Tag: birds

Coming to land!

Long-legged Buzzard - Landing
Long-legged Buzzard - Landing

Long-legged Buzzards from the Balkan and Russia are mostly migratory and spend the winter in northern Afrika or in the Sahel. Some birds spend the winter in Hungary or Greece. Sometimes Long-legged Buzzards are seen farther in the west, for example in Austria and Germany.

A map on Wikipedia shows that the ones found in India are in a mixed range, some are winter migrants and some are part of the permanent range.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-legged_Buzzard
https://www.europeanraptors.org/raptors/long_legged_buzzard.html

Oriental Pratincole

Oriental Pratincole in flight over Makardokda Lake
Oriental Pratincole in flight over Makardokda Lake

The Oriental Pratincole (Glareola maldivarum), also known as the Grasshopper-Bird or Swallow-Plover is a wader in the pratincole family, Glareolidae.

Their most unusual feature of the pratincoles is that although classed as waders they typically hunt their insect prey on the wing like swallows, although they can also feed on the ground.

Black Redstart

Black Redstart - male
Black Redstart - male

Till very recently I did not know about the sub-species of Black Redstart. The sub-species we get is Phoenicurus ochruros rufiventris. Seen in Turkmenistan eastwards through Pamir and Alay Mountains to Himalaya and is a widespread winter visitor to the rest of Indian plians

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Redstart

Oriental White-eye

Oriental White-eye foraging on a bottle brush tree
Oriental White-eye foraging on a bottle brush tree

The Oriental White-eye, Zosterops palpebrosus, is a small passerine bird. They are easily identified by the distinctive white eye-ring and overall yellowish upperparts. Several populations of this widespread species are named subspecies and some have distinctive variations in the extent and shades of yellows in their plumage.About eleven subspecies are well recognized.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriental_White-eye

Long-crested Ealge, Juvenile

Long-crested Eagle - Juvenile
Long-crested Eagle - Juvenile

When I first saw this bird I was reminded of the Changelable Hawk Eagle…

New!!

Rufous Treepie - Dendrocitta vagabunda
Rufous Treepie - Dendrocitta vagabunda

In the morning it looked like there will be no sun on the new years day but by afternoon the skies cleared out and I could go out for a walk! Happy new 2012 to everyone

In a tight turn

Green bee-eater, Merops orientalis in flight..
Green bee-eater, Merops orientalis in flight..

Green bee-eater is a very agile flyer, unless gliding it is very hard to capture them sharp details. Took about 45 mins and 200 shots to get this one…

European Roller

European Roller
European Roller

European Roller, Coracias garrulus is a long distance migrant and at times a few straggler can even reach up to Nagpur. This individual was however taken on our recent trip to Kutch, Gujarat.

Long-legged Buzzard

Long-legged Buzzard - take off
Long-legged Buzzard - take off

Valparai, Part 2 – Picturesque speechless

Tea estates under the clouds
Tea estates under the clouds
I am Wookie - A young lion-tailed macaque looks me in the eye
I am Wookie - A young lion-tailed macaque looks me in the eye

Click for 13 more pictures, map and the GPX file