Tuesday 9-12-2008

Shilondha has a special place in my heart as I first learnt birding here, moreover it’s an easy trail not too tiring and always full of surprises.

Taking prior permission from the forest officials, seven of us (me, neeta, Saurabh, Prasad, Preyas, Pramod and Vikram) started birding at around 8:30-9:00. With fours Pr (ayer)’s in the group our prayers for good sightings came true. The very first sighting was of little green bee-eaters, 3-4 of them proving the early bird gets the bee adage. Next was a Loten’s sunbird, a rich shimmering purple, on his favorite bamboo perch just as one enters shilondha. The next sighting that put roses on our cheeks was of Common Rosefinches, one male and two females eating seeds on a tree. Oblivious to our presence we admired them for at least 15 minutes. Scaly Breasted Munia’s were bountiful and we saw 20-30 of them through the whole trail.

Walking ahead I saw a yellow pansy, the yellow very bright sunshiny with contrasting dark blue and black, it looked like an artists colour dish. Chestnut Shouldered Petronia’s were also seen, puffed yellow chest reflecting sunlight.

Swifts in thousands were seen in one small patch of the sky, invisible to naked eye but for two raptors heading straight towards them, gave away their presence. This was and amazing sight, none of us having seen something like this before, we all oohed and aahed at them.

A very good side-effect of not allowing people to enter shilondha is not only increased bird activity but also mammal activity. We were lucky to sight a hare, its lair just adjoining the trail camouflaged in a fallen bamboo thicket.

We sat near the third stream, which is mostly dried up but still has a little water tinkling away and a small shallow pool. A lot of butterflies came to mud-puddle and sunbathe. I saw a Gaudy Baron only for the second time in my life, first having seen it four years ago on shilondha trail itself near the first stream. It’s a very beautiful butterfly true to its name very gaudy, its colors flash like nothing you have quite seen in your life and it’s quite rare. It made us run after it but Saurabh and Preyas managed to get a few good pictures. It soon disappeared having got fed up of our attention I presume. Also seen were a Common Baron and a Tawny Coster butterfly. Minute Lycaenids flit near the cool moist mud looking like small pieces of paper fluttering in the wind.

Around 11:30-12:00, the raptors arrived; a Steppe Eagle flew quite low gradually gaining altitude with help of thermals while an Indian Spotted eagle flew just a notch above him.

On our way back we came across a mixed hunting flock of 2-3 Tickell’s Blue Flycatchers, a very cute looking Grey Headed Canary Flycatcher, Black Naped Blue Monarch female and one un-idid Warbler. I have somehow always managed to miss seeing a Tickell’s Blue before today, just missing it by a few trees, but today we all saw this gorgeous bird to our heart’s content while it danced away in the branches. All in all some very satisfying sightings.

Weary of a long day but with hearts full of a morning well spent we returned to our homes (atleast I did)