Birds

Birds at Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary – Karnataka , India

February 24, 2014 by sarita

The highlight of our trip to the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary was, I’m sure its obvious, the birds we sighted there. A boat ride across the lake afforded us views of hundreds of species of birds, many of which we could not even identify. Here are a few that we could name and get good pictures of. All these birds like living by the water and will rarely be seen in cityscapes.

WATCH THE VIDEO –

Birds at Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary – PICTURES –

Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary – Karnataka

Birds at Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary

Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary – Karnataka , India

Painted Stork Birds Pictures at Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary

The painted stork is a visually aesthetic bird. Its head and beak are orange, its body is patterned in monochrome, and its tail feathers feature a dusting of pink, the color replicated on their long, skinny legs. It’s a pretty life-affirming bird to look at. And a dramatic one too. The young of the painted stork will, if facing a predator, vomit out food and fall to the ground as if dead, thus fooling the predator and putting it off eating for awhile too!

Painted Stork at Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary

Painted Storks at Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary

Birds at Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary Painted Storks

Birds at Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary Karnataka

Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary Karnataka

Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary Pictures

Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary Birds Painted Storks Pictures

Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary Birds Painted Storks on Trees

Common Spoonbill Pictures

You can’t forget this bird even if you try. Its claim to fame, and a permanent place in your memory, is its long black beak shaped sort of like a paddle, the tip of which has yellow markings, the hue varying from bird to bird. Their bodies are white with characteristic yellow plumage on the head and a patch of yellow on the base of its long neck.

Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary Common Spoonbill in it’s Nest

The common spoonbill doesn’t care whether the water it resides by is fresh or saline, but it needs muddy or sandy areas and plenty of surrounding vegetation before it will call the place home. Its diet is entirely carnivorous consisting of whatever small life forms it can snap up from frogs and fish to insects and worms.

Common Spoonbill in its Nest

Common Spoonbill Birds at Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary Karnataka

Great Stone-curlew at Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary

While you can catch this bird looking for food in the day time, it is actually a nocturnal creature and does its best work, socialising and eating then. It won’t let you get too close, and at the first sign of a threat it will take off.

Great Stone-curlew Birds at Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary Karnataka

The great stone-curlew is grey overall, but the striking striped pattern on the sides of its eyes are, well, eye-catching. Its skinny legs also bring a spot of color, barely though, with their pale yellow hue. Its eyes appear yellow in some lights and green in others. And there’s a final touch of yellow on the end of its otherwise black beak.

Great Stone-curlew at Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary Karnataka

Great Stone-curlew Birds Karnataka India

Great Stone-curlew

Great Stone-curlew Head and Beak

Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary Karnataka Great Stone-curlew Birds

Birds Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary

Egrets and Heron Birds at Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary

Egrets belong to the family of herons. You may have seen egrets before and thought them to be quite elegant. But the egret we spotted looked at once both serious and hilarious only because of its retracted neck. It had the characteristics of any egret – white body, black legs, yellow beak and beady yellow eyes – but its was almost human in its body language, giving the impression of a grumpy old man, hunched over, contemplating how awful everything around him is. A veritable Scrooge!

The diet of the egret is similar in part to its heron cousins – fish, insects, crustaceans and frogs. Larger egret and heron birds also include small amphibians, reptiles and rodents on their menus.

White Egret at Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary

Egrets have black legs and yellow beak

Herons at Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary Karnataka

River Tern Birds at Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary

The river tern is a small bird with grey wings, a white chest, a black ‘scarf’ on the upper part of its head like the mask of Zorro,a bright yellow pointy beak and orange feet. Young river tern have a brown ‘scarf’ or ‘mask’ and their back is speckled with brown. However, there is no difference between fully-grown male and female river tern.

River Tern at Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary

It is fond of fresh water bodies and you won’t find the river tern making its home anywhere near the sea. Water it important for river tern habitat as that is where it gets its food from, mainly small fish, tadpoles or insects. It feeds by diving into the water and swiftly capturing its prey in its beak.

