Chambal Diary: 6. River Lapwing

Previously aptly named the "Spur-winged Plover", the River Lapwing is a striking species with real spurs on its wings (see above) used during duels with fellow River Lapwings. These distinct more-or-less black-and-white birds share the riverside at Chambal with two other resident lapwing species - the Red- and Yellow-wattled Lapwings.

River Lapwings, as their name suggests, are found primarily along rivers. They find their food - insects, and other creepy-crawlies - in the sand and on vegetation along the rivers.

This species is adapted very well to river systems. They lay and incubate their eggs in a shallow scoop in the sand on river-banks and islands, much like their neighbours the terns and skimmers. Above, a lapwing incubates eggs beside a sleeping Comb Duck.

They are watchful parents. Here, one adult watches cautiously after ensuring that its chicks are well hidden among the scattered rocks on the island.

3-4 eggs are laid in the simple scoop - above a lapwing adjusts the eggs in the nest. Eggs are cryptically coloured: if the incubating bird were to walk away, it is exceedingly difficult to spot them on the sand.

(All photos taken in the National Chambal Sanctuary, Uttar Pradesh on 9 Apr 2009.)

Chambal diary: 5. Little Tern

The Little Tern is the smallest of the resident terns in the Chambal - tiny compared to the much larger skimmers and river terns. Instead of a neat full black cap, they have a white forehead, and a streak of black serving as eye-patches. Their legs are also much less colourful compared to their fellow terns and skimmers.

In this entry, I describe the nesting behaviour of this species of terns. Most of this behaviour is common with the other terns and the skimmer. This blog entry gives a snapshot into the part-ritual and part-politics that is an inherent part of the terns' lives.

The first thing to do for the males is to find a female who does not chase them away. A gift of a fish is mandatory to beginning the courtship ritual. Birds paired initially like this spend a long time - sometimes hours - standing in the position showed above calling to each other. The male ensures that the female does not snatch the fish away, but keeps it as tantalising bait until the female is ready to mate.

Competition for mates is common! Here, a male with a much larger fish tries to break up the courtship, but the male and the female bird that have bonded scare away the interloper. Clearly, size of the bait-fish is not everything!

After much posturing and courtship, the female finally allows the male to mate with her, and the male relinquishes the fish.

Mating itself lasts a very short time.

It appears to be the males' job to choose the spot where the female will lay their eggs. It is also his job to create the depression in the sand that will serve as the nest. The bird uses its belly, wriggles around in a circle until a depression is formed. The female watches over the whole exercise carefully.

Nests are located some distance from each other, and pairs are fiercely protective. There is a lot of jousting for space - both on the sand and in the air. Observing birds that nest in riverine islands is very rewarding. There is seldom a boring moment. Obsevers need to be very careful not to disturb the birds. It is less important to get full-frame photographs, for example, than it is to ensure that the birds are not disturbed.

Islands in the Chambal are exceedingly important for populations of a range of species, and here is to wishing that it continues to be do!

(All photos were taken on Apr 10, 2009 at the National Chambal Sanctuary, Etawah.)

Chambal diary: 4. Indian River Tern

Gracefully proportioned with long wings, a fish-shaped tail, bright legs and yellow bill, the Indian River Tern is a sight for sore eyes.

It resembles the Black-bellied Tern, but is larger with a conspicuous white belly that allows easy differentiation of the two species. The habits of the River Tern are very similar to that of the other terns in the Chambal and the Indian Skimmer - it is also evolved for a life in clean rivers with plenty of fish and islands to breed on.

Human use of the river does not appear to affect the tern population in the Chambal suggesting that the islands are undisturbed during the breeding season, and that the fish populations are adequate.

(Photos were taken on Jan 18 and Apr 09, 2009 at the National Chambal Sanctuary, Etawah.)

Chambal diary: 3. Indian Skimmer

Skimmers are unique in having a longer lower mandible relative to the upper - a bird with a permanent pout if you will. They use this amazing "device" to literally skim the water surface (photo below) snapping the beak shut when they come into contact with a fish. The Indian Skimmer is therefore very easy to identify being the only skimmer species in India. They, like the Gharial, are exclusive fish-eaters.

