50) RED-WHISKERED BULBUL (Pycnonotus jocosus)

At Havelock

50) Red-whiskered bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus) #bulbul

I noticed Red-whiskered bulbul for the first time at Havelock , Andaman. Thereafter at Pachmarhi.

At Havelock

I have not noticed it in Bhopal where I reside currently. I noticed it at Bhandup Pumping Station, Mumbai too. 

At Havelock

At   Bhandup Pumping Station one can see Red Vented Bulbul, Red-whiskered bulbul as well as White-eared (yellow vented) Bulbul. 

At Pachmarhi

The red-whiskered bulbul has a brown back with a tall crest on a black crown. It has a white cheek, red ear tuft and vent.

At Pachmarhi

Its preferred habitat is lightly wooded areas, open country with bushes and shrubs, and farmland.

It feeds on fruits nectar and insects.

The Red-whiskered bulbul is at 50th place in my listing of birds that I have seen and photographed.

At Pachmarhi, the bird was drenching itself in water. I tried to do a picture movie of the same and hosted it on the Youtube under the following link :

 https://youtu.be/FQD_CvQe6AM

49) CHESTNUT-HEADED BEE-EATER (Merops leschenaulti)

Chestnut-headed bee-eater Andaman Dec 2014

49) Chestnut-headed bee-eater (Merops leschenaulti) #Chestnut-headed bee-eater #Andaman

The photographs of Chestnut-headed bee-eater were taken at Andamans in December 2014. It is a resident breeder in the Andamans and Western Ghat.

Chestnut-headed bee-eater Andaman Dec 2014

It is predominantly green.Its tail lacks spikes. The crown and mantle are chestnut coloured. Its throat above small chestnut patch is yellow in colour. It has a black eye stripe and a thin black curved bill.

Chestnut-headed bee-eater Andaman Dec 2014

It eats bees wasps and hornets, caught in the air by sorties from an open perch.

It was classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

In my listing of birds that I have seen and photographed, the Chestnut-headed bee-eater is at 49th place.

References: 

1) Birds of the Indian Subcontinent by Richard Grimmett, Carol Inskipp and Tim Inskipp

2) Birds of South Asia, The Ripley guide by Pamela C. Rasmussen and John C Anderton

3) The Book of Indian Birds by Salim Ali

4) A Pictorial Field Guide to Birds of India by Bikram Grewal, Sumit Sen, Sarwandeep Singh, Nikhil Devasar and Garima Bhatia

5) The Wikipedia

48) WHIMBREL (Numenius phaeopus)

Whimbrel Andaman Havelock Dec 2014

48) Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)

In the month of December 2014, on a beach at Havelock Island, Andaman, saw Whimbrel. 

Whimbrel Andaman Havelock Dec 2014

It is a kind of wader and its beak is shorter than curlews. it is a migratory bird and a winter visitor. 

Whimbrel Andaman Havelock Dec 2014

Whimbrel Andaman Havelock Dec 2014

It  feeds by probing the soft mud for small invertebrates.

It was classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

In my listing of birds that I have seen and photographed, the Whimbrel is at 48th place.

References:

1) Birds of the Indian Subcontinent by Richard Grimmett, Carol Inskipp and Tim Inskipp

2) Birds of South Asia, The Ripley guide by Pamela C. Rasmussen and John C Anderton

3) The Book of Indian Birds by Salim Ali

4) A Pictorial Field Guide to Birds of India by Bikram Grewal, Sumit Sen, Sarwandeep Singh, Nikhil Devasar and Garima Bhatia


5) The Wikipedia

47) PACIFIC REEF HERON (Egretta sacra)

Pacific Reef Heron Havelock , Andamans Dec 14

47) Pacific reef heron (Egretta sacra) #heron #andamans

I saw the Pacific reef heron on a beach at Havelock Island, Andamans in the month of December 2014.

Pacific Reef Heron Havelock , Andamans Dec 14

Some Pacific reef heron have entirely white plumage whereas some birds have entirely dark grey plumage. 

It inhabits coastal regions like rocky shores and offshore islands.

Pacific Reef Heron Havelock , Andamans Dec 14

It is also observed on mangrove margins, tidal flats, beaches and tidal creeks.

It feeds mainly on fish, shrimp and molluscs.

It was classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Pacific Reef Heron Havelock , Andamans Dec 14

In my listing of birds that I have seen and photographed, the Pacific Reef Heron is at 47th place.

