When I got a call from Vaibhav that he, Chandu and Venkat were going birding,

I could not resist the temptation, and off we went. The drizzly rain certainly cast a damper on the opening hours of the outing, and we tried our luck at Vaderahalli Lake

before we went to Gulakmale. However, though we manfully trudged over the bund of the lake with the song, "Raindrops keep fallin' on my head" being the main theme, the rain could not keep up with our persistence, and the sightings began to improve considerably. Of course, the Asian Openbills were the first to greet us, but several species differed...so the bird list is almost-the-same-but-not-quite! We ranged right across the diameter of the lake today, and we found that there is a foresty patch that harbours several woodland birds. We spotted the Blue-faced Malkoha in the patch. The highlights, of course, were the different fishing methods of the birds...wading, diving, zooming into the water. The birds of prey, even the Kites, appeared only a while after the rain stopped. Today the reeds in the lake bed yielded three kinds of Munias, and we were happy to stand and observe them, as well as the Prinias there. Thanks to the low water level, I was able to squish my way to the patch of land that is normally the central island. The rain truly made it a "Muddy kere", but I didn't mind, as I watched all three kinds of Kingfishers...the the Small Blue, the Pied, White-breasted, at work, getting breakfast. We took a short while at the Thottikallu Falls/temple area, and returned home well satisfied with the bounty we'd got on the first day of the year. Some other small things caught my eye. Are those who set this tiny Linga and the Basava hoping to start yet another temple? Even weeds were beautiful: We did not like this red-capped, brown-breasted Kingfisher. Here's the rest of the fish after the birds have done with it: Here's wishing all of you a very happy, health, and peaceful 2015..with plenty of opportunities to walk (with muddy shoes!) amidst the treasures that Nature provides us, even in an urban setting. My eBird list is at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S21108373 Cheers, Deepa. Here's the physical list: Avadavat, Red Babbler, Jungle Babbler, Yellow-billed Barbet, Coppersmith Barbet, White-cheeked Bee-eater, Green Bulbul, Red-vented Bulbul, Red-whiskered Bulbul, White-browed Bushchat, Pied Bushlark, Indian Bushlark, Jerdon's Cormorant, Great Cormorant, Indian Cormorant, Little Coucal, Greater Crow, House Crow, Jungle ​Cuckoo, Common Hawk Dove, Eurasian Collared Dove, Laughing Dove, Spotted Drongo, Ashy Drongo, Black ​Eagle, Booted Egret, Cattle Egret, Intermediate Egret, Little Flameback, Black-rumped Flowerpecker, Pale-billed Flycatcher, Asian Paradise Francolin, Gre​y​ ​Grebe, Little​ Heron, Grey Heron, Indian Pond Honey-buzzard, Oriental Hoopoe, Indian Kingfisher, Common Here's where it was: I zoomed in further: And further: this is at full zoom: Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher, White-throated Kite, Black Kite, Brahminy Koel, Asian Lark, Ashy-crowned Sparr​ow​​ Malkoha, Blue-faced ​Mart​in, Dusky Crag Minivet, ​​Small Munia, Black-headed Munia, Tricoloured Myna, Common Myna, Jungle Openbill, Asian Oriole, Eurasian Golden ​Owlet, Spotted Parakeet, Rose-ringed Pigeon, Blue Rock Pipit, Paddyfield Prinia, Ashy Robin, Indian Robin, Oriental Magpie Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Wood Shrike, Long-tailed Silverbill, Indian Sparrow, House ​Sparrow Lark, Ashy-crowned​ Sunbird, Purple Sunbird, Purple-rumped Swallow, Barn Swallow, Red-rumped Swift, House Tailorbird, Common Tern, River Tit, Great Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Yellow Wagtail, White-browed Warbler, Blyth's Reed Warbler, Booted Warbler, Clamorous Reed Warbler, Greenish Leaf Woodswallow, Ashy Butterflies: Blues, Various Brown, Evening Castor, Common Cerulean, Common Coster, Tawny Four-ring, Common Gull, Common Jezebel, Common Pioneer Rose, Common Rose, Crimson Tiger, Plain Wanderer, Indian Yellow, Three-spot Grass​

Let me close with the handsome male Ashy-Crowned Sparrow Lark: