Birds of Jaipurdoddi

A little far from Bangalore but Jaipurdoddi is worth the drive. This little gem in the middle of Bannerghatta forest has some spectacular birds. Despite being a great place to explore, you should be careful of the wild things inhabiting there. Movement of 85 elephants in herds of 5 to 9 was reported on that day. I was glad not to have come in their path as it can be quite a humbling test. Word of caution: stay away and never be overconfident with animals - they can be really nasty. 

Here's a photo tour of my visit... 

Green bee-eaters can be seen all over the place...

A bat...

Brahminy starling...

Yellow-crowned woodpecker...

Juvenile Bay-backed shrike...

Some abandoned Baya weaver nests...

Crimson rose butterfly...

The most spectacular sighting of the day was this Plum-headed parakeet. The glimpse of just a few seconds made my day... 

Blyth's reed warbler...

Common Iora...

Red-vented bulbul...

White-bellied drongo...

More green bee-eaters...

Yellow-wattled lapwing...

Scaly-breasted munia...

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

A short birding trip to Hesaraghatta

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-backed 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...