle about 150 ducks still left, including Pintails, Shovelers, Gadwalls, 3 Red-crested Pochards, Brahminy Ducks, Spot-billed Ducks, Garganeys, 3 species of cormorants together, a few Openbill and Painted Storks. Coots and Little Grebes also present.

FRI Dehradun. By 1400 hrs we had arrived at FRI and checked in Room No 178 in the Annexe. Ramana Attrey and Dhananjai Mohan joined us and after having some birding talks and tea, 3 of us birded along the nearby bird trail. Black Eagle was the first bird we saw in flight, Drongo Cuckoo calling from atop a dried branch of a tree, Greater Flameback, Yellow-crowned Woodpecker, Grey Hornbill, Jungle Myna, White-eyes, Grey-breasted Prinias, Bar-winged Flycatcher Shrike, Spangled and Black Drongos, Puff-throated Babbler, Grey-bellied and Common Hawk Cuckoos, Asian Koels, Spotted and Emerald Doves, Blue-throated Flycatchers, White-throated Flycatcher, Egyptian Vultures, Black Kite, Jungle Babbler, Tailorbird, Brown-headed Barbet, Himalayan and Red-vented Bulbuls, Purple Sunbirds.

Bikram Grewal’s House in Dehradun. We reached Bikram’s house by 1700 PM and quickly walked up to the Tons River, good views of Brown Dipper, Chestnut-tailed Starlings, Blue Whistling Thrushes and Ashy Bulbul. After devouring Samosas and Gulab Jamuns at Bikram’s house, we reached FRI by 1830 hrs.

FRI at night. One hour birding at night produced Brown Hawk Owl (calling), Spotted Owlets (calling) Indian Cuckoo (calling), and fleeting glimpse of a nightjar near girl’s hostel. Great surprise was the call of ’ka phal pa ko’ of Indian Cuckoo even at 2230 hrs (1030 PM)!!

(13 May 07 - Sunday) FRI in the morning. Woke up early and were on the move by 5 AM. Common Hawk Cuckoo calling, birds started turning up. Later on Dhananjay Mohan also joined us. Rufous Woodpecker in the bamboo plantation with a few ‘ant nests’, Yellow Yellownape, Speckled Piculet, Rufous-chinned Laughing Thrush, Drongo Cuckoo, Puff-throated Babblers, Chestnut-tailed Starlings, Crimson sunbird, Red Jungle-fowl, Orange-headed Thrush, Grey-bellied Cuckoo and Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker.

Left Dehradun at 0745 hrs for Chakrata, 13 May 09.

Chakrata. Reached Kalsi at 0845 hrs and spent sometime at the Edict of Ashoka, because the gate opens at 0930 hrs. Dr Ballal, being a neuro-surgeon attended a Muslim patient nearby – his name Shamsher Ali, whose wives were already crying thinking him dead, luckily he survived.

Indian Cuckoo was calling at Kalsi. Reached Shayya at 1030 where while waiting for the gate to open, some birding around produced Asian Paradise Flycatcher (one white male) and a few Grey-hooded Warblers. One handsome Great Barbet also made an appearance. Striated Prinias were also observed singing their songs between Shayya and Chakrata. 2 Himalayan Griffons were soaring overhead. Upland Pipits were calling in the suitable habitat.

Reached Chakrata and checked into DFO Residence (now FRH) made in 1888. Immediately on our arrived, Bar-tailed Treeceepers, Brown-fronted Woodpeckers, Grey-headed Woodpeckers, Verditer Flycatchers, Russet Sparrows welcomed us. We drove up to Tiger Falls and back. Indian Cuckoos were calling at several places, Blue-throated Barbets, Paradise Flycatchers, Himalayan Griffons eating a dead cattle (cow), Slaty-headed Parakeets, Oriental Turtle Doves, Long-tailed Shrike, Grey Treepie, a large crow (much larger than Large-billed Crow) of the size of a black kite, could be a raven which was soaring like a Black Kite, Black-capped Rock Thrush, Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher, Plumbeous Redstart, Pied Bushchats, Black Bulbuls, Streaked Laughing Thrushes, Rusty-cheeked Scimitar Babblers, Rufous Sibia and Black-headed Jays were other birds we saw.

Night stay at the FRH. A largish scorpion under the wash basin.

Day 3 (14 May6 07 Monday)

Devban (Deoban). Morning birding around the FRH produced Spot-winged Tits, Common Rosefinches, Hill Partridges, Black-lored Tit and other usual species already mentioned above.

After having the breakfast and getting the packed lunch, we drove at 0730 hrs for Deoban located at about 3000 meters ht, and reached there after two hours, birding all over the way. Deoban is very rich in bird life, significant birds included:

“Chestnut-crowned Laughing Thrush, Himalayan Woodpecker, Scaly-bellied Woodpecker, Spotted Nutcracker, Eurasian Blackbird, Crested Serpent Eagle, Black-throated Tit, Great Barbet, Eurasian/Oriental/Indian Cuckoos, Eurasian Tree-creeper, White-tailed Nuthatch, Yellow & Black Grosbeaks (4 – perched too high, could also be collared), Western-crowned Leaf-warbler, Greenish Leaf Warbler, Long-tailed Minivets, Rufous-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-billed Blue Magpie, good view of Large Hawk Cuckoo, Eurasian Eagle Owl (captive and being used by a ‘quack’ roadside doctor in the open market at Chakrata).

Day 4 (15 May 07) : Morning birding began with the musical wake up calls of the Blue Whistling Thrush, then other birds, we could identify these birds by their calls – Hill Partridge, Asian Barred Owlet, Rufous Sibia, Oriental Turtle Dove, Grey-hooded and Brown-fronted Woodpeckers, Wedge-tailed + Pin-tailed Green Pigeons and Oriental Cuckoos). Drove back via Mussorie road.

(Typed on 29 August 09 in a tearing hurry from old notes)

Suresh C Sharma

White-browed Bushchat in Hisar District, Haryana by Dr P.S. Sangwan

2009-08-28T21:40:00.001-07:00

On 25th January 2003, Dr Pratap Singh Sangwan reported one White-browed Bushchat from Hisar district of Haryana. A note was published in Indian Birds and the article can be read at
http://www.indianbirds.in/pdfs/IB.1.1.Final.pdf

Suresh C Sharma

Morni Hills - on 16 August 09 by Narbir Kahlon

2009-08-28T21:26:00.000-07:00

Mr. Prabhat Bhatti and self visited the area beyond Morni on 16^th of August 2009. While we were making our way towards Morni just ahead of Madhna village, we came across a group of European Rollers. What made the sighting interesting was the fact that there were 7 birds. Normally one dos not associate this bird with large groups (at least not in this area) as it is a passage migrant in our area and one or two birds are seen in a location. The rollers were enjoying a scrumptious breakfast of beetles and other insects. They were still at it when we returned but by then there were only 4 birds seen and they too were spread over a larger area. The Indian Roller is a bird known to migrate during the day bad weather seemed to have made them more pragmatic and so we were able to get nice photographs on the way back.

While making our way through the pine forest near Jorian we came across a Black francolin calling from the bough of a pine tree it was close and inspite of the poor light Mr. Bhatti was able to get a nice close up of the bird calling. It is always a pleasure to see this bird.

