RV Matters!

It has been a wet July in Rishi Valley this year after a long time. I remember having experienced similar weather condition in 1998-99. Having rained earlier in the month of May, the valley has maintained its greenery through the summer months. In fact, there is still water flowing under the first and second bridges and there are bullrushes growing in the area that has provided shelter to a pair of White-breasted Waterhen and the Eurasian Moorhen, which occasionally show up as they venture out of the vegetation, foraging in the open shallow water.

 The wooded areas too have regained their foliage and most areas have dense undergrowth, especially of those species that are exotic and invasive in nature (Lantana and Parthenium). The burnt areas of the Biodiversity are regaining their grass cover.

Early this morning I was at the Biodiversity Park and the birdlife was active since the sun was out after a long time. There was a trio of Long-tailed shrikes on a tamarind tree, calling; the Yellow-eyed Babbler pair was active among the grass stalks as they moved about calling.

The nesting colony of Baya weaverbirds  was abuzz with birds coming in and flying out. Over 25 nests were built on the Prosopis tree next to the fields and they represented every stage from the first to complete one. There were only four nests that were complete with the entrance tube, though. A few nests seemed to be experimental ones, constructed by inexperienced males and were of odd shapes. There was a double-storey nest too!

I was on the look-out for the pair of Red-necked Falcon which was seen in the area through the dry months but was not fortunate enough to see them. However I was lucky to see a single Alpine swift as it flew high above, across the valley. This is a bird that can be seen in the valley on rare occasions, especially in the monsoon months. A pair of the endemic and rare Yellow-throated Bulbuls was seen and heard as they flew from a neem tree at the edge of the fields. Usually one associates these birds with the scrub-covered rocky hills and these birds were in the midst of cultivation. Perhaps shortage of food in the hills forced the birds out of their preferred habitats.

 

- V. Santharam

RV Matters!

 After a gap of Two years and four months, the Indian Roller has returned to the campus!
Last week, a pair was seen perched on a coconut frond in the Vegetable Garden area as seen from the bund of the Percolation Tank. They looked perfectly at home and looking at them one would never guess they were absent from the campus on a long sabbatical!
One wonders where these birds had disappeared over this long period and again what prompted them to come back (certainly not the COVID scare as someone suggested!). It was possible the severe competition for cavities on the coconut trees among Rose-ringed Parakeets, Common Mynas and the Indian Roller may have forced the Rollers out.

Hugh Whistler in his “A Popular Handbook of Birds of India - 1941” writes about this bird:

“this Roller is one of the best-known of our Indian birds. It is a bird of open country, avoiding heavy jungle and preferring cultivation. There is very little variation in its habits; except in the breeding season it is found singly, but is so common that single birds will be met all over the countryside every quarter mile or so. It chooses an elevated open perch on which to sit, a dead bough of an ancient tree, the woodwork over a well, a ruined building, a telegraph post or wire, or in default of something better, a thorn bush or stone heap. On such a spot it sits motionless, the bright colours concealed or blending with the variegated tints of an Indian landscape; but all the while the large dark eyes are watching the ground in every direction; and a grasshopper has only to walk along a blade of grass, or a cricket or mouse to emerge from its burrow, and the Roller has launched itself straight at the spot to capture the toothsome morsel, settling on the ground beside it, and then fiying back to its perch. To my last day in India I shall never lose the thrill that comes to me every time that I see the sudden transformation, as the dark lumpy bird reveals the banded glory of its wings and tail.

“In early February the Roller betrays the secret of its name;  its sedateness is exchanged for the love flights in which it rises and falls in the air with wildly flapping wings and harsh grating screams, advertising to all and sundry that Spring is in the air. The ordinary flight is strong and buoyant with slow but continuous flapping of the wings; occasionally it pursues insects on the wing, but this is not usual.

“This bird is sacred to Shiva, who is said to have assumed its form.”

We have, since, been seeing them on all the trips to the Percolation Tank. Last evening around 6:15 pm, I could not locate the birds on the coconut trees. Casually, I ran my binoculars over an east-facing cavity and there, perfectly framed, sat the Roller, posing for my photograph. I took a shot even though the light was poor since the sun had just set and I was shooting against the light.

- Santharam
5 April 2022

RV Matters!

As the water started receding in the Percolation Tank, new shorelines have formed and new habitats and feeding opportunities have opened up for birds and other organisms (though these may be only available for a short time).

One morning, last week, five Glossy Ibises turned up at the shallow end of the tank for foraging. I happened to be lucky to see them since these birds have never before been seen here. We had sighted a lone individual in flight in 2018 at the wetland near the Mouth of the Valley.

There were other birds giving the Ibises company - Cormorants (Little and Indian), Egrets (Intermediate and Little), Indian Pond-heron, Red-wattled Lapwings, Eurasian Moorhens and a lone Green Sandpiper.

