Hahhahahahaa! More of these, please.
Thank you so much Seema! I hope I can continue surprising you...
Kashif Ali, you have impressed yet again! Your words are captivating, but...
You are much too kind Ganga. Thank you :)
This is superb Kashif! Love the text and the pictures.
I’m fortunate enough to live in a part of the city that has managed to save bits and bobs of green – an area not completely obliterated in the name of luxury living and modernisation.
I understand I’m as much a part of the problem as everybody else who chooses to live in these urban “havens”. Much like “I’m not stuck in traffic. I AM traffic”, I’m not an active force of reforestation and preservation, just a passive occupant in the bulldozer of progress.
Anyway, I digress. This piece is about the many winged, wonderful, creatures that call this area home. For some of them, these are parts they visit during the winter months. For most of them, this is a part of their larger area of domicile.
Honestly, gun to my head, I couldn’t tell you what it is about birds, bird watching, bird photography, that appeals to me the way it does. But I can tell you that my life would be poorer for not having discovered this wonderful world.
A world where these feathered individuals, with their almost preternatural ability to sense a camera lens trained on them from great distances, go about their daily business with mostly grace and truckloads of cacophonous name calling, serenading, etc; oblivious to the man running around, bending, stretching, attempting one legged poses and what have you, just to get that one shot of them.
These are photographs of the most frequent (and a few infrequent) visitors to the house. Actually, I’m the visitor I reckon, in the larger scale of time and all that.
They live here. I’m merely renting.
The most raucous of them all – the Rufous Treepie. These individuals, usually 3 of them, will create an absolute cacophony with their metallic sounding calls come morning. Usually seen exchanging words with the resident bulbuls.
One of the most good looking raptors in my humble opinion – the Shikra. This one was feasting on what I believe is a young Spotted Dove. These sequence of images were shot from the bedroom window (see what I mean about being fortunate enough to live where I live?!). It was around long enough for me to take a semi decent video as well. What an absolute beauty.
Purple-rumped Sunbirds. A male and female. Over the last two years, I’ve seen the female building the nest in the same spot. 3 times if I remember correctly. Got some footage of it too. Sadly, there have been no occupants once the nests were completed. Which isn’t to say they don’t nest nearby. They actually nested above a footpath – a place far more “dangerous” than the nesting site you see in my photograph. Birds. What can I say.
Other than robins and babblers, these three come the closest to people. Curiosity, lack of fear, couldn’t care less – who can tell. From left to right – pair of Indian Silverbill, Common Tailorbird and the Indian Rose-ringed Parakeet.
Lesser Golden-backed Woodpecker. We’ve spotted 3 individuals around the house and surrounding area. Not frequent sightings but that doesn’t mean they aren’t hanging around.
An Indian Paradise-Flycatcher (female). This was a special one. I spotted it a couple of days before I photographed it. I usually have my copy of Birds of Southern India handy and a quick check confirmed my suspicions and I stopped rubbing my chin the way you do once your suspicions have been confirmed. I got lucky a few days later and she posed just long enough for me to get these shots.
The resident Kingfisher. At least 4 of them. Keeping the insect, lizard, rodent, etc population in check.
For a splash a color, we have, from left to right -Indian Golden Oriole, the Plum-headed Parakeet, the Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher and the Asian Green Bee-Eater.
Common and very distinctive calls. For me anyway. I think I’d have a panic attack if I didn’t hear at least one of them calling a few times a day. left to right – Black Kite, Red-vented Bulbul and the Coppersmith Barbet feasting on some mangoes.
A muted palette with some striking birds. From left to right – Ashy Drongo, Spot-breasted Fantail, Common Hawk-Cuckoo, Indian Grey Hornbill.
And finally – my only sighting of a winter migrant from the north. A Chestnut-tailed Starling. There were a whole bunch of them and for a stupid second, I dismissed them for mere Babblers. But a voice, deep, deep inside, told me that I was being an ignorant dumbass and this bird warranted photographing. Thank the gods for these voices. This was in the winter of 2024. Hoping to spot them again this year.
This is, of course, not the full list of birds that I get to see around home. Merlin picks up a lot more than I can see/spot at this point.
I’m on ebird here and while It’s not updated frequently, I try my best to log in the checklists and keep it alive.
So, the joy of discovery continues and each day is an opportunity to see things afresh.
