Birds around us - Medchal and other lakes

Birds around us - Medchal and other lakes

My interest in bird photography undoubtedly increased during my visits to our 3 acre farm in Medchal (an outskirt of Hyderabad). One of the first birds I started to shoot were the Cattle Egret and Indian Pond Heron. Of course it was much later that I learned about their names.

Cattle Egrets are usually snowy white birds which develop a reddish shade around their necks  during their breeding season. They love to walk behind cattle, especially in farms, to pick off insects that get disturbed. They are quite used to humans and are not too shy.

This is the Indian Pond Heron also found in farm areas for the same reason as the egret. It is stockier than the egret and has brownish streaks around its back.The above two are common perching points for these birds.

A bunch of Cattle Egrets waiting patently for the next pass of the tractor which will throw up a feast of insects. Sometimes in their eagerness, they come very close to the wheels of tractors and it almost seems like they would get run over when they neatly move aside.

This is another in the egret family called Little Egret. Notice the color of the beak which is black compared to the yellowish bill of the Cattle Egret. It is called the Chinna Tella Konga in telugu.

These are Black-headed Ibis and I was lucky enough to take this shot as they are not very common. In fact, I don't remember seeing them again. Their distinct bald and black heads make them appear a bit sinister and I wish I could have got closer to get more details. The local name for this bird id Nalla Kankanami.

This is called the Bronze Winged Jacana and are known to walk on water! Well not exactly as their large feet help them spread their weight which allows them to walk on floating weeds and large leafs which also gives them another name Lilly Trotters. an interesting identification mark is the patch of white around their eyes. Interestingly, it has the same name in telugu with the broze wing translated - Kanchurekkala Jacana

This purple colored bird is found in small lakes or swamps and is called predictably the Purple Swamphen. I was luckly with the second image as I could capture it's chicks as well. The local name is Udi Chenchu Kodi.

Unfortunately this is the only shot I have of the White-breasted Waterhen. Since it is quite common, I hope to have a better picture of this bird.It is called Tella Borra Netikodi in telugu - another literal translation.

This is another bird that I dont have too many photographs as they are not very commonly visible in Medchal - or at least when I am visiting :-). It is called the Black Ibis and there is a distinctive red patch on it's head due to which it is also called the Red-naped Ibis. 

In the next posting, I will add birds that I am very proud to have shot, though not necessarily the best from a photographic quality perspective.

For really great photographs of closeups of birds you can visit backyard birding at http://kenn3d.wordpress.com/.

For the rest of my bird photographs, please visit Birds Around Hyderabad.

The telugu names of some of these birds are from the excellent Universities Press/WWF published "The common Birds and Mammals of Andhra Pradesh".

A great site for many other photographs of Indian Birds is Indian Birds

If you have any suggestion or wish to share anything, please post your comment.