Cranium Bolts

It has been over an year since I visited Hessaraghatta for a birding trip. It was a lovely vista of 1000 acres of grassland formed by drying up of a reservoir. I had driven around the vast grassland and managed to spot many interesting birds. You can read the blog posts of those two trips here and here.

This time the nice place had a higher handicap of trouble to get the car in. The authorities have blocked vehicles to scuttle the illegal mining activities. So, this time I walked around till my legs got stiff and managed to spot some interesting birds. Here's a photo tour...

The beautiful landscape...

Bay-back shrike...

Cattle egrets were accompanying cattle to catch insect and small vertebrate prey disturbed by these animals...

Greater coucal...

Large grey babblers were in the mood for romance...

Isn't neck kiss the sexiest thing?

Red-wattled lapwing...

An immature Black drongo...

The drongo was trying to catch prey by making fast sorties from its perch...

Later, the drongo was spotted hitchhiking on the back of a kid...

Hoopoe...

A White-throated kingfisher caught a fish...

Indian roller...

On my return, I stopped to see a villager trying to catch fish with his not-so-fancy fishing rod...

His skill is enough to beat any fancy spinning rod...

I hope you liked the post. Do let me know your feedback in the comments section below...

It's startling how enjoyable my recent birding trip to Hoskote was. As the migratory birds trickle in, there is unbelievable beauty all around. Here's a photo tour...

The elegant landscape may distract you but the real attention seekers are the birds you see all around...

A Jacobin Cuckoo or Pied cuckoo...

Jacobin cuckoo is partially migratory and in India, it has been considered a harbinger of the monsoon rains due to the timing of its arrival...

It has been associated with a bird in Indian mythology and poetry, known as the Chaatak represented as a bird with a beak on its head that waits for rains to quench its thirst. The crest might have looked like a beak to the poet...