Weeks One & Two – Birding & Weather Highlights.
Birds Spotted–Second Week of September 2025 (9th–14th)
The second stretch of September turned out to be a fantastic birding week. The skies still carried the weight of the monsoon, but the bird life more than made up for it. Also, I photographed many of the sightings, and so did my niece, Crescentia, whose sharp eye and steady hand deserve much of the credit for this collection.
The highlights included rarities, uncommon visitors, and a few familiar Abu regulars showing off in style. It was the kind of week that tempts any birder to pack a bag and make a quick trip to our little paradise.
Bird of the Week.
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Common Cuckoo - Cuculus canorus –a prized record! Second only to our district, Sirohi.
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Highlights of the Week
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| Alpine Swift - Apus melba – racing across the skies in powerful, looping flights. |
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| Alpine Swift - Apus melba |
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Ashy Prinia - Prinia socialis
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| Ashy Prinia - Prinia socialis |
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| Asian brown flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica – not so common here, a delicate visitor among the trees. |
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| Asian brown flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica |
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| Asian brown flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica |
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| Asian Cinereous Tit - Parus cinereus – energetic, hopping among branches, always a delight. |
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| Asian Cinereous Tit - Parus cinereus |
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| Black-rumped Flameback - Dinopium benghalense |
Brahminy Starling - Sturnia pagodarum – catching the sun, basking in the open.
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| Brahminy Starling - Sturnia pagodarum |
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| Brown Rock Chat - Oenanthe fusca |
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| The loud, repetitive, three-note call of the Common Hawk-Cuckoo (Hierococcyx varius), with the second note being longer and higher-pitched, sounds like "brain-fever" to many listeners. |
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| Common Iora - Aegithina tiphia –a burst of bright yellow in the green. |
Common Iora - Aegithina tiphia Sept 2025 Mt Abu ..mp4
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| Common Woodshrike-ephrodornis pondicerianus – blending into the canopy, easy to miss unless you know its call. |
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| Common Woodshrike ephrodornis pondicerianus, Sept 2025, Mt Abu. jpg |
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| Gray Wagtail - Motacilla cinerea |
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| Gray Wagtail - Motacilla cinerea |
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| Gray-breasted Prinia - Prinia hodgsonii |
Gray-breasted Prinia - Prinia hodgsonii Sept 2025 Mt Abu.mp4
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| House Sparrow - Passer domesticus "dust bathing". |
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| House Sparrow - Passer domesticus "dust bathing". |
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| Indian Cuckooshrike - Coracina macei – another important record for Sirohi, a notable find |
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| Indian Cuckooshrike - Coracina macei |
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| Indian Peafowl - Pavo cristatus |
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| Indian Robin - Copsychus fulicatus |
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| Indian White-eye - Zosterops palpebrosus |
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| Indian White-eye - Zosterops palpebrosus |
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| Indian Yellow Tit - Machlolophus aplonotus |
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| Indian Yellow Tit - Machlolophus aplonotus Sept 2025 Mt Abu ..jpg |
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| Jungle Owlet – not common here, its call gave it away before the sighting. |
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| Laughing Dove - Streptopelia senegalensis |
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| Laughing Dove - Streptopelia senegalensis |
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| Lesser Whitethroat - Sylvia curruca, winter visitor |
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| Lesser Whitethroat - Sylvia curruca |
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| Long-tailed Shrike - Lanius schach |
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| Long-tailed Shrike - Lanius schach |
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| Long-tailed Shrike - Lanius schach |
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| Oriental Magpie-Robin - Copsychus saularis. – ever present, its song echoing after the showers. |
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| Oriental Magpie-Robin - Copsychus saularis. |
%20Falco%20peregrinus%20%200F4A8537.jpg "Peregrine Falcon (Shaheen) Falco peregrinus") |
| Peregrine Falcon (Shaheen) Falco peregrinus – the thrill of watching it slice through the air. |
%20Falco%20peregrinus%20%20%E2%80%93%20the%20thrill%20of%20watching%20it%20slice%20through%20the%20air.%20September%202025%20Mt%20Abu.jpg "Peregrine Falcon (Shaheen) Falco peregrinus – the thrill of watching it slice through the air. September 2025 Mt Abu") |
| Peregrine Falcon (Shaheen) Falco peregrinus – the thrill of watching it slice through the air. September 2025 Mt Abu |
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| Plum-headed Parakeet - Psittacula cyanocephala |
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| Red-whiskered Bulbul - Pycnonotus jocosus portrait shot. |
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| Red-whiskered Bulbul - Pycnonotus jocosus September 2025 Mt Abu |
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| Scaly-breasted Munia - Lonchura punctulata |
Scaly-breasted Munia - Lonchura punctulata September 2025 Mt Abu..mp4
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| Shikra - Accipiter badius |
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| Shikra - Accipiter badius |
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| Small Minivet - Pericrocotus cinnamomeus – flashes of red and yellow darting through the trees. |
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| Small Minivet - Pericrocotus cinnamomeus |
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| Small Minivet - Pericrocotus cinnamomeus |
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| Small Minivet - Pericrocotus cinnamomeus |
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| Spot-breasted Fantail - Rhipidura albogularis |
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| Spotted Dove - Streptopelia chinensis |
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| Thick-billed Flowerpecker - Dicaeum agile – tiny but bold, feeding on berries. |
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| Thick-billed Flowerpecker - Dicaeum agile |
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| Tickell's Blue Flycatcher - Cyornis tickelliae – the jewel of the undergrowth, glowing after rain. |
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| Western Crowned Warbler Phylloscopus occipitalis – a rare gem for Abu, flitting busily in the foliage |
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| Western Crowned Warbler Phylloscopus occipitalis |
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| White-bellied Drongo - Dicrurus caerulescens |
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| Yellow-footed Green-Pigeon - Treron phoenicopterus |
%20Sept%202025%20Mt%20Abu..jpg "Yellow-throated Sparrow (Gymnoris xanthocollis) Sept 2025 Mt Abu.") |
| Yellow-throated Sparrow (Gymnoris xanthocollis) Sept 2025 Mt Abu. |
%20Falco%20peregrinus%20%200F4A8537.jpg "Peregrine Falcon (Shaheen) Falco peregrinus")
%20Falco%20peregrinus%20%20%E2%80%93%20the%20thrill%20of%20watching%20it%20slice%20through%20the%20air.%20September%202025%20Mt%20Abu.jpg "Peregrine Falcon (Shaheen) Falco peregrinus – the thrill of watching it slice through the air. September 2025 Mt Abu")
%20Sept%202025%20Mt%20Abu..jpg "Yellow-throated Sparrow (Gymnoris xanthocollis) Sept 2025 Mt Abu.")
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