White-capped Bunting Birds of Mount Abu JANUARY 2019 mountabubirds.blogspot.com

White-capped Bunting Emberiza stewarti

26 January 2019.

White-capped Bunting Emberiza stewarti 

The White-headed Bunting with the Chestnut-breasted plumage.

Is indeed. A rare winter visitor.

No bigger than a sparrow, white-cheeked with a black brow,

Black bows. Offset with a white tux, out on the rocks to woo,

His lady love in the Abode of the Gods.

White-capped Bunting Emberiza stewarti - Female

White-capped Bunting Emberiza stewarti 

White-capped Bunting Emberiza stewarti 

White-capped Bunting Emberiza stewarti 

White-capped Bunting Emberiza stewarti 

White-capped Bunting Emberiza stewarti 

( photographed in May 2014)

I had first seen bird species in the year 2010. It was only in March 2014 that I could get a decent photograph of this species here in Abu. Every year since then I've made umpteen trips to spot this bird again. Imagine my elation on spotting it on my last trip on the 26 Jan 2019. What surprised me more was its plumage. Mating plumage at this time of the year. Could it be global warming? I compounded my joy when a short time later I got a photograph of the female. Butler. E. A . an. Ornithologists (1875) not listed this species.

Grey Junglefowl Birds of Mount Abu JANUARY 2019 mountabubirds.blogspot.com

Grey Junglefowl Gallus sonneratii 

25 January 2019.

Grey Junglefowl Gallus sonneratii   - Male and females

The Grey jungle fowl, the wild ancestor of our humble domestic chicken,

It's endemic to India, more-so to the hills of Mount Abu,

The handsome male, red wattled with a comb to match, his colourful body patterned plumage

With a brownish-yellow-black cape, set off with sickle-shaped tail feathers. 

The female, on the other hand, is much duller, typical of most female birds.

Grey Junglefowl Gallus sonneratii   - Male 

Grey Junglefowl Gallus sonneratii   - female

Grey Junglefowl Gallus sonneratii   - Male 

To Read more on the GREY JUNGLEFOWL click;Here

Red Spurfowl Birds of Mount Abu JANUARY 2019 mountabubirds.blogspot.com

Red Spurfowl -  Galloperdix spadicea

24 January 2019.

Red Spurfowl -  Galloperdix spadicea

The Red Spur-fowl the tribals delight,

The overall reddish brown and secretive

Masquerading as a partridge through the undergrowth

Is no match for the tribal living off the land.

The red spurfowl (Galloperdix spadicea) is a member of the pheasant family and is endemic to India. To read more on the Red spur-fowl click;Here

Red Spurfowl -  Galloperdix spadicea

Red Spurfowl -  Galloperdix spadicea

Red Spurfowl -  Galloperdix spadicea

Crested Hawk-Eagle Birds of Mount Abu JANUARY 2019 mountabubirds.blogspot.com

Crested Hawk-Eagle Nisaetus cirrhatus

20 January 2019.

Crested Hawk-Eagle Nisaetus cirrhatus

Crested Hawk-Eagle Nisaetus cirrhatus

Crested Hawk-Eagle Nisaetus cirrhatus

Crested Hawk-Eagle Nisaetus cirrhatus

The crest with four flowing feathers atop the Eagles head gives it the name Crested Hawk Eagle.

He's a forest eagle that sits high up on a tree,

Patient Eagle that preys of wildfowl, hares and reptiles.

Vagrant to this part of the world, preferring the jungles of the plains.

The Crested Hawk-Eagle previously called  Changeable hawk-eagles is extremely rare to this part of the world. I recorded this only once before in 2012.  This is the second time I've recorded this species here in Abu (20 Jan 2019).

Changeable hawk-eagles breed in the Indian subcontinent, mainly in India and Sri Lanka, and from the southeast rim of the Himalaya across Southeast Asia to Indonesia and the Philippines. 

To read more on this species Click:Here

Black-winged Kite Birds of Mount Abu JANUARY 2019 mountabubirds.blogspot.com

Black-winged Kite - Elanus caeruleus

19 January 2019.

19 January 2019.

Black-winged Kite - Elanus caeruleus

Black-winged Kite - Elanus caeruleus

Black-winged Kite - Elanus caeruleus

Black-winged Kite - Elanus caeruleus

Black-winged Kite - Elanus caeruleus

Black-winged Kite - Elanus caeruleus

Black-winged Kite.

