The 3rd Sunday outing, this time to the Hulimangala area, was a very enjoyable one, with a huge stand of majestic trees that were truly breathtaking to see…and which we must enjoy before the “development” of our city wipes them out. However, squinting up into the trees to see the birds meant that birding was,literally, a pain in the neck!

We had a good turnout, and we birded at both the tree area as well as the eucalyptus plantations around, and at a small waterbody on the opposite side of the road.

One of the highlights was the sighting of the Pied Cuckoo, a winter migrant, right out in the open, on the water body.

Another delightful sight was that of the House Sparrows hopping about near the Hulimangala school; could we miss seeing these on World Sparrow Day?)

Barbet, White-cheeked Bee-eater, Small Green Bushcat, Pied Bushlark, Jerdon’s Coot, Common Cormorant, Little Coucal, Greater Crow, House Crow, Jungle Cuckoo, Pied Cuckooshrike, Large Dove, Little Brown Dove, Spotted Drongo,Ashy Drongo, Black Eagle, Short-toed Egret, Cattle Egret, Little Flowerpecker, Pale-billed Flycatcher, Asian Brown Flycatcher, Asian Paradise Grebe, Little Heron, Pond Hornbill, Indian Grey Ibis, Glossy Iora, Common Kingfisher, Small Blue Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher, White-breasted (White-throated) Kite, Black(Pariah) Kite, Brahminy Kite, Black-shouldered Minivet, Small * Mynah, Common Mynah, Jungle Oriole, Eurasian Golden Owlets, Spotted Parakeet, Rose-Ringed Pipit, Paddyfield Prinia, Ashy Robin, Indian Robin, Oriental Magpie Roller, Indian Sandpiper, Wood Shikra Shrike, Brown Sparrow, House Sunbird, Purple-rumped Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, Wire-tailed Swift, Asian Palm Tit, Great Waterhen, White-breasted Woodpecker, Black-rumped Flameback

(52 species)

Several of us wound up at the Lotus Restaurant in Nisarga Layout, comparing notes (and exchanging jokes!)

A few of us also went to attend the celebration of World Sparrow Day by Nature Forever, at WIPRO, Electronics City; I’ll be posting a short write-up of the event on Citizen Matters shortly.

Meanwhile some of my photographs, and a short account, are

here

and Vaibhav’s excellent photographs are

here