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

42) GREATER FLAMINGO (Phoenicopterus roseus)

Greater Flamingo  Nalsarovar May 2011

42) Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) #flamingo #birds

My main purpose for visiting Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary near Ahmedabad in Gujarat twice was to see flamingos. 

I visited Nalsarovar during December 2010 and May 2011. As the flamingos prefer shallow water, I could not see any flamingos as the water level was very high in Nalsarovar during my December 2010 visit. 

Greater Flamingo  Thol March 2011

At  Thol bird sanctuary too, I saw few greater flamingos at a distance during March 2011.

Greater Flamingo  Nalsarovar May 2011

One can observe flamingos at the Nalsarovar bird sanctuary, Khijadiya bird sanctuary, Thol bird sanctuary and Flamingo city in the State of Gujarat and some other coastal regions in India generally during winter. It resides in mudflats and shallow saltwater coastal lagoons.

Greater Flamingo N.s 05/11

The Greater Flamingo is the largest species of flamingos. Most of its plumage is pinkish-white, the wing coverts are red, primary and secondary flight feathers are black, the bill is pink with a restricted black tip, the legs are entirely pink. 

Greater Flamingo  Nalsarovar May 2011

It has pink skin from the eye to the beak and eyes are yellow coloured.

Greater Flamingo  N.s 05/11

The carotenoid pigments in the organisms that it feeds on gives it the pink colour.

Greater Flamingo  Nalsarovar May 2011

It feeds by stirring up the soil under the water with its feet , sucks and filters out water through its bill to trap small shrimp, seeds, blue-green algae, microscopic organisms and molluscs by keeping the head down in the water.

Greater Flamingo  Nalsarovar May 2011

The flamingos are an interesting bird to watch when it is feeding, wading through the water in a group as well as while flying.

Greater Flamingo  Nalsarovar May 2011

I heard that it flies at night covering long distances.

In  my listing of birds that I have seen and photographed, the Greater Flamingo is at 42nd place.

Greater Flamingo  Nalsarovar May 2011

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.

Greater Flamingo  Thol March 2011

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.

41) ROSY STARLING (Pastor roseus)

Rosy Starling Dec 2010 Nalsarovar

41) Rosy Starling (Pastor roseus) #starling #birds

In my birds seen and photographed listing, the Rosy Starling is at 41st place.

The photograph of the solitary bird in the field was taken outside the Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary in December 2010. The pair of a bird on the tree was photographed outside the Thol lake in  March 2011. In both the places, the birds were a part of a large noisy flock. 

The Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary and the Thol lake are birding spots near Ahmedabad in the state of Gujarat in India.These photographs were taken with Fuji HS 10 Camera and stored in my computer without identification for a long time. Recently I bought books on birds and was able to identify these birds while perusing these books.

Rosy Starling March 2011 Thol

Almost the entire world population of Rosy Starling is said to migrate to India and Sri Lanka during winter.

The adult bird has a pink body, pale orange legs and bill. Its head, crest, neck, throat, wings and tail are glossy black. Its female has a short crest and lacks the sharp separation between pink and black colours in its body. During breeding season its male has a fluffed crest made of elongated head feathers. 

The bird is seen in large noisy flocks, gregarious and prefers open areas, pastures, farms, orchards and flowering trees.

Its food consists of fruits, berries, flower-nectar, cereal grains as well as insects like Locusts, grasshoppers and beetles.

Rosy Starling March 2011 Thol

Please feel free to correct me if the identification of the bird is incorrect. I also welcome more information about this bird.

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

40) YELLOW WAGTAIL (Motacilla flava)

40) Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava) #wagtail #birds

I took these photographs in December 2010, with Fuji HS 10 at Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary near Ahmedabad in Gujarat.

 




I have been trying my best to identify the bird in the photograph. 













The bird was seen in the wetland of Nalsarovar and the features that are seen in the photograph mostly matches with the features of Yellow Wagtail.

Hence I am assuming that the bird in the photograph is Yellow Wagtail.

If my identification is incorrect then please feel free to correct it.

The habitat of Yellow Wagtail are wetlands, pastureland, wet paddy stubbles etc. It is a winter visitor to the Indian subcontinent and breeds in Ladakh.

The Yellow Wagtail occupies 40th position in my listing of birds that I have seen and photographed so far.

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

39) BROWN-HEADED GULL (Chroicocephalus brunnicephalus)

Brown Headed Gull Nalsarovar December 2010

39) Brown-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus brunnicephalus)

In December 2010, I had visited Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary near Ahmedabad in Gujarat to see Flamingoes. In the lake saw several Brown-Headed Gulls.

Later in May 2011, I had visited Pangong Lake in Ladakh, where I saw several Brown Headed Gulls in their breeding plumes. One has to cross Changla Pass at 17586 feet to reach the Pangong Lake. 

Brown Headed Gull Nalsarovar December 2010

The breeding adults have a pale chocolate brown partial hood in summer which is reduced to brown ear patch when not breeding. 

It breeds in Ladakh in summer. It is a common winter visitor to coasts and inland lakes. 

Brown Headed Gull Pangong Ladakh May 2011

The Brown Headed Gulls occupy 39th position in my listing of birds that I have seen and photographed so far. 

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

Brown Headed Gull Pangong Ladakh May 2011

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

Brown Headed Gull Pangong Ladakh May 2011

5) The Wikipedia

#gull #birds

38) RUDDY SHELDUCK or BRAHMINY DUCK (Tadorna ferruginea)

Brahminy Duck Nalsarovar 17/12/10  

 38) Ruddy Shelduck or Brahminy Duck (Tadorna ferruginea)

The Ruddy Shelduck is also called Brahminy Duck in India.

I took the photograph of Ruddy Shelduck for the first time with Fuji HS 10 Camera in Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary on 17/12/2010. This sanctuary is about 60 Km outside Ahmedabad, Gujarat.  

Brahminy Duck Nalsarovar 17/12/10 

Brahminy Duck Nalsarovar 17/12/10 

Brahminy Duck Near Nathula 130613 

The Second time I saw this bird was in June 2013 in a lake when returning to Gangtok from Nathula Pass, Sikkim. I saw in a lake saw a couple of ducks and ducklings and took these photographs with Fuji HS10 camera. 

Brahminy Duck Near Nathula 130613 

Brahminy Duck Near Nathula 130613 

The breeding male ducks have a black collar on the neck. It breeds in high elevation lakes in the Himalayas. It is a winter visitor to other parts of India.

Brahminy Duck Near Nathula 130613 

Brahminy Duck Pachmarhi April 16 

The third sighting of this bird happened during April 2016 in Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh. Pachmarhi is a small hill station in Madhya Pradesh. I saw this solitary duck on the bank of a lake inside the town. Since this duck is a winter migrant to this part of India, I was surprised to see it at the peak of summer season. I took these photographs at Pachmarhi with Canon Camera. 

Brahminy Duck Pachmarhi April 16

Brahminy Duck Pachmarhi April 16 

Brahminy Duck Pachmarhi April 16 

The ruddy shelduck is mainly a nocturnal bird. It is omnivorous and feeds on grasses, young shoots of plants, grain, water plants as well as both aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates. On the land, it grazes on the foliage. In the shallow water, it dabbles. In deeper water, it up-ends instead of diving.

Brahminy Duck Pachmarhi April 16 

The ruddy shelduck is usually found in pairs or small groups except during winter when it can gather in large numbers on chosen lakes or slow rivers.

Ruddy Shelduck occupies 38^th position in my listing of birds that I have seen and photographed so far.

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

 #Ruddy #shelduck #brahminy #duck #nalsarovar #pachmarhi #nathulapass