Little-ringed Plover

Post is part of the project- Birds in the neighborhood. | Bird 57

The location of the sighting and photograph is Karhandla Farm and Resort near Umred (Dist: Nagpur)

I have extended the definition of neighborhood to include any place I visit as Earth is my home. Earlier, up to bird 47, all the clicks were taken around 100 feet from my home in Warora (Dist: Chandrapur).

If more information is needed, read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_ringed_plover

Little-ringed Plover
Little Ringed Plover 2

Bay-backed Shrike

Post is part of the project- Birds in the neighborhood. | Bird 56

The location of the sighting and photograph is Karhandla Farm and Resort near Umred (Dist: Nagpur)

I have extended the definition of neighborhood to include any place I visit as Earth is my home. Earlier, up to bird 47, all the clicks were taken around 100 feet from my home in Warora (Dist: Chandrapur).

If more information is needed, read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay-backed_shrike

Bay-Backed Shrike
Bay-Backed Shrike 2

Indian Cormorant

Post is part of the project- Birds in the neighborhood. | Bird 53

The location of the sighting and photographs is Munzala Dam Spillway and Reservoir, District: Yavatmal.

I have extended the definition of neighborhood to include any place I visit as Earth is my home. Earlier, up to bird 47, all the clicks were taken around 100 feet from my home in Warora (Dist: Chandrapur).

This medium-sized bronze brown cormorant is scalloped in black on the upper plumage, lacks a crest and has a small and slightly peaked head with a long narrow bill that ends in a hooked tip. The eye is blue and bare yellow facial skin during the non-breeding season. Breeding birds have a short white ear tuft. In some plumages it has a white throat but the white is restricted below the gape unlike in the much larger great cormorant. Sexes are similar, but non-breeding adults and juveniles are browner. (Paragraph taken from Wikipedia)

At first, I mistook this bird for Little Cormorant. But the hooked tip of the beak helped realize that its Indian Cormorant. The color of eyes is not properly visible owing to distance and lighting conditions. (The doubt still persists.)

Indian Cormorant

Ruddy Shelduck AKA Brahminy Duck

Post is part of the project- Birds in the neighborhood. | Bird 52

The location of the sighting and photographs is Munzala Dam Spillway and Reservoir, District: Yavatmal.

I have extended the definition of neighborhood to include any place I visit as Earth is my home. Earlier, up to bird 47, all the clicks were taken around 100 feet from my home in Warora (Dist: Chandrapur).

The ruddy shelduck grows to a length of 58 to 70 cm (23 to 28 in) and has a 110–135 cm (43–53 in) wingspan. The male has orange-brown body plumage and a paler, orange-brown head and neck, separated from the body by a narrow black collar. The rump, flight feathers, tail-coverts and tail feathers are black and there are iridescent green speculum feathers on the inner surfaces of the wings. Both upper and lower wing-coverts are white, this feature being particularly noticeable in flight but hardly visible when the bird is at rest. The bill is black and the legs are dark grey. The female is similar but has a rather pale, whitish head and neck and lacks the black collar, and in both sexes, the colouring is variable and fades as the feathers age. The birds moult at the end of the breeding season and the male loses the black collar, but a further partial moult between December and April restores it. Juveniles are similar to the female but are a darker shade of brown.

The call is a series of loud, nasal honking notes, it being possible to discern the difference between those produced by the male and the female. The calls are made both on the ground and in the air, and the sounds are variable according to the circumstances in which they are uttered.(The above two paragraphs were taken form Wikipedia)

Ruddy Shelduck (Pair) – Ignore the Yellow-Wattled Lapwings in frame
(Probably Female) Ruddy Shelduck
(Probably Male) Ruddy Shelduck
In Flight…

Common Kingfisher

Post is part of the project- Birds in the neighborhood. | Bird 51

It is also known as the Eurasian kingfisher and river kingfisher

The location of the sighting and photographs is Munzala Dam Spillway and Reservoir, District: Yavatmal.

I have extended the definition of neighborhood to include any place I visit as Earth is my home. Earlier, up to bird 47, all the clicks were taken around 100 feet from my home in Warora (Dist: Chandrapur).

