Getting an earful

Bank Mynas and water buffaloes hit it off just great. The buffaloes have plenty of treats walking around on them for Mynas to actually be territorial on the buffaloes' back.

But the real battles are fought at the ears, for the ears, and going by how the buffaloes endure the vociferous battles taking place at their ear, it must be good for the ears.

(Photograph details: Mynas on buffaloes - shot at Basai wetland in Haryana on 6 Sep 2008; the vocal battle for the ear - shot at Etawah on 12 Feb 2009.)

Debugging with ash

A woman in central Pratapgarh district throws handfuls of ash from the kitchen stove on ripening rice. Many farmers in Uttar Pradesh still limit the use of chemical pesticides, or continue using traditional materials, like ash, alongside chemical pesticides to control insect pests on rice. A Zitting Cisticola sat undeterred (not visible here), presumably near its nest, as a cloud of ash fell on and around it - now that would have been an excellent photo to get!

(Photograph details: 23 Sep 2008; Pratapgarh district.)

Body language

Cranes have among the largest non-vocal communication repertoires in the animal kingdom. Body language is exceedingly important. Here are a few Sarusy gestures that other cranes would know the meaning of instantly.

Wing half-open, an exaggerated walk with legs raised higher than usual, this crane walks up very meaningfully to another Sarus that had landed uncomfortably close to an active nest. The interloper got the message rather quickly!

Crane employ a large number of threat postures increasingly aggressive in their meaning. This female (right extreme) gives a classic ruffle-threat combined with a bow to the pair adjacent to her territory while her partner engages them at closer quarters.

This rare bow-threat is carried out with elan and grace successfully dissuading a pair flying overhead from landing in this crane's territory.

Cranes' large body size and incredible physical prowess poses a great risk of physical injury should they need to joust physically each time a disagreement occurs. Non-vocal postures with specific meaning, like the three above, are a safer alternative for all concerned.

(Photographs information: Top: 10 Jul 2008, Mainpuri district; middle: 28 Nov 2008, Etawah district; bottom: 07 Sep 2009, Farrukhabad district.)

Wing-stretch

All birds stretch their wings to get the blood flowing and stretch tired muscles. When the world's tallest flying bird does it, the simple activity becomes a spectacular sight! The world is truly its oyster.

(Photo details: All photos taken on 07 Sep 2009 in Farrukhabad district.)

Morning with the Sarus

Walking around in the flooded rice paddies during the monsoon can be magical. The Sarus make it more so. Here are two photographs that underline this statement.

The rains ensure that there is plenty of wet, grassy wetlands to forage in. This Sarus was part of a flock of 45 that landed in this wetland and surrounded us for a fantastic few minutes.

Real estate is serious business in the bird world. On a cloudy and otherwise dull morning, a pair of Sarus landed a few feet ahead of us and proceeded to unison call (photo above), gesture threateningly and finally succeeded in chasing away another pair that had landed in their territory.

(Photographs were taken in Etah district on 28 Aug and 29 Aug 2009 respectively.)

Waterbird foods: Asian Openbill and Little Heron

Wetlands offer a range of foods to birds, and the monsoon is a fantastic season to observe birds getting their goodies. In this entry, two species are shown doing what they do best.

Asian Openbills are super-specialized in their food habits - they almost exclusively eat the large snails associated with flooded rice paddies. It is believed that this stork species has increased in numbers and spread closely following the increase of rice cultivation in Asia. Above, you can see a stork getting hold of a nice-sized snail, prising open the snail's lid, and pulling out the meaty snail for a doubtlessly yummy early morning snack.

The Little Heron (variously also referred to as the Green Heron and Little Green Heron) is not common in the inland areas of northern India. A neat, compact little heron, this species is an expert fisherbird. Above, a heron catches and hangs on to a fish beside a rice field - good start for a breakfast that will no doubt include many more fishies.

(Photograph information: Asian OpenbillLs: 8 Aug 2009, Mainpuri district; Little Heron: 5 Aug 2009, Bhadohi district.)

Monsoon = rice + new birds + wetlands

This year, 2009, the rains in the Gangetic flood plains are delayed as of July - the rains sort of began in mid-July, and have not really begun in earnest since. However, it has been adequate for most farmers to begin working on planting rice - farmers everywhere are ploughing fields (top) and fertilizing flooded fields in anticipation of regular rains later on.

With the rainy season, the plains witness the formation of wetlands, and the arrival of some species of birds that are absent here the rest of the year.


Three species of bitterns are found throughout Uttar Pradesh in the monsoon. This information was not known with certainty prior to this ongoing study. Above, a Cinnamon Bittern poses in the morning light beside a flooded rice field with few reeds growing on the edge. (I hope to post more on bitterns later on this blog.)


The stunning Paradise Flycatchers are supposed to be passing through Uttar Pradesh in the summer and monsoon season, though this is not known for certain and they may well breed here. Above, a male bird in full splendour calls out to a female in another tree in a roadside goose-berry orchard.


Finally, this Bronze-winged Jacana (remember the lily-trotters?) stands on lily leaves whose tubers were awaiting in dry mud for nearly 5 months to grow again.

(Photographs information: Farmer ploughing: Allahabad district, 24 Jul 2009; rice broadcasting: Allahabad district, 24 Jul 2009; Cinnamon Bittern: Jaunpur district, 31 Jul 2009; Paradise Flycather: Sultanpur district, 25 Jul 2009; Bronze-winged Jacana: Jaunpur district, 31 Jul 2009.)