2 Rock Bush-quails (I suspect) walking along the berm of the road also made for a great sighting, as it is a rather uncommon bird. The picture that we got was not too good because of poor light would have loved to click a better picture of them. (The picture is with Mr. Bhatti and a closer look is needed to ensure that it is indeed the rock and not the Jungle bush quail)

Crested buntings were there in plenty Morni seems to be one of their preferred breeding grounds. Scaly breasted munia’s could also be seen ferrying nesting material. And so were the pied bush chats.

While at Saron we heard the Rusty cheeked Scimitar babblers, the Puff throated babblers and saw the black chinned babbler. Talking of babblers we came across a group of Jungle babblers, what made this encounter special was that they were feeding a Pied Cuckoo chick larger than themselves, much as we tried to coax them into giving us a clear picture they stuck to the safety of a thick lantana bush.

Saron was not its usual self, bird numbers were not high, overcast skies casting a dull spell over the avian fauna I suppose. We did see Black Bulbuls a Eurasian cuckoo, the Blue throated flycatcher (Male and female),The fulvous breasted woodpecker was very obliging and took out precious time from his morning grub hunting routine for me to make it’s portrait. A chestnut tailed starling amongst a group of Brahminy mynas and a golden oriole was also seen.

On the walk along the track leading up to Saron there is a thickly forested patch where we got to see the Jungle Owlet. It seems to be a resident as we have been sighting it around the same area regularly. (This Picture was taken on an earlier trip in the same area.)

Amongst the Prinias seen were the Grey breasted, The Striated Prinia and the Jungle Prinia. Of these the Striated has a distinct call which is always useful in making an Id. We were also treated to the vocalizations of the Rufus tree pie and saw the Red billed blue magpies going about their morning chores (always a pleasant sight).

The Raptors seen were the oriental Honey buzzard and the Crested Serpent Eagle.

On the way back we came across two birds in the distance they appeared to be very large crows. There call rang out across the valley a distinct 4 note metallic call which makes me suspect they were Ravens. The sighting was near Madhna, size can be deceptive in the Hills so we decided to try and approach them, but before we could proceed on this long trek they saved us the bother by taking to the air. We also saw a flock of large billed crows riding the thermals in the area. We need to get a better sighting of these birds to confirm the ID so anyone going to this section please keep a look out for these birds.

Altogether a nice day out birding in Morni hills.

List of birds seen:

Common name Scientific Name

1. Grey Francolin Francolinus pondicerianus

2. Black Francolin Francolinus francolinus

3. Rock Bush Quail Perdicula argoondah

4. Oriental Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhyncus

5. Crested Serpent Eagle Spilornis cheela

6. Jungle Owlet Glaucidium radiatum

7. Fulvous Breasted Woodpecker Dendrocopos macei

8. Brown-headed Barbet Megalaima zeylanica

9. Common Hoopoe Upupa epops

10. European Roller Coracias garrulous

11. Pied Cuckoo (Juv) Clamator jacobinus

12. Eurasian Cuckoo Cuculus canorus

13. Drongo Cuckoo Surniculus lugubris

14. Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri

15. Plum-headed Parakeet Psittacula cyanocephala

16. Rock Pigeon Columba livia

17. Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis

18. Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto

19. Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis

20. Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis

21. Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach

22. Rufous Treepie Dendrocitta vagabunda

23. Red Billed Blue magpie urocissa erythrorhyncha

24. Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos

25. Common Raven (Possibly) Corvus Corax Subcorax

26. Golden Oriole Oriolous oriolus

27. White throated Fantail Flycatcher Rhipidura albicollis

28. Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus

29. Spangled Drongo Dicrurus bottentottus

30. Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus

31. Asian Paradise Flycatcher(Juv) Terpsiphone paradist

32. Verideter Fly catcher Eumyias thalassina

33. Blue Throated flycatcher Cryonis rubeculoides

34. Oriental Magpie Robin Copsychus saularis

35. Indian Robin Saxicoloides fulicata

36. Pied Bushchat Saxicola caprata

37. Brown Rock Chat Cercomela Fusca

38. Streaked Laughing Thrush Garrulax lineatus

39. White crested Laughing Thrush(Heard) Garrulax leucolophus

40. Chestnut-tailed Starling Sturnus malabaricus

41. Brahminy Myna Sturnus pagodarum

42. Common Myna Acridotheres tristis

43. Bank Myna Acridotheres ginginianus

44. Jungle Myna Acridotheres Fuscus

45. Great Tit Parus major

46. Red-rumped Swallow Hirundo daurica

47. Black Bulbul Hypsipetes leucocephalus

48. Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer

49. Himalayan Bulbul Pycnonotus lleucogenys

50. Striated Prinia Prinia criniger

51. Jungle Prinia Prinia sylvatica

52. Grey Breasted Prinia Prinia hodgsonii

53. Oriental White-eye Zosterops palpebrosus

54. Tailor Bird Orthotomus sutorius

55. Western crowned Warbler Phylloscopus occipiltalis

56. Jungle Babbler Turdoides striatus

57. Rusty Cheeked Scmittar Babbler(Heard)Pomatorhinus erythrogenys

58. Black-chinned Babbler Stachyris pyrrhops

59. Puff Throated Babbler Pellorneum ruficeps

60. Purple Sunbird Nectarinia asiatica

61. House Sparrow Passer domesticus

62. Chestnut-shouldered Petronia Petronia xanthocollis

63. Baya Weaver Ploceus philippinus

64. Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura puntulata

65. Crested Bunting Melophus lathami

Narbir Kahlon

Chandigarh

Sarus Cranes of Swan Nadi Wetland

2009-08-27T08:42:00.000-07:00

Dear Parbhat,

Swaan Nadi forms the border between Punjab & Himachal.

The Punjab part of this wetland is totally destroyed. The land has been filled in and taken under agriculture & construction. The Himachal area is also under threat now in a big way with a couple of factories coming up. The wetlands are also being drained for agriculture. ( With land prices soaring it is very tempting for the land mafia to fill in the wetlands and sell the land at great profits).

We need to document this destruction & put up a report to Chief Wildlife Warden -Himachal & also follow up with DFO Hamirpur. When you come to Chandigarh next we can work out a action plan.

A word of caution- please maintain a low profile when you go to that area for documentation as the stakes are very high.

Regards- Navjit

_________________

I often go to Swan Nadi area for birds photography. The area is 60 kilometre long and situated between,Distt.Una,Himachal Pardesh from ,Distt.Ropar Punjab. This Swan Nadi area is the heaven for water birds . It was very rich habitat of the tallest flying bird in the world Sarus Crane, besides storks and ibises.

Local people say there were 100’s Sarus Crane about 20 year ago. Now the habitat of Sarus is destroyed by local people and H.P Govt. Large part of habitat comes under Swan canalization, remaining is being destroyed for industrialization and reclamation for farming. I saw 18 Sarus Crane in 2004, in2005 14 Sarus, in 2006 there were 11, in 2007only 9 Sarus were seen. And now only 4 pair remain. During the past 5 year, population has not increased .They are staying on small ponds.

We should do joint efforts to save Swan Nadi wetland area and to protect Sarus Crane habitat.

