Birds of September 2025 – Mount Abu

 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.

Common Cuckoo - Cuculus canorus –a prized record! Second only to our district, Sirohi.

Highlights of the Week

Alpine Swift - Apus melba – racing across the skies in powerful, looping flights.

Alpine Swift - Apus melba 

Ashy Prinia - Prinia socialis

Ashy Prinia - Prinia socialis

Asian brown flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica – not so common here, a delicate visitor among the trees.

Asian brown flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica

Asian brown flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica

Asian Cinereous Tit - Parus cinereus – energetic, hopping among branches, always a delight.

Asian Cinereous Tit - Parus cinereus

Black-rumped Flameback - Dinopium benghalense 

Brahminy Starling - Sturnia pagodarum – catching the sun, basking in the open.

Brahminy Starling - Sturnia pagodarum

Brown Rock Chat - Oenanthe fusca

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.

Common Iora - Aegithina tiphia –a burst of bright yellow in the green.

Common Iora - Aegithina tiphia Sept 2025 Mt Abu ..mp4

Common Woodshrike-ephrodornis pondicerianus – blending into the canopy, easy to miss unless you know its call.

Common Woodshrike ephrodornis pondicerianus, Sept 2025, Mt Abu. jpg

Gray Wagtail - Motacilla cinerea

Gray Wagtail - Motacilla cinerea

Gray-breasted Prinia - Prinia hodgsonii

Gray-breasted Prinia - Prinia hodgsonii Sept 2025 Mt Abu.mp4

House Sparrow - Passer domesticus "dust bathing".

House Sparrow - Passer domesticus "dust bathing".

Indian Cuckooshrike - Coracina macei  – another important record for Sirohi, a notable find

Indian Cuckooshrike - Coracina macei 

Indian Peafowl - Pavo cristatus

Indian Robin - Copsychus fulicatus

Indian White-eye - Zosterops palpebrosus

Indian White-eye - Zosterops palpebrosus

Indian Yellow Tit - Machlolophus aplonotus 

Indian Yellow Tit - Machlolophus aplonotus Sept 2025 Mt Abu ..jpg

Jungle Owlet – not common here in Mt Abu, its call gave it away before the sighting.

Laughing Dove - Streptopelia senegalensis 

Laughing Dove - Streptopelia senegalensis 

Lesser Whitethroat - Sylvia curruca, winter visitor

Lesser Whitethroat - Sylvia curruca

Long-tailed Shrike - Lanius schach

Long-tailed Shrike - Lanius schach

Long-tailed Shrike - Lanius schach

Oriental Magpie-Robin - Copsychus saularis. – ever present, its song echoing after the showers.

Oriental Magpie-Robin - Copsychus saularis.

Peregrine Falcon (Shaheen) Falco peregrinus  – the thrill of watching it slice through the air.

Peregrine Falcon (Shaheen) Falco peregrinus  – the thrill of watching it slice through the air. September 2025 Mt Abu

Plum-headed Parakeet - Psittacula cyanocephala

Red-whiskered Bulbul - Pycnonotus jocosus portrait shot.

Red-whiskered Bulbul - Pycnonotus jocosus September 2025 Mt Abu

Scaly-breasted Munia - Lonchura punctulata 

Scaly-breasted Munia - Lonchura punctulata  September 2025 Mt Abu..mp4

Shikra - Accipiter badius 

Shikra - Accipiter badius 

Small Minivet - Pericrocotus cinnamomeus  – flashes of red and yellow darting through the trees.

Small Minivet - Pericrocotus cinnamomeus 

Small Minivet - Pericrocotus cinnamomeus 

Small Minivet - Pericrocotus cinnamomeus 

Spot-breasted Fantail - Rhipidura albogularis

Spotted Dove - Streptopelia chinensis

Thick-billed Flowerpecker - Dicaeum agile – tiny but bold, feeding on berries.

Thick-billed Flowerpecker - Dicaeum agile

Tickell's Blue Flycatcher - Cyornis tickelliae – the jewel of the undergrowth, glowing after rain.

Western Crowned Warbler Phylloscopus occipitalis  – a rare gem for Abu, flitting busily in the foliage

Western Crowned Warbler Phylloscopus occipitalis 

White-bellied Drongo - Dicrurus caerulescens

Yellow-footed Green-Pigeon - Treron phoenicopterus

Yellow-throated Sparrow (Gymnoris xanthocollis) Sept 2025 Mt Abu.

Closing Note

Two weeks into September, and Mount Abu has already delivered drama and delight—soaked mornings, foggy trails, sudden bursts of bird activity, and rarities that make the heart race. With records like the Common Cuckoo and Indian Cuckoo-shrike, plus the Peregrine Falcon sweeping the skies, this month has been unforgettable so far.

And the best part? The season has only just begun. More migrants are on their way, and I’ll be here—tracking the skies and the wings that grace them—week after week.