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)

MURDESHWAR DIARIES: AUG'14 - Part III

INDIAN POND HERON & LITTLE CORMORANT

At my native place, we have a small piece of vacant land which was formerly under cultivation. My mother tells me that in the past, different kinds of vegetables used to be grown here. Though it may seem to be a waste land for most parts of the year, come monsoon and it becomes a heaven for several varieties of fauna including a host of insects, fishes, frogs, snakes and birds. For five months, from early June to late October as the South-west monsoon hits the Arabian coast, it is transformed into a pond that supports a thriving eco-system, pretty evident from the sheer number of birds seen here. With most of the farmland making way for hotels, lodges and other commercial enterprises that have come up to cash in on the tourism boom, this 'wasteland' is automatically a magnet for the birds.

Below are pictures of two avian species that are extremely common here - the Indian Pond Heron (Wiki Link) and the Little Cormorant (Wiki Link).

Indian Pond Heron

Little Cormorant

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

MURDESHWAR DIARIES: AUG'14 - Part II

GREATER COUCAL or CROW PHEASANT

One of the birds that I look forward to on all my trips to Murdeshwar is the Greater Coucal or the Crow Pheasant (Wiki Link). Last year when I had been there at this time of the year, I remember seeing three of these, foraging in our backyard for worms and frogs. While they may look fiery in their black and brown coat, especially with those bright red eyes, they are extremely shy and will fly away whenever you close in on them to get a good shot. On this trip, I found one coucal who had just caught a frog. Later, in the evening, I saw it again, this time with a worm in its beak. As it flew into the trees with its prey, I spotted a juvenile which she was rearing. While the little coucal was perched, mummy went about getting food for it. This was the first time that I had seen a mother coucal with her chick. Though I could not get both of them in one frame, just watching the mother taking pains to rear her young was in itself such a pleasure.

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

MURDESHWAR DIARIES: AUG'14 - Part I

THE HOUSE SPARROW

August began on a good note as all of us, except Pappa headed to our native town of Murdeshwar. We were there primarily to attend Vaini's (my maternal grand-mom's) third death anniversary, which happened to fall on the first day of the month - a Friday. The plan was to leave for Gokarna (Link) the next morning and spend the weekend on the Om Beach, even as Mom and my cousin Poonam headed back to Bengaluru. Not so surprisingly, I was thrilled to be back on the coast in spite of the fact that it was raining cats and dogs. Another reason for all the excitement was that I was dying to use my Canon SX50HS after a very long time. It had been months since I had not gone out on any birding sessions with our new house, election coverage on the blog and official work occupying much of my time. Monsoon is a good time to spot birds in this part of the world; actually you will find several different kinds of Aves on the Arabian coast throughout the year, however the probability of finding rare ones during rains is high.

I will begin this series with one of my favorite birds - the House Sparrow (Wiki Link). Though they have become extremely difficult to find in our cities, these 'small packets of joys' can still be found in sizable numbers in our towns and villages. In Murdeshwar, they are generally seen in groups of up to 5 individuals on wires, compound walls and most commonly near shutter boxes of shops where they breed their young. While they may not be attractive to the eyes, watching them go about their daily routine is such a pleasure. And yes, there is no better way to start your day than listening to the chirping sounds of these little creatures. Isn't it sad, that sparrow - a bird that has been so closely associated with human culture across the world has declined so dramatically over the years... While ornithologists and experts may still be analyzing the root cause of the problem, I hope that the sparrows make a grand come back in our cities too.

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