A short weekday birding

What can you see if you just have an hour to spare before work on a weekday? Well, I decided to try bird watching and see how it goes. So, here are the pics from my trip to Hoskote on a weekday...

I reached Hoskote lake a minute before sunrise. It was quite misty at that time..

There were a large number of barn, wire-tailed and red-rumped swallows congregating on a wire. I shot a video as I waited for the sun to wake up...

The sun peeped from behind the bushes...

Within no time the orange ball was out to make the surroundings look happy...

Now that the light was getting better, I started exporing the area for birds. Soon, I saw a Cattle Egret (Eastern) in breeding adult plumage...

A Large Grey Babbler found some nesting materials...

 

The sun was still photogenic. I took a couple more shots...

At the lake, I saw a pair of Indian Spot-billed Ducks...

I took a few more shots of them floating gracefully in the middle of water hyacinth...

One was seen saying hi to its reflection...

It was time to return and head to work. On the way back I saw a Grey-headed Swamphen (Purple Swamphen)...

Last bird of the day was a Purple Heron...

The weekday birding worked well but unlike weekend birding, there is a hassle of looking at the watch all the time. Overall it was nice, although I had to contend with less sightings than usual. Hope you liked the post. Do let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

This week's avian beauties

It was more than the usual haul from a birding trip to Hoskote. There were many posers, some ruffled feathers, a foodie and some romance. Here are the pics...

I was just in time to witness the beautiful sunrise...

The egrets, stilts and Spot-billed Pelicans were already active in their quest for food...

The rose patch had beautiful yellow roses...

The birds were slowly waking up to life. The walk was made pleasant by the beautiful views and lovely bird calls... 

A Red-whiskered Bulbul perched on one of the trees...

A parakeet was active on a tree branch. It had a larger bill than a Rose-ringed parakeet. I guessed it to be a female Alexandrine Parakeet...

An Asian Koel was seen next. From the plumes, I guess it to be a female or an immature male...

Crossandra infundibuliformis, the firecracker flower...

The hike continued...

In the bamboo thickets, I saw a Green Bee-eater with ruffled feathers...

A male Indian Robin posed with his prized catch...

And a female Indian Robin was still hunting for her meal...

A Yellow-billed Babbler couple were indulging in public display of affection...

I watched a male Purple-rumped Sunbird doing acrobatics...

White-throated Kingfisher...

A Wire-tailed Swallow decided to pose for me and like a paparazzi I tried to capture from every angle...

I returned home extremely satisfied by the morning. Hope you liked the post. Please give your feedback in the comments section below.

Hoskote birding with few surprises

 Morning hike at Hoskote was highly productive. I saw many new birds in the 2 hours long exploration. Here are the photos...

First sighting in the lake was a Spot-billed Pelican, floating peacefully... 

Four Painted Storks were busy fishing together...

A Grey Heron was gliding smoothly...

A Black-winged Stilt with his small meal...

Saw these three Asian Openbill storks. They looked intense...

Then I saw the first of the 3 types of sandpipers for the day. This is the Wood Sandpiper...

Then I saw the first of the 3 types of warblers for the day. This is the Booted Warbler...

A Black Drongo was seen next, gaurding his territory...

Also seen was a Hair-crested Drongo...

Perched on the same tree was a Rosy Starling...

Next was the pocket-sized-loud-mouth - Ashy Prinia...

Second warbler variety of the day - Clamorous Reed Warbler...

And the third warbler variety - Sykes's Warbler... 

A male Purple Sunbird flew in to nectar in the Milkweed plant...

A Black-headed Ibis...

A Common Kingfisher was sitting on the wire and singing...

I returned to the place where I had seen the Asian Openbill storks. I found another weird group...

Common Sandpiper was the second variety of sandpiper for the day...

And the third variety of sandpiper was seen close by - Marsh Sandpiper...

It was nice to watch the ballerina movements of the Black-winged Stilt. I combined all shots in this collage...

The pretty Water Hyacinth flower...

And the last bird for the day was the Indian Pond-Heron... 

Overall, it was a productive hike. I hope you liked the post. Please post your thoughts in the comments section below...