I have written, I think, about Shyamal….in a world full of serious ornithologicalstudy, he leavens his knowledge with a lot of humour. (He is still capable of a scholarly treatise with words I can hardly understand!)

Here’s a bird-list which he apparently sent the birdwatching egroup on April 1, 2000:

A chucklist of birds typically seen in April

In the woods of the Western Ghats one gets to see the Rocket-tailed Drongo, Laughing Thrust, Bleak-backed woodpokers, If you are really lucky you may get to see Paradise Female-catcher

In the wetlands one may get to see some of the late staying Green Sandpapers Wood Sandpapers Little Stunts Kentish Pullovers Bare-headed Geese Pint-aled Ducks and Black-pied tailwags

You may also get to see some of the resident Whistling Tools and Paid Kingfishers

In the large rivers one gets to see the Sneak Birds fishing by sneaking up to fishes and the Brown-headed gals with the mirrors flying along with whiskered turns. Sometimes one gets to see the Block-headed gals without the mirrors.

Some of the bards in danger are the Spot-billed Bellycans Painted Strokes and Glassy-eyed Ibis.

On the open lands one sees the Who-Poohs, Small-grin beaters, White-bellied Manias, and Yellow-bottled Lapwings.

My thanks to many beard-watchers for their observations used in preparing this chicklist notably Emby Crush, S.Supermania, Jay N. Pressured ,U.K.Hurricane, M.S.Giant and J.H.He-man.

I just love this list. Each time I read, a different name sets me laughing uncontrollably!

Shyamal…thank you!

Update: there was a report from Bngbirds about a Wholly Naked Stork, and a friend of mine remarked about the Blue Moron butterfly…Also on INW, I have seen photos of a herd of clouds, a Wild Bore, and so the list goes…