Common Kingfisher is a small kingfisher with seven subspecies recognized within its wide distribution across Eurasia and North Africa. This species has the typical short-tailed, dumpy-bodied, large-headed, and long-billed kingfisher shape. The adult male of the western European subspecies, A. a. ispida has green-blue upperparts with pale azure-blue back and rump, a rufous patch by the bill base, and a rufous ear-patch. It has a green-blue neck stripe, white neck blaze and throat, rufous underparts, and a black bill with some red at the base. The legs and feet are bright red. It is about 16 cm long with a wingspan of 25 cm , and weighs 34–46 g. The female is identical in appearance to the male except that her lower mandible is orange-red with a black tip. The juvenile is similar to the adult, but with duller and greener upperparts and paler underparts. Its bill is black, and the legs are also initially black. Feathers are moulted gradually between July and November with the main flight feathers taking 90–100 days to moult and regrow. Some that moult late may suspend their moult during cold winter weather.

The flight of the kingfisher is fast, direct and usually low over water. The short, rounded wings whirr rapidly, and a bird flying away shows an electric-blue “flash” down its back.

(The paragraph taken form Wikipedia)

Common Kingfisher
Common Kingfisher

Yellow-Wattled Lapwing

Post is part of the project- Birds in the neighborhood. | Bird 50

The location of the sighting and photographs is Munzala Dam Spillway and Reservoir, District: Yavatmal.

I have extended the definition of neighborhood to include any place I visit as Earth is my home. Earlier, up to bird 47, all the clicks were taken around 100 feet from my home in Warora (Dist: Chandrapur).

These are conspicuous and unmistakable birds found in dry stony and open grassland or scrub habitats. They are medium-sized pale brown waders with a black crown which is separated from the brown on the neck by a narrow white band and large yellow facial wattles. The chin and throat are black and the brown neck and upper breast is separated from the white belly by a narrow blackish line. The tail has a subterminal black band which does not extend into the outer tail-feathers. There is a white wingbar on the inner half of the wing. The bill is yellow at the base. They have tiny yellow carpal spurs. The crown feathers can be raised slightly in displays. They are mostly sedentary but populations make long distance movements in response to the monsoons. They are occasional visitors to the Kathmandu valley in Nepal and a vagrant was seen in Malaysia. (The paragraph taken form Wikipedia)

Yellow-Wattled Lapwing
Yellow-Wattled Lapwing

Black-Winged Stilt

Post is part of the project- Birds in the neighborhood. | Bird 48

I am extending the definition of neighborhood to include any place I visit as Earth is my home. Earlier, up to bird 47, all the clicks were taken around 100 feet from my home in Warora (Dist: Chandrapur). The following shots were taken at a Pond (Mama Talav) near Bhatala in Warora Tahsil of Chandrapur District (Maharashtra, India). The place is between three villages Bhatala, Kotbala and Khemjai and easy to identify.

The adult Black-winged Stilts are 33–36 cm (13–14 in) long. They have long pink legs, a long thin black bill and are blackish above and white below, with a white head and neck with a varying amount of black. Males have a black back, often with greenish gloss. Females’ backs have a brown hue, contrasting with the black remiges. In the populations that have the top of the head normally white at least in winter, females tend to have less black on head and neck all year round, while males often have much black, particularly in summer. This difference is not clear-cut, however, and males usually get all-white heads in winter. (The paragraph taken form Wikipedia)

Black-Winged Stilt (Probably Male. All black wings, not the brown shade)
Black-Winged Stilt (Probably Female)

Some more clicks.

Indian Pond Heron

Post is part of the project- Birds in the neighborhood. | Bird 13

These clicks are taken from various locations from 10 feet to 100 feet from my home in Warora (Dist: Chandrapur).

A vary familiar bird. It is amazing to see that the wings which are white during flight, appear grey-brownish when folded. The male and female are similar for this species. See interesting images in slideshow.

Indian Pond Heron

More birds to follow.

Black Drongo


Post is part of the project- Birds in the neighborhood. | Bird 11

These clicks are taken from various locations from 10 feet to 100 feet from my home in Warora (Dist: Chandrapur).

Male and female of this brave, bold and beautiful species looks identical. It’s called ‘Kotwal'(कोतवाल) in Marathi.

Black Drongo

More birds to follow…

Indian Robin


Post is part of the project- Birds in the neighborhood. | Bird 06

These clicks are taken from various locations from 10 feet to 100 feet from my home in Warora (Dist: Chandrapur).

The male is mainly black with a white shoulder patch or stripe whose visible extent can vary with posture. The northern population have brownish upper plumage and towards south is mostly completely black. Male have chestnut colored vent which is paler in female. Females are brownish above.

Indian Robin (Male)
Indian Robin (Female)

More birds to follow…