Parbhat Bhatti

9417370440

Caspian Plover from Tal Chhapar, Rajasthan

2009-08-26T08:49:00.000-07:00

Gaurav Bhatnagar has posted three photographs of Caspial Plover, seen at Tal Chhapar, Rajasthan first by Mr Surat Singh Poonia a few days before, and then by Gaurav Bhatnagar and Harkirat Singh Sangha on 25 August 09.

While this is, according to Harkirat Sangha, the first ever record from Rajasthan, it may be mentioned that there are a few sightings of the plover from the country.

Congratulations to Poonia , Gaurav and Sangha.

(all the three photographs by Gaurav Bhatnagar)

2009-08-22T08:58:00.000-07:00

Parbhat Bhatti has just posted a few photographs of White-rumped Vultures and Himalayan Griffon at birds-chandigarh google group. In his own words :

"I took these photograph of White-rumped Vultures and Himalayan Griffons from Jammu region, village : Dayal Chak on 12th August 2009. There were 11 White-rummped Vultures and 4 Himalayan Griffons feeding on the caracas. A villager, named Mohamed told me that this was the 'hadda rori' site and dead animals were dumped there by villagers, as such vultures offen landed there to eat the dead animals."

Please also see www.nangalwetland.site40.net

Trip Report of Tal Chhapar, Rajasthan (8-9 August 09)

2009-08-13T20:18:00.000-07:00

(Photographs and text by Manjula Mathur)

I arrived in Jaipur at 1:00 PM on 8^th August. Within an hour, I was on my way to Tal Chhapar, famous sanctuary for Blackbucks and a great place for viewing raptors. I was to reach T.C. on 9^th morning, but on the insistence of Shri Surat Singh Poonia, Range Forest Officer, decided to try my luck on 8^th evening itself. The exciting report of Delhi birder Koshy ji and the excellent photographs of Anand Arya being the catalysts.

On arrival at TC, found Shri Poonia waiting for me. Without further ado, we proceeded to the sanctuary and immediately encountered a group of Blue-cheeked Bee-Eaters who are summer visitors to Northern India. Their dark green plumage, green-blue ear-coverts and rufous throats gave them quite a jaunty look !

Within 100 metres of Shri Poonia’s office, we started seeing the White-Eyed Buzzards which had gathered in large numbers in Tal Chhapar prior to migration. On the ground and on tops of Khejri trees that dot the TC grasslands. In a matter of few minutes, we saw atleast fifty ! All the birds were juveniles, with pale heads, dark streaking on rufous breasts and dark iris. During my stay at Tal Chhapar, I did not see a single adult which was somewhat disappointing. Later we saw a pair of Lagger Falcons, both juvenile. Encouraged by the sighting of the Laggars, we drove past an area of salt mounds and scrubby vegetation where a pair of Isabelline Wheatears and a Southern Gray Shrike were birds of interest. Further on, a lone Desert fox and a family of Indian foxes were notable ‘finds’. As the light was failing, we returned to Base.

Next morning, I left for the sanctuary at 6:30 AM, in the company of Shri Sohan Lal, Forest guide as Shri Poonia had to leave Tal Chappar on some urgent work. A Laggar Falcon juvenile was making a meal of a hapless bird by the roadside. A juvenile Egyptian Vulture flew off near us and a few White-Eyed Buzzards were scattered over the grasslands. We passed the salt mounds and next to a Green Bee-Eater perched on the barbed wire was a bird with a red cocked tail ! I looked at it with binocs as it was quite far. It had a broad white supercilium and a prominent black eye-stripe. When we reached closer, the Bee-Eater remained on the barbed wire but the bird with the red tail disappeared into scrubby bushes. I waited for it to reappear much to Sohanlal’s dismay as he was eager to see Tawny Eagles, Laggar Falcons and here I was waiting for an ‘insignificant’ red-tailed bird to emerge from the bushes ! I told him that the bird could be a Rufous-Tailed Scrub Robin but as he had not seen the bird in Tal Chhapar, he was not too impressed ! Finally we moved on, with the resolve to return the same way, hoping for another glimpse of the Rufous-Tailed Scrub Robin which I had decided by this time that it was !! Much to Sohanlal’s relief we saw an adult Laggar on top of a tree. Perfect photo-op ! As our car inched closer, the Laggar had different ideas ! Later I did see a Laggar Falcon but alas ! the bird was a juvenile and it was sitting on the ground.

Four Chesnut-Bellied Sandgrouse sitting pretty on the sandy ground were the birds seen later along with many, many White-Eyed Buzzards. By now the sun was shining furiously from a relentless, blue sky and the Buzzards were busy making quick meals of Spiny Lizards who happened to venture out from their burrows.

It was time to turn back and we returned by way of the salt mounds. The bird with the red cocked tail was again perched on the barbed wire and this time I got a distant shot and lo and behold it turned out to be the Rufous-Tailed Scrub Robin. Going through Grimmett, I learnt that the RTSR is passage migrant through North-West India which accounted for its presence in Tal Chhapar in August. Birding Report of Jaisalmer by Gaurav Bhatnagar mentioned sighting of this bird in September. Jugar Tiwari has also sighted the bird in Kutch in September. Pamela Rasmussen writes in the Ripley guide that the RTSR passes through North-West India in autumn and breeds in Pakistan and Afghanistan . The Rufous-Tailed Scrub Robin which I saw was alone and had probably just arrived.

Rufous-Tailed Larks, Ashy crowned Sparrow Larks, Crested Larks, a Pipit which I thought was a Richard’s Pipit due to its longer hind claws, Blue-Cheeked Bee-Eaters, Southern Grey Shrikes and Isabelline Wheatears were the other occupants of the by now ‘famous’ barbed wire fence.

I had read about sighting of a Tawny Eagle in Tal Chhapar by Koshyji and I badly wanted to see one. Perseverance pays and near a water-body which had many Woolly-Necked storks was a magnificent adult Tawny in pale cream morph, sitting proudly on top of a tall tree.

After a delicious meal of parathas and curds in Shri Poonia’s house, I decided to try one last time for a photograph of the elusive RTST. It was almost noon and the sun was merciless. The desert landscape was lit up by a white, hot sheen. Poor rainfall this year has turned the grass a dull brown and the Blackbucks were seen sheltering under stunted trees. I crawled though the barbed wire fence (with help from the ever helpful Sohanlal) to reach the scrubby area where I could get brief glimpses of the Robin walking about hawking insects. We did manage to track it down as it gobbled up insects under the shade of a prickly shrub ! Took some photos and beat a hasty retreat into the shelter of the car and the AC !!

The Great Indian Bustards seen recently by Delhi birders were not to be seen. But sighting of the Rufous-Tailed Scrub Robin and other great birds of Tal Chhapar made my day ! My sincere thanks to Shri Poonia and Sohanlal.

Images of the birds including Rufous-Tailed Scrub Robin are being uploaded separately.