Even as I shot a few frames and was observing them, the birds took off along with the Cormorants, heading east. I was hoping they would turn up again at the tank and on my next visit last evening, three birds were again seen in flight over the Acacia trees in the tank.

Glossy Ibis is one of the few species whose population seems to have exploded in the past three-four decades. I still remember how in the 1980’s when the birds first started showing up, especially in the southern India, they made headlines among the members of the ornithological community. But soon their populations expanded rapidly and these days we see them in large numbers across the country.

- Santharam
27 March 2022

RV Matters!

This is the smallest bird in the campus at a length of mere 8 cm. Yet it is an important bird for pollinating and dispersal of seeds of several plants.

 Among the plants dispersed by this tiny bird is the group of semi-parasitic plants known as Mistletoes. These plants produce sticky seeds which are discarded as the bird swallows the pulp by wiping its beak or voided if swallowed.

 The seeds that are left on the host plants germinate and grow, using water from their hosts. Since the plants have leaves, they are capable of photosynthesis and so are not dependent on their hosts for nutrition.

 Often, under the mistaken belief that these mistletoes are harmful to the host plants as they reduce their productivity, people (including we in Rishi Valley) have been advocating removal of these plants. According to current studies this turns out to be counter-productive as this reduces the soil productivity as the leaves of mistletoes contribute to soil nutrition.

 I have noticed that several bird and insect species are supported by these mistletoes and hence are an integral part of the environment.

 -  Santharam
21 March 2022

RV Matters!

Rusty-spotted Cat

I was attracted to the ruckus made by crows from a tree, about 200 m. from where I stood. Expecting them to be mobbing an unfortunate owl or bird of prey, I approached the tree, taking my time. The mobbing persisted.

 When I finally reached the spot some ten minutes later I could see some 30+ House Crows cawing and flying around the target tree, which was a modest, barren tree with slender branches on which I first noticed the swinging of a bushy tail.

On approaching closer, I saw the small, fawn-coloured cat trying to get down from the tree but getting intimidated by the pestering crows that kept flying close or landing close to it on the tree, calling loudly all the while.

 It was really unfortunate that these very circumstances that made this elusive animal uncomfortable opened up a rare window of opportunity for me to photograph it. For the next few minutes, I kept clicking as the crows prevented the cat from climbing down the tree and escape into the undergrowth.

 As this drama was getting enacted, the poor animal seized opportunity to escape when a male Oriental Honey Buzzard flew in to land just 5 m. above my head on a young Eucalyptus tree. Momentarily, the crows got distracted with the unexpected arrival of this raptor that the cat was forgotten and the entire bunch landed seeking the buzzard's blood!

 When I took my eyes off the honey buzzard and looked at the tree on which the harassed cat was stuck for the past several minutes, I was so happy to see it empty, the animal having used this diversion of attention of the crows away from itself to climb down and melt into the tangled undergrowth.

 Though known to occur in lightly wooded rocky and scrub-covered areas, the Rusty-spotted Cat is rarely seen in the open and hence not often reported or photographed. I think it was one of those rare days and I was happy to be able to use the opportunity to photo-document this smallest wild cat.

 - Santharam

RV Matters!

The Brown Fish-owl was a bird, that used to be seen regularly in the campus when I first joined the school in 1998 and until 2009. These owls also nested here and raised their broods when conditions were favourable.

I have seen the juveniles sitting on the tiled roof of our neighbours' house and calling early in the mornings and I used to stealthily watch them from our terrace, lest they flew away.

Then by 2009 we saw less and less of the birds and finally they were no longer seen in the campus. The valley and neighbouring areas were seeing long stretches of dry years with scanty rainfall and with the water sources drying up, the birds left.

Last month Tanuj Shah alerted me about his sighting of a large owl in what used to be the regular haunt of this bird thirteen years ago! A visit soon after failed to produce the bird.

Last morning, finally I spotted the bird as it flew out of a tree and landed on a tree not too far away from the nesting tree of a pair of Shikras. The Shikra pair kept harassing the owl but the bird sat and posed for a few frames before taking off and moving away from the Shikras.

It was indeed one of the most satisfying moments ever in my entire birding career. Yes, seeing new species can be highly exciting. But that is nothing compared to the return of a species after such a long absence. It is important for birders to keep monitoring their favourite habitat patch to record changes in bird diversity and populations. I am glad I have nearly completed 24 years here in Rishi Valley and am learning a lot of things about birds and their relationships to their habitat as well as each other!

- Santharam
9th March 2022

RV Matters!

A view to remember / Photo (C) V. Santharam

Due to the cloudy weather and unseasonal rains, the New Year morning kept me indoors.
The next morning it was bright and sunny and we were able to go out on our usual morning birdwatching rambles in the valley.
As we climbed the hill adjacent to the campus, a beautiful view greeted us in the valley below. The sunlight filtered through the thin veil of mist which clung on to the tops of trees.
The grass below our feet was wet with dew. The air was crisp and cool. The trees and bushes around was filled with birdcalls of a plethora of species that included the Peafowl which gave out their loud calls from across the hills. An uncommon winter visitor from the Himalaya, the Verditer Flycatcher showed up on the top of a tree.

