A day in Mandvi coast

During my recent visit to Greater Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, we spent a day in the Mandvi coast, for observing and photographing the waders near the sea shore. Mandvi is a coastal area in Gujarat, near Greater Rann of Kutch. 

We saw many many species of birds, but the highlights of the day were - Oystercatchers and Crab Plovers. 

Oystercatchers

Crab Plover

Oystercatchers

The oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) is well known as a coastal species, and is easily recognised by virtue of its large size and combination of black and white plumage, long, bright orange-red bill and pink legs. In flight there is a prominent white wing-bar, and during winter a white 'chin-strap' develops. The sexes are similar in appearance, although males often have relatively shorter, thicker bills. 

The strong, flattened bill allows the oystercatcher to prize open cockles, mussels and other bivalves that other waders cannot exploit. They also feed on worms, limpets and crabs.

They were extremely skittish and were never allowing us closer. We had to crawl inch by inch, lying on the beach with waves, to get a decent image. Luckily, the sea was not rough and the waves were not at all high. 

Crab Plovers

The crab plover is remarkable for being the only representative of the Dromadidae family, which means that in evolutionary terms this unusual shorebird has no close living relatives. This species has a distinctive appearance, with white plumage on the body and head, contrasting with jet-black primaries and back feathers, and a long, black, gull-like bill. Like most waders, the legs are long with partially webbed toes, and the tail is short. 

Noisy and gregarious, the crab plover is commonly encountered in small groups foraging on the shore for its preferred prey of crabs. These foraging groups usually comprise around twenty to thirty birds, but may number as many as 400 outside of the breeding season. The crab plover is active during the day and night, taking advantage of crabs, marine worms and mudskippers exposed by the receding tide. This species’ large, powerful beak allows it to tackle crabs without suffering injury, swallowing smaller individuals whole, and smashing larger specimens against the ground, to be consumed piecemeal.

The crab plover is unique amongst the waders for its habit of constructing its nest in an underground burrow. After moving inland from the shore to sand dunes, the birds excavate an extensive network of interconnected burrows, 1 to 2.5 metres long. The entrances of the burrows are initially angled downwards, before curving upwards and terminating in a nest chamber situated a short distance from the surface. The burrow is believed to serve two important functions, one of which is to insulate the egg against the extremely high temperatures that occur during the breeding season. The second function is that the chamber acts as a solar incubator, keeping the egg at an optimum temperature, which means that only a small amount of direct incubation by the parent birds is necessary.

They were found in a huge colony, in the morning. We managed to get some pictures, and later in the evening, they got scattered. When they found the fisherman throwing the fishing net, they actively utilised the opportunity to grab fishes near the net. They were not worried about our presence at all then. We also witnessed several behaviour like adult feeding young, hunting crabs, etc. 

Apart from that...

Apart from these two magnificent birds, we saw many more birds like - lots of Gulls like Slender billed Gull, Brown-headed Gull, Heuglin's Gull, Pallas Gull, etc., and Terns like Gull billed Terns, Whiskered Terns, Lesser Crested Terns, etc., Eurasian Curlew, Whimbrel, Kentish/Lesser/Greater Sand Plovers, Eurasian Thicknees, Ruddy Turnstones, Western Reef Egrets, Terek Sandpipers, Curlew Sandpipers, Bar-tailed & Black-tailed Godwits, Black necked Storks, etc.

A Brown headed Gull (non-breeding) with kill

Eurasian Thicknee

Later, in the afternoon while we were walking towards the jeep for lunch, we saw couple of Dolphins, very close to the shore, and a fishing boat, jumping. That was an amazing scene to watch.

Dolphins

It was one of my best day of birding, with lots of lifers, decent images and beyond that, a great experience to watch the waders' behaviour for the whole day. The day ended with a pleasant sunset. 

A day of PLENTIFUL!

A Sunday... I had planned to visit a lake in Bangalore - Hosekote lake.

It was a day of PLENTIFUL... 

Three sightings in the lake made my day... All three were in PLENTY... 

1. Barn Swallows

The moment we entered the lake, we saw a tree full of hundreds of Barn Swallows. The scene was spectacular with plenty of shining blue and white birds in trees with the sun rise falling on them. They all were taking off the tree at the same time, flying high, and settling down in the tree after sometime. This was happening for quite sometime. It was all a synchronized act. 
We couldn't move out of that place and got stuck by this amazing sighting.

