The Heronry near Athani

Whilst we were going to the village of Badami in North Karnataka we were driving by lush green  fields about 5-10 kilometers from Athani I saw thousands of heronary birds about 300 meters from the roadside and a couple of Grey Herons standing in the foot-deep water. We did not stop because we had to reach Badami as quickly as possible.So, we decided to stop at that spot on the way back. While coming back we stopped at that place and saw that all those egret like birds in the distance were all Painted Storks. Not 20-30, but about 100. And those couple of grey herons which I saw were not even 1/100th of the amount of them I saw today.

Painted Storks and Grey Heron 

Then I saw that out of those 100 Grey Herons most of them had made nests. Some were sitting on it, maybe to incubate the eggs, some were feeding their and some of the chicks had already fledged and were already foraging on their own. 

Roosting Grey Herons

Grey Herons 

There were many other waders too. There were Spot-billed Ducks,a lone Chestnut or Cinnamon Bittern, Cattle, Intermediate and Little Egrets, Pond Herons, Purple Heron, Black-Crowned Night Heron, Black-Tailed Godwits, Common Green Shank, Little-Ringed Plover, White-Throated, Common and Pied Kingfishers, Lesser-Whistling Ducks, Little and Indian Cormorants, Purple Swamphen, White-Breasted Waterhen, Red-Wattled Lapwing, Eurasian Coot, Oriental White Ibis, Black-Winged Stilt and Common Moorhens.

Pied Kingfisher

Spot-billed Ducks, Purple Swamphen with Chick and Black Tailed Godwit

Purple Heron

Chestnut Bittern

Grey Heron building nest 

The view

Wagtails

Even though this blog is only about the Birds of Goa, some posts are also going to be of my trips in other states. This one is going to be about the migratory wagtails I saw in my maternal hometown, Sangli. This is a beautiful district in South Maharashtra. Thousand of Grey, White and Yellow Wagtails migrate to one spot every year. The banks of R.Krishna are loaded with migratory wagtails from late September-early October to late March-early April. Yellow Wagtails tend to stay on till the 3rd week of April.

Yellow Wagtail-race 'Thunbergi'

   

Yellow Wagtail-race 'Beema'

These wagtails are hard to identify when it comes to their race. Like in the two photos above there is a significant amount of difference between the heads of the to birds. Race 'Beema' has a light grey crown and forehead with a white eyebrow, while race 'Thunbergi' has a Blackish Grey crown and forehead. If, studied properly one can also find difference between the calls of each race of the species. 

Fellow birdwatcher and teacher, Sharad Apte, a native to the city of Sangli records calls and studies them. Wagtails are on of his favourite species and he has come to the conclusion that calls differ between the different races.

White Wagtail-race 'Personata'

White Wagtail-race 'Personata' first win. 

 The first winter plumages of these birds differ a lot compared to when they are fully mature. Most of our wintering Wagtails like the White, Grey and Yellow are found in or near the vegitation near fast flowing river.

Very places have habitat like this in Goa. Wagtails are mostly insectivorous and feed on worms and other small insects on the ground.

Other birds found near or in the river

Grey Heron

Black Ibis

Brahminy Duck and Black-Winged Stilt

Common Hoopoe

Paddyfield Pipit

Southern Cucal

Pied Bushchat-female

Pied Bushchat-male

Laughing Dove

Mugger Crocodile(centre) and Intermediate Egret 

Red-Rumped Swallow

Saligao Zor

Saligao Zor or spring in konkani is an awesome place to spot forest birds and is on the itinerary of every birdwatcher paying a visit to Goa, especially for the roosting Brown Hawk Owls. The Zor is surrounded by evergreen hill forest. The stream has made a course in the forest and can see many other birds like the Oriental Dwarf and Blue Eared Kingfisher, other fores species like woodpeckers, minivets, flycatchers and hornbills. This post is going to be about the birds in the entrance. 