BIRDS SEEN IN TAL CHAPPAR

1. Indian Roller

2. Eurasian Collared Dove

3. Red Collared Dove

4. Rosy Starlings

5. Common Mynah

6. Brahminy Starling

7. Common Babbler

8. Spotted Owlet

9. Brown Rock Chat

10. Ashy Crowned Sparrow Lark

11. Rufous-tailed Lark

12. Crested Lark

13. Isabelline Wheatear

14. Southern Grey Shrike

15. Coppersmith Barbet

16. Chesnut-bellied Sandgrouse

17. Black Drongo

18. White-throated Kingfisher

19. White eyed Buzzard

20. Laggar Falcon

21. Egyptian Vulture

22. Tawny Eagle

23. Wooly-necked Stork

24. Richard’s Pipit?

25. Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin

26. House Swift

27. Cattle Egret

28. Red-wattled Lapwing

29. Indian Pea-Fowl

30. Indian Crow

31. Green Bee-Eater

32. Blue-Cheeked Bee-Eater

33. Black Kite

34. Black Ibis

Manjula Mathur

Black drongos' beak-to-beak fight

2009-08-13T19:44:00.000-07:00

Dear nature lovers,

I have read and heard of Black Drongos (Dicrurus macrocercus) having a
ferocious temper. Over the past couple of decades I have seen them
chasing off all kind of birds, once even a Brahminy Kite (Haliastur
indus) which is also known for its daring nature.

But in the last two months I have witnessed incidents of them being at
heights of pugnaciousness.

On 2 Aug '09, I sighted a pair guarding a small (apx. 20 feet tall)
dead acacia tree in Sultanpur Jheel National Park near Gurgaon,
Haryana. They were attacking all birds that dared to fly in the
vicinity. But I was taken aback when one of these pecked the crown of
a big peafowl that dared passed below their perch. The peafowl,
though, was unfazed and walked away at the same pace.

The other incident was a real shocker for me as I saw two of these
birds being very serious about their physical fight with each other.

On 25 June 2009, in Ranthambore National Park, on a game ride in a
Gypsy vehicle besides Raj Bagh Talao lake, I observed a pair of these
in a ferocious beak to beak bout. They were right in the middle of the
game road. For nearly 6 minutes we watched these two birds lock their
beaks, roll repeatedly side ways over the path and scream at the top
of their voice. Many safari vehicles had to take a detour off the game
road as these determined fighters refused to budge. This was a very
intense battle, the likes of which I have rarely witnessed in any two
birds of the same species. We had to leave the place as my co-tourists
were non-birders. But looking back at the intensity of this combat, I
some how feel this fight might have ended with one of them being
fatally wounded by the other. Please see the images of this incident
at http://tumkurameen.blogspot.com/2009/07/rolls-of-death.html

I would like to hear similar observations if any.

Best regards,
Ameen Ahmed
New Delhi/ Tumkur
INDIA

Yellow-rumped Honeyguide

2009-08-08T07:04:00.000-07:00

Kakdagad (~1000m), near Keadrnath, Uttarakhand, India.

YS Negi and I, a month back on 4 Jul 09.

"It's 5 PM, time for the Honeyguide."

"How far is it?"

"Just 300 m away."

Construction of a bridge on the mouth of a narrow river (at best a

small tributary stream now, with scanty rains and all) which merges

with the main river Mandakini, was creating a commotion. However, 100

m on we lost sight of the workers as we walked along the abundant

boulders down below to our left with water flowing by. The rock

beehives were now visible on the other side of the river at the same

level, a steep hillside with a few intact and a few broken bee combs

abandoned by the wild bees.

Negi looked over the valley through his binoculars, "Can't see the

Honeyguide, let's wait for it."

"When were you here last?"

"Three days back; it's sure to come."

"There it is", he whispers in muted excitement, his enthusiasm as

fresh as someone on a lifer. We suddenly see a dark finch like bird

with a clear yellow rump circle the area and fly back towards the

cover of the jungle ahead.

"It will come back, it likes to wait in the nearby trees and then

finally goes to the hive."

An hour passes by and we see no sign of the Honeyguide. Nor of any

other bird, I think of the Cheer Pheasant, but on a local report,

higher elevations of Madmaheshwar may hold them. No sign of Kalij

either, which normally is barely happy far away from the din of

humans. Monal I knew I would find at Tunganath and one hardly expects

a Koklass at lower, shallower and disturbed forest.

"It's getting dark now and I am afraid, we might not get a shot." I

sounded meditative if not altogether dispirited.

"It's because of these noisy Ashy Drongos that our bird is not coming

near. I can also see a Blue Whistling Thrush nest just two meters from

the combs." He finds a reason.

Stealthy Blue Whistling Thrush, not a raptor, yet a slayer of young

birds, not sparing even a large juvenile Long-billed Thrush. Once,

however, on a quiet morning, after a stormy night, I saw it whistle by

the Nainital Lake. It continued for a long time with its sweet and

melodious whistle.

Just then, our Honeyguide flew in and perched right next to the

Drongos on the other side. A casual look would not have revealed the

bird now resting quietly in the dark woods, the likeness of the bird

being much like the stem of its choice. The compact flash cards of the

camera worked overtime to record clicks of the bird, which was nothing

more than a speck.

After a while, the Honeyguide rose and at the same time, by chance, a

pair of quarrelling Ashy Drongos created a commotion which made the

bird divert its flight to a tree just meters away from me. Now I could

see the ruffled bird in breezy surroundings and magnified proximity,

much more clearly. The dark bird in the green umbrella of the trees,

the creepers, the mossy sheaths on the tree trunks; magical moments

held forever.

The bird playing hide-and-seek behind the swaying leaves threw a lot

of challenge to my camera. Shoot as you will and be overwhelmed as

much, but the expectation of a better shot never goes away.

The impassive but alert Honeyguide, secure in the knowledge of

available food, soon flew to a bee nest attached to the mossy reddish

grey rocks and remained hidden from view. After ten minutes or so, it

flew back to the jungle.

It soon was dark and I walked back in an unusually warm evening in the

Himalayas.

---

Cheerio

Devashish Deb

New Delhi

Vulture Feeding Stations/Restaurants

2009-08-05T07:49:00.000-07:00

(Photos by one of the best bird photographers of the country - Satyendra Sharma at http://satie.co.in/gallery/)

Informatative feed-back by Narbir Kahlon :

It is nice to have a discussion on Vulture Restaurants on the birds-chandigarh google group. I have garnered the following from the Internet for sharing with all interested in this subject.

FACTS

1. Vulture population in the Indian subcontinent of the Gyps indicus and Gyps bengalensis, gfyps tenuirostris was found to be declining in fact the vulture population in Nepal is estimated to have fallen to a mere 500 nesting pairs from at least 50,000 pairs in 1990.

2. In 2004 researchers working in Pakistan discovered that diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory drug used in livestock, was poisoning and killing vultures (29 July 2006, BBC).

3. Nepal started producing a new cattle drug meloxicam, which is considered a safe alternative for anti-inflammatory diclofenac, and it is intended to halt a big decline in endangered vultures. (August 04 2006, iol).

4. The use of diclofenac is prohibited in Nepal and neighboring India, but the ban is widely ignored.

5. Out of them the Gyps bengalensis is a bird found as a non common resident species of Punjab both East and west Punjab(Pakistan)

6.a special feeding centre set up by the conservation group at Kawasoti, about 100 km (60 miles) southwest of the capital, Kathmandu, is trying to ensure vultures get a chance to eat chemical-free cattle carcasses. ( Feb 10, 2007 , Reuters)

7. A vulture restaurant was established at the Oriental White-backed Vulture Gyps bengalensis colony at Toawala, in the Punjab province of Pakistan, to test the effectiveness of the technique in modifying ranging behavior and mortality at the colony.

