The Long Walk for a European Roller

I went to Hoskote Lake for a quick birding trip and somehow came back having walked 8 kilometres. And I have a European Roller to thank for it.

This surprise visitor from afar had turned up at Hoskote, and naturally, I couldn’t resist going in search of it. So off I went, camera in hand, walking through the open grasslands and scanning every possible perch, while the sun did its best to cook me alive.

But the long walk wasn’t entirely about the Roller. A few other interesting birds turned up along the way, making the sweaty trek a little more worthwhile.

So, follow me on this very tiring birding trip to Hoskote Lake.

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I started late and reached Hoskote Lake around 8 AM, planning to spend just 45 minutes to an hour before heading back. At this point, I had no idea about the European Roller sighting or the long walk that awaited me.

The first birds to greet me were these Indian Spot-billed Ducks, calmly enjoying the morning in the lake. A pleasant start to what I thought would be a short outing.

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I spotted this White-throated Kingfisher perched quietly on a dead branch. A familiar sight around here, but still hard to resist when it gives you a clean pose like this.

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I walked further into the grasslands and found this Tawny Eagle perched on a dead tree stump. The cars in the background were a bit distracting, but with nearly a dozen cars lined up, they were hard to ignore. Clearly, something interesting was happening here, and I started wondering what everyone else had come to see.

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On my way towards the cars, I crossed these beautiful marigold fields, making for a colourful little detour before I found out what had brought everyone here.

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A Jungle Myna caught my attention next, looking rather dapper with its stylish tuft and striking blue eyes.

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And then came an Indian Roller, adding another splash of blue to the morning. I was still completely unaware of the European Roller that had brought all those birders here.

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Just then, I met a birder driving back who asked, “Did you see the Roller nearby?” I confidently said yes, thinking of the Indian Roller I had just seen.

Then came the follow-up: “European?”

And there it was. The penny finally dropped. I had been admiring the wrong Roller while nearly a dozen cars of birders were parked there for the real prize. Clearly, I needed to pay a little more attention to the birding gossip.

It was another long walk towards the cars, but when I got there, not a single birder was in sight. They had probably walked much farther into the grasslands in search of the Roller. I had found the cars, but apparently not the birders.

I roamed around looking for a sign of civilization, feeling increasingly like Man vs. Wild, and found this Green Sandpiper instead. At this point, I’ll take it.

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The Red-wattled Lapwing was enjoying the quiet too. With no birders around, it had the whole grassland to itself and seemed perfectly happy keeping things peaceful.

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Normally, a Red Avadavat would have me pretty excited. But today, with the European Roller somewhere out there and no clue where the other birders had gone, even this beauty came with a nagging feeling that I was missing out.

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I finally spotted a few birders who pointed me in the right direction, but also warned me not to venture out into the sun. The Roller was about 2 km away, with another 2 km back.

I asked one of them to show me a photo, and he pulled up a shot of the European Roller in flight. That was all the motivation I needed. Against my better judgement, I decided to take on the 4 km trek alone.

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Ahead of me was endless grassland, dotted with dry, leafless trees. It was a long, lonely stretch with plenty of sun and no shade, but somewhere out there was the European Roller I had come all this way to see.

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Along the way, I spotted this juvenile or female Pied Bushchat perched on a wire. Another little distraction on my increasingly long walk towards the Roller.

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And finally, after all that walking, I found what I had come for. The European Roller. Suddenly, the 4 kilometre trek in the heat didn’t seem quite as crazy. Almost.

Some European Rollers cross thousands of kilometres during migration. I managed 4 km through the Hoskote grasslands and was already questioning my life choices.

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I waited for the Roller to take off, camera ready. And finally, it did, flashing its brilliant blue wings in the sunlight. For a moment, the long walk and the scorching heat were completely forgotten.

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On the way back, I spotted an Oriental Skylark, my final sighting of the day. A nice way to end the birding, if only my legs had agreed.

In total, what was supposed to be a 45 minute to 1 hour visit turned into an 8 kilometre round trip, with the 4 kilometre Roller detour making up the extra distance. Not quite the quick morning outing I had planned, but definitely one I won’t forget.

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