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Migrant birds have arrived!

 Many migrant birds have arrived at Hoskote lake. But overnight rain inundated the pathway making most of the area inaccessible. I had to limit my bird watching activity to just about 100 meters of the lake shore. Here are the birds I saw...

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First sighting of the day was a Spot-billed Pelican floating with his inebriated reflection...
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Grey-headed Swamphen (Purple Swamphen) was seen next...
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A little ahead, a Little Egret was happily fishing in the inundated side track. I could not go beyond this point...
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I stood there and waited for birds to come by. Soon a Blyth's Pipit arrived...
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I could see a Pied Cuckoo (Jacobin Cuckoo), but perched too far away...
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Also seen was a Red-wattled Lapwing, less agitated as he knows I could not cross the water and reach anywhere near him... 
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The Blyth's Pipit returned...
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A White-throated Kingfisher caught a snail but it fell in the grass. He retrieved it immediately...
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Here's a beautiful migrant from north India. A Wire-tailed swallow. It migrates to south India during winter...
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A Common Cuckoo was seen savoring a caterpillar. Such a shame that all of these birds were too far for my lens range...
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Caught an Indian Pond-Heron's takeoff...
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Then saw a glimpse of a Common Kingfisher (Small Blue Kingfisher). It vanished instantly...
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The view of the lake and the hills in the background...
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A Pied Cuckoo (Jacobin Cuckoo) sort of posed on a perch...
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Then it tried to hide in the undergrowth...
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A Common Kingfisher was looking down in the water for an unwary fish...
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It made a dash and caught a fish...
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A female Indian Robin too caught a caterpillar...
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I re-focused on the Common Kingfisher which was ready for another meal. And soon caught a fish...
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Soon it was ready for its third meal. Both of us patiently waited for an unsuspecting fish to come by...
 

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In between we got distracted by a Pied Bushchat...

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Then focus resumed...

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Our patience paid...


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Saw a Long-tailed Shrike on my way back...
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Now I'll take you to my garden where I've been observing some critter activities...
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These insect eggs were laid two weeks back...
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Exactly after 12 days the eggs hatched, revealing these red bugs...
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The empty egg shells...
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In one day the red bugs transformed into these black bugs...
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Another set of eggs appeared a few days back. These are shiny and more interesting.  Will keep track and see what comes out...
That's it for this week. Hope the water recedes soon and I can explore more visiting birds. Hope you liked the post. Do post your comment.

Join me on Instagram at @shijuvenate


Waiting for the migrants

When I visited Hoskote lake last week, it was brimming with excitement. It was as if the native birds were ready to welcome their counterparts from far off lands. Next post will hopefully feature many migrants. Here are some pictures from the visit...
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A White-throated Kingfisher was flashing its bright colors...
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A Red-wattled Lapwing was flying around alerting everybody of my arrival...
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A Little Egret was flying quietly though...
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Water strider took short strides on the water surface. They form easy snack for Little Grebes...
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A Brahminy Kite flew in with a fish...
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I followed a Pied Cuckoo (Jacobin Cuckoo) to get a decent shot...
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A female Indian Robin flew in...
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One more shot of the Jacobin Cuckoo...
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Saw a Blyth’s Pipit flitting rather quickly...
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Long-tailed Shrike marked its presence...
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Another Oriental Skylark...
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Another sighting of Jacobin Cuckoo. Known as the harbinger of rain, this pied cuckoo must be glad about the excess rain this season. You can see the rain drops on the branches...
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Little Egret walked gracefully in the reeds looking for an unwary fish...
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A Pied kingfisher hovered over water ready to make a dash...
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Then I saw a couple of Black Drongos swooping around...
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The nice blue sky...
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I saw some dragonflies. A female Ground Skimmer...
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Then a male Ground Skimmer dragonfly...
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Then a Red-veined darter...
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A female Indian Robin...
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A Pied Kingfisher sitting on a wire looking expectantly for a fish...
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A Jerdon's Bushlark was foraging for insects...
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A female Baya Weaver was seen next...
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An Indian Silverbill couple...
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Male Pied Bushchat...
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A Little Grebe was taking water striders...
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Little Cormorant caught a big Tilapia fish...
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After gulping the fish it splashed in water...

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The quest for another meal continued...

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Last bird of the day was this Long-tailed Shrike...
Thus ended one highly productive trip. Hope you liked the post. Looking forward to seeing some visiting birds on my next outing. Hope it won't rain this Sunday morning. Please share your thoughts in the comments section below...

Do join me on Instagram at @shijuvenate