It has been a busy month for me, having had to travel twice out of the campus and so I could not catch up with my contributions to this web-page. I shall try to give a birds’ eye view of things that took place since I last wrote.
It was a matter of great joy that we managed to add three species of birds to the Campus list in the span of a little over a month. I had already reported the sighting of the Knob-billed Duck on 29th August (more on this bird below). The Oriental Darter was the next to turn up on 27th September at the Percolation tank. Until the 15th October we had been seeing single birds here on a regular basis but on 16th, we noticed two birds (apparently the birds were taking turns to show up here – the adult bird with its darker neck and the juvenile bird with its whitish neck). This species is classified as “Near Threatened” because its population is suspected to be in moderately rapid decline owing to pollution, drainage, hunting and the collection of eggs and nestlings, according to the BirdLife International.
The third addition was made on the morning of Gandhi Jayanti when Jai Shree akka pointed out a bird sitting on a dry branch of a tree again at the Percolation tank. It turned out to be a Black-capped Kingfisher, a stunningly colourful bird. Seeing our enthusiasm, the bird decided to come closer and pose for us from the concrete post and affording us all with excellent views. The Black-capped Kingfisher is known to be mainly a bird of the coastal wetlands and mangrove forests. Yet, this species is known to wander inland and turn up at some unexpected locations as it did here in Rishi Valley.
Left: Black-capped Kingfisher and Right: Brown Shrike (migrant)
The winter migrants have been steadily arriving since early September. The Grey wagtail was among the first birds (from Himalaya) to touch the valley on September 2nd. This was followed by another Himalayan migrant – the Greenish warbler, seen first on 3rd September. Since then, we have had a spate of migrants – both local (like the Blue-tailed Bee-eater, White-bellied Drongo and the Indian Paradise-flycatcher) as well as long-distance migrants (Lesser Whitethroat, Brown Shrike, Large-billed warbler, Taiga Flycatcher, Brown-breasted Flycatcher, Ashy drongo, Blue-throated Blue Flycatcher and Blue Rock Thrush, to name some) turning up in the valley. More birds are expected over the next few days including the much-anticipated Indian Pitta.
The Knob-billed Duck surprised us by nesting on the hollow of a topless coconut stump. The nest at an height of some 7 m was fuly exposed to the elements and hats-off to the patience and dedication of the female (who had to take care of the nest single-handed), after a gap of four weeks of incubation, at least four chicks emerged on the morning of 12th October. I was fortunate to witness one of Nature’s miracles as the just-hatched ducklings jumped down to the ground responding to the call of their mother without any hesitation. I was lucky to capture the event for posterity on my camera. You can read more details about this and see the video clips and photos here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S120528325
- Santharam/17 October 2022