References:

1) Birds of the Indian Subcontinent by Richard Grimmett, Carol Inskipp and Tim Inskipp

2) Birds of South Asia, The Ripley guide by Pamela C. Rasmussen and John C Anderton

3) The Book of Indian Birds by Salim Ali

4) A Pictorial Field Guide to Birds of India by Bikram Grewal, Sumit Sen, Sarwandeep Singh, Nikhil Devasar and Garima Bhatia

5) The Wikipedia

46) EURASIAN WRYNECK (Jynx torquilla)

Eurasian Wryneck 1 Vanvihar 060916

46) Eurasian wryneck (Jynx torquilla) #Eurasian #wryneck

The Eurasian Wryneck is at 46th place in my listing of birds that I have seen and photographed. I had sighted it at Vanvihar National Park, Bhopal during my early morning walk in the month of September. I could not identify it as I was seeing it for the first time. 

Eurasian Wryneck 2 Vanvihar 060916

Some experienced birders identified it as Eurasian Wryneck. It is a species of wryneck in the woodpecker family. A majority population of this species are migratory, wintering in southern Asia from Iran to the Indian Subcontinent. It preferred habitat is open countryside, woodlands, and orchards.

Eurasian Wryneck 3 Vanvihar 060916

I have not seen this bird thereafter so far. Probably, it seems to have migrated in advance. It preys on ants and other insects. It gets its English name from its ability to turn its head almost 180 degrees. 

It was classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

References: 

1) Birds of the Indian Subcontinent by Richard Grimmett, Carol Inskipp and Tim Inskipp 

2) Birds of South Asia, The Ripley guide by Pamela C. Rasmussen and John C Anderton 

3) The Book of Indian Birds by Salim Ali 

4) A Pictorial Field Guide to Birds of India by Bikram Grewal, Sumit Sen, Sarwandeep Singh, Nikhil Devasar and Garima Bhatia 

5) The Wikipedia

45) LONG TAILED SHRIKE (Lanius schach)

Long Tailed Shrike Vanvihar 060916

45) Long-tailed Shrike or Rufous-backed shrike (Lanius schach) #shrike #birds

I saw a solitary Long Tailed Shrike sitting on the top of fence pole inside Vanvihar National Park, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh in the month of September 2016. 

Long Tailed Shrike Vanvihar 060916

I saw this bird very often in the same locality inside Vanvihar National Park. It was always seen solitary and not as a part of a flock. 

Long Tailed Shrike Vanvihar 190316

I saw this bird during March 2016 in Vanvihar before the September 2016 sightings.

Long Tailed Shrike Vanvihar 190316

Again it was a solitary bird, perched on a branch at the top of a tree.

Long Tailed Shrike Vanvihar 190316

Long Tailed Shrike Halali 180916

Later on while travelling to Halali waterfalls in the district of Raisen, Madhya Pradesh, once again I saw this bird near Halali.

Long Tailed Shrike Halali 180916

There too, It was a solitary bird perched on a branch at the top of a tree. 

Long Tailed Shrike Halali 180916

There are several subspecies of Long Tailed Shrike due to considerable differences in plumage. Most of its subspecies have a broad dark mask through the eye covering the forehead. Its tail is narrow and graduated with pale rufous on the outer feathers. It has rufous rump and flanks and a small white patch on the shoulder. 

Long Tailed Shrike Halali 180916

The Long-Tailed Shrike favours scrub and dry open habitats. It is often found perched prominently on top of a bush or on a wire. It is found across Asia. In the tropics, it tends to be non-migratory. 

Long Tailed Shrike Halali 180916

On the IUCN Red List, this bird was classified as Least Concern.

Long Tailed Shrike devouring grasshopper Gwalior 230916

Recently, saw a Long Tailed Shrike at a distance somewhere near Gwalior. Later on, while examining the photographs, I understood that it was devouring  a grasshopper and made a picture movie of these photographs.

I do not know whether the picture movie will work on the blog. So uploaded it in Youtube : https://youtu.be/34_goD-5_7I

In my listing of birds that I have seen and photographed, the Long Tailed Shrike is at 45th place. 

