Travel, Birds, Photography and more…
Egrets are medium to large sized birds, closely related to the Herons (see here) and belong to Ardea or Egretta genera. Similar to their (very) close relatives - Herons - they also have long legs and a long beak. Infact, the actual biological difference between Herons and Egrets is more appearance-based than biology-based. Biologically, both [...]
Rufous-Vented Grass Babbler (Prinia burnesii) Size: 16-17 cm Area: Resident over much of the North except the Himalayas Habitat: Wet Areas especially Riverside Reedbeds and Scrubland Description: A rather shy bird, preferring dense vegetation. Like most other Prinias, it has dull-brown upperparts and whitish underparts. Adults have a buffy tone to the back of their [...]
Graceful Prinia (Prinia gracilis) Size: 10-12 cm Area: Widespread Resident, mainly in North and North-West Habitat: Wet Areas with Tall Grasslands, Waterside Reedbeds and Scrubland Description: A rather lesser seen species. The upper-body is sandy-brown and the underparts, like most other Prinias, is plain-white. The iris is deep-red and the bill is pale overall. Like [...]
Yellow-Bellied Prinia (Prinia flaviventris) Size: 13-15 cm Area: Widespread resident over much of the North except the Himalayas Habitat: Wet Areas especially Riverside Reedbeds and Scrubland Shaking off the Morning Dew Description: A common sighting near the Riverbeds. Can be easily heard calling around the bushes and scrubs along the riverbeds. The head is Ashy-Grey with a thin [...]
Ashy Prinia (Prinia socialis) Size: 13-15 cm Area: Widespread resident over much of the region except the Himalayas Habitat: Reedbeds, Scrubland, Dense Vegetation or even Gardens Breeding Plumage adult - Note the absent white supercilium Description: A very common sighting across much of India. Can be easily spotted around any cultivation, bushy area or even [...]
Plain Prinia (Prinia inornata) Size: 13-15 cm Area: Widespread resident over much of the region except the Himalayas Habitat: Reedbeds, Scrubland and Dense Vegetation Description: A very common sighting across much of India. Can be easily spotted around any cultivation, bushy area or even in your backyard. Like all other Prinias, the Plain Prinia also [...]
Prinias Prinias are small passerine, insectivorous birds which sometimes referred to as Wren-Warblers. Like most Warblers these birds prefer dense bushes and long scrubs due to which they are a nightmare to locate. Like Warblers, they are heard heard more often seen. But unlike their relatives, their identification is not a nightmare because of their [...]
Birder's Day Out - Birding at Pong Lake It was on 29th December, 2019 that I, finally, got the chance to spend a Day Out Birding at one of my Favourite Birding Locations - Pong Lake. I first visited this place in 2015 and till then it has remained in my 'Favourites List'. There were [...]
Wade in the Water - Birding at Phillaur - Part 7 The next Birding Day Out in Phillaur was on 15 December, 2019; The first place I visited was our Local Forest. While exploring the area I noticed a Dead Tree Trunk which was overgrown with Mushrooms. The Sun was just coming out and the [...]
Wade in the Water – Birding at Phillaur – Part 6 Local birding is much more exciting to me compared to going to far off places to witness a complete new set of wildlife. So, I began this season's birding adventures by visiting the place that I consider as 'One of the Finest Spots for [...]
Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) Size(80-100cm): It is the largest Cormorant found in India. Area: Widespread resident over much of India. Habitat: Lakes, rivers and other water bodies. My two words: It is the largest of all the Cormorants found in India. It has a overall glossy-black plumage with a white and yellow throat patch. The [...]
Indian Cormorant (Phalacrocorax fuscicollis) Size(60-63cm): It is a large Cormorant larger than the Little Cormorant but smaller than the Great Cormorant. Area: Widespread over much of the region except the North and North-West. Habitat: Several Fresh Water and Salt Water Bodies. My two words: This specific Cormorant is found only in India, Thailand, Cambodia and [...]