It may look tiny in the pictures, but this monochrome feathered creature can grow up to more than one foot from beak to tail.

River Tern Bird Pictures Karnataka

River Tern Bird at Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary

Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary Birds River Tern

River Tern Head Shot Picture

River Tern Birds in Karnataka

River Tern Bird

These are just a handful of the hundreds of birds that we spotted at the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary. Go out there and spot your own.

Birds in Dandeli – Karnataka

January 20, 2014 by sarita

Our trip to Dandeli over the holidays left us with many memories, chief among them being the wildlife we encountered. Dandeli boasts of rich biodiversity. The abundant greenery is especially a haven for birds and the varieties we saw were staggering.

Bird watching in Dandeli – Karnataka (Video)

Bird Watching At Old Magazine House

It was impossible to note or get a shot of every single bird that we laid eyes upon. Here is just a handful that we were able to get great photos of.

The Old Magazine House where we stayed while in Dandeli is a bird watcher’s paradise. You can’t go anywhere without spotting or hearing a whole bunch of them – birds, not bird-watchers. You don’t have to find birds, they find you. When you step out of your room, go for a walk, take a boat ride or a drive – they’re all over the place.

Bird Watching at Old Magazine House in Dandeli

White-rumped Shama

The males of this species are deep blue/black in color except for their bellies which are bright orange while their rumps are, you guessed it, white. Because of its exotic appearance as well as its captivating voice, the male White-rumped Shama is often caught and caged. It’s quite the talented little thing too, capable of mimicking the calls of other birds.

White Rumped Shama Birds in Dandeli

White Rumped Shama at Old Magazine House Dandeli

Asian Paradise Fly Catcher

The Paradise Fly Catcher is a very elegant-looking bird. Its body is white while its head is entirely black. The male has rather long tail feathers which can grow up to 12 inches. They prefer the safety of tall, dense trees and you won’t often see this bird in a bush and even more rarely on the ground although they will briefly come to the ground if they need to drink or bathe in water.

Asian Paradise Fly Catcher Birds in India

Paradise Fly Catcher Eating Butterfly

Paradise Fly Catcher Pictures – Male

Paradise Fly Catcher

Birds in Dandeli Asian Paradise Fly Catcher

Birds in Dandeli Paradise Fly Catcher

Paradise Fly Catcher White bird with long tail

Paradise Fly Catcher Birds in Dandeli

Old Magazine House in Dandeli – Bird Watching

Black Drongo

The Black Drongo is glossy black and can appear midnight blue in some lights. They are very feisty birds, known to be aggressive and take on birds that are much larger than them. They’ll roost anywhere – in bushes, on trees, walls, animals and electricity wires. They’re not afraid of anything. You can’t tell by the look of them, but they are extremely efficient at hunting and perform flight manoeuvres that put other birds to shame.

Black Drongo at Old Magazine House

Black Drongo

Black Drongo Bird

Black Drongo Dandeli Karnataka

Black Drongo Birds in Dandeli

Black Drongo Bird Pictures

Emerald Dove

The Emerald Dove looks just like any other dove, except that it has emerald wings and the males have blue colouring on their heads. We got many pictures of these birds as they foraged on the ground for food around a makeshift bird feeder that was set up at Old Magazine House. Although they prefer forested habitats, they spend most of their life on the ground and will only go up into a tree to sleep.

Emerald Dove in Dandeli

Pictures of Emerald Dove – Male and Female

Spotted – The Common Emerald Dove in Dandeli, Karnataka ( at Old Magazine House) The Old Magazine House in Dandeli

Brown-cheeked Fulvetta

The Brown-cheeked Fulvetta is a cute little thing that looks like a sparrow attempting camouflage. Although its name implies that it has brown cheeks, the one we spotted was boasting shades of brown all over with the hue on the head being the darkest. We were quite lucky to get a shot of this one because the Brown-cheeked Fulvetta prefers to hide out in dense foliage, probably for protection as they are not known to be very strong fliers.

