Birding diaries

Of Sunbirds and Leafbirds

Well, every outing to Ganeshgudi (Old Magazine House camp) has something to offer, something new, and something to learn, a place that never disappoints any time of the year!

As I was hogging lunch in the afternoon in the dining area on top, the activity on the Helicteres isora or the Indian screw tree caught my attention. As I went closer to see, I could hear the familiar calling of the sunbirds hoping between the flowers sucking the nectar in peace. Shortly, I realized the female sunbird was the more aggressive of the two and was vociferously chasing away the male from a particular branch that had good number of flowers.

The male sunbird was being opportunistic and used to fly to the branch whenever the female sunbird was out of sight and used to fly out being chased by the female sunbird again. Well, the male had other branches with flowers but none matched this particular branch in the tree. This continued till about dusk and finally their activity ceased for the day.

Next morning, much before the sunbirds came to the tree, there were a new bigger couple sucking the nectar, highly camouflaged and enjoying their morning sugary breakfast, the Golden-fronted Leafbirds were there much before ample light had filtered down the dense canopy at Ganeshgudi.

This was my first sighting of these brilliantly camouflaged birds in open and at close quarters, I had only seen them either on the canopy or in between leaves in the mid portions of a tree making it extremely difficult to spot. I was thrilled on seeing the pair in action and here again that particular branch was occupied by the female and the male had to satisfy his tastes from the remaining flowers located sparsely on other branches.

Soon, the sunbird couple came over and were promptly chased away by the leafbirds from that particular branch and also from the other by both the male and female leafbirds. Despite repeated futile attempts, the sunbirds hardly got opportunities to get closer to the rich nectar yielding flowers. Of the leafbird couple, the male leafbird was the aggressor chasing the sunbird couple long distances away and in turn was being chased away by the female leafbird from that particular branch.

Soon, there were more leafbirds coming for the flowers and more sunbirds but none were able to come near that particular branch that was being guarded by the female leafbird. All along, I never realized the time fly by as it was almost 2 hours being engrossed in their chases and antics. In between, there were the White-rumped and the Black-throated Munia’s, Orioles, White-eye’s, Woodpeckers, Warblers frittering all around the place.

With so much activity all around and with loss of time, I moved away bewildered and amazed at the behavioral patterns of nature to the more defined breakfast table to satisfy my taste buds :)

Butterflies Part II

Some more butterflies in part II of the series...

Common dart butterfly

The Common Dart (Potanthus pseudomaesa) is commonly known as the Indian Dart or Pseudomaesa Dart, is a butterfly belonging to the family Hesperiidae. It’s abundant in the hills and jungles and in fairly wet regions. A fast and powerful flier, it settles frequently on flowers and leaves.

Three spot grass yellow butterfly

Three-spot grass yellow (Eurema blanda) is a small butterfly of the family Pieridae, i.e., the Yellows and Whites found in India. A butterfly of lowland forests and resembles the common grass yellow.

Chocolate pansy butterfly

The Chocolate pansy (Junonia iphita) is also known as the Chocolate soldier is a butterfly found in Asia. Individuals maintain a territory and are usually found close to the ground level and often bask in the sun.

Fulvous pied flat butterfly

Fulvous pied flat (Pseudocoladenia dan) is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. An inhabitant of moist, cool and dense jungles, it visits flowers, bird droppings frequently and water rarely. It’s fond of basking in the sun on the upper surface of leaves close to the ground. With extremely rapid flight, it makes long lasting aerial sorties occasionally in shady clearings.

Part I here...

Butterfiles from Kodagu (Coorg) I

Butterflies were all around the place we visited (I still do remember seeing lot of them on our last trek to Tadiandamol here, couple of years back). Then it was just a fascination seeing so many of them around and with glorious colors and patterns and I was just into photography then.


Now and after the NTP, I love butterflies for many reasons, they are super active with loads of energy, always busy moving around, leave a mark in a short span of time, colorful and are pleasing on the eyes and you are kept active once you start chasing them because of all the running you have to do :D


Check out a few of them listed below, will add more details about each of them as I find time and more than a couple of posts to be composed are waiting due to lack of time :)


Gray Pansy Butterfly
The Gray Pansy (Junonia atlites) is a species of nymphalid butterfly found in South Asia. The least common pansy in India, found at low elevations in regions of heavy rainfall. It’s frequently seen in paddy fields, seldom in jungles and never in dry areas. Visits flowers of various plants.