The Zor

At first I thought the trip was going bad. Not a call. The weather was clear and I was thought that today was a very bad day. I was about to turn back to go to another place close-by where I heard calls of the common flameback. But, then suddenly a kingfisher dived into the pool. This was a Stork-Billed Kingfisher. It sat on a branch and ate what looked to be a frog. After that it sat on a branch and fluffed up and dived into the pool again, this time it did not get anything.

Stork-Billed Kingfisher

After taking photos of this bird for about five minutes the place soon started bumbling with life. The calls of the Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Black-naped Monarch, White-spotted Fantail and the Grey-Bellied cuckoo were heard. Then slowly the flycatchers started becoming visible. First was the White spotted Fantail. This bird came very close and I got some very good photos of it.

White Spotted Fantail

Then came the Black-Naped Monarch. The Black-Naped Monarch being a elusive bird were very vocal and I could spot 5 different individuals in a small area.One Monarch (in the picture below) was on about a foot above me. Most of the ones were females.

Black Naped Monarch-Female

Then other birds like the Thick-Billed and the Pale-Pilled Flowerpecker, purple, crimson and purple-Rumped Sunbirds were spotted. They too were very vocal. Then suddenly a female Asian Paradise Flycatcher flew about 2 feet near me. It caught a fly and returned to a high perch in a tree. She did this activity about 5-6 times and I thought that there was a nest in the tree. I checked but to no avail. There was a thick creeper growing on that branch and the visibility inside was very poor.

Asian Paradise Flycatcher

Then as I went on the right side of the pool I heard the call of the White Bellied Flycatcher. I was very near then suddenly it flew away. It was then 7:30 and other birds like the White-Cheeked and the Coppersmith Barbet, Common Iora, Tickell's Blue Flycatcher and the Black-Rumped Flameback were seen. The Sun was now well up in the sky and the Black and Brahminy Kites were soaring in the sky. Just then over the forest edge I got the fleeting glimpse of the rare Rufous-Bellied Eagle. The camera focused on the treeline and the Eagle was out of site. Then later I saw the Grey-Bellied Cuckoo. 

Tickell's Blue Flycatcher

Birds of Prey found in goa

Birds of prey are a diurnal family of birds or Raptors. They include Accipters, Harriers, Eagles, Vultures, Kites, Buzzards and Falcons. This group of birds is my favourite. They are (according to me) the most majestic birds out of all of the bird species. These birds range from the Besra which grows to a maximum of 30cm to the huge Cinereous Vulture. They are found in most of the habitats such as scrub, semi desert, desert, marshland as well as forest. In Goa there are 28 species of raptors found.

Eurasian Marsh Harrier

Shikra

Long Billed Vulture and Eurasian Griffon

Accipters

They have short, round wings and a rather long tail. This is an adaptation for manoeuvring swiftly at high speeds through dense vegetation and forest in pursuit of prey, mainly birds. The Tarsus is unfeathered, long and slender depending on the species.Talons are well curved and extremely sharp.Females are, in some forms, twice as large as males. These are small to medium sized birds which are mostly found in forest, woodland, gardens and groves. Species found in Goa are Shikra, Besra, Eurasian Sparrowhawk and the Northern Goshawk.These birds hunt by sitting motionless on a lofty tree such as Mango, Pipal, Banyan,etc. and dive down on their prey, mostly birds. Besides birds, these species prey on small mammals, reptiles and insects.

Harriers
These are medium sized raptors which are winter visitors to Goa. None of the birds in this family breed in Indian limits except the Pied Harrier with 1 or 2 breeding records in Assam, north-eastern India.
The Harriers have long, narrow wings and tail. They long, slim and unfeathered wings to seize prey in the tall grass they dwell in. These birds have a small and weak beak with an Owl like ruff. Males of all the species in this genus are grey or white and are more striking than females and juveniles. All species of harriers found in Goa roost on the ground. They have a preference for open ground. they inhabit Grassland, fields, semi-desert and barren hill slopes.Species found in Goa are Pied Harrier(Rare), Pallid Harrier, Montagu's Harrier and the Western Marsh Harrier.

