I spent the day one of 2020 at my favorite birding place of Bangalore - Hoskote lake. Like always, it was very productive with some special sightings. Here are the pics...
I was just in time to witness the first sunrise of the new decade...
I was seeing a proper sunrise, first time since October. It was always overcast here...
It is always nice to start birding as close to sunrise as possible because bird activity is maximum...
A Gray-headed Swamphen made an appearance...
Loved the patterns made by the reflections of a Black-winged Stilt. Made a collage...
Wood Sandpiper...
A juvenile Bronze-winged Jacana was searching for food...
It spots something...
Yay! Got a fish...
Some Barn Swallows were congregating on a wire...
A cute little Sykes's Warbler was busily hopping around...
Black Drongo. Australian friends will chuckle hearing this. Drongo means 'stupid fellow' in their local slang...
Indian Silverbill...
I spotted a pair of White-throated Kingfisher, taking turns to guard their nest...
Every 15 minutes, it will dart towards the ground level nest...
Here it is surveying the nest which is in a hole dug in the bank of a ditch...
Long-tailed Shrike...
A Painted stork was probing deep in the water for fish...
The deep probing seemed to be aimed at catching fishes close to the lake bed...
It actually caught a Catfish which is a bottom feeder...
Catfish is a survivor. It has some very clever defense mechanism...
They deliver a stinging protein through their fin rays. This venomous protein is so strong it may hospitalize humans who are unfortunate enough to receive a sting. The Painted stork seemed to be stung...
It dropped the fish...
The injured fish was caught again with more aggression...
As luck would be, the intestine made an awkward tangle around the bill...
And the fish had to be dropped. The stork gave up...
Saw another juvenile Bronze-winged Jacana...
They grow up to be beautiful adults. Hope to capture the adult soon...
That was a satisfying first day of the year. Hope you will have a wonderful new year. My best wishes for the same. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Wow, I would love to go birding with you. Fabulous photos of unusual birds and each had a story to go with it. Those reflections are amazing. Well done. Have a good week, Diane
ReplyDeleteIt is so beautiful!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous sunrise and birds. It's always beautiful on your posts!
ReplyDeleteAlways great to be up at the crack of dawn. An impressive list of species and great shots.
ReplyDeleteYour photos are magnificent. The Havana series of its fishing ability is my favorite, but love them all. The green bee eater - gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for bringing them to our attention this week, at I'd Rather B Birdin
Auto correction on my phone changed Jacana to Havana
DeleteHi.
ReplyDeleteVery beautiful set of collection of pictures. My favorite is the bee-eater and the drongo. Very interessant sharing. Thank you.
Happy new year !
Beautiful sunrise photos! Happy 2020!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful birds. They truly are like living jewels!
ReplyDeleteStunning pics! Happy 2020!
ReplyDeletegorgeous bird images. We have the bee-eater here. Such a gorgeous coloured little fellow. But I have never got a pic as good as yours. Happy birding, and thank you for stopping by my blog this week.
ReplyDeleteAwesome birds photos.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year 2020.
Wow. The patience and skill these gorgeous pictures most have needed. Beautiful
ReplyDeleteThat early sun sure worked in your favour. Many beautiful photos the. I so liked the kingfisher and that Sykes' Warbler. Great stuff. And I wish you a Happy New Year.
ReplyDeleteHappy new year!!! It's beautiful! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos. Such a gift for you to be able tosee such diversity and to share it with us at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2020/01/cranberry-orange-babka.html
ReplyDeleteJust an exquisite sunrise! And you have some really amazing photos!! Have a wonderful week!
ReplyDeleteYour photos are amazing as always, Shiju.
ReplyDeleteHappy Monday!
Amazing photos! And what a great way to start the day seeing the wonderful sunrise!
ReplyDeleteYou are so fortunate seeing these beautiful birds, thank you for sharing.
That must have made your day to be able to capture the beautiful sun! That was a long time to be cloudy for two months. Is it only close to the Himalayan region where the weather is cooler in India?
ReplyDeleteLove to see the kingfisher in flight - it looks a lot leaner this way. What - the stork is giving up the catfish? Feel sorry for the stork:) A happy coincidence, Ken Schneider also captured the swamp hen for his post this week:) In Dutch we have a saying "Two souls, one thought" Many thanks for this beautiful and varied New Years post from where you live, Shiju! That 2020 may be a happy and prosperous year for you and your family!
The Himalayan region is currently having snow fall. North India experiences extreme climate with hot summer and cold winter. Central to south India is warm. Bangalore has a pleasant weather throughout the year. Current temperature is 21°C.
DeleteGorgeous photos. I enjoyed them all.
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
Love this photo series!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely beautiful photos I enjoyed those :-)
ReplyDeleteHave a sunrisetastic week :-)
What a wonderful idea to capture first new year's sunrise. Absolutely love the reflection you capture. Awesome.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful way to welcome in the new year!
ReplyDeleteThese birds and your photos are exceptional! thank you for sharing and thank your for identifying them.
ReplyDeleteWhat a magical start to the year and decade. The collage was amazing. As for the 'drongo' you nailed the definition!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for joining in the first #lifethisweek in 2020. So glad you did. Next week's optional prompt is 2/51 Good News 13.1.2020. Looking forward to seeing you link up again. Cheers, Denyse.
Hello. Great photos. Wonderful serie of birds!
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy your photos. The catfish’s demise was kind of gross, but interesting. The bee-eaters and kingfishers are always show stoppers, even the ones in South Africa. Your black-winged stilts remind me of our blacksmith plovers. Thanks for linking and commenting on Amanda’s Books and More!
ReplyDeleteA fabulous start in 2020 with these images!
ReplyDeleteBut the collage of reflections could be a beautiful painting!
Happy WW and A Happy New New Year!
Holy gorgeous photographs! These are so beautiful especially the Kingfisher ones.
ReplyDeleteHappy WW 😊
ReplyDeleteYou certainly are a talented photographer 👌👍
That greyheaded swamphen is gorgeous. We saw a heron today close by when walking the dog. But it was too far away for my mobile camera...Happy Wordless Wednesday!
ReplyDeleteFantastic birds! I'd love to see all of them!
ReplyDeleteIncredible pictures....what perfect timing you had with the stork and catfish!
ReplyDeleteYour photos never cease to amaze me. Each and every one is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI really like the collage of the stilt. Nice action sequence! Thanks for linking up and have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful shots.
ReplyDeleteHappy New blogging Year to you!
ReplyDeleteOutstanding bird photos! It is always a pleasure to visit your blog. I love your sun/2020 shot too. So creative. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteHello, your sunrise images are lovely. Beautiful collection of birds and photos. I would love to see all these birds in person, for now I will enjoy your photos and post. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend.
ReplyDeleteOh Shuji, this is a wonderful post. I love that you got to see the first sunrise of the New Year and am happy it was such a beautiful one. Thank you for sharing! All of the birds are beautiful and the sequence with the Painted Stork and the Catfish is extraordinary!
ReplyDeleteAmazing. I'd love to see such beautiful birds.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, nice post! Post really provice useful information!
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All your photos are beautiful, but I am really enjoying the flurry of activity photos with the sun background. WOW!
ReplyDeleteThese pictures are absolutely beautiful and educating as well. You really know your birds don't you? Thank you for sharing these wonderful pictures. Have a wonderful day.
ReplyDeleteThat is a stunning sunrise! And so many delightful birds!
ReplyDeleteWow, what a spectacular collection of photos.
ReplyDeleteAs, usual, your photos are simply stunning!
ReplyDeleteFeel free to share at My Corner of the World
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