Blue Tiger Butterfly
The Blue Tiger (Tirumala limniace) is a butterfly found in India that belongs to the Crows and Tigers, that is, the Danaid group of the Brush-footed butterflies’ family. The butterfly larva generally feed on plants of Family Asclepiadaceae (milkweeds, rattle pods, etc..). This species migrates extensively during the Monsoons in southern India.

Gladeye Bushbrown Butterfly
The Gladeye Bushbrown (Mycalesis patnia) is a satyrid butterfly found in southern India and Sri Lanka. A common butterfly in the tropical and subtropical evergreen forests and the bamboo forests. Files close to the gourd and the weakest flier of the genus. Visits fallen berries, fruits and sugary sap.

Common Hedge Blue Butterfly
The Common Hedge Blue (Acytolepis puspa) is a small butterfly that belongs to the Lycaenids or Blues family. The Common Hedge Blue is usually found flying along brightly sunlit footpaths along forest tracks. It flies in an erratic manner and males are usually observed feeding on damp patches on the forest floor. Males are a shining blue above and this can be noticed when the butterfly is in flight.

Naturalists Information I

Some Interesting information a keen Naturalist should be aware of...


We may have come across this, but never know how to differentiate them. Karthik, the all-rounder and highly knowledged person threw some light on this enlightening us people at the NTP camp held by him.


Let me see if I can add some pictorial representations to this so that it becomes all the more easier deciphering and dissolving these in to our minds.


Here, I'm highlighting differences between closely related species. Suggestions, Inputs and Knowledge sharing are welcome :)


1. Hares and Rabbits

• Hares do not burrow, while Rabbits do
• Newborn hares can immediately move around while newborn Rabbits cannot
• Rabbits are not found in India.

2. Macaque and Langur

• Macaque's stuff their food in cheek pouches while Langur's don't
• Langur's are only leaf eating animals.

3. Centipedes and Millipedes

• Centipedes are poisonous, non vegetarian and a little flat in appearance
• Centipedes have 1 pair of legs per segment
• Millipedes coil like a circle when threatened
• Millipedes have 2 pairs of legs per segment.

4. Butterfly and Moth

• Butterflies have antenna which is a little fat at the tip only
• Moths have flat antenna or feathered antenna.

5. Deers and Antelopes

• Deers have solid antlers and they are shed yearly.
• Deers are found in forests.
• Antelopes have horns that are connected to the skull and permanent.
• Antelopes survive in open country / grasslands.

6. Toads and Frogs

• Frogs are very slimy and wet to feel
• Toads are dry creatures.

7. Bugs and Beetles

• Bugs have piercing and sucking parts
• Beetles have chewing and biting mouth parts. Beetles have 1 pair of wings modified as Elytra that forms a hard cove around it.

8. Pigeons and Doves

• Pigeons have longer wings
• Doves have short wings.

9. Parrots and Parakeets

• Parrots do not have long tapering tails
• Parakeets have long tapering tails.

10. Cheetahs and Leopards

• Leopards have retracting claws
• Leopards are bulkier, have no tear mark and have rosettes
• Cheetahs do not have retracting claws
• Cheetahs have a leaner body, spots and a tear mark.

11. Tortoises and Turtles

• Tortoises are land living forms
• Turtles are fresh water animals.

12. Dragonflies and Damselflies

• Dragonflies can't retract their wings once open
• Dragonflies are a little fat in appearance
• Damselflies can move their wings back and forth
• Damselflies are slim in appearance.

I hope to add more of these in the near future :)
The credits of this post goes to the NTP and Karthik, because since then, my eyes have opened to a new different world around me!

Naturalists Training Program (NTP) - I

Finally, I attended the much sought after Naturalist Training Program conducted by Karthik @ the Jungle Lodges & Resorts campsite at Bannerghatta National Park, Bangalore recently.

Any person interested in being a naturalist or rather anyone interested in nature and its secrets need to attend this workshop conducted by Karthik. It's conducted couple of times a year and the list of people wanting to do it is ever growing and the no of participants is limited to 16 odd per workshop.


Who is  a Naturalist?
A person who studies natural history is a Naturalist. Someone who studies nature in totality, not limited to a specific species.


The Program
JLR has started this unique program way back in 2005 to involve people, to create awareness, basics of birdwatching, all about flora, fauna and the hidden secrets of nature. This workshop is conducted by S Karthikeyan, Chief Naturalist at JLR who knows in and out of the subject who worked with WWF for 17 years prior to this.

