My Birding Diary – 3

A Further Journey

This is the third part of my Birding Blog. As part of this blog I am just trying to document all the different species of birds that I have managed to photograph in these years. The photography gear that I currently own is a Canon Digital Rebel XSI (450D) DLSR with 50mm, 18-55mm and 55-250mm lenses. Also I have a Sony DSC WX-200 digital camera.

In this part I am listing the birds that I managed to photograph in various parks located in Chandigarh and nearby areas.

This blog in in continuation to my earlier Birding Diary blogs (Part-1 & Part-2).

Wood Sandpiper (Tringa Glareola)

Location : Bakarpur Pond, Mohali, Punjab (India)

This was my first visit to the Bakarpur Pond. It is quite popular with Bird lovers as a lot of migratory birds arrive at this small pond every year. The first of the birds listed in this blog is the Wood Sandpiper, a small bird with a long beak. It is generally found in wetlands feeding insects on the wet mud.

Wood Sandpiper - Birding Diary - 3
Wood Sandpiper (5th April 2016)

Paddyfield Pipit (Anthus Rufulus)

Location : Bakarpur Pond, Mohali, Punjab (India)

When I first saw this bird I thought it to be a house sparrow as the markings on the back were quite similar. But on close observation this bird was a little large in size and was quite fast on the ground. Also sits on the ground with the ‘head held high…..’

Paddyfield Pipit - Birding Diary - 3
Paddyfield Pipit (5th April 2016)

Common Pochard (Aythya Ferina)

Location : Sukhna Lake, Chandigarh (India)

The Common Pochard is among many birds that migrates to Sukhna Lake every year for nesting & breeding.

Common Pochard - Birding Diary - 3
Common Pochard (5th February 2012)

Spot Billed Duck (Anas Poecilorhyncha)

Location : Chatt Village, Mohali, Punjab (India)

A beautiful duck with a prominent yellow tip on the beak. This pair was found floating in the natural lake inside Chattbir Zoo.

Spot Billed Duck - Birding Diary - 3
Spot Billed Duck (18th January 2015)

Oriental White Eye (Zosterops Palpebrosus)

Location : Dyarag Village, Solan, Himachal Pradesh (India)

I saw the photograph of this bird in many Facebook posts but never managed to see this myself. In April 2016 I visited a small village near Solan for some family function and fortunately saw a small green bird with a prominent white eye ring feeding nectar of flowers on a citrus-fruit tree. The bird is very fast and I barely managed to click a few photographs before it flew away.

Oriental White Eye - Birding Diary - 3
Oriental White Eye (23rd April 2016)
Oriental White Eye - Birding Diary - 3
Oriental White Eye sucking Nectar (23rd April 2016)

Little Owl (Athene Noctua)

Location : Butterfly Park, Chandigarh (India)

A bird that relaxes in the day. This one was caught napping in the Butterfly Park in the afternoon of 23rd December 2012…..:-)

Little Owl - Birding Diary - 3
Little Owl (23rd December 2012)

Lesser Golden Backed Woodpecker (Dinopium Benghalense)

Location : Butterfly Park, Chandigarh (India)

A small colorful bird often found knocking tree barks for food……

Golden Backed Woodpecker - Birding Diary - 3
Golden Backed Woodpecker (23rd December 2012)

Yellow Bittern (Ixobrychus sinensis)

Location : Butterfly Park, Chandigarh (India)

Yellow Bittern - Birding Diary - 3
Yellow Bittern (23rd December 2012)

Indian Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros Birostris)

Location : Mohali, Punjab (India)

The state bird of Chandigarh, The Indian Grey Hornbill can be easily spotted in the parks & outskirts of the city. The bird is easily recognized by the black horn over the beak. This photograph was taken in Nature Park, Mohali.

Indian Grey Hornbill - Birding Diary - 3
Indian Grey Hornbill (13th March 2014)

Common Moorhen (Gallinula Chloropus)

Location : Bakarpur Pond, Mohali, Punjab (India)

This bird is also known as the “Swamp Chicken” and is often found in small marshes & wetlands.

Common Moorhen - Birding Diary - 3
Common Moorhen (23rd April 2016)

With this I end the third part of my birding blog. Will be back with some more interesting birds in the next part.

NOTE ::

  1. All the common names and scientific names of birds have been referenced from the book โ€œThe Book of Indian Birdsโ€ by Salim Ali, Thirteenth Edition 2012.
  2. I am not an expert in Birds, just a beginner in bird watching so the above names / description may not be accurate. These have been written as per my best understanding and have not been verified by any expert in the field.

My Birding Diary – 2ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  to be continuedโ€ฆ..

4 Replies to “My Birding Diary – 3”

    1. Hi Gitish,

      At present I am using the default Canon 55-250mm lens for the Bird Photography. It is an average lens. The better lenses are the Canon 100-400mm lens (if you have the budget ๐Ÿ™‚ ) or you can go with the less expensive Tamron 150-600mm lens..

      You can check the equipment that I use in the http://vineettuli.com/about/ page.

      Regards

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