Citrine wagtail: Motacilla citreola

Citrine wagtail: Motacilla citreola (Male)
Fig. 1

Citrine wagtail: Motacilla citreola (Female)
Fig. 2

Citrine wagtail: Motacilla citreola (Immature 1st winter)
Fig. 3

Citrine wagtail: Motacilla citreola

IUCN Status: Least Concern

Spotted at Dhankot, Basai, Haryana on 6.11.2014.

 

Male – The yellow-headed one. (Breeding) – Fig. 1

Female- Yellow tinge, brownish-grey ear coverts. (Breeding) – Fig.2

Immature 1^st winter plumage – Dull brownish with hint of yellow supercilium brownish crown and underparts. – Fig. 3

 

 

Photographed at Dhankot village, Basai wetlands, Gurgaon, Haryana, India on 6.11.2014

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

 

Wire-tailed swallow: Hirundo smithii

Wire-tailed swallow : Hirundo smithii
(Adult Male)

 

Wire-tailed swallow : Hirundo smithii
(Juvenile)

Wire-tailed swallow: Hirundo smithii ; Hindi: Leishra (perhaps the tail wire resembles the 'Leishra' grass leaf); Sanskrit: Siti-paksa.

IUCN Status: Least Concern

Spotted at Dhankot, Basai, Haryana on 6.11.2014.

Male – notice the wire like fine filamentous projection extending from the

               tail feathers. Often these streamers are damaged, broken, or

absent.

-         Chestnut cap differentiates from Barn swallow.

-         Bright blue upperparts, almost electric blue.

-         White underparts extending to throat and chin. Differentiates from Barn swallow.

Juvenile – Dull brownish cap

-         Brownish cast to blue upperparts.

-         White unstreaked underparts and throat.

 

Distribution – widespread.

 

Feeding - Skim surface of water for insects.

Habitat – Open country, near lakes, rivers and canals. During summer, may

        be spotted near wet paddy fields and wetlands such as

        Dhankot-Basai.

 

Nesting – Cliffs, caves, mudbanks of canals and streams, under bridges (where this family was residing), houses and temple eaves.

 

Photographed at Dhankot village, Basai wetlands, Gurgaon, Haryana, India on 6.11.2014

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

 



Kaleej pheasant: Lophura leucomelanos

Kaleej pheasant: Lophura leucomelana

Kaleej pheasant: Lophura leucomelana

The Himalayas are known for exotic birds of the pheasant family. The Blood pheasant is Sikkim's state bird. This trip wasn't for the purpose of serious birding and neither was the weather conducive for birds and birders; however, when we spotted birds clearly, we took photographs of them.

We came across this family of male and female Kaleej pheasants as we rounded a tricky corner of the mountain in very dull light. Naturally, our sudden stoppage alerted and scared away a few and this trio gave me a few precious moments to dig out my camera and lens pack out of the baggage, adjust the ISO to 5000 and take the risk of shooting them from the car as well as stepping out.

They were fidgety as it is and just when I had slunk around the tail of our car, a SUV hurtled around the corner and made the pheasants and I quickly hop back to safety. They disappeared into the undergrowth beneath the conifers down a steep-ish slope beside the road. All I had were two quick shots when the light and ISO required a extremely steady, patient arms and plenty of time. If not a tripod and a sufficiently static Kaleej pheasant.

But these are record shots for me since they are my first sighting of Khaleej pheasants in the wild.

The blue ones are males and brown one, a female.

Kaleej pheasant:   Lophura leucomelana ; Kaleej (Hindi); Kar rhyak or Kuki (Lepcha).

IUCN Status: Least Concern

Photographed at a forest near Ghoom on Hill Cart Road passing through it., West Bengal, India on 25.12.2014

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

Eurasian tree sparrow : Passer montanus

Eurasian tree sparrow
Passer montanus

 

Eurasian tree sparrow : Passer montanus ; Hindi: Chotti gouriya ; Tibetian: Kang-che

 

IUCN Status: Least Concern

 

Spotted at: Mirik, Sikkim.

 

Date:  25.12.2014

 

Notice the black patches on either cheek. Slender, chestnutty.

 

 

 

 

Photographed at Mirik, West Bengal, India on 25.12.2014

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