Pictures from OBP

OBP - Birdwalk on 10th May, 2009

Keeping my promise to myself to regularly attend birdwalks, I went with Delhi Bird group to OBP on 10th May (Second Sunday of each month is reserved for OBP). A detailed trip report is already posted on Delhibird group and therefore, I'll contend myself here by listing out the interesting birds for me.
Trip report - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/delhibird/message/13456
I'll remember the trip for these --

1. Ateesh waking up sooo early morning to accompany me on the trip. I would like to believe he enjoyed the trip except for the latter part when Sun came .
2. Golden Oriole - Very beautiful bird and I was able to view it to my heart's content. This, just after I got to see it at Sanjay Van 4 days back.
3. Painted Snipe - Lifer for me
4. Yellow bellied prinia - Lifer for me. Again a very beautiful bird.
5. Ruddy Breasted Crake - Lifer for me and an unexpected delightful find.
6. Citrine Wagtails - Although common, the rich canary yellow colour almost formed a theme with Oriole, Prinia and then this yellow beauty.
7. Spotted owlets - It's their home and they were so cooperative with all of us visitors, coming out to pose.
8. Spot Billed Duck - This is the first time I saw it close enough to be able to photograph it though not a portrait type photograph but yet it's beautiful beak colors are visible in it.

I am hoping to catch up with more and more birds in months to come and hopefully by end of this year have a long list of lifers. I will count this year as Stage 1 for my Bird watching in which I hope to cover NCR and Sonepat if possible.

Sanjay Van today ...

Went out today morning to Sanjay Van in Delhi for Birding along with KB and Bijli, his colleague and a bird enthusiast. Route to the main gate of Forest is not intutive if you are a first timer as I learnt today. So, if you are coming in from Gurgaon via Mehrauli, on the Aurobindo Marg, before even reaching IIT flyover, keep watching on your left turn left for a major turn for Fore School of Management. Turn left and head down straight untill you reach Rockland Hospital on your left. Right before the hospital, there's a small road (this is Qutab Enclave area) turning on it's own towards left. Stop there. This is the main gate where you can park your vehicles but do not expect any official Entry. But once inside the forest, it was a lovely walk along meandering passages and several detours between the trees and rocks.

Immediately upon entering the forest, KB heard the Blyth's Reed Warbler and soon it gave us a very clear view. Closely on it's heels, KB showed us a Gray breasted Prinia (lifer for me) showing a distinct gray breast patch, calling out loud at the top a high canopy.

Another lifer for me was a Golden oriole which I have been trying to spot for some time now. Some of the other common but beautiful birds spotted were Brown headed barbets, YFGPs, Rufous Tree Pie. Oriental Honey Buzzard circling overhead was identified as a juvenile.

Spotted a common woodshrike nest in a fork of the tree but couldn't spot any chicks in it. Parents were nearby though. Another nest we spotted was of a Purple SunBird where the mother was on a feeding frenzy. Suspected a Shikra's nest as well but didn't spot it. Out in the parking lot, spotted a Magpie Robin nest in a tree trunk.

Reached a high point rock and perched ourselves for a tea break. The view underneath of the whole forest was very good and morning Delhi breeze added ot the experience. Some military discussions between KB and his colleague Bijli added as a break too. Bijli interestingly found a Peacockish Big bird like structure on a tree and true, the tree had moulded it's branches in a peculiar way that resembled a sitting peacock with flowing trail.

Finally, we headed back to the parking lot and refreshed ourselves with another round of tea. With a promise from me to be a regular in birdwalks, since I potentially have no excuse for missing a Sunday walk if I have Saturday off, we headed back to home after a morning well spent.

The overall list of birds spotted is here -

1. Ashy Prinia
2. Black headed ibis (KB Spotted it flying overhead to some near by area)
3. Blyth's Reed Warbler
4. Brown headed Barbet
5. Common Babbler
6. Common Woodshrike
7. Golden Oriole (Lifer for me)
8. Gray breasted Prinia (Lifer for me)
9. Indian and Magpie Robin
10. Jungle Babbler
11. Juv Oriental Honey Buzzard
12. Large Gray Babbler
13. Laughing Dove
14. Peacock
15. Purple Sunbird
16. Red Vented Bulbul
17. Rose ringed parakeet
18. Rufous Tree Pie
19. ShikraTailor Bird
20. Yellow Footed Green Pigeon