8.Six male vultures were fitted with satellite transmitters to describe variation in movement and home-range during periods when safe food was alternately available and withheld at the vulture restaurant. There was considerable variation in individual home-range size (minimum convex polygons, MCP, of 1,824 km2 to 68,930 km2), with birds occupying smaller home-ranges centered closer to the restaurant being more successful in locating the reliable source of food. Fixes showed that 3 of the tagged vultures fed at the vulture restaurant and the home-range of each bird declined following their initial visit, with a 23–59% reduction in MCP.

9.Effectiveness Of Restraunts was measured as indicated bellow:

Mean daily mortality during provisioning was 0.072 birds per day (8 birds in 111 days), compared with 0.387 birds per day (41 birds in 106 days) during non-provisioning control periods.

10. Vultures tended to occupy greater home-ranges, cover greater distances each day and spend proportionately more time in the air during the late brooding and post-breeding seasons. Attendance at the vulture restaurant also declined during this period with fewer birds visiting less often and no tagged vultures visiting the vulture restaurant at all.

CONCLUSION:

These findings indicate that vulture restaurants can reduce, but not eliminate, vulture mortality through diclofenac exposure and represent a valuable interim measure in slowing vulture population decline locally until diclofenac can be withdrawn from veterinary use.

To prevent extinction, captive breeding efforts have been initiated in India Nepal and Pakistan. This is not a new technique it has been successfuly adopted in reintroducing the Condors in America as well as raptor species like the Common buzzard in the U.K.

Here too there are problems:

1. Given the overall decline, it is not known to what extent levels of genetic diversity currently exist in the remaining populations.

2. A much larger captive population size is required than currently maintained to prevent further loss of genetic diversity. Before this species is extinct in the wild, it is crucial that additional individuals are included in the captive population.

3. Purchasing meat safe for vultures poses a problem. One has to be very careful to purchase meat that is safe to feed the birds. A veterinary doctor at the post gets the history of each animal before buying, to ascertain whether it has been vaccinated or not. They prefer to buy animals from the areas where farmers usually avoid vaccinating their cattle and goats and utilize traditional methods of treatment.

4. A large captive population is required as gestation period for attaining maturity and breeding status is very long. A single chick is normaly born so the process of creating a viable population is very slow.

Dr. Vibhu prakash who has been running the Program at Pinjore, has sucessfully bred the vultures in captivity. His dedication and knowledge on the subject is far beyond the comprehension of a birder like myself.

Last year the Pinjore Center had 8 eggs laid, a small but positive step in the right direction. Re-introduction and development of a seizeable self sustaining population with enough genetic diversity is yet a long way ahead we wish him all the best.

Haryana Govt along with BNHS at Pinjore is following a scientific approach through captive breeding. The Punjab Govt has also pitched in with a plan for establishing a Vulture Restaurant since there is a sizeable population still in existence there; these are all steps in the right direction and deserve every members support.

Vulture Restaurants slow the decline in Poppulation whereas Captive breeding with the intention to re-introduce a species helps to prevent Extinction.

Regards.

Narbir Kahlon

From the Old Records - Great Indian Bustards

2009-08-05T07:44:00.000-07:00

(Photograph by Mr K. Koshy and the text material provided by Mr. Devashish Dev)

Nice shot and record of the Indian Bustard which looks like a female to me.

We wish reduced threats and conducive environment helps the bird
regain its former range. Consider the following extract:

"Between the line of the railway and the Ganges canal, from near
Roorkee to, I believe, Ghazeeabad, there runs a broken range of
sandhills. Along this tract, right and left of the range, the land is
high and sandy (bhoor), and here Bustards are to be found. I cannot
positively assert that they extend into the Meerut district, but I
believe such to be the case; and certainly a bird to be occasionally
seen during the rains in the Saharunpore district, east of Deobund.

"In this district (Muzuffernugger) they are to be found all the year
round, and one was caught alive here some years ago for Mr. Craigie
Halket by some bahelias.

"The Bustard I saw yesterday, I flushed within a quarter of a mile of
the Grand Trunk Road, (Merrut to Rookee) on some bhoorland close to a
police outpost.

"In 1871, I was in the Mirzapore district. I was told by residents,
and also I think by Mr. Pollock, cs., that both Bustard and Florican
were to be found some miles from the station, along the great Deccan
road.

"W. Ward Smith, an Assistant Engineer, D.P.W., stationed here tells me
he frequently sees Bustard about Jowlee in the Muzuffernugger
district."

FW Butler
Muzuffernugger, Oct 25th, 1879.
The Game birds of India. (Reprint from the "Asian") Addenda et
Corrigenda No. 1 - Edited by AO Hume. Stray Feathers VIII, p490

Regards
Devashish

Tal Chhapar - birding trip by K Koshy and friends

2009-08-03T01:54:00.000-07:00

Some things happen only once in a lifetime. And these are event you cherish long after they occur. My birding trip to Tal Chhapar is just one of this type, ‘once-in-a-lifetime experience’.

When the RBW (Retired Birders’’ Wing of the Delhibird) decided to make a weekend(31st July – 2nd Aug, 2009) trip to Tal Chhapar to pursue the lead given by Mr. Punia, Range Officer, Rajasthan Forest Department, Tal Chhapar We (Anand Arya, Wingco Sethi and yours truly) did not have the faintest idea that we are just about to create history and to be part of it!

We left Delhi around 1.30 pm in Anand’s Tata Safar from Siri Fort and headed for Tal Chhapar via Gurgaon, Dharuhera, Behror, Kotputli, Neem-ka-Thana, Sikar, Lakshmangarh, and reached Salasar, 20 KM short of Tal Chhapar by 9.30 pm. The stay at Balaji Dham Vikas Sadan is memorable for clean rooms, cheap rates, wholesome thali meals at unbelievably affordable rates and the general atmosphere of the whole complex.

Woke up early and left for the sanctuary hoping to see a dozen or so buzzards in one day, setting a personal record of sorts. To say we were totally unprepared for what was in store for us would be an understatement. From the approach road, which skirts the periphery, we were watching some rosy starlings when Wingo pointed to some large bird sitting on the ground and making occasional sorties with stretched necks held low and straight forward. A close inspection through the binoculars revealed the bird to be pale necked buzzard, which for want of any trace of white in the eyes we thought was long legged buzzard. Then we noticed another on its left, then another left of even that one, and another to the right, and another in the front, and another behind and another and another... By now we were dumbfounded. ‘This is not true!’, said Wingco. Anand was squealing with thrill. I was too overwhelmed to do or say anything. The whole field ahead of us was literally peppered with scores and cores of buzzards.

We rushed to the office of the Ranger, where Shri Punia gracefully offered tea and joined us in a round of the sanctuary. Everywhere and anywhere you looked, the whole flat grassland was full of black bucks. From a capacity of 800, the population has now grown to well over 2000, forcing the Forest Department to acquire another 200 hectares to accommodate the explosion in population. Chinkaras and Blue bulls were also in plenty. But today was buzzard day and we had no time for the larger species. Any direction we looked, there were within 50 yards at least a dozen white eyed buzzards, most in the pale headed juvenile plumage. Like the Charge of the Light Brigade we progressed.

Cannon to the right of them,

Cannon to the left of them,

Cannon in front of them

…boldly they rode and well..

