Barbet Bird

Barbet - just the name is so adorably cute, wait till you see the picture! It is really a small power packed bird which loves hiding behind thick foliage and is very quick to flee. I feel it is a very shy bird.

I first saw this bird on my sister's phone as she had caught the birding bug from me and took a shot on her way to meet me.  Then, I had a chance to see it up close at my parents home. My parents home is on a higher floor and very close to the Sanjay Lake Park, where we have a few trees very close to our balcony, which offers an ideal spot for many birds to come by. My favourite activity when I reach their home is to sit on their balcony!

Just like that there it was the brown-headed Barbet.

It was quite a rainy and windy day, but here is the close up:

They look very similar to the other species which is a Lineated Barbet.

There are 30 or 80 species of this bird from Tibet to Indonesia. They usually live in the inner forests.

I have seen two types but mostly only as  singles. So, my reading confirms that they are solitary birds.They feed on fruits and insects. They love figs, so you may spot them on fig trees easily.

Barbets are considered important birds for seed dispersal. From Youtube I learnt that it is a Barbet call I wake up to on most days but never recognized the call. It is a repetitive and long sound like a "Kuk kuk kuk" or "Kutroo kutroo kutroo". They can go on and sound maddening at times.

Here are few more shots of the Barbet:

Nesting Season: Overall March to June. 

They usually nest in a hole of a dead tree- trunk or branch. 

3 to 4 eggs, and both sexes share all domestic duties.

Recently after M S Dhoni saved a Barbet, I learnt there was another variety named Copper Smith Barbet too. It is beautiful and I had a chance to see one accidentally during my morning walk.

So the Coppersmith is slightly smaller,  the size of a sparrow.  it is mostly found on a Banyan or Peepul tree for fruit. Nesting season for this bird is January to June and it lays upto 3 eggs. It is also called the Crimson-breasted Barbet and it is green with a red head, yellow cheeks and yellow throat. Its underparts are streaked in grey and black.

Here is the accidental shot, hope to catch a clear shot soon.

But the one I hope to see and capture sometime soon is the Blue Throated Barbet.

Treepie

Treepie - just the name has a beautiful ring to it. I saw a treepie for the first time last year in Sabathu, Himachal Pradesh. It has this beautiful long tail, which is hard to miss as it flutters or flies.

I was lucky to get a close view from an aunt's garden bird bath.  There are 11 species and are similar to Magpies. I have seen two colours grey and brown, but after reading I know there are black and white ones too. They are found in Southeast Asia and live in tropical forests.

The first one I spotted was in October of 2019, in this garden alone I spotted for the first time 12 varieties of birds.

So the ones I have spotted so far are Rufous Treepie and Grey Treepie. I have after that sighted them in Delhi also thrice. This bird's call is very distinct and one day I opened my house gate to find it perched well on the electric wires and calling out loudly. The call varied from soft, mild, loud to very loud, sometimes continuous ones. 

First view of the Grey Treepie and watch closely for the long tail.

On ground to get closer to rice strewn on the ground.

 A quick drink and bath.

Back to the safety and cover of the branches.

Here is the capture of a Rufous treepie, notice the difference in colour but same long tails. 

If you look closely they are so similar to the crow family too. So these birds are adaptable and omnivorous.The breeding season in India is April to June. From my reading I have learnt the local name is "Taka chor" literally translated or means "coin stealer". They are called so on account of its habit to seek out and steal shiny items such as coins, jewellery. They collect these objects and often line them up in their nests to possibly attract the female treepie. The bird lays a clutch of 3-5 eggs.

Drongo

I saw a Drongo for the first time in December of 2018 at my home in Wayanad, Kerala. I saw a blue shine on the black bird quickly flitting between the leaves. I heard its flute like call as I continued gazing at this elusive bird, as I barely got a clear shot. 

From then on I have seen two or three types of Drongo's so far: the Fork Tailed Black Drongo, White- Bellied Drongo and Racket-tailed Drongo, both in Kerala and Delhi. They usually feed on insects but my aunt, who is also an avid birder, shared that they are very good at mimicking as well. Most Drongo's are black or grey in colour with metallic tints. 

There are around 27 different species of Drongos in the world, out of which nine are found in India.

1. Black Drongo

2. Ashy Drongo

3. White-bellied Drongo

4. Bronzed Drongo

5. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo

6. Hair-crested Drongo

Here are my few captures of this bird:

This was my first capture and below are two more of my captures in Kerala. 

I have always seen them on high perches and rarely on the ground.  But that is just an observation on the days I have spotted them.          

Almost like a little cousin of the Crow.

I hope to capture the Racket Drongo on my camera also. But so far I have been lucky in capturing the Black Drongo only.

This one I was lucky to spot right outside my house in Delhi, while I was parking my car to enter my house. I dropped my things and got my camera while staying silent enough to get these shots in the blazing sun.

Look at the glossy feathers. They are found through out the Indian Union.

