Bengal Monitor Lizard : Varanus bengalensis

Bengal Monitor Lizard : Varanus bengalensis
Plate 1

Bengal Monitor Lizard : Varanus bengalensis

If you ask me if these creeping gentlemen are Bengal Monitor Lizards, I'll probably answer in the affirmative given the shallowness of my knowledge about reptiles. Because that is the internet-straw I can cling to and float this post through. But if you ask me privately, you might find me shaking my head bemused. I'll tell you why.

Last year, in 2013, I did a roadie of remote desert areas of Rajasthan with Sharang, and on that trip, I also stopped by at Dhawa-Doli, a relatively lesser known wildlife sanctuary some distance away from Jodhpur along the road leading to the desert border town of Barmer. There, I saw these monitor lizards scurrying around - about a meter long and ankle high at a stretch. Now, coming back to Keoladeo Ghana National Park, it looks like some geek zapped these lizards with a zoom gun he'd secretly developed, and the chaps you see in the photographs appear enlarged 5 to 10 times in comparison with their lesser cousins at Dhawa-Doli!

The population at Keoladeo Ghana is either a different species or are rather well-fed. That explains the partially chewed bird carcasses I'd stumble upon on the walking trails as well as the interiors of the jungle. Jackals and Hyenas were unlikely candidates and I was suspecting involvement of poachers. Pythons swallow them whole and leave very little behind...just a few feathers, if at all. Those birds must have been undone by these creeping gentlemen.

Plate 1 above shows a chap sunning half-way up the trunk of the tree, already taller than the average Indian, if measured from tip of tail to tip of snout, and still has a bit of spare tail to pull up behind him.


Bengal Monitor Lizard : Varanus bengalensis
Plate 2

Plate 2 above is another gentleman, poised at a different location in the forest, contemplating a rush into the burrow over which he is hovering, either to escape or maybe to pounce on a morsel he has spied. I suspect he was disturbed in his sunbathing act and is giving himself an option if things got slimy.



 

Bengal Monitor Lizard : Varanus bengalensis
Plate 3

Plate 3 above is actually the first of the club of four gentlemen I met that day. I don't seem to have uploaded the photograph of the fourth gentleman since Plates 3, 4 and 5  pertain to the same fellow. It doesn't matter for he was just lazing by the wayside in a sunny spot among the tattered kikar shade, not very far from a juvenile python lucky enough not to have been gulped down by the lazy one.

These three plates are sufficient to illustrate other aspects of this monitor lizard. The chap was playing dead soaking up the sun but was able to detect me before I detected him and dived swiftly, like an Olympian competitor, into the marshy water-body to my right. Across my immediate path.

Bengal Monitor Lizard : Varanus bengalensis
Plate 4

 Not only was he quick, he was comfortable as a crocodile in water, swimming with powerful side-to-side tail thrusts. One can easily see the wake caused by his strongly propulsive tail.

Bengal Monitor Lizard : Varanus bengalensis
Plate 5

 This final plate is actually shot just before Plate 4. The powerful and long thick tail is clearly visible here as the chap dives into the marsh. Look at the length...almost as long as a five year old kid...and the thickness...would require both hands to wrap around the diameter of the tail at the stump. Powerful.

 

 

Photographed at Keoladeo Ghana Bird Sanctuary, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India on 2nd March, 2014

 

Camera used: Nikon D5100 DSLR with AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm VR Lens

Indian Peafowl: Pavo cristatus (Male)

Indian Peafowl: Mayur (Sanskrit), Mor (Hindi)
Pavo cristatus (Male)

 

Indian Peafowl:  Pavo cristatus; Mayur, Bhujangbhuj (Sanskrit); Mor, (Hindi)

 

Male.

 

Mayur means "Killer of snakes".

 

It is the national bird of India.

Cattle Egret: Bubulcus ibis coromandus

Cattle Egret; Pingala or Pingalika (Sanskrit); Surakhiya (Hindi)
Bubulcus ibis coromandus

 

Cattle Egret: Bubulcus ibis coromandus;  Pingala or Pingalika (Sanskrit); Surakhiya (Hindi)

 

Breeding season plumage.

 

Status: Least Concern.

 

Both sexes are similar to look at: the male might be slightly larger with longer breeding plumes.

 

The Cattle Egret is a short, stocky egret, which in comparison with other egrets, has a thicker, shorter neck.

 

In meadows and areas where cattle is grazing, this egret can be seen foraging at their feet, picking up insects and grasshoppers disturbed by the grazing of cattle. Usually white in colour, with yellow bills and greyish-yellow limbs; however, during the breeding season they develop a beautiful golden, ochre-buff plumage on the crown, cheeks, neck, chest, back and tail area. Their bills, feet and irises turn reddish-ochre for the breeding period. Juveniles lack this brilliant plumage and have a black bill.

 

Cattle egret has lost the visual ability to correctly assess depth through water due to refraction of light, and therefore, prefer picking on insects on land instead of fishing in waters like their long-legged wading marsh cousins.

 

These birds are not noisy and in colonies, communicate with a quiet throaty "rick-rack" sound.

