Birding in the First week of April 2019. Mt Abu

The end of March saw a steep spike in the rising temperature. The days of the first week of April have been hot, it seems early summer has set in for our part of the world. Most of our winter migrants have left. It's nesting season right now for most of our local birds. I do a spot of birding in the late evenings. Appreciate my collection of birds made during this month.

1 April 2019

Grey Wagtail - Motacilla cinerea

House sparrow - Passer domesticus - Male

Red-vented Bulbul - Pycnonotus cafer

Red-wattled Lapwing - Vanellus indicus

2 April 2019.

Common Rosefinch - Carpodacus erythrinus - Male

House Sparrow Passer domesticus indicus - Juvenile

3 April 2019

Common Rosefinch - Carpodacus erythrinus - Male

Common Rosefinch - Carpodacus erythrinus - Female

House sparrow - Passer domesticus - female

House sparrow - Passer domesticus - Male

4 April 2019.

Common Tailorbird - Orthotomus sutorius

Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea - Male in breeding plumage

Shaheen Falcon - Falco Peregrinus peregrinator

5 April 2019.

Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea - Male in breeding plumage

Indian Silverbill - Lonchura malabarica

Long-legged buzzard - Buteo rufinus

Long-legged buzzard - mobbed by Jungle Crow

⇓⇓

Territorial Dispute The Jungle Crow rule the roost in this area.

Red-wattled Lapwing - Vanellus indicus TRYING TO ATTACK DAMAN

Red-wattled Lapwing - Vanellus indicus - injury-feigning

To read more on this episode click the link below

⇓⇓

Red-wattled Lapwing NO match for the Daman Snake

6 April 2019.

Went to the Duck Pond on the 6 April 19, probably for the last time this year to check and see how many of our winter visitors were still there. Was surprised to see a solitary Common Teal - Anas crecca - Female. There were a handful of black-winged stilts, a few Red-wattled lapwings, two woolly necked Storks, a few sandpipers and an Indian Pond Heron. Earlier in the day early morning visited another water body the Jawai catchment water body. The duck had also left from here. Here I photographed alone little egret and a little cormorant.

Common Teal - Anas crecca - Female

( The solitary Winter visitor still to depart )

Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus

Little Egret Egretta garzetta

Red-vented Bulbul - Pycnonotus cafer

7 April 2019

Common Rosefinch - Carpodacus erythrinus

( Passage migrants )

Eurasian Craig Martin Ptyonoprogne rupestris - In flight

( Winter visitor )

Red-wattled Lapwing - Vanellus indicus - At nest

Red-wattled Lapwing - Vanellus indicus - injury-feigning

Shaheen Falcon - Falco Peregrinus peregrinator

Birds of Mount Abu: January 2014

As the chill of January 2014 settles over Mount Abu, I find myself back on the road, albeit with a walker as my steadfast companion. Moving is still a dream I hold close, but my determination to explore Mount Abu’s vibrant bird life remains unwavering.

The return of my camera from the service station last week has rekindled my passion for photography. With each click, I’m rediscovering the art of capturing Abu’s avian wonders—striving for clearer, more vivid shots of these feathered jewels.

Collecting birds you see here is from the tail end of this month, a testament to the resilience and the beauty of Mount Abu’s ecosystem. As I continue honing my skills, I look forward to venturing further afield. I am determined to visit Orea and Achalgarh by the first week of February to further expand this growing treasure trove.

Enjoy this glimpse into my January birding journey. Each photograph is not just a snapshot but a story of persistence, patience, and the ever-present joy of nature. Stay tuned for more from the enchanting hills of Mount Abu!

Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus indicus

Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus indicus In Flight

The red-wattled lapwing has returned after its winter vacation, I really wonder where they went for almost a month. About half a dozen of them remain in this neighborhood they are pretty used to the human population .

Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri borealis - Male in flight

Common resident of Abu, a flock comes to this area regularly to feed on the Baja thrown for the sparrows.

Shikra Accipiter badius

Shikra Accipiter badius - Adult male

Shikra Accipiter badius - Female

Shikra Accipiter badius - Male

The Shakira’s of late has been visiting this area daily along with the common Kestrel to see if they can pick up a few sparrows and other small birds that reside here. They feast on the rats that are a pest in this region.

House Sparrow Passer domesticus indicus - Male

The dwindling population from the year 2005 has steadily been on the increase in and around my house. Regular feeding the birds twice a day has encouraged a host of other bird into this place. There has been a large increase of the House Sparrow, the Brown Shouldered Petunia, the Rose Ringed Parakeet, and the Red-Vented Bulbul.