  

Tree full of Barn Swallows

Taking off at same time

Settling down

2. Little Stints

After a while walking inside the lake, we saw a huge flock of Little Stints settling in the water. Then they all started flying in a synchronized way, showing their white underside all at one time, fly for a distance, and suddenly change direction, showing their dark upper side all at one time. This was magical, and they did it for 5 to 6 times like this. 
It was happening right in front of us, like a stage show. I felt like a thousand violins were played all around me, along with the birds flight. 

Little Stints

Imagine with a 1000 violins ;-)

3. Fishes

There were muddy bunts in the lake, separating water from one areas to the other, just like mini-dams. We noticed that the water was continuously disturbed like someone is shaking from inside. They were fishes, in plenty. A lots of fishes, were swimming through the water, pushing the muddy little walls, making ways and swimming to the other side of the lake. 
It was surprising to see the action, with such a small creature, using strength of numbers, breaking through the mud and swimming to the other side.

Small fishes swimming through

The Moving Home - Jungle Cat's

During my recent visit to Little Rann of Kutch, a surprise awaited us in our very first safari. We started from Bangalore early morning, and reached Zainabad by noon. After lunch, we started our first safari. On the way, we stopped for couple of Black winged Stilts which were posing really nice. All of a sudden, we noticed a kitten little far away in the middle of the reeds. There were more than one kitten, which we initially thought was a domestic cat. Honestly, we didn't even expect or think about a Jungle Cat at that time. So we were not excited in the start. Slowly, one after the other kittens came out of the reeds. There were totally four kittens and a mother. Then we realised that all the kittens are looking alike, which is highly unlikely for a domestic cat. Then, after seeing the mother's tail and hind legs, we understood that those are Jungle cat mother and kittens. 

WOW! we enjoyed the scene - the kittens playing with each other, trying to catch one other's tail and all. The mother was watching all of them as well as our movements. It was amazing to watch the kittens' behaviour. Each of them showed different personalities - one of them always stayed with the mother, which could be the youngest one, one was little aggressive and trying to dominate others by blowing arms and showing canine tooth, one was playful and one was watchful, etc. 

Their home was in a mount of reed bed, with a small water body near by. 

The first kitten

Mother and kitten

Tried to fit the entire family in one frame

Later...

We wanted to visit the place again, to see the cute cat family. So we tried the place on the 3rd day. But we couldn't see even a single cat. During our 1st visit, they were not disturbed or they never looked threatened. They were quite comfortable but watchful with our presence. But the home is not there now!?
Not sure, if the mother moved all the kittens to a different place, or if they all were out for search of food, or hiding/resting inside the home.

Moving Home...

Cats usually move their home periodically. 

The mother cat moves it's kittens when she feels they aren't in a safe location, it's too cold/drafty, too bright, or she can't adequately watch them. 
The mother cat move her litter to a new location, especially during the first few weeks after birth. Establishing a new nest is part of the cat's instinctual behaviour to safeguard her young by not remaining in one place too long.
Apart from safety, temperature is another reason feral cats move kittens. It is only the mother's body that keeps the kittens warm. If she gives birth in a spot that isn't protected from the elements, she will carry them to better protected location.
Feral cats also move kittens when food for the mother is scarce. Once the mother and litter are in a place where food is more abundant, she does not have to roam as far from her kittens to get it.

Jungle cat:

The jungle cat is the largest of the living Felis species. It has a small tuft on the ears, a comparatively short tail, and a distinct spinal crest.
They inhabit savannas, tropical dry forests and reedbeds along rivers and lakes in the lowlands, but, despite the name, are not found in rainforests.
Jungle cats are solitary in nature. They rest in other animals' abandoned burrows, tree holes, and humid coves under swamp rocks, or in areas of dense vegetation. Although often active at night, they are less nocturnal than many other cats, and in cold weather may sun themselves during the day.
Jungle cats can climb trees. Like most cats, they utilize not only sight and hearing while hunting, but also their sense of smell. While running, they tend to sway from side to side. They mostly hunt for rodents, frogs, birds, hares, squirrels, juvenile wild pigs, as well as various reptiles, including turtles and snakes. Near human settlements, they feed on domestic chickens and ducks. They catch fish while diving, but mostly swim in order to disguise their scent trails, or to escape threats, such as dogs or humans.
Like most other cats, they hunt by stalking and ambushing their prey, and they use reeds or tall grass as cover. They are adept at leaping, and sometimes attempt to catch birds in flight. Although they can run at up to 32 kilometres per hour (20 mph), they rarely pursue prey that escapes their initial pounce.
Mating has been recorded in February/ March in Central Asia and October in India. Females usually set up their dens in reed beds or thick vegetation. After a gestation of 63-68 days, females produce a litter of 1-6 kittens. They weigh around 4.5 ounces at birth and gain an average of 22 grams per day. Their eyes open between 10-12 days, they are weaned at 3 months, stalk and kill prey and reach independence by 5-6 months and are sexually mature at 11 months.