Brown Cheeked Fulvetter Dandeli Birds

Brown Cheeked Fulvetter

Brown Cheeked Fulvetter Bird

During a Coracle Boat Ride

We took a coracle boat ride on the Kaveri river on a lazy afternoon. It isn’t the smoothest and its always a bit iffy taking pictures on the water. But with patience, persistence and a steady hand, we managed to immortalise these flamboyant specimens in pixels.

Bird Watching in Dandeli

Bird Watching in Dandeli – Karnataka

Brahminy Kite

The coracle boat ride afforded us even more exotic sights, starting with the Brahminy Kite. It looks just like an eagle except that its head and chest are white. In Hindu culture, the Brahminy Kite is a representation of Garuda, the vehicle of Lord Vishnu. These birds tend to keep to their own kind, preferring to nest away from other birds in trees that are isolated.

Brahminy Kite

Brahminy Kite Birds in Dandeli Karnataka

Brahminy Kite In Dandeli

Brahminy Kite India

Dandeli Birds Brahminy Kite

Karnataka Birds Brahminy Kite

Malabar Pied Hornbill

This is a bird you just can’t stop looking at. The Malabar Pied Hornbill looks like it’s from another world. Its monochrome body starkly contrasts with its bright yellow double bills. The second one sits atop its beak, its eye shape strangely hypnotic. They are not picky eaters and will consume everything from fruits and insects to small animals.

Bird Watching in Dandeli Ganeshgudi – Malabar Pied Hornbill

Malabar Pied Hornbill Birds in Dandeli

Dandeli Birds Malabar Pied Hornbill

Malabar Pied Hornbill

Malabar Pied Hornbills in Dandeli

Malabar Pied Hornbill in Dandeli

Malabar Pied Hornbill Bird

Malabar Pied Hornbills

Woolly-necked Stork

Many places in Asia that have warm temperatures, a major water body and surrounding vegetation boast a healthy population of the Woolly-Necked stork. The Woolly-necked Stork has black wings, a brown body, a white head and a black crown. Seen from afar, it appears as though only the neck is white which is where it derives its name from. The one we spotted was perched high up in a tree but these birds usually hunt for food right on the ground.

Woolly Necked Stork

Woolly Necked Stork India Birds Karnataka

Woolly Necked Stork Birds in Dandeli

Dandeli Birds Woolly Necked Stork

We weren’t able to get the best pictures of all the birds we saw and what we’ve showcased here are really just a fraction. But rest assured that if you like watching birds as a serious hobby or just for fun, then you’ll be completely floored by what Dandeli has to offer.

Common Emerald Dove – Male and Female

January 15, 2014 by sarita

Spotted – The Common Emerald Dove in Dandeli, Karnataka ( at Old Magazine House)

The Old Magazine House in Dandeli, Karnataka is a haven for bird watchers. The wooded areas around are flush with them (both birds and bird watchers) and the authorities who run the place have done whatever possible to attract even more bird life. Our trip there afforded us some unforgettable ornithological sights, the common emerald dove being one of them.

We spotted them early in the morning around makeshift bird baths fashioned out of earthen flat pots. The state bird of Tamil Nadu, the common emerald dove looks just like a common dove or pigeon with the small difference that its wings are an emerald green. That’s what gives them their common names – the green-winged pigeon or green dove.

They are quite beautiful, especially the distinctive blue-green coloring on the wings. The males are further marked with white on their heads and shoulders. The females have a similar marking only on the shoulders, but it will appear grey rather than white.

These birds feed on seeds, fruits and anything edible they can find on the ground. They are very like common pigeons, in that they spend much of their time on the ground as they hop around looking for a nibble. You won’t spot many common emerald doves roosting in trees. Like pigeons, you can approach common emerald doves while they are on the ground, especially if you happen to be carrying a bit of seed or grain with which to feed them, and they will happily eat what you give them.

The pictures you see here were taken from quite a distance. Although they would not have flown away had we gotten near (they would have just hopped to a safe distance), we wanted to capture their behaviour in their natural habitat with no human intervention.