 

Widely distributed in India.

 

Photographed at Kapil Sarovar,  Sri Kolayat ji, Distt. Bikaner, Rajasthan, India on July, 2013

Camera used: Nikon D5100 DSLR with AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm VR Lens

 

 



Black Redstart: Phoenicurus ochruros phoenicuroides

Black Redstart: Thirthira (Hindi), Kapekshuk (Sanskrit)
Phoenicurus ochruros phoenicuroides

Black Redstart or Eastern Black Redstart or Kashmir Redstart: Phoenicurus ochruros phoenicuroides; Thirthira (Hindi); Kapekshuk (Sanskrit).

 

Male of the species.

 

Red Data Status: Least Concern.

 

Small bird, larger than a sparrow, the size of an Oriental Magpie-Robin i.e. about 12-15 cms in size.

 

The male has black plumage from the head, through the back and wings and down to the tail. Characteristically, down the midline of the tail. (See inset)

The neck is also black with chest and under-feathers right up to the tail being more rufous, almost orange in colour.

 

It is a restless, energetic bird and is rarely very still. The black stripe down the midline in the tail resembles a blade of grass and given its restlessness, resembles a quivering blade of grass. Hence called 'Thirthira' in Hindi, from 'Thir-thir' - which means, shivering; and 'Kapekshuk' in Sanskrit derived from 'Kap-Kamp' meaning trembling, and 'Ikshu' a type of grass.

 

The female is more grey-brown with a chestnut coloured tail.

 

Lone ranger usually, found in thorny scrublands. Breeding is however in the Himalayan regions.

 

Nests are usually made of grass, leaves and twigs under rocks. Prefers stony areas for breeding.

 

It eats seeds, berries, insects, spiders and the like.

Photographed at Keoladeo Ghana Bird Sanctuary, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India on 2nd March, 2014

 

Camera used: Nikon D5100 DSLR with AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm VR Lens



Black Bittern (Female): Ixobrychus flavicollis

Black Bittern (Female): Ixobrychus flavicollis

Black Bittern: Ixobrychus flavicollis. Also known as Yellow-necked Bittern or Mangrove Bittern.

 

Status: In India it is listed as Least Concern; however, in Australia it is listed as Vulnerable.

 

This one is a female of the species - paler in colour than male; under-parts are streaked white, yellow and black; characteristic yellow-orange streaks on each side of the head and neck. The inset shows the profile while lighter under-parts are clearly visible in main photo. Compare with the male Black Bittern .

 

Booming call during breeding season; limited migration; the wetlands of Indian sub-continent, China and Australia are its main habitat; nest among the grasses and reeds and on branches of trees on the banks of wetlands where they roost; nests are made of twigs and grass.

 

Feed both in day light and at night.

 

Reclusive and easily blend into the background. Can hold posture for long durations.

 

The male of the species has also been spotted on this trip and dealt with in a separate post.

 

Photographed at Keoladeo Ghana Bird Sanctuary, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India on 2nd March, 2014

 

Camera used: Nikon D5100 DSLR with AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm VR Lens

Black Bittern (Male): Ixobrychus flavicollis

Black Bittern (Male): Ixobrychus flavicollis

 

Black Bittern: Ixobrychus flavicollis. Also known as Yellow-necked Bittern or Mangrove Bittern.

 

Status: In India it is listed as Least Concern; however, in Australia it is listed as Vulnerable.

 

This one is a male of the species - sootier in colour than female (compare with female), which is dark brown-grey to black with buff streaks on the throat and characteristic yellow-orange streaks on each side of the head and neck. The inset shows the sooty back feathers while yellow striae are visible in profie. There is a fish impaled on his beak.

 

Booming call; limited migration; the wetlands of Indian sub-continent, China and Australia are its main habitat; nest among the grasses and reeds and on branches of trees on the banks of wetlands where they roost; nests are made of twigs and grass.

 

Feed both in day light and at night.

 

Reclusive and easily blend into the background.

 

The female of the species has also been spotted on this trip and merits an independent post on this blog.

 

Photographed at Keoladeo Ghana Bird Sanctuary, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India on 2nd March, 2014

 

Camera used: Nikon D5100 DSLR with AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm VR Lens

Jungle Babbler: Turdoides striata

Jungle Babbler: Turdoides striata
Saatbhai, Pangiya Maina, Gayanga (Hindi); Aranya Hholika (Sanskrit)

 

Jungle Babbler: Turdoides striata. Local Names: Saatbhai, Pangiya Maina, Gayanga (Hindi); Aranya Hholika (Sanskrit).

 

Status: Least Concern

 

To those walking lonely trails

These babblers are no strangers

Flocks of seven fidgety tails 

Our companions and stalkers

Who amuse with their idle chatter

But warn other birds with loud tales.

 

Also called  Seven Brothers (Satbhai) or Seven Sisters in different parts of India, because they operate in feathered flocks of seven to ten usually.

 

Endemic to India. Limited and weak flight. Do not migrate. Found in forests and fields. These days, they are also found in concrete cities which have embedded slivers of greenery. Rather bold chaps they.