Venue
Bannerghatta Nature Camp, run by JLR inside the herbivore park. There is a dormitory, tents and cottages for day visits and overnight stay.


The 3 day program had sessions and topics on role of a Naturalist, Biodiversity in India, Introduction to birds and birdwatching, bird behaviour, nature trails, plant-animal interactions, Urban wildlife along with nature trails in the morning and evening for that 'field experience'.
In the evenings, the David Attenborough's 'The Life of Birds' was played over the 2 days. Also we met Sandeep, Sumanth and Krishna murthy - people who were part of the earlier workshops and who are into conservation and wildlife awareness activities.

Personal Experience
I first got into photography and then into birdwatching and learnt it absolutely the wrong way. I never used to observe them 'keenly' (i never knew what i missed till now), see, click, move. I used to refer my clicks for identifying birds using the Salim Ali's book as reference. In sense, I was more of a photographic birder till this workshop happened.
All of the participants were asked to choose a name of a bird / animal starting with the first letter of their names and we were called by the same names over the next 2 days. On the nature walks with Karthik, we would cover about 1/2 or a km in distance in probably 2-3 hours looking out for each and every interesting thing in the surroundings - that may be flies, butterflies, plants, shrubs, trees, flowers, fruits, birds, reptiles, mammals etc etc... When the group spotted a bird, everyone were asked to sketch it on their pads highlighting the important features like the beak colour, rumps, patterns, size, wing patterns etc. Then all were asked to identify the bird from the book based on these features. 


Bird behavior was another important activity we did - that is observing them! I was tempted to shoot whenever i saw a bird on the first day, but subsequently I used my binoculars more and less of my camera which was another revelation for me, I learnt the joy in observing the nature around me (compared to always being worried about not getting a good shot and opportunity)! A simple question from Karthik made us realize this - Does a Myna hop or walk?


Overall it was a wonderful learning experience for me, learning to appreciate all forms of life and everything in our surroundings. I got to know some real good interesting people and there were these discussions, exchange of ideas and learning togetherness among us. Mr Karunakar was the oldest member in the group at a grand old age of 74 and Mr Bharadwaj was the youngest who has just completed his PU course.


List of birds that we sketched, discussed and identified-
1.Common Kingfisher
2.Pied Kingfisher
3.White breasted Kingfisher
4.Red Whiskered Bulbul
5.Red Vented Bulbul
6.White cheeked Barbet
7.Coppersmith Barbet
8.Jungle Myna
9.Jungle Crow
10.Indian Robin
11.Oriental White Eye
12.Small Minivet
13.Magpie Robin
14.Red rumped Swallow
15.Tickells blue flycatcher
16.Asian Paradise flycatcher
17.Common Hoopoe
18.Common Iora
19.White rumped Munia
20.White Bellied Drongo
21.Racquet tailed Drongo
22.Drongo
23.Golden fronted Leafbird
24.Bay backed Shrike
25.Little Cormorant
26.Grey Heron
27.Red wattled Lapwing
28.Black Shouldered Kite
29.Oriental Honey Buzzard
30.Black Kite
31.Brahminy Kite
32.Indian Silverbill
33.Golden Flameback Woodpecker
34.Green Bea eater


Indian Gaur
Rock Agama
Sambar Deer
Barking Deer
Spotted Deer
Blackbuck Antelope
Four horned Antelope
Marsh Crocodile

Well, I will not end this learning with this single post, I have plans for couple of posts for some interesting things that I picked up, it time and patience permits.


Few interesting things that I learnt:
1. What makes a bird a bird? - Flight (wings, feathers, modified bones), Beak and Warm blood.


2. Fig trees are the Keystone species


3. Interesting features of Touch me Not plant


4. The small worms you find in books are Silverfish ( they feed on cellulose - books)


5. The delicate, intricate 'Web of Life'*


6. Biodiversity of India and Species distribution


7. The case of missing Sparrows (still remains unresolved)


8. The rise of the Rock Pigeons and Black Kites


9. 'Gubbi Goodu'


10. Body care behaviors, Feeding strategies, Social displays of birds


11. Types of Forests


12. Differences between few similar species (Ex:difference b/w a Pigeons-Doves, Hares-Rabbits etc..)


13. E.H. Aitken, David Attenborough, Salim Ali and others


14. Truth About Tigers


15. Sketching a bird in your book is very simple (but I'm very bad at it :))


16. Butterflies

Thanks to Karthik, JLR and the other members, I'm looking forward for the Level 2 program :)