References: 

1) Birds of the Indian Subcontinent by Richard Grimmett, Carol Inskipp and Tim Inskipp 

2) Birds of South Asia, The Ripley guide by Pamela C. Rasmussen and John C Anderton 

3) The Book of Indian Birds by Salim Ali 

4) A Pictorial Field Guide to Birds of India by Bikram Grewal, Sumit Sen, Sarwandeep Singh, Nikhil Devasar and Garima Bhatia 

5) The Wikipedia

44) GREAT WHITE PELICAN (Pelecanus onocrotalus)

Great White Pelican Thol 060311

44) Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus) #Pelican

I saw some colonies of Great White Pelican at Thol Bird Sanctuary near Ahmedabad in Gujarat on 060311. 

Great White Pelican Thol 060311

Great White Pelican Thol 060311

Great White Pelican Thol 060311

More or less in the middle of the lake there was a colony of several Great White Pelicans.The great white pelican is well adapted for aquatic life. I took these photographs with Fuji HS 10 camera. 

Great White Pelican Thol 060311

The Great White Pelican propels and takeoff from the water surface with the help of its short strong legs and webbed feet. The male has pinkish skin on its face and the female has orange skin during the breeding season. The existence of pure white plumage, a bare pink facial patch around the eyes and pinkish legs in the Great White Pelican differentiates it from the Dalmatian Pelican.

Great White Pelican Thol 060311

The immature Great White Pelicans are grey and have dark flight feathers.

Dalmatian Pelican? Thol 060311

While going through the photographs, I came across a photograph where a solitary pelican with orange-red lower mandible and no bare pink facial patch around the eyes was seen swimming in front of a Great White Pelican colony. 

Dalmatian Pelican? Thol 060311

Generally, Dalmatian Pelican has no bare pink facial patch around the eyes and during breeding season orange-red lower mandible. It is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Both species are winter visitor to Gujarat.

In my list of birds that I have seen and photographed, the Great White Pelican is at 44th place.

Great White Pelican train Thol 060311

References:

 

1) Birds of the Indian Subcontinent by Richard Grimmett, Carol Inskipp and Tim Inskipp

2) Birds of South Asia, The Ripley guide by Pamela C. Rasmussen and John C Anderton

3) The Book of Indian Birds by Salim Ali

4) A Pictorial Field Guide to Birds of India by Bikram Grewal, Sumit Sen, Sarwandeep Singh, Nikhil Devasar and Garima Bhatia

5) The Wikipedia

43) PAINTED STORK (Mycteria leucocephala)

Painted Stork Madai 280216

43) Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala) #stork

In my list of birds seen and photographed the Painted Stork is at 43rd position.

It is a large wading bird in the stork family. It is found in the wetlands  in the Indian Subcontinent. I have seen it in most of the birding places that I have visited.

Painted Stork Nalsarovar 080511

The head of the adult is bare and orange or reddish in colour. The long tertials are tipped in bright pink and at rest, they extend over the back and rump. There is a distinctive black breast band with white scaly markings. The band continues into the underwing coverts and the white tips of the black coverts give it the appearance of white stripes running across the underwing lining.

Painted Stork Nalsarovar 080511

It  is found singly, in small parties and sometimes in large flocks.

Juvenile Painted Stork Nalsarovar 080511

It forages in flocks in shallow waters along rivers or lakes.

Juvenile Painted Stork Nalsarovar 080511

Juvenile Painted Stork Nalsarovar 080511

Painted Stork Thol 060311

It is said that the largest secure population is found in India.

Painted Stork Thol 060311

Painted Stork Thol 060311

The bird feeds by sweeping their half-open bill from side to side inside the water as the wade.

Painted Stork Madai 280216

Painted Stork Vanvihar 060316

Painted Stork Vanvihar 060316

It  settles hunched up outside water when not feeding. It nests in trees in a colony, often along with other waterbirds.

It  roosts on trees if available.

Painted Stork Vanvihar 060316

It regularly soars high on thermals. It makes only short distance movements in some parts of their range in response to changes in weather or food availability or for breeding and is not migratory.

Painted Stork Nalsarovar 080511

Reference:

1) Birds of the Indian Subcontinent by Richard Grimmett, Carol Inskipp and Tim Inskipp

2) Birds of South Asia, The Ripley guide by Pamela C. Rasmussen and John C Anderton

3) The Book of Indian Birds by Salim Ali

4) A Pictorial Field Guide to Birds of India by Bikram Grewal, Sumit Sen, Sarwandeep Singh, Nikhil Devasar and Garima Bhatia

5) The Wikipedia

Painted Stork Thol 060311