Grey Heron

A large wading bird, the grey heron is found across Asia. It has a white head and a bright pinkish yellow beak. Feeds in shallow water and lives on fish and frogs. Their flight is slow with necks retracted into the body. The call is a load croaking that sound like 'phraaank'.

The birds breed in colonies on trees next to lakes and wetlands.

Grey Heron - Ardea cinerea

There are four subspecies:
Ardea cinerea cinerea Linnaeus, 1758. Europe, Africa, western Asia
Ardea cinerea jouyi Clark, 1907. Eastern Asia
Ardea cinerea firasa Hartert, 1917. Madagascar
Ardea cinerea monicae Jouanin & Roux, 1963. Islands off Banc d'Arguin, Mauritania.

Love Birds - Rose Ringed Parakeets

A common bird in India, the rose ringed parakeet is a gregarious bird which is often kept as a pet. An extremely noisy bird, it has adapted itself to urbanisation and deforestation that is taking place all around.

The rose ringed parakeet is sexually dimorphic - the adult male showing a black and pink band around the neck while the female and young adults show no ring around the neck.

It's Valentines Day and these Gold Ring Parakeets truly represent the spirit of this day.

Facts :

Scientific Name : Psittacula krameri

Distribution : 4 subspecies , 2 from Asia and 2 from Africa

Diet : Feed on fruits, berries, nuts and vegetables

Basking in the Sun

The Indian Black Turtle is a common sight in the waters of Bharatpur. Being cold blooded, they spend the day taking in the warmth of the sun,

Paths

Dawn

Two views of Dawn from the same spot shot in opposite directions - The rising sun on the one side and the fog laden marshland on the other.

Dawn Breaking

The Owls of Bharatpur

Amongst the numerous birds that are resident of Bharatpur are owls. A common species of owl found in Bharatpur is the Collared Scoops Owl. This bird is found in wooded and forested areas on trees which have heavy branches and leaves. The face is whitish or buff with brown or red eyes. Like all owls, this is a nocturnal bird and is difficult to spot in the day because of its natural camouflage.

Spotted Owlet
Another species of owl that is seen in Bharatpur is the Spotted Owlet. This is a small stocky owl of about 20 cm in size. The bird feeds on insects and small animals.

Painted Storks of Bharatpur

200 Kms south of Delhi is the city of Bharatpur where the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary is located. Also known as the Keoladeo National Park, this is a world heritage site that has over 230 species of birds - both residents and winter visitors. The time to visit the sanctuary is the winter months of November to March when along with the local birds, a host of winter visiting birds from places as far away as Siberia come to the park to breed and escape the cold winters of their host countries.

One popular bird in the sanctuary is the Painted Stork. This is a tropical bird which breeds in Asia from India and Sri Lanka to Southeast Asia.

The Painted Stork feeds on fish, frogs and large insects and would normally be found in wet marshlands and shallow waters.
The birds make their nests on trees with dry sticks . The nests are large and usually contain 2 to 5 eggs.

The young juvenile birds are dull in colour - brownish and without the bright colours of the adult bird.

The adult painted stork is a large white bird with black flight feathers. The long slightly curved downwards beak is yellow. The tail and legs are pink. This is a broad winged soaring bird and like all storks flies with its neck outstretched.