Nesting Season: Principally April to August.

Both sexes of the Black Drongo share all domestic duties and are bold in defense of their nest.

I read they are welcomed by farmers as they eat away all the crop damaging insects.

 This here is the clearest shot I have ever managed.

Hope you enjoyed reading about the Drongo.

Swallow

During my girls' trip to Malaysia  we went to a famous Central Market street in KL where we came across many beautiful souvenirs and items which we could purchase. While walking and taking in all the new things we were seeing, we came across a small jewellery shop called Akoe. This shop was slightly unique. I say unique as I am always drawn to handmade items  .

They had a range of items and designs to choose from. I was looking for a symbol that would somehow suggest new beginnings. Despite putting a lot of thought into what I wanted I could not make up my mind and kept skimming through the box and finally picked one locket/pendant. It was a metal locket of a bird. I still have it and it somehow always reminds me of a swallow or swift, while some may say it is just a bird! 

I always thought swallows or swifts are birds which one sees in Europe. That was until I spotted my first swallow in Gurgaon on 8 September 2019 in an apartment complex while sipping coffee. There were two or three of them and they were nesting. How was I sure? it was a because of their mud nest.  Here are the first captures, taken from my phone, hence not such a good quality or clarity.

Look carefully at the wire-like tail.

Perched atop while collecting materials for nesting, this was close to a pool.

Their mud nest at the entrance pillar, which I found after quietly following them.

This is the picture of my first sighting of these beautiful blue birds.

I thought that was it, it was a good day. But after that I again spotted them four times once near our school swimming pool, second near the Indian Habitat Centre, third near Akshardham metro and fourth near my parents' home. I tried taking more pictures but unfortunately, my camera is not good enough to capture the ones on the high ceilings or the ones which are swiftly zooming past in the sky. All the more reason for me to invest in a good camera. 😉

I came across two more such opportunities when I visited Australia, once when we went to the Cleveland Wildlife Park in Adelaide, and second while waiting for a bus to take us to a book store near Sydney university in an underground basement entrance. These two sightings have been closer and clearer. 

Here are the captures from the wildlife park:                                                  

This here is the White-Browed Wood Swallow

That is a pair hidden between in the tree

Here is the second one which caught my heart:

This one here is a Welcome Swallow or a Barn Swallow.

Look at those beautiful beady eyes!

This was my till date the happiest capture! :)

 Swallows as I have read are small and very agile in flight and spend most of their time on the wing. They are found where there is a steady supply of small insects and are mostly found in northern hemisphere but migrate to the south during winter. Swallows are from the family of Hirundininae which also includes Martins. They are distantly related to Swifts and there are 84 species worldwide. Male and female swallows are mostly identical. In India we have 16 species of Swift Martins and Swallow birds like Redrumped or striated Swallow, Wire-tailed Swallow, Common Swallow and Dusky Crag Martin.

Common Kingfisher

I wanted to start my first blog with one of my favourite birds called the Common Kingfisher.

My first sighting of this bird was in my own front yard in the water tank in Kerala. I simply adored how nimble it was as it dipped in the water for the small guppy fishes. It hovered from point to point to collect its prize. But those beautiful blue feathers really shine under the bright sun as it perches on a tree.

So here is what I know about this beautiful bird. There are at least 114 species in the world out of which India has 5 or 12 types. The five I am sure which are found in India are:

1) Pied Kingfisher

2) Small Blue Kingfisher

3) White breasted Kingfisher or White Throated Kingfisher 

4) Black capped Kingfisher

5) Brown headed Stork billed Kingfisher

This how they look 

Picture take from ebird site.

Nesting season: between October and May.

Distribution:  Throughout the plains of India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Burma.

Clicked by me during our Puducherry trip to Paradise Island in March 2018.

This was my second sighting apart from Wayanad, Kerala.

Nesting season: between March to June.

Distribution: throughout the Indian Union.

Clicked by me and sighted at Sanjay Lake Park, Delhi. I have sighted this bird at least 7 times in Delhi.

I can confidently recognize its call from the other birds.

Nesting season: between March to July.

Distribution:Plains and Lower Hills throughout the Indian Union.

Picture from ebird site.

Nesting season: between May to July.

Distribution: Practically the entire coastline of India South of about Bombay.

Picture from ebird site.

Nesting season: between January to July.

Distribution:Practically the entire Indian Union  excepting Rajasthan and the adjoining arid portions.

Kingfishers are territorial birds as they need territory that will provide them with ample food. You will always see or sight a lone kingfisher. You may not see them in groups or pairs. Unless it is probably their breeding season. 

While reading I learnt that the Kookaburra which is seen and known throughout Australia is also the largest of all kingfishers. Though the main diet of Kingfishers include fish, they also eat insects,water beetles, tadpoles, lizards and dragonfly. I have sighted only two kinds. Hope to see the others soon too.

Below are my captures of this beautiful bird: