Got a veritable haul on my morning bird watching trip to Hoskote lake. Here are the pics...
The day started with a lucky sighting of a cormorant gulping a fish as I was alighting from the car...
A flock of spot-billed pelicans were making a synchronous flight...
Then the sun rose quietly watching the subtle activities around the lake...
The silhouette looked good...
A white-browed wagtail was active near the water...
A juvenile Bronze-winged jacana displayed a string of beads...
Saw a Glossy Ibis. Its glossy wings didn't come out clearly in the morning low light...
A Large-gray babbler foraging in the grass...
I took shots from ground level...
It was nice to watch its funny expressions...
A Yellow waxtail damselfly...
I switched to macro lens to get up close...
Then an Indian roller added a dash of blue...
A breeding male Purple sunbird was looking his best...
A Paddyfield pipit looked occupied in its foraging activity and didn't mind my presence...
A non-breeding male Red Avadavat showed up...
Again took shots from the ground level to see things from his perspective...
It was a cat and mouse game between us. Red avadavats are extremely sensitive to human presence. I hid behind a shrub and maintained a good distance...
But my luck ran dry pretty soon and the bird flew away...
The corn, millet and marigold farms form a food habitat for the birds...
A Pied Bushchat female...
Black drongo...
Jerdon's Bushlark with arrow-like spots on the breast...
A Long-tailed Shrike was in a mood to pose...
A painted stork too gave a good pose...
A large number of Barn swallows were seen crowding on a wire...
A wood sandpiper was seen standing on one leg. The function of standing on one leg is thermo-regulatory or relaxation of muscle fatigue in the retracted leg...
Further reading on the one legged act that helps the bird to conserve heat and energy:
Birds’ legs have an adaptation called “rete mirabile” that minimizes heat loss. The arteries that transport warm blood into the legs lie in contact with the veins that return colder blood to the bird’s heart. The arteries warm the veins. By standing on one leg, a bird reduces by half the amount of heat lost through unfeathered limbs.
Final sighting of the day was a juvenile Bronze-winged jacana...
Hope you liked the post. I look forward to your thoughts in the comment section below...
Wow, as always an amazing set of photos, but the first one of the cormorant gulping the fish is incredible. You have some very pretty birds in your area. Have a great week Diane
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos! That shot of the cormorant gulping a fish is incredible. Love the ground-level shots too.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how much wildlife you are always able to capture on your trips. Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteall of your photos are amazing but I love the cormorant swallowing a fish.
ReplyDeleteAgree with other's comments...a real wining photo of fish catching. All your photos are so clear and I'm learning the names of birds I've never seen, as well as some familiar ones. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThat Jacana closely resembles the Jacana from Old Mexico. Beautiful birds this week!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing your part of the world with us at I'd Rather B Birdin'
Another fine set of photographs. Who could pick a best of that bunch? If pushed I might say the damselfly or the Painted Stork in the morning light.
ReplyDeleteI discovered babblers in Australia. Your pictures are fantastic, bravo and thank you for the series on this species.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful portraits! That red avodat (I hope I got that right) is gorgeous and gave you a good show as you hid behind the weeds...I loved that series of photos, ending with him fluttering his wings and ready to fly off! A great picture story. All beautiful birds ..,I thought storks and flamingos were the only birds that did that one leg thing. ... it was nice to see the glossy ibis, which is a bird we see here. That and the swallows are the only ones familiar. Thank you for showing all of your beautiful birds!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely amazing ❤︎
ReplyDeletewow, so many gorgeous birds. A truly fine day for you.
ReplyDeleteThe glossy ibis is tricky. I saw it in several countries and never got a good shot. Until I got to Morocco. There I finally got good shots of it.
Nice shots of all species.
Fantastic pics
ReplyDeleteAmazing photos of birds and love like the yellow waxtail the most, beautiful shot.
ReplyDeleteWow... wonderful captures. A lovely Post. How long, we can see this since the last place of nature is gone?
ReplyDeleteYou were so lucky to capture the cormorant eating. And I loved the dragonfly closeups. - Margy
ReplyDeleteThe first three images are very unusual, and they probably made your day! The avadavat is such a remarkably pretty bird. You must have a powerful lens to show the details of the dragonfly so closely! Again a feast for the eyes, Shiju! Many thanks for letting All Seasons witness what your eyes saw:) Have a great week, and thank you for your kind comment, Jesh
ReplyDeleteSo many wonderful photos of such a variety of birds! I enjoyed them all! Since it is cold and snowy here we aren't seeing many birds right now--most have flown south. I love the way the pelicans fly in formation and I was astonished by the face of the damselfly!
ReplyDelete...Shiju, your images of nature's treasure are fabulous, thanks so much for sharing all of this beauty.
ReplyDeleteLovely photos as always they all look good pretty and cute :-)
ReplyDeleteHave a tweettweettastic week :-)
Impressive photos from Birds!
ReplyDeleteFantastic bird captures!
ReplyDeleteYour photos are eye candy. So much beauty!
ReplyDeleteAwesome photography...what an awesome first action shot. Hopefully, you do showings with your photography artwork.
ReplyDeleteSpeechless to see your bird shots as always, Shiju! Breathtaking pictures, these are!!
ReplyDeleteHappy Wednesday and an awesome week to you.
Just love your bird shots. Today as I was driving back from Sydney I observed the behaviour of the white cockatoos. They are very bossy and territorial even on the electricity wires!! Thank you for being part of Life This Week. Next Week's optional prompt is 8/51 Unusual 23/2/2020. Hope to see you link up again too! Denyse.
ReplyDeleteTo say that I would have loved to have been there with you is the understatement of the day! Great series of images of a wide range of species
ReplyDeleteI have birding friends who would pay anything to swap places with you for a few weeks. Birds are so ordinary, yet so amazing.
ReplyDeleteVery nice photos! Congrats!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos - as always!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2020/02/inside-shop.html
A new fabulous images!
ReplyDeleteThank you for colors and emotions!
Happy WW!
I always enjoy your bird photos. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteich kann kaum erwarten, dass bei uns in Bayern der Frühling kommt 🤗 Wunderschönen Naturbilder!
ReplyDeleteHappy wordless wednesday 😊
Fabulous birds, and superb photography. I was also extremely impressed by your Yellow Waxtail Damselfly, as dragonflies and damselflies are another of my favourite subjects - sadly it's winter here, and there are none about at present, except under water as nymphs!
ReplyDeleteI'm such a big fan of your photo essays, Shiju. And I would love to visit the Hoskote lake some day for these special sightings. Wondering do you do wildlife photography as well?
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking up with us on #WW. I added some wildlife photography in my previous blog post for #WW. Take a look:
https://natashamusing.com/2020/01/elusive-encounters-wordlesswednesday-wednesdaywisdom/
Thank you Natasha! I get to spare only about 3 hours on Sundays for photography and I spend it on bird photography in nearby lakes around Bangalore. I rarely venture out in the jungles for wildlife photography.
DeleteThat cormorant eating is a perfect shot, as are the others. Fantastic clarity in these shots. Thanks for linking up today.
ReplyDeleteAmazing nature shots!
ReplyDeleteThe cormorant gulping down the fish is an amazing capture! Perfect timing!!
ReplyDeleteWhat stunning photographs! I particularly like the of the ones of the cormorant with the fish, and the dragonfly. I was interested to learn about why birds stand on one leg too! Thank you for sharing with the Hearth and Soul Link Party, Shiju!
ReplyDeleteAmazing photos - tahank you for linking to Friday Bliss!
ReplyDeletewonderful photos!!! fantastic!!
ReplyDeleteHello. I admire those photos. They are fantastic. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend!
Hello, each and every one of your photos is beautiful. I would love to see all these birds in person. It is hard to pick a favorite, I love them all. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend. PS, Thanks also for the comment and visit.
ReplyDeleteGreat reflection.
ReplyDeleteLove the flock of pelicans...great shot!
ReplyDeleteThese are stunning photos and memories, Shiju. Thanks for sharing such amazing facts about rete mirabile. The cormorant stole the show. I would love to visit Hoskote lake someday and enjoy the shots you have shared. I love the sunrise, oh, what an experience you have shared here with us!
ReplyDeleteStunningly beautiful photos and birds.
ReplyDeleteLoved all your bird pictures. Amazing photo graphy.
ReplyDelete