Ashy Drongo Birds of Mount Abu JANUARY 2019 mountabubirds.blogspot.com

Ashy Drongo -  Dicrurus leucophaeus

3 January 2019.

Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus

Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus

Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus

Ashy Drongo with its forked tail shining. 

Sallying through Abu's winter sky,

Master manoeuvre catching prey on the wing,

A fierce protector of its kith and kin.

Ashy Drongo is a winter and passage migrant. It's not a commonly seen species here in Abu. One may encounter a single bird or sometimes a small flock of them. They seem to get on well with our native white-bellied Drongo. Their diet is mostly insects. They feed like flycatchers, taking large insects they love bees. Like all Drongoes, these are aggressive and fearless in nature and will attack any other predator that poses a threat to their nest or fledglings.

Ashy Drongo over the years.

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Black Redstart Birds of Mount Abu JANUARY 2019 mountabubirds.blogspot.com

Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros

2 January 2019.

Black Redstart - Phoenicurus ochruros - Female

She comes dances, frits and flies away, Much to the amusement of the birder who clicks away, capturing her beauty in his soul. 

 photographing her antics for the world to scroll.

 

Black Redstart - Phoenicurus ochruros - Female

Black Redstart - Phoenicurus ochruros - Female

Black Redstart - Phoenicurus ochruros - Female

 Black Redstart - Phoenicurus ochruros -Male

Black Redstart - Phoenicurus ochruros -Male

The Black Redstart our winter visitor, makes it up the hill during September. This year I photographed the female and male in the first week of October 2018. This species stays right up to March. These birds always appear to be on the move, eye-catching and can inspire the person watching them.

Did you know? 

We know the Black Redstart as the Indra Ghandi Bird in India. It inspired her to write poetry and praise for its petite behaviour. 

Common Buzzard Birds of Mount Abu JANUARY 2019 mountabubirds.blogspot.com

Common Buzzard Buteo buteo 

1 January 2019

Mount Abu in January

ITS JANUARY 2019 And ABU Winter Visitors are Here.

Abuites I do not know how many of you have been following my blog Mount Abu Birds. I have been birding and promoting the younger folks of our town to Observe, participate and take an active role in documenting the birds they see around Abu. Be it on a casual walk, a short jungle walk, or a long trek or even on a picnic. With smartphones at your disposal, one can easily photograph the birds they see and observe and forward them to birding databases around the world where they are compiling data of birds from all parts of the world. To promote our avian friend I will strongly recommend that you download the App for mobile

From the play store: The app is called eBird.Join the world’s largest birding community, contribute your observations to them to build and record our bird species that live and visit this unique hill station in the Aravalis.

Creating an eBird Account go to .http://www.ebird.org/.

Common Buzzard Buteo buteo 

Common Buzzard Buteo buteo 

Common Buzzard Buteo buteo 

The Common Buzzard in Mount Abu is Considered a Vagrant and passage migrant; I Have been recording this species from 2009. All my photographs of this species have been taken in the Winter months over the years. I always felt that the Buzzard was a winter visitor.I'm posting some latest photographs and slide show of this raptor taken over the years.

Common Buzzard Buteo buteo Over the Years Mount Abu 

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HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM THE ABODE OF GODS Mount Abu

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM MOUNT ABU

As a parting gift to all my well-wishers and friends, I've put together a monthly collection of my birds for 2018. Appreciate and enjoy the birds from "The Abode of Gods"

BEST VIEWED IN FULL FRAME

I Wish you A

Stress-Free JANUARY to Blissful 2019

A Charmed FEBRUARY May You Find Ur Valentine.

Sing Like the Birds MARCH Welcome The Spring

Awesome APRIL With Garden Full of Birds

May Ur Life BE More Meaningful In May.

May Ur Blessings Soar Like the Birds In June.

Be Ok with where U are We are Half Through the Year.

May U have An Eventful AUGUST

And Happiness like the Rain and Birds

Let Ur September be mellow And Cheerful like the Beautiful Birds.

Let the Singing Bird enter Ur Hearts This October It will enliven Ur Soul.

May the Warm NOVEMBER Sun And  The Chirping Birds Inspire Ur Love For NATURE

When U Hear A Bird Sing On A Cold

DECEMBER Morn Remember He's Looking

Forward To Spring.

Before I post I would Love To 

SHARE

The voice of an angel. The photography is stunning - this is something to be enjoyed and shared.

BEAUTIFUL RENDITION OF AULD LANG SYNE

Red-vented Bulbul Birds of Mount Abu October 2018.

Red-vented Bulbul 

21 October 2018

Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer   - Pair 

Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer   - Allo preening

Appreciate the Red-vented Bulbul photographed over the years 

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Slideshow of Red-vented Bulbul 

The common Red-vented Bulbul lives in Mount Abu. I have observed these birds' behaviour for many a year. I know The Bulbul as the Sentinel of the area because it warns other animals with its calls when predators like Shikra and Raptors are nearby. One warning call and all the other birds make a dash for cover to cover their ass from the oncoming swooping killing machine with claws of Hades.

I love to watch their antics during their mating season. It's fascinating to see their antics of wooing. They have learnt to exist with humans and look forward to titbits offered to them. 

They often hawk for insects, like the fantails around here fluttering beyond the foliage of shrubs and trees. They are known to group together in flocks but out here I have seen very strong territorial traits of the few who have taken up residence here around my house.

White-breasted Waterhen Birds of Mount Abu October 2018.

White-breasted Waterhen

20 October 2018

White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus phoenicurus   - Chick 

White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus phoenicurus   - Immature

White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus phoenicurus   - Adult

White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus phoenicurus   - Adult

Appreciate the White-breasted Waterhen photographed over the years 

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White-breasted Waterhen

I have observed the White-breasted Waterhen and her chicks for almost a fortnight taking shelter under my bridge over a small stream. Her two chicks disappeared within the first week of my observation, probably prey to the few Indian Grey mongoose that also shares this area or the stray cats that live off the land in this part of  Abu. 

The single chick and the mother throughout the day feed on insects and larvae from the stream. The chick had grown pretty well and two weeks ago they disappeared, probably moved down the stream as the water in this stem is nearly dry. This year it's gonna be kind of bad for the animals and the birds as most of our minor water bodies will turn dry by mid-summer. The monsoon season this year was poor.

Brown-headed Barbet Birds of Mount Abu October 2018.

Brown-headed Barbet

19 October 2018.

Brown-headed Barbet Megalaima zeylanica caniceps   - Adult

Brown-headed Barbet Megalaima zeylanica caniceps   - Adult

Appreciate the birds photographed over the years 

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Brown-headed Barbet Megalaima zeylanica caniceps   - Adult

The Brown-headed Barbet is a resident breeder in India and Sri Lanka. It is an arboreal species of gardens and wooded country which eats fruit and insects

The adult has a streaked brown head, neck and breast, with a yellow eye patch. The rest of the plumage is green. More... 

Like all other Asian barbets, they are mainly frugivorous although they may sometimes eat insects and they use their bills to excavate nest cavities in trees. When there is a few of them around and they begin their choir practice it's quite a ruckus.