Eurasian Spoonbill: Platalea leucorodia and Purple heron : Ardea purpurea

Eurasian Spoonbill: Platalea leucorodia and Purple heron : Ardea purpurea
Spoonbill in breeding plumage shooing away Purple heron

I haven’t been able to indulge in bird-watching since March this year for a variety of reasons. Neither have I processed the cache of raw photographs stagnating on many SD cards in the time. Perhaps I sulked too much over a camera and lens upgrade at the cost of an interesting hobby. Perhaps ‘overworked’ was just an excuse for laziness to prevail. Anyway, whatever the reason/s, I was going through my cache and found this little gem of bird behavior rotting on an SD card.

It was an unexpectedly foggy post-winter morning when I was walking the trails of Keoladeo Ghana forestry looking for anything in that haze. The sun had risen but its morning rays were still being bested by night’s fog. Dry scrubland, from which a chilly breeze blew in, lay to my right, and a woody marshland with a pall of unwavering fog floating upon, on my left. A common Eurasian spoonbill in breeding plumage was foraging, and an even commoner Purple heron was doing likewise a few hopping steps away. This went on for a while, and I, with nothing much to do in the haze, paused to watch the “unexcitingly common” birds. They too deserve a good photograph, and with this thought, I set about getting my camera ready to shoot their portraits.

I took a few test snaps to check the results in that low light. Also, fog tends to make images grainy. And as I was re-adjusting, the Eurasian spoonbill decided it was time to give a performance. The spoonbill shot its neck up from the water, spread out its breeding plumage and crown, clacked its bill and grunted a bit and took a step or two towards the Purple heron. I expected resistance but the shy heron slunk away a few hurried steps to give the dominant actor more space. Encouraged, the spoonbill followed a step or two, an aggressor high on hormones, before lapsing into normalcy.

What a sterling act that was! The fog wasn’t troublesome anymore.

Details of the two actors are as follows:

1) Eurasian spoonbill : Platalea leucorodia

Hindi: Chamach baza; Sanskrit: Shwet aati; Telugu: Gante mukku konga

IUCN Status:  Least Concern

Main features: Tall bird, white feathered; during breeding season sports orangish-rust like chest feathers, yellowish-rust coloured front of neck, and a crest on the back of its head and upper neck; and has black long legs. Its distinctive feature is a long black and yellow flat bill, striped across its length and flared at its end – like tongs or spoon – and often yellow-tipped.

Found usually near marshes and shallow lakes in flocks but may be found individually too.

Generally utters low baritone grunts and ‘clacks’ its bill to communicate.

Nests usually between July to November. Nests are made of sticks and mud atop trees along water bodies.

Feeds by plunging its spoon/tongs shaped bill under water and moving it side-to-side in a stirring motion to sift for snails, molluscs, fish, tadpoles, frogs, insects and random veggie stuff found there.

It is threatened by activities of man through loss of habitat, overfishing in lakes, air and water pollution and destruction of eggs. Also, it is vulnerable to avian viral diseases.

2) Purple heron : Ardea purpurea

Hindi: Nari, Laal anjan, Laal sain; Sanskrit: Kakheru,  Neel bak; Telugu: Yerra narayana pakshi,

IUCN Status:  Least Concern

Main features: Less than a metre in size, about 70-90 centimetres. Grey-brown back feathers, rufous and black underfeathers; crown dark purplish- black; neck rufous with black stripes on sides; underwing with leading edge rufous, grey coverts and slaty black flight feathers. Iris is yellow; lores greenish yellow; bill buffy yellow with brown on culmen and tip; feet and legs brown with yellow on back of tarsus and soles of feet.

Found usually near marshes and dense aquatic vegetation, shy, usually single.

Generally utters a loud ‘fraaarnk’ to communicate.

Breeds year-round. Nests are platforms made of reeds sticks and mud along water bodies and up to a height of three metres.

Feeds on fish and water insects mainly.

It is threatened by activities of man through loss of habitat; encroachment by man on shallow water-bodies; reed-cane harvesting for making furniture; and air and water pollution.

Photographed at Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India on 2.3.2014

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