The bird with the white head and black mask,

Flies like a Harrier and hovers like a kestrel.

Is the Raptor that is feared by the mice in the field.

With Falcon like wings, it swoops like a Shikra and

catches its prey on the ground. 

Black-winged Kite over the years 

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The black-winged kite also known as the black-shouldered kite is a small diurnal bird of prey in the family Accipitridae best known for its habit of hovering over open grasslands in the manner of the much smaller kestrels. To Glean more click:Here

Oriental Turtle Dove Birds of Mount Abu JANUARY 2019 mountabubirds.blogspot.com

Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis

18 January 2019.

Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis

Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis

Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis

The Turtle Dove comes once in a way,

Bringing a peaceful message to the Abode of the Gods,

Mend your ways you Abuites, greet your tourists' with respect and love.

I come every few years to remind you of your obligations.

Give them deals, which are clean, make them wanted so that they come back for More. 

The Oriental Turtle Dove, a rare species one is fortunate or lucky to seem them here in Abu. They are commonly found 30 km away at the foothills of Abu. To know more about this species click:Here

Booted eagle - Birds of Mount Abu JANUARY 2019 mountabubirds.blogspot.com

Booted eagle - Hieraaetus pennatus

17 January 2019.

Booted eagle - Hieraaetus pennatus (Dark morph)

Booted eagle - Hieraaetus pennatus (light morph)

Booted eagle - Hieraaetus pennatus 

The Raptors are here preying from the Abu sky,

The Booted Eagle with its flashy white headlights,

All the way from Europe loses his way to the 

The abode of the Gods. He comes in two hues. light morph from below,

And the dark morph, which usually winters in India.

The booted eagle is a medium-sized mostly migratory bird of prey with a wide distribution in the Palearctic and southern Asia. Here in Mount Abu, it's probably a vagrant or winter passage migrant. Not a commonly seen eagle here. To read more on this bird click:Here

Booted eagle over the years

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Eurasian Sparrowhawk Birds of Mount Abu JANUARY 2019 mountabubirds.blogspot.com

Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus

15 January 2019.

Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus

Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus

At first glance, the Sparrow hawk can be mistaken for a Shikra,

Our winter visitor comes soaring through the sky,

Using his uncanny element of surprise attacks,

Makes off with sparrows or other birds in his path.

His short barred grey wings, and long blunt tail,

Can be guided through the bushy canopy in pursuit of its prey.

The Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), also known as the Northern Sparrowhawk or simply the sparrowhawk, is just a little bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. To know more about the Eurasian Sparrowhawk click:Here

Eurasian Sparrowhawk over the years

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Indian Yellow Tit Birds of Mount Abu JANUARY 2019 mountabubirds.blogspot.com

Indian Yellow Tit Machlolophus aplonotus

14 January 2019.

Indian Yellow Tit Machlolophus aplonotus

Indian Yellow Tit Machlolophus aplonotus

Have you encountered the Indian yellow tit,

He was once called the Back-lored Tit,

Resembling the Himalayan Black Lored Tit,

The Indian yellow Tit, With its large black magnificent crest,

Yellow cheeks, and eyebrows black like zero's mask,

His black broad tie over his yellow chest donned with an olive green

Coat with two white or yellowish bars, making him looks gorgeous amongst tits.

This species"Indian yellow tit" is a resident breeder in Mount Abu. It is a common bird seen all over Abu It is an active bird and forages for insects, spiders, fruit and any titbits it can find. To glean more on this bird click: More..

Indian Yellow Tit over the years

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Eurasian Wryneck Birds of Mount Abu JANUARY 2019 mountabubirds.blogspot.com

Eurasian Wryneck Jynx torquilla 

10 January 2019.

Eurasian Wryneck Jynx torquilla

Eurasian Wryneck Jynx torquilla

Eurasian Wryneck Jynx torquilla

Eurasian Wryneck Jynx torquilla

Woodpecker, Oh, woodpecker who is the 'jinx' amongst you,

In unison they respond, it's the Wryneck, Wryneck with

Its twisting snakehead and hissing serpent sound.