Western Marsh Harrier

True Eagles or Aquila Eagles
This Genus comprises of large or medium sized, powerful eagles. They have broad wings with a squarish
medium length tail.When perched the folded wings generally extend to almost the tip of the tail. The tarsus is feathered till the toes.These birds are supreme opportunists in getting food. They also parasite on smaller raptors and also feed on carrion. Five out out of six species of Aquila are found in Goa which are: Tawny Eagle, Indian and Greater Spotted Eagle and the Steppe Eagle. The Indian and Greater spotted Eagle are globally threatened. The Bonelli' Eagle has recently been classified into Aquila.

Greater Spotted Eagle moulting 

Fish Eagles, Sea Eagles and Osprey
Osprey:Long narrow wings which enable it to hover, soar and undertake long distance migration without dependance of thermals.Long, unfeathered legs pluck fish from the water while the short, sharp feet help in gripping slippery fish. There is only one species in the wold of this genus.
Sea Eagles:Only one species of sea eagle which is the White-Bellied Sea Eagle is found in Goa. Birds of this genus have long, broad wings, moderately long and rounded tails. Sharp Talons with underside of claws grooved help to grab fish. these birds are dependent on water systems. They mainly eat fish and waterbirds and occasionally mammals. They feed on juvenile herons, egrets and storks in heronries like Salim  Ali Bird Sanctuary, Chorao.
Fish Eagles:Only 1 species of this genus are found in Goa, which is the Grey-Headed Fish Eagle. These birds are found in the fast flowing river systems mainly in parts of south Goa and Dandeli. But there have been few sightings in other parts of Goa. They powerful feet for gripping fish. The wings are long and broad, at resting extend to the tip of the tail. 

Black Eagle
A large, slim forest dwelling eagle which has a longish bill with a flexible wings and tail. Has fully feathered talons like those of the true Eagles.

Black Eagle - Varun Tipnis

                                   

Serpent and Snake Eagles
Snake Eagles:Only one species of his genus the Short-Toed Snake Eagle. A medium sized Eagle with long wings and a moderately long tail. Legs are long and unfeathered. The legs and toe have hexagonal scales which are belied in protecting the eagle from the bite of snakes it main food.This species is closely related to the forest dwelling serpent eagles.
Serpent Eagle:Serpent Eagles are extremely variable in size. They have long, unfeathered legs and talons acutely coloured. Juveniles are duller than adults.

Crested Serpent Eagle

Hawk Eagles
Hawk Eagles are medium sized forest dwelling eagles. They have a sharp and powerful beaks and long legs.
In Goa there are four species of hawk eagles which are: Booted Eagle, Crested Hawk Eagle, Mountain Hawk Eagle and the Rufous Bellied Eagle

Booted Eagle

Vultures
These birds are rarely come across in Goa. The only reliable place to see Vultures is Velim Lake. These birds are complete scavengers and can feed on anything from carrion to dead carcasses. These birds prefer dry and arid habitat. They have curved beaks and moderately long, feathered legs. in Goa three species which are the Indian White Backed Vulture, Long Billed Vulture and the Egyptian Vulture.

Egyptian Vultures

Buzzards and Honey Buzzards
These are medium sized birds which have a preference for rugged mountain regions on the rain-shadow side of the Sayadris or the western Ghats. They have long, unfeathered feet and a squarish tail. They have a small, curved beak. They feed on small mammals and birds.

Long legged Buzzard

Oriental Honey Buzzards

Kites
These are small to medium sized birds which are found mainly in the coastal talukas of Goa. They are scavengers and sometimes also kill. they show a preference for all types of habitats. They have unfeathered feet and a powerful bill. they have a stocky body and powerful wings helping them to hover and soar.

Brahminy Kite

Migratory Birds

Goa is home to about 500 bird species out of which almost 40% are migratory. Most of the migratory birds are waders and the wintering species of Aquila eagles. There are also few other species of wintering birds like the Flycatchers, the Harriers and the Warblers.Many wintering Thrushes like Blue and the Blue-Capped rock Thrush are found here.Also most of the warblers like the Clamorous Reed Warbler and the Greenish Leaf Warbler are found here.

Booted Eagle

Asian Paradise Flycater

Montagu's Harrier

Blue-Capped Rock Thrush