Here’s my email to the Bird Watchers’ Field Club:

It was a bracing Sunday morning as 10 of us headed out to the Valley School area. As usual, it did not disappoint us...the highlights of the morning were watching, riveted, as large groups of Coppersmith Barbets and Oriental White-eyes feasted on the Banyan figs on the tree at the entrance. Coppersmith Barbet's perfect camouflage amongst the figs and leaves of the Banyan tree Also, a flock of Scaly-breasted Munias, Silverbills, and Rose-ringed Parakeets were feasting off the maize in the morning light...an a"maizing" sight that we thoroughly enjoyed! Male Scaly-breasted Munias feeding on maize Female Scaly-breasted Munias feeding on maize. We met many other birders and photographers on the trail, too. Chandu and I watched a Warbler sitting on the wire near two Red-rumped Swallows. Is this usual behaviour for the bird? I am so used to peering into the leaf-clutter for these skulky little LBJ's, that it was quite a surprise. Ipomaeia muricata The Flycatchers gave us a whole cultural program. The Asian Paradise did his tail-fashion show, the Fantail performed their dance, and the Tickell's Blue sang its sweet song for us! Except for the Shama and the Kestrel, all of us saw all the birds, strengthening my theory that if we approach carefully, and are mindful of others' need to sight the birds, large groups can have as productive birding trips as small ones. Having said that....we did split up into smaller groups at times. Shield Bug. I was very happy to have two young botanists, Janani and Ganesh along, as I learnt a bit from them about various plants and seeds we saw on the way. It was even more enjoyable to compare notes and images over IVC (Iddli Vada Coffee) at Udupi Banashree on the way back. Birds: Babbler,Jungle Babbler, Puff-throated Barbet, Coppersmith Barbet, White=cheeked Bee-eater, Green Bulbul, Red[vented Bulbul, Red-whiskered Bulbul, White-browed Bushchat, Pied Bushlark, Jerdon's Buttonquail, Barred Buzzard, Oriental Honey Coucal, Greater Crow, House Crow, Large-billed Cuckoo,Common Hawk Cuckoo, Pied Cuckoo-shrike, Black-headed Dove, Laughing Dove, Spotted Drongo, Ashy Drongo, Black Eagle, un id Egret,Cattle Egret, Little Flowerpecker, Pale-billed Flycatcher,Asian Paradise Flycatcher, White browed Fantail Flycatcher, Tickell's Blue Flycatcher, Verditere Francolin, Grey Kestrel, Common Kite, Black shouldered Hoopoe Iora, Common Junglefowl, Grey Kite, Black Kite, Brahminy Koel, Asian Lapwing, Red-wattled Lark, Un id Munia, Scaly-breasted Silverbill, Indian Myna, Common Myna, Jungle Oriole, Eurasian Golden Parakeet, Rose-ringed Peafowl Pigeon, Blue Rock Prinia, Ashy Robin, Indinan Robin,Oriental Magpie Roller, Indian Shama, White-rumped Shrike, Brown Starling< Rosy Sunbird, Purple-rumped Sunbird, Purple Swallow, Red-rumped Tailorbird, common Treepie, Rufous Warbler Booted Warbler,Greenish Warbler Un,id White-eye, Oriental The butterflies were all around us and delighted us as well. Butterflies Blues, Various Brown, Evening Brown, Bush, Un id Coster, Tawny Gull, Common Jezebel, Common Leopard, Common Orange-tip, White Orange-tip, Yellow Psyche Rose, Common Rose, Crimson Tiger, Plain Wanderer, Common Yellow, Mottled Grass Yellow, Three-spot Grass Yellow, Spotless Various bugs, dragonflies,grasshoppers, moths, and spiders. We saw an un id Calotes, burrowing in the mud to lay her eggs, and spotted what might have been the pugmarks of a fox. Mammals: Chandu Ganesh Ganesh (Yalamarti) Kamal Janani Raghavendra Raja Rajesh Sharmila and yours truly/ Thank you to my favourite wilderness, for a very enjoyable morning!

My SMS are up on my FB album,

click here

The others have posted much better shots on FB, too.