The pecker who feasts and lives mainly on ants, 

The pecker who fits the profile of a true woodpecker,

Its mysterious, complicated plumage of greys and browns,

Helps it blend into its surroundings.

So birders keep tuned for its harsh and mournful call that

Draws attention to its presence amongst the camouflage.

I know little of this species, the Eurasian Wryneck here in Mount Abu. (Butler. E. A . an.  ornithologist (1875) saw “one on the wing once at Mount Aboo”) This bird is a Lifer for me as a birder in Abu. I first recorded this bird on 10, December 2016. Then on 31 October 2018. Then again, on the 29 December 2018. This year I am fortunate to record this bird on the 10 January 2019. To know more about this bird species click:More..

Eurasian Wryneck over the years

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Crested Serpent Eagle Birds of Mount Abu JANUARY 2019 mountabubirds.blogspot.com

Crested Serpent Eagle - Spilornis cheela

8 January 2019

Crested Serpent Eagle - Spilornis cheela

Crested Serpent Eagle - Spilornis cheela

Crested Serpent Eagle - Spilornis cheela

The Silent Patient Solitary raptor, The Crested Serpent Eagle,

Hunts in the morn, on snakes and reptiles rodents or frogs,

His crest is well hidden, and only seen when the bird goes beans,

Rarely seen at its hunting haunts, but what a spectacle he makes when soaring above.

Crested Serpent Eagle is a resident of Mount Abu.

The Crested Serpent Eagle, as its English name suggests, is a reptile eater which hunts over forests, often close to wet grassland, for snakes and lizards. More...

Crested Serpent Eagle over the years

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Ashy prinia Birds of Mount Abu JANUARY 2019 mountabubirds.blogspot.com

Ashy Prinia - Prinia socialis

7 January 2019

Ashy Prinia - Prinia socialis

The ashy headed Prinia, fluttering from bush to bush,

Swaggering its tail with no care in this world,

Once in a way crackling its unseen whip,

Much to the observer's curiosity trying to figure out its source.

Ashy Prinia - Prinia socialis

Ashy Prinia - Prinia socialis

Ashy Prinia - Prinia socialis

Ashy Prinia - Prinia socialis

Ashy Prinia is mainly resident in Mount Abu. Migration being limited to local cold weather movements. Non-breeding birds may form small flocks.

Prinias have short wings but long tapering tails. They are fairly drab birds, brown or grey above (sometimes with dark streaks) and whitish, below. 

Some species have different breeding and non-breeding plumage. The bill is a typical insectivore's, thin and slightly curved.

Common Teal Birds of Mount Abu JANUARY 2019 mountabubirds.blogspot.com

Common Teal - Anas crecca

5 January 2019

Common Teal - Anas crecca - Male

Common Teal - Anas crecca - Female

The buff spotted chest of the small dabbling duck,

 used to be the hunters' prized pot on a winter's frost,

The chestnut brown head with its green ear patch, 

was shot at with delight like the clay pigeon on site.

Today this beauty is captured by birders put on websites 

To the delight of nature lovers who take pride to be photographers and not shooters.

The common teal every year comes to Mount Abu for its winter vacation. This year on my bird count I counted 16 birds, there could be some more.

Common Teal over the years

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Shikra Birds of Mount Abu JANUARY 2019 mountabubirds.blogspot.com

Birds of Mount Abu JANUARY 2019

Shikra Accipiter badius

4 January 2019

Shikra Accipiter badius   - Juvenile

Shikra Accipiter badius   -Female

Shikra Accipiter badius   -Female

Shikra the swiftest of the small predators,

With claws drawn, strikes like lightning,

Whizzing through bushes snaring his prey,

Most feared amongst small birds all the way.

As youngsters, we called the Shikra the sparrow hawk. In Rajasthan, the bird is considered a shikari (hunter) for its small size the Shikra is considered a ferocious raptor. It can take on birds twice its size. Most birds skedaddle when the hunter is around. The ever-alert bulbul and the long-tailed shrike, act like sentinels warning the other feathered bird of an impending attack by the Shikra. The only species is the fierce jungle babbler that gangs up to literally chase the shikra from an area where they are flocked together.  The Shikra is a residential bird of Mount Abu.

Shikra over the years

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