From Misty Hills to Blistering Plains.

What’s up with the weather?

After an unseasonal and rain-soaked May, June 2025 brought another surprise—an early onset of the monsoon! The first week started with extreme heat, especially impacting the Mount Abu foothills under the summer sun’s glare. The long-awaited monsoon season finally began in mid-June, transforming the landscape and invigorating bird activity.

As all birders know, come rain or shine—be it summer, winter, spring, or monsoon—our passion keeps us going. There’s no “off-season” for birding.

In early June, I birded around Mount Abu, my cherished hometown in the Aravalli Hills. The usual suspects were out, along with a few surprises brought in by the changing weather. On June 7th, I braved the intense heat of the plains and made my way down to **West Banas Dam**—a rewarding visit that, despite the soaring temperatures, yielded some exciting sightings.

A special mention goes to my niece, **Crescentia**, for her keen eye and excellent birding around the West Banas Dam. Her contributions added depth to our collective birding records for the month.

I’ve compiled a collection of bird photos and sightings from Mount Abu and the dam area, which is shown below. I hope you appreciate this brief look at June’s diverse bird life.

Stay tuned—as the monsoon deepens, I’ll be sharing more posts soon, covering the backlog of June’s birding adventures. Much more is yet to come!

Bird Of the Week

Bonelli's Eagle - Aquila fasciata

Bonelli's Eagle June 2025 Mt Abu.m4v

Indian Paradise-Flycatcher - Terpsiphone paradisi

Indian Robin - Copsychus fulicatus

Indian White-eye - Zosterops palpebrosus

Indian Yellow Tit - Machlolophus aplonotus

Jungle Babbler - Turdoides striata

Little Cormorant - Microcarbo nige

Oriental Honey-buzzard - Pernis ptilorhynchus

Spot-breasted Fantail - Rhipidura albogularis

Tickell's Blue Flycatcher - Cyornis tickelliae

White-throated Kingfisher - Halcyon smyrnensis

If you’ve enjoyed this curated glimpse into the avian wonders of Mount Abu, you’re in for another treat.

Stay tuned for my next post, where I’ll take you on a birding journey to the West Banas Dam in Sirohi, Rajasthan—a lesser-known gem teeming with bird life. From waterfowl to raptors, the diversity here is truly remarkable.

Come back tomorrow and feast your eyes on the feathered beauties of Sirohi!

Birds of Mount Abu last week of June 2021.

I observed the local bird busily building nests when light conditions were okay and took snaps of the resident bird. I've put together a small collection of our native bird's pleasant viewing.

Oriental Magpie-Robin - Copsychus saularis

Brahminy Starling - Sturnia pagodarum

Dusky Crag-Martin - Ptyonoprogne concolor

House Sparrow - Passer domesticus

Indian Silverbill - Euodice malabarica

Indian White-eye - Zosterops palpebrosus

Indian White-eye slide show

Indian Yellow Tit - Machlolophus aplonotus

Indian Yellow Tit slide show

Large-billed Crow - Corvus macrorhynchos

Little Swift - Apus affinis

Oriental Magpie-Robin - Copsychus saularis

Oriental Magpie-Robin slide show

Peregrine Falcon - (Shaheen) Falco peregrinus

Delighted to see Shaheen return, he's a rare visitor to Abu.

Peregrine Falcon - (Shaheen) Falco peregrinus

Pied Cuckoo - Clamator jacobinus

Purple Sunbird - Cinnyris asiaticus

Red-rumped Swallow - Cecropis daurica

Red-vented Bulbul - Pycnonotus cafer
I did not expect to see this Bulbul around as a kitten had attacked it and in the scuffle, the bird lost its tail.