 

Males and females look alike. Brown coloured feathers with yellow bills.

 

These are three of them allopreening, which is a behavioral trait, at dusk.

 

Photographed at Keoladeo Ghana Bird Sanctuary, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India on 2nd March, 2014

 

Camera used: Nikon D5100 DSLR with AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm VR Lens

 

 



Spot-billed Pelican: Pelecanus philippensis

Spot-billed Pelican: Pelecanus philippensis
Local Names: Hawasil or Kurer (Hindi); Mahaplav (Sanskrit); Gooda Bathu (Telugu)   

Spot-billed Pelican: Pelecanus philippensis. Local Names: Hawasil or Kurer (Hindi); Mahaplav (Sanskrit); Gooda Bathu (Telugu) 

 

Status: Near-threatened.

 

The weekend gone by was a foggy one beyond the borders of Delhi, which became denser as the city's concrete receded into wide open spaces and hail/rain-tenderized fields. My initial plan was to head into the Himalayas for a day's birding in a different northern ecosystem to capture the last of winter's migrant birds as well as different species. But driving  into the Uttarakhand Himalayas for a short and speedy weekend through the fog was not recommended. Friday evening passed; I chafed all Saturday - evening loomed gloomily upon what could have been  a final birding weekend of the season. It was then that Gabru Parmanand, my birding guru at Keoladeo Ghana Bird Sanctuary, called me up. In a trice, the fogginess cleared in my mind and I began recharging batteries, cleaning up memory cards, lenses, binoculars, gathering and packing my birding and photography gear. Since I frequently have to go into thorny brambles, I wear a tough jacket and trousers to protect me. Essential in the habitats I get into even if they end up as a portable sauna as the sun rises and one's exercise levels increases. Then the boots...tough and protective given the bogs and marshes I land myself in, and the presence of reptiles and thorns of course, but they also have to be light enough to permit alacrity. I had found one such pair through hit and trial. Well, I got all that gear together, fixed my ride to Keoladeo for 1.30 A.M., and was about to grab some sleep when the phone rang in and a patient with a chronic recalcitrant problem sought to come over for urgent advice, late hour notwithstanding.

 

Anyway, one was on the road by the destined hour, slightly doozy from lack of sleep, but game for the day ahead. An early start was indicated to accommodate fog that was certain to envelop us as we swept into the plains of Uttar Pradesh and through verdant aspects of adjacent Rajasthan. Yet we reached later than usual, thanks to the density that slowed us down to a crawl and frequently halted us to allow highway winds to lighten it up a bit. We sipped hot sweet chai from glasses wrapped inside our palms  meanwhile...

 

The fog hung over through morning and was only around the noon hour that it lifted to clearly expose resident birds and migrating laggards.

 But in that morning fog one spotted this Spot-billed Pelican sailing in stately fashion through the marshy water-body. Its demeanor was very much like Titanic setting out to sea surrounded by tiny harbor boats.

It is a rather large bird though it can fold into itself like storks, cranes, flamingoes, egrets and such. Therefore, its size may look different at different times depending upon its mood. They are about 150-160 centimeters with a large wingspan  of 5-6 meters or more.

Gregarious and living usually in flocks, the Spot-billed pelican isn't very noisy.

Both sexes look alike. The head, neck and upper-parts are usually grey with mottled-brown tail-coverts.  In winter lower back, rump and flanks are tinged with reddish-brown feathers. The under-parts are usually greyish white. Juveniles are pale brown above and white below.  There is a seasonal variation in the colour of their feathers. Their legs and feet dark brown.

The typical feature is their bill. Long with expandable throat pouches to scoop in fish, amphibians and crabs, reptiles and such delicacies just beneath the surface, and maybe the odd small water bird on the surface. This pouch is called a 'gular pouch' and is yellowish flesh-coloured, with bluish-grey spots on upper mandible and grey-blackish marking on pouch.

Breeding from September to April. Nests are in groups, like a colony, on tree-tops set back from water and made up of sticks and twigs.

This species was earlier widespread but has dramatically shrunk to breeding pockets in Asian countries like India, Sri Lanka and Cambodia. It is categorized as Near-threatened. The dangers to this species are mainly Anthropogenic including: loss of waterland habitat to agriculture and construction; felling of trees; hunting and poaching of chicks and eggs; loss of waterland habitat to invasive species of plants and weeds; conversion of feeding waterbodies for commercial aquaculture by various fishery groups; and extensive use of pesticides and chemicals which drain into their feeding wetlands. These are some of the problems faced by them.

Fishermen traditionally used them as guides, due to their stately quality mentioned earlier which extends into their flight also, to spot fishing zones and, curiously, these pelicans preferred fish which was not considered edible by man. They were never in competition with fishermen and fish-consuming human beings...we just chose to compete with the pelicans!
 

 

Photographed at Keoladeo Ghana Bird Sanctuary, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India on 2nd March, 2014

 

Camera used: Nikon D5100 DSLR with AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm VR Lens