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March 2000 This month I watched some of the sand birds and identified the redshank, and the wood sandpipers. This was when we went on a boat trip down the Mandovi river. There are plenty of sandpipers along the mangroves. This is where the Salim Ali bird sanctuary is, and there are a lot of birds to be seen in the mangrove forests. Also managed to spy the three-toed kingfisher, the ruddy kingfisher, and a brahminy kite while on this boat trip. Saw a black-capped kingfisher much later on. This was a month of nesting and all
the birds were in pairs. They were busy gathering strands and twigs for their nests.
They were darting and flitting all over the place – and in general, the garden
looked a very busy place. Dry weather is setting in and everything looks very brown
and unpretty. The commonest birds are still the golden oriole, and the black-headed
oriole. There are peacocks around, and they usually walk on the football field. March
2001
The dry weather has set
in and new leaves are yet to emerge, so I am hoping to see more birds this
season.
Dileep took me to
Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary. We
didn�t expect to see too much because it was hot weather, and we were there at
midday. We drove in and walked to
the tree house inside the forest. It
is a lovely spot and even has a small watering-hole. There were small fish in it.
Dileep climbed up the ladder which swayed quite a lot!
I actually saw two Loris! They
are small and have large eyes and something like a middle parting
We saw the birds at
close quarters. They are unused to
people and unafraid. Dileep spotted
the scarlet minivet! And the orange-headed rock thrush.
I saw the black-naped blue fly-catcher and a female paradise fly-catcher.
It was a treat. We plan to
go back in July.
There have been new
birds around the colony once more. The pair of red spurfowl that I saw last year has appeared
again. They walk along the fence at
the bottom of the garden. The
yellow-cheeked tit is back too � a pair of them have been in the garden.
The white-browed bulbuls are very visible now.
I have found two roosting
trees of the garudas whilst on my morning walk. The
tree-pies are back too.
March 2002
Lots
of birds are back in the garden. The
white-eye and tailor bird are around and the white-backed munia pairs are in the
garden too. There are koels in the
garden too � both the male and the female.
The sparrow-hawk does not come everyday to sist upon the swing.
He sits on branches. He has
a mate now and they keep calling to each other.
The magpie robins are in the garden.
They sit on the topmost branches of the trees and sing away.
One of them now dares to sit on the swing beam because the hawk is no
longer there.
Went
to Carambolim. It is pretty full of
the purple moorhens and flocks of whistling ducks (teals).
Theye sit on the marshy land and look in one direction.
There are coots, jacanas and herons too.
I saw two harriers fly over the lake and immediately, all the ducks
rushed into the water. I plan to
visit the Pilar lake too.
The
brown and red cropped wild hens are back too � saw them walking along the
hedge. Thre are robins in the
colony. On the football field 6
magnificent hawks came to drink water from the hose. They were huge and had long hair on their legs.
The
Brahminy kites that had roosted in a tree near Jacob�s circle have departed
now � obviously the fledglings have learnt how to fly.
End
March � there are some new birds now. The
spurfowl pair are back and do their morning walk down the garden fence.
I thought my sparrow hawk had finally departed with his mate, but no �
he�s back every once in a while on his perch.
His tail is more obviously striped now.
The
ioras are back and so is a new bird � the plaincoloured flowerpecker.
The male koel comes out every morning.
Lots of martins and swallows
in the air. The purple and the
Loten�s sunbird are around as well. A
small brown leaf-warbler has also been hopping around the hedges.
So have the tailor bird and the weaver bird.
All in all, a good month. March
2003 The
koels are calling louder now, but not in my garden. The sparrow hawk has not left for the Western Ghats as yet
� late this year. The female is
gathering grass � so obviously they are going to nest here. The kingfisher attempted a foray onto the swing bar for a
day, but the hawk shooed him off. The
hawk also killed a large jungle spurfowl, and spent the morning at the bottom of
the garden eating it. Not a single
bird came to the garden, but a beautiful Brahminy kite arrived and sat on the
tree for a long time looking at the spurfowl.
It finally decided that fish was better, and left the dead bird alone.
Both the hawks, the female and the male, came to feast, so I got to
compare the sizes. Pairs
of birds have now begun coming to the garden.
There are the chloropsis, the doves, sunbirds, magpie robins, bulbuls of
all kinds, orioles both black-capped and golden, ioras and the tit. A
female paradise flycatcher has spent several mornings in the cordia tree and the
mango tree. This is a real treat!
It means they are nesting nearby. Mid-March
- The kingfisher is back on his perch, tthe tailor birds are back at the same
hedge! Lots of birds in the garden
now. The female blue-headed rock
thrush is around every day and so is the female paradise fly-catcher.
The grey headed wagtail is walking along the garden hose.
The sparrow-hawk has finally disappeared. I
saw a hoopoe walking along the road near the football field! And the golden
backed woodpecker is back as well.
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