Between Spring and Summer
15–21 April 2026
The third week of April carried a familiar shift—the slow, almost reluctant turning of spring into summer. While mornings retained their gentle touch, noon brought a more forceful sun. Thankfully, the winds held steady through most days, and passing clouds softened the light just enough to keep birding comfortable.
There was movement in the sky this week.
On more than one occasion, I stopped mid-trail, looking up. The Honey Buzzards were back—or perhaps just passing through—but in good numbers. Large, unhurried, and in command of the thermals, they circled high above the ridgeline. There’s something about them—the way they drift rather than fly—that holds your attention longer than expected.
Smaller life continued in the undergrowth and scrub.
A Blyth’s Reed Warbler kept to the shadows, offering more than a flicker and a call. The Indian Yellow-throat was less shy, hopping low through the grass, pausing just long enough to be seen. Tawny-bellied Babbler* moved in their usual restless groups, never still, always chattering, as if the forest floor itself had found a voice.
Overhead, a Long-legged Buzzard cut a more solitary figure, quite different from the drifting Honey Buzzards—direct, purposeful. A Shikra flashed through once, quick, gone before the moment registered.
The brighter notes of the week came from the Common Rosefinch and the ever-present Rose-ringed Parakeets, their calls carrying across the slopes, stitching together the quieter sounds of the landscape.
It was not a dramatic week. No rare sightings, no sudden surprises. Yet, April often displays this characteristic here: stable, evolving, and genuine. A time when the forest does not shout, but speaks in smaller, more deliberate ways.
I’ve put together a set of photographs from those days. Each one is less about spectacle and more about memory—small encounters, shifting light, and the quiet persistence of bird-life in Mount Abu as the season turns.
Bird of the Week.
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Shikra - Accipiter badius.
A fierce gaze in the stillness, the Shikra locks eyes, every feather poised for the next decisive move. |
Shikra April 2026 Mt Abu. m4v
15 April
Bird of the day.
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| A quiet wanderer of the thickets — the Blyth's Reed Warbler pauses just long enough to be seen, before melting back into the green. |
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| Blyth's Reed Warbler - Acrocephalus |
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| Common Rosefinch - Carpodacus erythrinus |
Perched in quiet elegance, the Common Rosefinch blends softly with the foliage, a fleeting hint of colour in the green.
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| Indian Yellow Tit - Machlolophus aplonotus |
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| Long-legged Buzzard - Buteo rufinus |
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| Long-legged Buzzard - Buteo rufinus |
Riding the thermals with quiet authority — the Long-legged Buzzard surveys its kingdom from the open sky.
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| Long-legged Buzzard - Buteo rufinus |
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| Gliding on invisible currents — the Oriental Honey-buzzard drifts effortlessly, a master of patience and precision in the open sky. |
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| Oriental Honey-buzzard - Pernis ptilorhynchus |
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| Oriental Honey-buzzard - Pernis ptilorhynchus |
16 April
Bird of the Day
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| Shikra - Accipiter badius |
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| Common Rosefinch - Carpodacus erythrinus |
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| Common Rosefinch - Carpodacus erythrinus |
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| Common Myna - Acridotheres tristis |
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| Rose-ringed Parakeet - Psittacula krameri |
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| Rose-ringed Parakeet - Psittacula krameri |
17 April
Bird of the Day
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| Oriental Honey-buzzard - Pernis ptilorhynchus |
Oriental Honey-buzzard April 2026 Mt Abu. m4v
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| Common Rosefinch - Carpodacus erythrinus |
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| Greater Coucal - Centropus sinensis |
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| Jungle Babbler - Turdoides striata |
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| Rose-ringed Parakeet - Psittacula krameri |
18 April
Bird of the Day
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| Tawny-bellied Babbler - Dumetia hyperythra |
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| Tawny-bellied Babbler - Dumetia hyperythra |
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| Tawny-bellied Babbler - Dumetia hyperythra |
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| Tawny-bellied Babbler - Dumetia hyperythra |
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| Common Rosefinch - Carpodacus erythrinus |
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| Indian Yellow Tit - Machlolophus aplonotus |
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| Laughing Dove - Streptopelia senegalensis |
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| Oriental Magpie-Robin - Copsychus saularis |
19. April
Bird of the Day
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| Oriental Honey-buzzard - Pernis ptilorhynchus |
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| Oriental Honey-buzzard - Pernis ptilorhynchus |
20 April
Bird of the Day.
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| Indian Yellow Tit - Machlolophus aplonotus |
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| Brown Rock Chat - Oenanthe fusca |
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| Large-billed Crow - Corvus macrorhynchos |
%200F4A4704.jpg "Yellow-throated Sparrow (Gymnoris xanthocollis)") |
| Yellow-throated Sparrow (Gymnoris xanthocollis) |
21 April
Bird of the Day
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| Oriental Honey-buzzard - Pernis ptilorhynchus |
Oriental Honey-buzzard April 2026 Mt Abu.mp4
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| Eastern Red-rumped Swallow - Cecropis daurica |
─── About the Author ───
Ains Priestman is a passionate birder, nature observer, and photographer based in Mount Abu in the ancient Aravalli Hills of Rajasthan. Through his Mount Abu Birding Diary, he documents the changing seasons, bird migrations, and the everyday wonders of wildlife in and around the hill station.
Armed with his trusted Canon EOS 7D Mark II, he captures moments from the forests, wetlands, and rocky landscapes that make Mount Abu a unique haven for birdlife. His writings combine field observations, photography, and reflections on the natural rhythms of the “Abode of the Gods.”
Through this blog, he hopes to inspire readers and fellow birdwatchers to appreciate and protect the rich biodiversity of the Aravalli Hills.
Another page closes in the Mount Abu Birding Diary, but the hills are always writing the next chapter
Happy birding from Mount Abu. 🐦
%200F4A4704.jpg "Yellow-throated Sparrow (Gymnoris xanthocollis)")
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