As per Arya, it was Nikon to the left of them, Nikon to the right of them and Canon in front.

We saw a Steppe Eagle majestically perched on a pole and approached for a close shot. That is when our attention was drawn to a darker coloured Buzzard which Anand and Punia thought was a Laggar falcon. While looking at that, we noticed behind it, in the fresh tall grass something with a grey thin long neck and a longish head and beak with a black clump of feathers on the crown. Even though the stance and the peculiar shape left no doubt about its identity, especially after one noticed the peculiar brownish body and its shape, at first we could never believe what we see in front of us is really an INDIAN BUZZARD! I shouted “ An Indian Bustard! Holy Jesus! is this really an Indian Bustard”. Anand confirmed and Wingoc strongly agreed. Poor Punia was struck speechless. He kept mumbling incoherently. After all, he has been in charge of the sanctuary for over three years and he knew every inch of the area. His personal attention and care of the zoo has resulted in visible improvement. And now there three old fogies land up from Delhi and show me a bird that every director of any sanctuary would be proud to claim! Long lenses and cameras came out and clicked away furiously to get a decent record shot. Out then came the books. Yes! This is indeed an Indian Bustard, female adult in very good form. After seeing this, we did not even mind the braking of the rear glass of Anand’s Safari, while trying to photograph a pair of Steppes on a tree, or the dozens of Laggar Falcons and other birds.

The afternoon session was rather tame with only about 600 or more buzzards, a pair of what we thought were peregrine falcons and a good sighting of Indian foxes.(Vulpes bengalensis).

The morning of 2nd August, we had only one mission, to see if there are more or only the female we spotted. A binocular scan of the grassland revealed a possible Bustard standing cleverly among Wooly necked Storks, but close examination showed it to be another specimen, possibly a male Indian Bustard. W called it a day happily after polishing of a dozen or so freshly fried Kachoris, which Anand has a penchant for locating from miles away. It is another matter that Wingco spotted and photographed a magnificent specimen of Red-necked Falcon at fairly close quarters sitting on a fence wire (the Falcon not Wingco). Arya’s attempt to retrieve his bazooka from the boot, were in vain as the falcon promptly flew away the moment Dr. Arya took his big lens out.

A very rewarding, exhilarating and historic birding trip indeed. A few observations might not be out of order here.

The tender loving care (TLC) with which Mr. Punia, the Range Officer in charge of Tal Chhapar Sanctuary tends to his park has rejuvenated the National Park. The appearance of the new inhabitants is a tribute to his selfless and sincere efforts.

Those who propose to visit the sanctuary may please note that there is severe restrictions on vehicular movement within the park. Please contact Mr. Punia in advance and find out the rules.

The best route from Delhi is Gurgaon-Kotputli-Neem ka thana-Sikar-Lakshmangarh-Salasar-Chhapar.

The long awaited rest house is coming up in the sanctuary and should be ready by next season if not late this season itself. The building is grand and rooms and facilities should be good.

Till then, the best bet is the dharamshala in Salasar. There are two very good ones with clean rooms and air conditioning. At least one more is coming up.

Eat and collect all the food and water you need en route well before Kotputli as there is nothing between Kotputli and Sikar. At sikar as you enter the town, at right on the first roundabout before the flyover, there is a decent multi-cuisine restaurant, strangely named “ICE”. Good, clean cheap food!

The canteen at the dharamshala sells genuine packaged water and cold drinks. Carry only what you need on the road journey.

The list of important birds sighted are given below:

Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps)pair

White eyed Buzzard (Between 600 and 1000)*

Laggar Falcon, over a dozen

Kestrel a pair

Steppe Eagle two

Egyptian Vultures two

Twany Eagle two

Oriental Honey Buzzard at least one, two sightings

Red Necked Falcon one

Rosy Starling over 5000

Wheatear, Isabelline and Variable

Shrikes, Long-tailed and Southern Grey

Wooly-necked Storks over 30

Black Ibis over 50,

Spoonbill, just one, though Punia says there are a dozen of them

Larks, Crested, Rufus-tailed and Ashy-crowned Sparrow

Bee eaters, green, blue cheeked and one possible blue tailed

Black bucks over 2000

Chinkara 100 – 200

Bluebulls 50 -60

Cheers,

Koshy

(* - needs substantiation)

Lammergeier or Bearded Vulture

2009-08-01T04:30:00.000-07:00

An Ossuary was discovered near Tunganath (Chopta, Uttarakhand, India) on 6 Jul
09 - an important find this time for me.

The Lammergeier has a bizarre habit of dropping large bones from high
up on to the rock surfaces to break them partially and afterwards it
devours the bones. These bone breaking sites are known as ossuaries.

(see the work of Antony Margalida here
http://www.aocs.org/news/archive_story.cfm?arch=1&id=733 )

This ossuary is an inverted V shaped section of a precipice 200-300
meters from the track to Chandrashila. The rocky face is on one lower
side of the "V", next to a mule track. An ideal spot for the
Lammergeier as prevailing wind will not deflect the large falling
bone.

Thanks to Negi of Kakdagad camp for noting the site. He heard the
crack of a bone landing on the rocks and then saw the Lammergeier in
action the next round.

Out of this bone breaking habit, the bird came to be known as bone
breaker and ossifrage. It is also called the bearded vulture and
bearded eagle whence the scientific name Gypaetus barbatus. And
"Lammergeier" or Lamb Vulture comes from the Alpine stories, now
discredited, of its carrying off lambs over precipices.

An interesting extract from the JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY
SOCIETY, Vol.XVIII, p500

The statement that the Bearded Vulture hurls animals over the
tremendous precipices of the Himalayas is, I think, proved by the fact
that the Gooral’s shoulder blade I found in the stomach of the bird
killed by me was broken in two pieces, as though from a fall, for it
is impossible that the bird could have done this with its bill.

It is probable that the Lammergeyer keeps a good look out for such
animals as may fall, or be thrown over the precipices of the mountains
which it frequents. I remember a sad accident which happened a few
years ago, when two officers were shooting on the Himalayan ranges.
One of them was following up a wounded bear which suddenly charged,
knocking him, and his shikari over the precipice, the impetus of the
charge carrying the bear over as well. His companion who was observing
all this from the top of the mountain, and who told me the story of
the accident very shortly after it happened, mentioned that it took
him about four hours to get down to the foot of the precipice, and
there he found the three bodies shattered almost beyond recognition.

He added that the Lammergeiers had already got at them.

W. OSBORN, Lieut.-General,
Naggur, Kulu Punjab, 12th January 1908.
***

Juvnile Lammergeier pix from Har Ki Dun trek, Uttarakhand, India, shot
on 19 Oct 08.

(report posted at birds-chandigarh google group by Devashish Deb, both photographs are him).

