Missed my earlier posts? Don't worry, you can catch up by clicking the button below.

Birds at Hebbal lake

Last Sunday morning, I went to Hebbal lake, Bangalore for walk and bird watching. Here's a photo tour of the birds I found there...






The Asian koel is a member of the cuckoo order of birds. I found the female version of it. The Asian koel is a brood parasite, and lays its single egg in the nests of a variety of birds, including the jungle crow and house crow...




A Little egret was seen wading through water. They use a variety of methods to procure their food; they stalk their prey in shallow water, often running with raised wings or shuffling their feet to disturb small fish, or may stand still and wait to ambush prey.Little egrets are sociable birds and are often seen in small flocks. Nevertheless, individual birds do not tolerate others coming too close to their chosen feeding site, though this depends on the abundance of prey.


Some fallen leaves caught in a spider web...


A male Purple Rumped Sunbird was seen hopping around with great urgency sucking nectar.  It has been noted that they maintain special scratching posts, where they get rid of pollen and nectar sticking to their head. The shadow falling on its face made me try for a better shot.


Here's a better shot. When the flowers are too deep to probe, they sometimes pierce the base of the flower and rob the nectar, an action termed as "nectar theft" since the flower's primary purpose of attracting pollinators is foiled.


 Bougainvillea...


A Grey Heron standing motionless, waiting for prey to come within striking distance.



The sausage like fruits of Kigelia Pinnata, the Sausage tree. An alcoholic beverage similar to beer is also made from it. The fresh fruit is poisonous and strongly purgative; fruit are prepared for consumption by drying, roasting or fermentation.


The foul smelling flowers are borne on a long stalk which hangs from branches.


Bats are known to pollinate the large maroon flowers of the Sausage tree...



A Brahminy kite was seen gliding around lazily. It is primarily a scavenger, feeding mainly on dead fish and crabs. They may also indulge in kleptoparasitism and attempt to steal prey from other birds.




Common Hawk-cuckoo...


Bird details courtesy: Wikipedia

42 comments:

  1. Beautiful photography and a nice variety of bird and plant life!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful Sunset and stunning nature shots....

    ReplyDelete
  3. Phantastic photos, not only the reflected birds in the water. I also love the beautiful macros.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hello, awesome birds and photos. Well done! Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  5. astounding pictures espoecially fluff and loook of last one so enjoyable

    ReplyDelete
  6. this is my first time to your beautiful blog. How elegant are your images??! thank you for sharing them. I make art, and see the next to last image in my mind done in fabric and thread. LeeAnna at not afraid of color

    ReplyDelete
  7. That was very interesting ,Nature is so wonderful
    HPS
    Laura

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow, your photos are all quite stunning. I love the sausage tree, it's just a shame they aren't actually sausages. And your photo of the bougainvillea has to be the prettiest.

    #MySundayPhoto

    x

    ReplyDelete
  9. I am in awe of these wonderful, wonderful birds in your area of the globe!!! Wow. Such a special treat for us.
    And your flower images....dazzling.

    Thanks, as always, for adding your post link for us at I'd Rather B Birdin'.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow these photos are stunning! :) #mysundayphoto

    ReplyDelete
  11. Really beautiful photos! That koel was particularly fascinating, and such a great shot!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wow. Absolutely stunning.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Your birds are lovely. Have that colour bougainvillea in my garden
    Happy Monday

    Much love...

    ReplyDelete
  14. Such interesting array of birds and plants. The sunbird is really pretty! I love bougainvillea and wish I could grow it in my garden but our temperatures get too low.

    ReplyDelete
  15. The first silhouette is definitely my favourite. I love the how artistic it is. It looks exactly like something I'd take.
    Linknig over from Photo Friday

    ReplyDelete
  16. Magnificent photos. The egret reflection is awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I adore birds! Those are wonderful shots. Thank you for sharing and for stopping by NanaHood!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I am so jealous, these shots are fantastic. Sausage tree, lol.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Such great photos you took. The egret wading through the water was my favorite with the reflections and tones.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Thanks for the excellent bird photos. I like the up shot of the shikra.

    ReplyDelete
  21. OK so I was all poised to say that I loved your first picture the most. But then I saw the rest of them. Absolutely gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thanks for bringing your post to the Blogger's Pit Stop last week.
    Janice, Pit Stop Crew

    ReplyDelete
  23. Fantastic photos of the birds. I haven't gone out and taken many wildlife photos, especially birds. You make it look easy with your fabulous photos!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Beautiful shots! Just brilliant.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Joli blog, belles photos ;-)
    Céline & Philippe

    ReplyDelete
  26. Beautiful photos, you must be the same distance from the equator as I am as we have many of the same plants and birds here.

    Thanks for sharing!

    - Lisa

    ReplyDelete
  27. Excellent photos, I liked the first one most.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Great captures. I love the curved beak on the purple rumped sunbird.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Fantastic shots..as always...Cheers from NYC and happy WW :)

    ReplyDelete
  30. All your photos are a joy to see, and I especially loved your photo of the great, reflected in the water surface. Happy WW!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Beautiful pictures and love how you’ve described.

    ReplyDelete

I appreciate you taking the time to visit my blog and I truly value any feedback you have to offer. If you have a moment, please share your thoughts with me.
**If you opt to post a comment anonymously, kindly disclose your name to put my curiosity to rest.