Birding at Turahalli

I am continuing from my last post about the bird watching trip to two birding hot spots of Bangalore on the last day of the year. 

In the last post I covered the birding at Valley School.

This post contains the birds and butterflies I saw at Turahalli mini-forest. 

Here's a photo tour... 

It is wonderful to have a mini forest in Bangalore city. Thanks to the forest department for preserving it...

First bird spotted was a shy Shikra. Shikra was a favourite among falconers in India due to the ease with which it could be trained and was frequently used to procure food for the more prized falcons...

A Green Bee-eater flew in with a bee...

Thrashing the prey before swallowing...

Common Sailor Butterfly...

Ashy Drongo...

Like the Bee-eaters, the Ashy Drongo relishes bees. They were seen perched on trees near bee hives...

Bee hive...

Caterpillar of Crimson Rose Butterfly...

A Crimson Rose Swallowtail butterfly I had clicked on my last trip here...

Female Indian Golden Oriole...

One more shot of the Indian Golden Oriole...

Baronet Butterfly...

Damselfly...

One more shot of the Damselfly...

Another Green Bee-eater...

Red Pierrot butterfly...

Red-vented Bulbul...

Common Pierrot butterfly...

The Small Minivet was too shy. I couldn't see its face...

Yellow Pansy butterfly...

White-spotted fantail...

Quite surprisingly, I found a White-breasted Kingfisher in this most unlikely place with no water body around...

I have found White-breasted Kingfishers most difficult to photograph. They fly away at the slightest sign of human presence...

This was even more difficult to focus because of the branches surrounding it...

Birding at Valley School

I spent the last day of the year doing what I enjoyed doing the majority of the Sundays of 2017 - Birdwatching. 

I trekked in two different bird watching hotspots of Bangalore, Valley School and Turahalli mini forest from 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM. 

This post contains the birds I saw at Valley School. Next post will contain the birds from Turahalli. 

Join me on this photo tour...

The area near Valley School in Bangalore has both woods and open grasslands. The area is inhabited by a variety of pretty birds...

Red-whiskered Bulbul...

Green Bee-eater...

This area has a lot of Green Bee-eaters who keep catching bees by carrying out sorties from an open perch...

Before swallowing prey, a green bee-eater removes stings and breaks the exoskeleton of the prey by repeatedly thrashing it on the perch...

After finishing a meal, he still looks hungry and seems ready for the next sortie...

Immature Scaly-breasted Munia...

The mature Scaly-breasted Munia have stunning plumage. Here's a picture I had clicked at Saul Kere lake...

Male Purple Sunbird in eclipes plumage...

 The non-breeding Purple Sunbird males show eclipse plumage of a central streak of black on yellow underparts...

 Juvenile Red-whiskered Bulbul...

A Jungle Babbler was looking intently at a potential prey...

And he catches a praying mantis with practiced ease...

Wire-tailed Swallow...

Coppersmith Barbet...

Coppersmith or crimson-breasted barbet is a beautiful bird with crimson forehead and throat...

Coppersmith barbet is best known for its metronomic call that has been likened to a coppersmith striking metal with a hammer...

Here's a panorama of the birding area around Valley School. Click or tap to navigate...

On the way back I witnessed the last sunset of 2017. Happy new year!