Pale Sand Martin: Riparia diluta

Pale Sand Martin: Riparia diluta
ssp. indica

Pale Sand Martin: Riparia diluta
ssp. indica

I found a few Pale Sand Martins sitting on the power cables slicing through the fields of Jajjhar district in the Bhindawas-Khaparwas region. The JLN Escape channel, which takes away the excess water from the wetlands created from influx of water through the JLN Feeder canal system during times of lift irrigation failure, flowed beneath them. I was at a distance of about 20 metres from them, standing on the small stone bridge over the channel. I suspect the martins had carved out their nests in the tall and thick mud mounds banking the channel. As per internet and what I heard from some passerby there, there is a proposal apparently by the local men to line this canal with either tiles or concrete.

As for now,

IUCN Status: Under Review / Least Concern.

Pale Sand Martin:  Riparia diluta . 

 

I suppose the subspecies might be indica. The taxon is under discussion according to Birdlife International (external link) ; however, there is a body of work available including Carol Inskipp, Tim Inskipp and Richard Grimmett (Avis-IBIS FES).

The Clements Checklist of Birdsof the World, 6th Edition (external link), now maintained by The CornellLab of Ornithology, Cornell University, NY, U.S.A, and published in 2007, has accepted the species in its published checklist of birds.

Global Biodeversity InformationFacility (GBIL - external link) also cites The Clements Checklist while providing details of this species.

Features:

1.      Winter migrant.

2.    About 10-12 cms in size.

3.    Upperparts are brownish-grey

4.    Brown breast-band (The chest pattern is so clear in this bird that I struggled with its differentiation from Riparia riparia. I went by the geographical distribution – though Riparia riparia has been spotted in the region, the commoner subspecies in this region is said to be Riparia diluta. I welcome comments and discussion here.)

5.     Shallow fork in tail. (Favours Riparia diluta as per my knowledge sources. Flight photo might have shown clearly but I did not capture any of worthy quality. Just blurs at that zoom distance.)

6.    The birdcall might have helped differentiate but it was impossible to listen to their call at the distance with noisy tractors, trucks and jugaads with blaring music keeping my ears pre-occupied and me on my toes on that narrow canal bridge. Also, there were other birds. I admit I couldn’t make out the call with any certainty.

7.     The flight pattern was stuttering I suppose. They didn’t fly great distances – just from the mud banks to the wire and back. (Favours Riparia diluta )

Controversies aside, I’m glad I spotted this bird and added it to my list.

Photographed at JLN Escape Channel between Bhindawas and Khaparwas, Distt. Jajjhar, Haryana, India, on 12.10.2014 an hour, or a bit more, after sunrise.

Camera used: Nikon D5100 DSLR with Tamron 150-600mm Lens