Cranium Bolts

Friday, February 12, 2021

Unexpected delight!

This was my third consecutive visit to Hoskote lake after the long Covid break. This time I saw a new bird, which I had never seen before in this location. Read on to see pictures of the bird and few others...

A Black-winged Stilt was in the quest for a meal...

I could sight a White-browed Wagtail hopping around restlessly...

An immature Black Drongo was seen swooping from tree branch to ground level vegetation...

And a Gray-headed Swamphen foraged quietly in the grass...

Then came the moment of surprise. My attention drew to a bright yellow spot in the thick foliage of tree. A Common Iora it was. At an angle of 80°, I struggled with the focus. Luckily got this shot, he had a worm in its beak...

It flew away after gulping the meal...

A Jerdon's Bushlark pulled me along its path. I just kept on clicking it in various poses...

Then a Blyth's Reed Warbler showed up...

A Green Bee-eater trilled its song...

A White-browed Bulbul drew my attention with its raucous babbling...

As the sunset approached, Spot-billed Pelicans gave a beautiful flypast...

A Red-vented Bulbul was the last sighting of the day...

After watching the sun set, I returned home, quite happy with the evening birding...

Hope you liked the post. Do let me know your thoughts in the comments section below...

Saturday, February 06, 2021

Evening birding at Hoskote

I usually visit Hoskote lake early in the morning. Last Sunday, due to some morning engagements, I visited the lake in the evening around 4:30 PM. It was a satisfying one hour of bird watching. Here are some pics...

I was lucky to spot a Pied kingfisher trying to spot a fish and make a dash...

The sky was starting to get dramatic...

It started drizzling causing a bit of anxiety to a Rock pigeon...

A Jerdon's Bushlark was happily sitting and enjoying the weather change...

So was a Paddyfield pipit...

A squirrel got something to nibble...

Then came the male Red Avadavat sporting its non-breeding plumage of dull red colors. It will change into bright red in the breeding season...

Mrs. Avadavat was seen foraging on the ground...

An Indian Pond heron...

Intermediate Egret...

A female Indian Robin was the last bird of the day. Her eyes glistening in the evening sunshine...

The sky became even more dramatic as the sun was setting. I took a shot of the silhouette of bamboo leaves and distant coconut palm trees...

I headed back home after the enjoyable one hour of exploration. Hope you liked the post. Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below...

Saturday, January 30, 2021

Seeing birds after 7 months

Hello folks! Yes. I had been silent in the blogging world for quite some time. It has been a challenging period for all of us. I had been really cautious and didn't go for my usual bird watching adventures for 7 months. We were just worried about stepping out. Covid cases have seen a downward trend in the last 3 months. Wife and I decided to go to Hoskote lake this week to check out the birds and bees around there. In this post I have also included few pictures from my garden, which I had clicked during these past seven months.

We planned to reach Hoskote lake by 6:45 AM, the sunrise time according to weather app. But we found Hoskote covered in mist with very poor visibility...