Owl's kiss...

Yet another story from my recent visit to Thattekad... 

There is a pair of resident Brown Hawk Owls (Ninox scutulata), near the place where I stayed. I used to see them whenever I visit Thattekad. They used to be found at the same place usually, daily, unless disturbed by the Bonnet Macaques. Even the local people there, like security guards, workers, house maids, etc., are familiar with this owl pair.

This time, after my morning session and lunch, did a short walk, and found the Owl pair. They were found not so active, eyes closed, and sitting in a branch. I was busy observing the other birds found in that place, like Asian paradise flycatcher, Jungle Babblers, etc. After a while, we noticed that the Owl pair started kissing each other.  

The kissing was intimate and was going on for more than 10 minutes. It was adoring to watch, and I managed to get some images of the show. 

Why do birds kiss?

We all have seen the so called Love Birds in cages, Parakeets, etc., kiss each other. Actually, they are not kissing, rather, they are preening each other. 

What is Preening?

Preening is a bird's way of grooming its feathers to keep them in the best condition. While preening, birds will remove dust, dirt and parasites from their feathers and align each feather in the optimum position relative to adjacent feathers and body shape. Most birds will preen several times a day to keep themselves healthy. Preening keeps feathers in good condition.

Owl's Preen:

Owls may preen with their talons as well as their beaks. In fact, some of the owls like the Barn owl has a special comblike talon that is used just for preening. Because an owl can't preen its own head with its beak, it uses its talons to groom this area, or it may solicit help from another owl.
Mutual preening is a very common owl activity. The behavior seems to make owls less aggressive toward one another. Courting owls strengthen their pair-bond by preening each other. Parents and their chicks also engage in mutual preening.

Fight of Navrang

I am visiting Thattekad - Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary in Cochin, Kerala, for the past 2 years during winter. I like the place, for its abundance & colours in bird life. During my last visit, I wished to see Grey-headed Bulbul, which is one of the highlights of the place, but I missed it. 

Few weeks later, I decided to visit the place again for a weekend, just for Grey-headed Bulbul. I booked the tickets and started, just for one day, only for the particular bird. 

I was lucky that, the first bird I saw and clicked was the Grey-headed Bulbul. There were around 10-12 birds, foraging the fruits (called "muLLiyampazham", locally). Usually, a plenty of these birds are found in these trees. But as the fruiting season was getting over, I couldn't find many of them. I was happy, as the mission was accomplished, and anything else I get will be a bonus.

Post-lunch, I was birding in a thicket, searching for Cuckoos. Though I didn't see any cuckoos, I saw an Indian Pitta, flying low. It landed inside a thick bush. Then I noticed, there were two Pittas. I was exited to see them together. I tried to make some images with both of them in one frame, but the bush was extremely thick, and I was not close enough. I didn't move forward but stayed there, as I didn't want to disturb the events like - mating or combat, that might happen. I waited for some action...

As I expected, they started a territorial combat and displayed an amazing behaviour. The display was a sequence of actions:

• Both will look at the left, with it's (small) neck stretched, 
• then, both will look at the right with neck stretched,
• then, they show their sides, and 
• display in the ground by spreading the colourful wings,
• and all of a sudden, they jump towards each other, face-to-face in the air
• In the event, one tries to dominate the other while jumping

(Looking at each other, with neck stretched, like a stare, I have observed this behaviour in Indian Blue Robin as well).

This happened for 3-4 times. I tried my best to capture the moment, but the bush was too thick with very less visibility as well as the distance was also a challenge. 

They saw each other

Look at the left

Look at the right

Look at the left again

Display in the ground

Just before the jump

Face-off in the air

Display in the air

One dominates the other

Again look at the left

The winner might be decided

Later, when referring Wikipedia, I understand that:
Refer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitta

//
The pittas are strongly territorial, with territories varying in size from 3000 m² in the African Pitta to 10,000m² in the Rainbow Pitta. Pittas will perform territory defence displays on the edges of their territories, although fights between rivals have only been recorded once. Migratory species will defend non-breeding feeding territories in addition to their breeding ones.
//

I am not sure, if this is such a rare event and I am really lucky to witness and record it. I wanted to share what I experienced.

The term "Navrang" in the title means "Nine colours" in Hindi, which is used to represent Indian Pitta as "Navrang Pakshi" or "nine coloured bird", as it has nine colours in its plumage.