Small minivets !

Pic @ Anil/ Van Vihar/ Bhopal/ Dec, 2010

The Small Minivets are common resident breeding bird in scrubs and jungle area.  The Small Minivet is 16 cm long with a strong dark beak and long wings. The male differs from most other common minivets by having grey, not glossy black, upperparts and head, and orange underparts, fading to yellow on the belly, orange tail edges, rump and wing patches. The female is grey above, with yellow underparts (including the face), tail edges, rump and wing patches. There is much racial variation.

Rufous tailed lark bird pictured in Kaliasoot

Blue flycatcher

The Tickell's Blue Flycatcher is a small passerine bird in the flycatcher family clicked at Bhopal.

This is an insectivorous species which breeds in tropical southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka to Indonesia. They are blue on the upperparts and the throat and breast are rufous. They are found in dense scrub to forest habitats.  The Tickell's Blue Flycatcher breeds in dry forest, scrub, bamboo and gardens. The metallic song of the bird includes a series of clicks followed by five or six notes that end abruptly.

Winter Vistors of Bhopal !

Pictures of Rudy shelduck and painted stork which are sited mainly during winters in Bhopal. Down the years Bhopal has witnessed decline in migratory visitors ...... climate change could be one reason (the easy one to state) but neverthless growth in number of mobile towers in the city and decline in Bhopal wetlands due to huge construction actvitity happening in the city contributes to this decline...!!!

Rudy shelduck and river tern at kaliasoot

Painted stork at Van Vihar

Grey Backed Shrike

The Grey-backed Shrike (Lanius tephronotus) is a species of  bird in the laniidae family. It is found in India, Bamgladesh, China, Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. Picture clicked at Kaliasoot, in Bhopal.

Black shouldered kite at Bhopal

small blue kingfisher

Small blue kingfisher at Bhopal

Median egret

Median Egret clicked at Van Vihar

Common Sandpiper

Seen near ponds, water bodies, tanks etc in fields in Madhya Pradesh. The picture as shown above was clicked at Sukhi Sevaniya in Vidisha District. The bird is widespread in India and also in MP but seen more in winters. The Common Sandpiper is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.

Red wattled lapwing

Vigilant bird, with a loud call and raise alarm at any intrusion commonly found in Bhopal and India. Pictured at Van Vihar of Bhopal on Sunday morning.

Pied Bushchat

Pied Bushchat is also called as Kala Pidda and is a common breeding resident found found in open areas including wetlands. Though it is found across India and is local here but seasonal movements have been seen and patterns are still unclear. The picture was taken at Van Vihar in Bhopal.

Indian Cuckoo

Indian Cuckoo, a solitary and shy bird, pictured in Bhopal's Van Vihar on Dec 18, 2010.

This is a medium sized cuckoo with both sexes alike. It has grey upperparts while the underside has broad black barring. The tail is barred with a broad subterminal dark band and a white tip.The species is found widely distributed across Asia. The preferred habitat is deciduous and evergreen forests but also occur in garden lands and thick scrub.

Large cormorants - hunters

Common moorhen

Common moorhen slaty grey and brown marsh bird at Van Vihar in Bhopal seen in submerged rushes swimming or sulking about at the vihar.  It is also known as Jal murghi or pani murghi in Hindi.