Monday, December 13, 2021

Birding in the last month of the year 2021 in Mount Abu mountabubirds.blogspot.com

 Birding in December Mount Abu.


The initial week of December was a bummer, as most days were dismal. Our winters have set in day temperatures hover between 15 and 20 degrees. Night conditions drop below 10 degrees as December moves towards Christmas. Abu can foresee its frost and temperatures going down as little as -4 degrees. Birding during winter is stimulating throughout the cold seasons. Abu gets a few transient waterbirds such as Common Pochard, Eurasian Coot, Eurasian Moorhen, Gadwall, Green-winged teal, Northern pintail, Northern Shoveler, Tufted Duck, Common Sandpiper, Common Snipe, a few variations of sandpipers, wagtails and cormorants also photographed here. It’s the season of the year to capture an assortment of warblers, flycatchers and raptors.

1 December 2021.
Appreciate my birding in the abode of gods 'Mount Abu" 

Northern Shoveler
Northern Shoveler - Spatula clypeata


Barn Swallow
Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica

Barn Swallow
Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica

Barn Swallow
Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica

Black-winged Kite
Black-winged Kite - Elanus caeruleus

Common Pochard
Common Pochard - Aythya ferina 

Common Pochard
Common Pochard - Aythya ferina 

Eurasian Coot
Eurasian Coot - Fulica atra 

Eurasian Coot
Eurasian Coot - Fulica atra 

Gadwall
Gadwall - Mareca strepera 

Gadwall
Gadwall - Mareca strepera 

Gadwall
Gadwall - Mareca strepera 

Green-winged Teal
Green-winged Teal - Anas crecca

Northern Shoveler
Northern Shoveler - Spatula clypeata

Northern Shoveler
Northern Shoveler - Spatula clypeata

Tufted Duck
Tufted Duck - Aythya fuligula

Tree Pipit
Tree Pipit - Anthus trivialis 

Tree Pipit
Tree Pipit - Anthus trivialis 

White-eared Bulbul
White-eared Bulbul - Pycnonotus leucotis

Yellow-throated Sparrow
Yellow-throated Sparrow - Gymnoris xanthocollis

2 Dec 2021.
Peregrine Falcon (Shaheen)
Peregrine Falcon (Shaheen) Falco peregrinus

Peregrine Falcon (Shaheen)
Peregrine Falcon (Shaheen) Falco peregrinus

Peregrine Falcon (Shaheen)
Peregrine Falcon (Shaheen) Falco peregrinus

Peregrine Falcon (Shaheen)
Peregrine Falcon (Shaheen) Falco peregrinus

Shikra
Shikra - Accipiter badius

Short-toed Snake-Eagle
Short-toed Snake-Eagle - Circaetus gallicus

3 Dec 2021.
Eurasian Crag-Martin
Eurasian Crag-Martin - Ptyonoprogne rupestris

Eurasian Sparrowhawk
Eurasian Sparrowhawk - Accipiter nisus

Greater Coucal
Greater Coucal - Centropus sinensis

Greater Coucal
Greater Coucal - Centropus sinensis


4 Dec 2021.

Ashy Drongo
Ashy Drongo - Dicrurus leucophaeus 

Ashy Drongo
Ashy Drongo - Dicrurus leucophaeus 

Common Buzzard
Common Buzzard - Buteo buteo

Eurasian Crag-Martin
Eurasian Crag-Martin - Ptyonoprogne rupestris 

Purple Sunbird
Purple Sunbird - Cinnyris asiaticus

5 Dec 2021.
Ashy Drongo
Ashy Drongo - Dicrurus leucophaeus

Eurasian Crag-Martin
Eurasian Crag-Martin - Ptyonoprogne rupestris

Little Cormorant
Little Cormorant - Microcarbo niger

Long-tailed Shrike
Long-tailed Shrike - Lanius schach 

Shikra
Shikra - Accipiter badiu

Shikra
Shikra - Accipiter badiu

Yellow-throated Sparrow
Yellow-throated Sparrow - Gymnoris xanthocollis 

Yellow-throated Sparrow
Yellow-throated Sparrow - Gymnoris xanthocollis 

Yellow-throated Sparrow
Yellow-throated Sparrow - Gymnoris xanthocollis 

6 Dec 2021.
Ashy Drongo
Ashy Drongo - Dicrurus leucophaeus

Ashy Drongo
Ashy Drongo - Dicrurus leucophaeus

Common Chiffchaff
Common Chiffchaff - Phylloscopus collybita 

Common Chiffchaff
Common Chiffchaff - Phylloscopus collybita 

Dusky Crag-Martin
Dusky Crag-Martin - Ptyonoprogne concolor

Egyptian Vulture
Egyptian Vulture - Neophron percnopterus 

Green Sandpiper
Green Sandpiper - Tringa ochropus

Green Sandpiper
Green Sandpiper - Tringa ochropus

Green Sandpiper
Green Sandpiper - Tringa ochropus

Black Kite
Black Kite - Milvus migrans

Butler recorded the species as abundant (1875). Even as late as the 1940s, McCann (1942) identified the species as “common”. I’ve merely recorded this species twice in all my years of birding in Abu. Perhaps their source of food had dwindled. I have observed that the Tawny and the Steppe eagle, which were regular visitors here in Abu are now like the other birds of prey gradually fading away.

Black Kite
Black Kite - Milvus migrans

Black Kite
Black Kite - Milvus migrans

Long-tailed Shrike
Long-tailed Shrike - Lanius schach

Long-tailed Shrike
Long-tailed Shrike - Lanius schach

Purple Sunbird
Purple Sunbird - Cinnyris asiaticus

7 Dec 2021.
Brown Rock Chat
Brown Rock Chat - Oenanthe fusca

Brown Rock Chat
Brown Rock Chat - Oenanthe fusca

Common Buzzard
Common Buzzard - Buteo buteo

Common Buzzard
Common Buzzard - Buteo buteo

Common Chiffchaff
Common Chiffchaff - Phylloscopus collybita

Common Chiffchaff
Common Chiffchaff - Phylloscopus collybita

Eurasian Crag-Martin
Eurasian Crag-Martin - Ptyonoprogne rupestris

Gray Wagtail
Gray Wagtail - Motacilla cinerea

Long-legged Buzzard
Long-legged Buzzard - Buteo rufinus

Will post the birds photographed in the Second week of  December shortly 
Buenas noches Salud!






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