Yellow-throated Bulbul, Rishi Valley/Photo (C) V. Santharam

We were also blessed with a darshan of the uncommon Yellow-throated Bulbul, an endemic bird found only in the drier parts of southern India. Two birds perched on the bare branches of this tree for over a couple of minutes affording excellent views.


Our new year had indeed begun well.


— Santharam
January 10, 2022

For those interested, you can check out the list of birds seen here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S99900151

RV Matters!

Last week, as I was returning from a stroll on the hills, my attention was drawn to this bird, as it moved amongst the dense foliage of this tree, covered by creepers. Focusing my binoculars, I immediately recognised it as an old friend - the Streak-throated Woodpecker.
This was one of the eight woodpeckers I had researched on, three decades ago! Here in Rishi Valley, it is an occasional visitor, having seen it two or three times for a stretch of a few days at a time, years ago.

It appears to be present in more wooded habitats and I have seen it in Mamandur near Tirupati. It is more often seen foraging on the ground in the forest edges. My good friend Suresh Jones has seen it in a Reserve Forest, near Arogyavaram.

After I managed to shoot just this one photograph, the woodpecker disappeared from sight. Later as I was descending the hill, I heard its loud single-noted "kik" calls repeated in quick succession for a couple of minutes. I hoping to renew my contact with it during the next few days before it moves away from our campus.

- Santharam, 30th December 2021

RV Matters!

Fatally knocked down by a speeding vehicle along the approach road to the school, I found this bird lying right in the middle of the road on my morning walk last week.

This road has relatively less traffic compared to the highway that it branches off from. Most of the vehicles that use this road are those of the school, its staff, its parents or visitors. A few vehicles from the villages too ply on the road, mostly two- and three-wheelers, occasional tractors or vans. A stretch of the road is on the route of the transport bus and college buses from Madanapalle.

I have been regularly seeing several roadkills on this road, just 2.5 km in length. The victims include mammals like gerbils and squirrels, snakes, lizards, frogs and toads, snails, millipedes, insects and occasional birds.

If this is the scale of casualty amongst the wildlife, I dread to even think of the amount of deaths/injury on roads across the length and breadth of this country where even large mammals are knocked down by passing vehicles. With several of the roads passing through protected areas with the authorities not sensitive to the wildlife, the situation is going to very grim indeed.

- Santharam
22nd Dec 2021

RV Matters!

Thanks to the low-pressure formations in November, the Valley got drenched in the downpours and all the waterbodies on campus (and the Valley) have now copious supply of water. The Percolation tank, has in fact, been overflowing for the past nearly two weeks and it is so nice to hear the sound of flowing waters once again.

The water bodies have been attracting birds and the Percolation Tank, in particular, has now several pairs of Little Grebe with at least three active nests. The tank now resonates with their loud trilling calls and they keep chasing one another, half-flying, half-running across the water, in their attempts to defend their territories.

Joining them are the Eurasian Coots and Eurasian Moorhen, both species putting in an appearance on campus after nearly 15 years! They too, it appears, maybe nesting. The White-breasted waterhens are also quite active and could be observed swimming or flying across the waterbody. Their strange, loud calls cannot be missed by anyone who ventures anywhere near the Tank. There are two families of the Red-wattled Lapwings around the tank margins, often raising an alarm when it senses danger.

Eurasian Moorhen

Eurasian Coot

Occasional Little Egrets and Little Cormorants are seen. The availability of water across the landscape and the high level of water here may perhaps restrict the numbers of ducks, herons, and other wading birds. I am sure they will be turning up over the next few weeks when conditions become more conducive for them. The nearby fields also have been attracting large numbers of Cattle egrets and Pond Herons.

I once heard the Common Kingfisher once as it flew past. I noticed a pair at the tank opposite the Rural Health Centre. Hopefully they will turn up more regularly in the campus as they did in the past.

- Santharam, Dec 14, 2021

Little Cormorant

White-throated Kingfisher

Indian Pond-heron

RV Matters

A pair of Red-rumped Swallows hovered low above our heads before descending to the wet shore of the Percolation Tank, on a morning visit there, last week. Though they initially appeared nervous, readily taking off at the slightest movement, within minutes they got used to our presence.

Over the twelve minutes, they landed seven times at the same wet patch. With its tail cocked, the bird that I observed pecked at the mud some twenty times in the 30-second period it was there and carried the mud in its beak to build its nest not too far away.

I have noticed these birds nesting in the valley in the early part of the year after rains have commenced and nests are placed on the underside of culverts or in buildings. There was a pause in the rains after the initial spell in June and early July this year. With some rains coming our way last week, these swallows must have decided to resume nesting and raise a brood.

- Santharam

19 October 2021