Flying beauties of Himachal Pradesh

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 wh...

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 ...

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.

High in the tranquil forests of the Western Himalaya, where pine needles carpet the ground and oak canopies filter the morning light, a soft ringing call occasionally echoes through the trees — klee-klee-klee . If you pause and look carefully along a mossy trunk or a quiet forest clearing, you might spot the source: the Grey-headed Woodpecker . Unlike some of its more flamboyant relatives, the Grey-headed Woodpecker is not a bird that immediately commands attention. Its beauty lies in subtlety. With its gentle green plumage and quiet behaviour, it blends seamlessly into the forest, becoming part of the landscape rather than standing out from it. For patient birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts, encountering this understated bird is always a rewarding experience. A Woodpecker in Soft Greens The Grey-headed Woodpecker ( Picus canus ) is a medium-sized woodpecker , typically measuring around 25–27 centimetres in length . Its plumage is dominated by soft shades of green, which allow it t...

Blue whistling thrush 'the school boy" can be seen jumping around here and there just like a naughty school boy. it makes a very sweet whistling sound which gives the name whistling thrush. with metallic blue body colour and white spots it can be identified easily. but it is very easy to identify the bird by its peculiar jumping movement. about 30 cms in size and having a very wide range it is believed to represent the world's largest species of thrushes. In Kullu town it is one of the first birds to be heard along with blue-magpie in the mornings.

The Blue-capped Redstart is another beautiful creature resembling with the Grey Bushchat in size and habits, but its darker than the latter. its peculiar blue colour of the head gives it the name Blue capped. I photographed the bird in Kullu this month. There is a very peculiar thing i have noticed about this bird that it is not at all shy and not affraid of humans as it allows you to move as close as 2 meters to it if you do not make sudden movements. it normally feeds on small insects and can notice them on the ground from very far which gives us an idea about how good the eyesight of the bird is. Amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!

Grey bushchat is a wonderful bird with a size of about 15cms. the male is grey in colour with white underparts and the female has brownish body. they can be seen playing, chasing and chit-chatting justifying the name bushchat. The male is very possessive and territorial. i have seen it many times fighting with its own mirror image in the rear view mirror of my car.and the most interesting part is that it comes back times and again to chase away the competitor untill i fold the mirror. this particular behaviour of the grey bushchat(male) is very fascinating. it is commonly seen between 1200-3000meters in summers and can be seen in the lower altitudes as well especially in the winters.