One of the largest known populations of the Indian Skimmer is located in the National Chambal Sanctuary. They, like the other terns, use the islands to nest in. This charismatic, attractive species is a superb indicator of undisturbed rivers. Here are some Skimmer photos showcasing its habits.

Skimmers, fortunately, never have to go far to bathe!

Pair-bonding prior to mating and egg-laying is very important. Above, a male (larger bird on the left) gives the smaller female a gift of a fish before they set up their family for the year.

Both parents take turns to incubate eggs, and feed chicks. The two pictures above show a nest-change - one bird settles in on the eggs after feeding, and the other takes a break. The bird coming in wets its breast and belly feathers before restarting incubation duties to ensure that the summer heat does not bake the eggs. Small Pratincoles also incubate eggs of their own beside the skimmer's nest.

In the absence of directed persecution, Indian Skimmers appear to be able to persist in the presence of some human disturbance. The National Chambal Sanctuary is bounded by villages along its entire length whose people use the river in various ways. So far, this use does not seem to be affecting the skimmer population.

The Indian Skimmer and The Gharial - two species entirely reliant on unpolluted rivers with good fish populations and islands in the summer months to breed on.

(All photos were taken in the National Chambal Sanctuary, Etawah on Apr 9 and 10, 2009.)

Chambal diary: 1. The Gharial

The Chambal river is the border between Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh for a bit, and remains one of India's cleanest rivers. The National Chambal Sanctuary has succeeded in preserving very good populations of several truly bizarre yet incredible animals. The river is not strictly part of my PhD study area, but is very much part of the Sarus scape, and is one of my favourite locations in Uttar Pradesh. It therefore qualifies to be included in this blog! This small series of entries is a celebration of some of these denizens!

The Gharial is found only in south Asia. It is closely related to crocodiles, and has been around on Earth for a very long time.

It is an exclusive fish-eater - something that the turtles in the Chambal seem to know quite well!

The National Chambal Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh has a great record of breeding Gharials - it is common to see young babies (top), and teens of all sizes (below) basking on the sands!

The crocodilian gets its name from the inverted pot-like mound on the end of the adult male's snout - a ghada in Hindi, if you will.

The Gharial has its set of problems even in the protected Chambal. I must underscore that these have diminished greatly thanks to an active forest department staff, and a force of dedicated conservationists and scientists. One of the more horrible things that used to happen a lot in the past was due to illegal fishing in the river. Gharials used to get stuck in fishing nets trying to get at the captured fish. Fisherfolk, in their hurry to escape, and to save the nets and fish, slashed at the captured Gharial with knives sometimes cutting off part of the snout.

Some of these Gharials lived (above), though not for long. They are probably not able to catch fish with their reduced snouts!

Many Gharials, however, are lucky to escape with part of the net sticking out of their snouts like forgotten floss (above).

Fishing has reduced greatly as a threat, and Gharials now seem to be able to live to ripe old ages (notwithstanding catastrophic and unpredictable events like a recent die-off - which has completely stopped, thankfully)!

I owe a great debt to the Uttar Pradelsh forest department for inviting me several times to participate in their Gharial and bird censuses in the National Chambal Sanctuary. Despite exceedingly limited resources, staff are very active to ensure that illegal fishing is reduced, and wildlife is as undisturbed as possible. A great resounding ovation to these folk, and to all the scientists and conservationists working to conserve these totally fab animals!

(All photos were taken between Aug 2008 and Feb 2009 in the Uttar Pradesh portion of the National Chambal Sanctuary. For those interested in Gharial conservation and ecology, be sure to check out this fabulous website dedicated to these amazing animals: http://www.gharials.com. Two fabulous films have been made on the Gharials - one classic is The Ganges Gharial by the Bedi Brothers, and a more recent Crocodile Blues by Icon Films: both must-sees for Gharial and nature buffs!)