Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary

After the wonderful visit to Fatehpur Sikri, we 'winged' our way to Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary now known as Keoladeo National Park. I was looking forward to it as this would be an eco experience to enjoy so far.

Late morning into noon wasn't the best time of the day to watch birds but we wanted to see what  this place has to offer. The migratory season was on. That made me think of the Raptor Watch at Tanjung Tuan  back home which I had to miss. But the haven did not disappoint us for we saw a good number of birds to make it memorable.

Our guide cycled and we sat in a rickshaw pedalled by a staff. No motorised vehicles are allowed.  Eyes roving, what was interesting did not escape Bhim Singh Rana's keen sense. I remember a few birds : the bee eater, long-tailed shrike, Indian moorhen, greater egret, ibis spoonbill, common coot, painted stork, white -breasted kingfisher, greater cormorant. He got excited when he spotted the Sarus Crane. 'That's a rare sight,' he said of the largest and tallest bird of the Indian subcontinent. It is an elegant  grey bird with a bright red face and neck sporting a white cap .

This interlude before Jaipur was a welcome experience. The sun did not deter us. Truly my heart beat must have slowed down to a nice pitter patter just admiring the birds and asking questions! The natural surroundings of dry grassland, swamps woodlands and wetlands  makes an ideal home for  resident and migratory birds.

Berries for dinner

Dinner everyone!

The other day, lying in bed  and browsing the daily papers, the quiet was interrupted by some excited chirping. Accompanying it was a sudden flutter of wings. Promptly I dumped the papers. I knew where to look. For the noises was just outside the nearby bedroom windows.

Such a flurry of activity greeted my eyes. Some birds had landed on several hanging strands of berries of the red sealing wax tree. Quickly I grabbed my daughter's camera. Without being intrusive, I zoomed the lens onto their preoccupation.

 I wonder if it was the considerably cooler air after the rain that brought  the birds here. First came the pigeons, then starlings, followed by the magpie robins. As they pecked and caught the seeds so deftly with their slightly curved beaks, the strands of berries danced in the air. It looked like a bird party - everyone was invited. Each bird seemed happily feeding away and there was no tussle for food nor territory. It was just past 6 pm and I reckon birds call it dinner too like us. Talk about eating like a bird! But they didn't seem to want much and soon flew to  higher look outs. The neem tree nearby was their perch - here again I managed to capture the plumage of the pigeon. Thankfully my friend, WChinner  identified  the specie, so now I know it's  the Trenon Vernans. I think 12 birds came for dinner in 4 different flights.

To think this was my lucky encounter with the birds after so many years of the plant standing right there. After all, this clump of lovely palm ( cyrtostachys renda) with its deep red trunk and fronds have been planted more than 20 years ago. The trunks have grown pretty tall and grace the front of the house. The horticulturist highly recommended this as it is a showy plant.  How could I have missed  the visitations ? There must have been many.

Having a berry -merry time!

Aiming for the choicest

Starling sharing dinner .

Fluffing up on the neem tree   

We have had our dinner. Time to catch up on news.

Can't possibly eat them all. Never mind,  I'll take it easy.

The handsome male-  Pink-  Necked Green Pigeon ( Trenon Vernans)

Acrobatics in the air