Morni Report by Narbir Kahlon

2009-07-29T22:33:00.000-07:00

http://groups.google.co.in/group/birds-chandigarh/files

Trip Report to Morni and surround areas

2009-07-29T09:34:00.001-07:00

A Report from birdtours.co.uk

Morni, Kasasuli, Kalesar National Park and Panipat Oil Refinery, Suresh C. Sharma

13 April 05 Left Sonipat at 0630 hrs
Arrive Berwala Bird Safari at 0930 hrs
Birding till 1230 hrs
Lunch at Greenpark
Birding Ghaggar River valley
Reach Chandrawal Lodge, Morni Hills at 1430 hrs
Tea at Chandrawal Lodge
Birding along the main trail from the Lodge to the Mountain
Quail Road
Return to the Lodge at 1930 hrs
Dinner and rest at the lodge

14 April 05 Leave for Tikkar Tal at 0600 hrs (9 kms from Chandrawal Lodge)
Return to Chandrawal by 1000 hrs.
Birding along the main trail from Mountain Quail side to the Lodge 1030-1230 hrs
Lunch and rest at Chandrawal
Drive upto Serla Tal beyond Morni village at 1330 hrs
Return to the Chandrawal Lodge by 1830 hrs.
Dinner and Rest at Chandrawal

15 April 05 Leave Chandrawal for Berwala at 0600 hrs
Reach Berwala at 0800 hrs
Leave Berwala 1200 hrs
Reach Kasauli 1430 hrs
Check in Hotel Maidens and rest there till 1600 hrs
Birding upto Monkey Point and back till 1900 hrs
Dinner and Stay at Hotel Maidens

16 Apr 05 Birding Kasauli 0600 to 1030 hrs
Leave Kasauli at 1100 hrs
Drive while birding Kumarhatti-Nahan-Paonta Sahib
Check in Tajewala Irrigation Rest House (Kalesar) 2000 hrs
Dinner and rest at the rest house

17 Apr 05 Leave Tajewala at 0600 hrs
Birding Kalesar National Park till 1000 hrs
A quick scan of Bata river from the Barapul bridge
Leave Kalesar 1130 hrs
Drive Yamunanagar-Ladwa-Indri-Karnal
Birding Panipat Refinery Wetland 1530-1630 hrs
Reach Sonipat/Delhi by 1830 hrs.

Where to stay:

For Morni (1) Chandrawal Kunj Lodge at Morni Hills. Serves meals.
(2) Mountain Quail Tourist Complex at Morni Hills. Serves meals.

For Kasauli (1) Hotel Maidens, Kasauli
There are lot of hotels at Kasauli

For Kalesar National Park

(1) Kalesar Forest Rest House
(2) Hathini Kund Irrigation Rest House
(3) Tajewala Irrigation Rest House - Advance booking is necessary. Serve meals.
(4) Hotel Lord Shiva - serve meals.

Weather: Morni - cool
Kasauli - cooler
Kalesar - warm

Vehicle: Hired AC Tata Indica

Co-birder : Amano Samarpan.

List of Birds

Grey Francolins - Berwala
Black Francolin -
Red Junglefowl - Berwala, Morni, Kalesar
Kalij Pheasant - one female flushed out at Kasauli on the Grewal Path
Indian Peafowl - Berwala, Panipat and Kalesar
Ruddy Shelduck - Kalesar (Hathini Kund Barrage)
Spot-billed Duck - Kalesar (Hathini Kund Barrage)
Speckled Piculet - Kasauli
Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker - Morni
Brown-fronted Woodpecker - Kasauli
Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker - Kasauli
Himalayan Flameback - Morni
Greater Flameback - Kalesar
Great Barbet - Berwala, Morni, Kasauli
Brown-headed Barbet - Berwala, Morni and Kalesar
Blue-throated Barbet - Morni
Coppersmith Barbet - Berwala, Morni and Kalesar
Indian Grey Hornbill - Kalesar
Great Hornbill - Kalesar
Common Hoopoe - Berwala, Morni
Indian Roller - Kalesar
Quail - unidentified quail at Morni for a fleeting moment, possibly Jungle Bush-quail
Common Kingfisher - Kalesar, Panipat
White-throated Kingfisher - Berwala, Morni, Kalesar and Panipat
Pied Kingfisher - Kalesar, Panipat
Blue-bearded Bee-eater - Berwala
Green Bee-eater - Berwala
Blue-tailed Bee-eater - Berwala
Chestnut-headed Bee-eater - Kalesar
Common Hawk-Cuckoo - Morni, Kasauli and Kalesar
Eurasian Cuckoo - Kalesar
Asian Koel - all
Alexandrine Parakeet - all
Rose-ringed Parakeet - all
Plum-headed Parakeet - all
House Swift - Berwala, Morni, Panipat, Kalesar
Asian Barred Owlet - Kasauli and Nahan
Spotted Owlet - Kalesar
Rock Pigeon - all
Oriental Turtle Dove - Morni and Kasauli
Laughing Dove - all
Spotted Dove - Berwala, Kasauli, Morni and Kalesar
Red Collared Dove - Panipat
Eurasian Collared Dove - all
Yellow-footed Green Pigeon - Berwala
Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon - Heard at Kalesar (doubtful)
White-breasted Waterhen - Berwala, Panipat
Purple Swamphen - Panipat
Common Moorhen - Panipat
Common Coot - Panipat
Common Snipe - Panipat
Black-tailed Godwit - Panipat
Spotted Redshank - Panipat
Marsh Sandpiper - Panipat, Kalesar
Common Greenshank - Kalesar
Green Sandpiper - Panipat, Kalesar
Little Stint - Panipat
Temminck's Stint - Panipat
Curlew Sandpiper - Panipat
Ruff - Panipat
Black-winged Stilt - Panipat, Kalesar and Morni (Tikkar Tal)
Little Ringed Plover - Panipat
Red-wattled Lapwing - All
River Tern - Panipat
Black-shouldered Kite - Panipat, Kalesar
Black Kite - all
Brahminy Kite - Panipat
Egyptian Vulture - all
White-rumped Vultures - Berwala, Morni, Kasauli and Kalesar
Indian Vultures - Berwala, Morni
Himalayan Griffon - Kasauli
Cinereous Vulture - Morni
Short-toed Snake Eagle - Berwala
Crested Serpent Eagle - Kalesar
Shikra - Berwala, Kalesar, Panipat
Oriental Honey-Buzzard - Berwala and Kalesar
Common Kestrel - Berwala
Little Grebe - Morni (Tikkar Tal) and Panipat
Darter - Panipat
Little Cormorant - Kalesar, Morni (Tikkar Tal) and Panipat
Great Cormorant - Panipat
Little Egret - Morni (Tikkar Tal), Kalesar and Panipat
Grey Heron - Panipat, Kalesar
Purple Heron - Panipat
Great Egret - Panipat
Intermediate Eaglet - Panipat, Kalesar
Cattle Egret - Panipat
Indian Pond Heron - Kalesar, Panipat
Little Heron - Kalesar (Bata river bridge)
Painted Stork -Kalesar (Hathini Kund Barrage)
Asian Openbill - Kalesar
Golden-fronted Leafbird - Kalesar
Bay-backed Shrike - Panipat
Long-tailed Shrike - Panipat, Kasauli, Morni, Kalesar
Red-billed Blue Magpie - Morni and Kasauli
Rufous Treepie - all
Grey Treepie – Morni and Kasauli
House Crow - all
Large-billed Crow - all Eurasian Golden Oriole - all
Large Cuckooshrike - Morni, Berwala, Kalesar
Small Minivet - Berwala, Morni, Kalesar
Long-tailed Minivet - Morni and Kasauli
Scarlet Minivet - Morni and Kasauli
Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike - Morni
White-throated Fantail - Morni and Kasauli
White-browed Fantail - Berwala, Kalesar
Black Drongo - all
Ashy Drongo - Morni and Kasauli
Asian Paradise Flycatcher - Berwala
Common Iora - Berwala, Kalesar
Common Woodshrike - all
Blue-capped Rock Thrush - Morni and Kasauli
Blue Whistling Thrush - Berwala, Morni and Kasauli
Red-throated Flycatcher - Berwala, Morni
Verditer Flycatcher - Kasauli
Small Niltava - Kalesar
Blue-throated Flycatcher - Berwala
Tickell's Blue Flycatcher - Berwala
Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher - Kasauli
Oriental Magpie Robin - all
Indian Robin - all
Black Redstart - Morni and Berwala
White-capped Water Redstart - Morni (Gaggar bridge)
Siberian Stonechat - Panipat
Pied Bushchat - all
Grey Bushchat - Morni and Kasauli
Brown Rock-chat - all
Brahminy Starling - Panipat
Rosy Starling - Panipat
Asian Pied Starling - Kalesar and Panipat
Common Myna - all
Bank Myna - Panipat
Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch - Morni and Kasauli
Bar-tailed Treecreeper - Kasauli
Great Tit - Berwala, Morni, Kasauli and Kalesar
Black-throated Tit - Kasauli
Plain Martin - Berwala, Kalesar and Panipat
Dusky Crag Martin - Kalesar
Barn Swallow - Morni
Wire-tailed Swallow - Kalesar
Red-rumped Swallow - all
Streaked-throated Swallow - Kalesar and Panipat
Himalayan Bulbul - Berwala, Morni, Kasauli and Kalesar
Red-vented Bulbul - all
Black Bulbul - Morni
Striated Prinia - Morni and Kasauli
Grey-breasted Prinia - Berwala, Morni, Kasauli and Kalesar
Yellow-bellied Prinia - Panipat
Ashy Prinia - Berwala, Kalesar and Panipat
Plain Prinia - Kalesar
Graceful Prinia -Panipat
Oriental White-eye - all
Common Tailorbird - all
Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler - did not see but heard a song 'wheeeeee eeyoo' being responded by another bird across the valley in Berwala on both days - doubtful
Lesser Whitethroat (minula) - Kalesar
Lesser Whitethroat (althea) - Morni
Paddyfield Warbler - Panipat
Blyth's Reed Warbler - Berwala
Clamorous Warbler - Panipat
Common Chiffchaff - Berwala, Morni and Kalesar
Mountain Chiffchaff - Morni and Kasauli (doubtful)
Sulphur-bellied Warbler - Berwala, Morni and Kasauli
Lemun-rumped Warbler - Kasauli
Hume's Warbler - Berwala, Morni, Kasauli and Kalesar
Greenish Warbler - Berwala, Morni, Kasauli and Kalesar
Tytler's Leaf Warbler - Morni and Kasauli (cannot be 100% sure)
Western-crowned Warbler - Kasauli
Grey-hooded Warbler - Morni, Kasauli
Streaked-throated Laughingthrush - Kasauli
Puff-throated Babbler - Berwala, Morni and Kalesar
Rusty-cheeked Scimitar Babbler - Berwala, Morni, Kasauli and Kalesar
White-browed Scimitar Babbler - Berwala and Morni
Yellow-eyed Babbler - Morni (Gaggar bridge and Tikkar tal)
Common Babbler - Kalesar
Large Grey Babbler - Berwala, Kalesar and Panipat
Jungle Babbler - all
Red-billed Leiothrix -Kasauli
Thick-billed Flowerpecker - Kalesar
Purple Sunbird - all
Crimson Sunbird - Berwala and Morni
House Sparrow - all
Russet Sparrow - Morni and Kasauli
Chestnut-shouldered Petronia - all
White Wagtail - Kalesar, Panipat
White-browed Wagtail - Morni (Tikkar Tal), Panipat and Kalesar
Citrine Wagtail - Morni (Tikkar Tal), Kalesar and Panipat
Yellow Wagtail - Panipat
Grey Wagtail - Berwala
Paddyfield Pipit -Panipat
Tree Pipit - Berwala, Morni and Kalesar
Olive-backed Pipit - Morni and Kasauli
Red Avadavat - Panipat
Scaly-breasted Munia - Berwala
Common Rosefinch - Berwala, Morni and Kasauli
Crested Bunting - Berwala and Morni
White-capped Bunting - Morni

