Asian Paradise Flycatcher

Asian Paradise flycatcher can again be seen dancing like a kite as the spring spreads the wings. The bird is called Dudhraj in Hindi due to milky white colour of its body. The long white tail of the bird looks even more beautiful when it flies in a wavy motion up and down, manoeuvring in the sky to catch insects.The long tail is used to impress the female and may be for balancing the body during frequent changes of direction in flight.    

The female on the other hand has
got a short tail and the colour of the body is brown.The sub-adult males resemble the female, but the long tail makes the differentiation easier.

The coming of Asian Paradise flycatcher highlights the struggle for existence among the birds.Being monogamous,both the female and male contribute in nest building,incubation, feeding and guarding the nest against predators.They can be seen scaring away the Yellow Billed Blue-Magpies which are about four times their body size.These birds build a deep cup shaped nest on the branches of trees,preferably in a fork.Many times the nest is built in the vicinity of the nest of Black drongos,which keep the predators away.

Shikra

Shikra has come again for nesting  on the Khirak (Celtis australis) tree in my backyard. Today in the morning,i heard the typical light,shrilling call of the bird.Last year it had come late in the month of April. Perhaps the summer is a bit early this year or may be Shikra is feeling the heat of Global warming. Anyway the bird is here preparing to nest on the same tree where it had been last year. Thats the most amazing thing about the birds. How do they they manage to locate the place and come back year after year to the same tree almost?

Shikra is a Raptor(bird of prey) and is fond of smaller birds and their young ones. When Shikra arrives here,the Himalayan crows are the first line of defense who try to scare it away by forming groups. But Shikra is quite brave and knows the nature of the crows and it does't leave.  This fight for existence keeps on going till the Shikra is here.

While Shikra comes, the other smaller birds move away and their encounter rate in the area is considerably reduced.

Alexandrine Parakeet

Alexandrine parakeet can be easily distinguished from other parakeets due to its large size(about 55cm) and the maroon patch on its shoulders.

The male has got a black strip on the chin and a pink collar. the voice is deep and heavy as compared to other parakeets.

The beak of Alexandrine parakeet is quite large and strong. I have seen it breaking wallnuts with its strong beak. interestingly it uses its feet as hands. it can also be seen using its beak as a support while going down on the branches. its really interesting to watch this bird breaking hard nuts by using its strong beak and feets. alexandrine parakeet is also fond of Jacaranda pods.

Grey headed woodpecker

This morning i heard a sweet bird call coming from the Deodar tree in my backyard. I had not noticed this call before. Soon a pair of grey headed woodpeckers appeared. This woodpecker is distinguished by the grey sides of the head. The underparts are greenish and without scaling. The male has a red crown whereas the female has black one. the bird is about 30cms in size and found in moist subtropical and temperate forests.