MURDESHWAR DIARIES: AUG'14 - Part IV

BLACK RUMPED FLAMEBACK WOODPECKER

Remember Paulo Coelho's famous lines from the book The Alchemist - "And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it". These lines sum up the story behind the two pictures posted below.

Black Rumped Flameback Woodpeckers (Wiki Link) are perhaps, one of the most colorful amongst the common birds of the Western Ghats. The ochre back with dark black borders, white underparts and that adorable and distinct red crown makes them such a pleasure to watch. I would spot them commonly while we lived in Goa, especially in the hinterland. One such spotting was at Goa Velha in May 2013 while I was staying at Bhabi's place (Link). The best way to see them is to wait for that peculiar 'rattling-whinnying' call that they make.

That precisely is how I spotted this individual, which I presume is a male from its colors. I was busy clicking the Little Cormorant when woodpecker calls caught my attention. While I could see the bird on a coconut tree, it was too far to get a good shot; far, even for the 50X optical zoom of my Cannon SX50HS. As I stood there watching it, I was praying that it would somehow come closer so that I could get a decent click. Surprisingly, the bird flew off and after its characteristic undulating flight, landed on the coconut tree just few meters away from where I was standing. As the woodpecker hopped on the trunk of the tree, I got a couple of shots. Though I could not get a head shot, I still like the angle in the pictures. Within a matter of seconds though, it hid inside the leaves and I could not track it any further.

This is the last post in the series about my birding in Murdeshwar this August. For previous posts, please click on the link below. Besides, do share your comments and feedback!

Other posts in this series: 
Murdeshwar Diaries: Aug'14 - Part I - Part IV (Link)