Birdwatching in Kasauli (Himachal Pradesh)

2009-07-28T02:17:00.000-07:00

Mrs Sarbajeet Kaur spent a few hours watching and clicking birds at Kasauli (Himachal Pradesh) near Chandigarh on 25 July 2009. She reported plenty of interesting birds such as Black-chinned Babblers, Verditer Flycatchers, Red-billed Blue Magpie, Red-billed Leothrix, Grey Bushchat, nuthatch species, Bar-tailed Treecreeper, Striated Prinias, Jungle Owlet and many other birds. The day is not far when she will be able to write a birding trip report of Kasauli with some of her selected good photographs. Here is a Black-chinned Babbler snapped by her.

Dr Salim Ali with S. Manmohan Singh

2009-07-28T01:59:00.000-07:00

Vikram Jit Singh adds : My father, the late Sardar Man Mohan Singh (IAS, 1962 batch) was not just a birdwatcher. He was a committed conservationist and a keen shikari. His knowledge of birds was above average but certainly not of the technical brilliance possessed by professional ornithologists. However, he deployed his immense power of office and personal charm to work towards conservation. He his known as the `Founding Father' of Harike, where incidentally I immersed his ashes at the great confluence of the rivers Beas and Satluj in November, 2000. It was his efforts that brought Dr Salim Ali and the BNHS to Harike and the pioneering ringing work in the early 1980s. My father ensured that all bureaucratic red-tape was ruthlessly cut through to provide all facilities to the BNHS. Dr Ali shared a deep friendship with my father and depended upon him to undertake conservation measures in Punjab.

When in New Delhi, on deputation with the GoI, my father ensured liberal grants to the BNHS. In Punjab, his wanderings through the countryside during his shikar ensured that he was of great assistance to villagers in upgrading schools and building link roads where needed. His efforts resulted in the Punjab Wildlife dept publishing a book on the vernacular names of Punjab's birds. In one memorable incident, when he was UT Finance Secy, he was out shooting with his old friend, Flying Sikh Milkha Singh. Inadvertently, we strayed into a reserved forest area and were stopped by a forest guard. Milkha Singh curtly told the guard that the UT Finance secy was on a hunt and he should not stop us. My father was silent. The guard, however, would have none of it. My father turned on his heel and went back. The next morning, he summoned the UT Chief Wildlife warden and directed him to promote the forest guard.

Suresh C. Sharma : I have the honour of interacting with S. Manmohan Singh, IAS when he was posted in Ministry of Education, Shashtri Bhavan, New Delhi. I think it was early 80s.

Bristled Grassbird in Sukhna Lake, Chandigarh

2009-07-23T09:27:00.000-07:00

Narbir Kahlon reported the first-ever sighting of a singing and displaying Bristled Grassbird from Sukhna Lake, Chandigarh on 17 July 09. Same evening he with Navjit Singh again scanned the site and counted 3 pairs of this rare endemic bird species. (This photo was taken by Narbir Kahlon).