In the first gaze of the early morning sun the sky blushed pink as dawn broke over the lower Himalayas, with water laden clouds flitting past lush green mountains and a cool damp wind caressing my face I enjoyed the early morning chorus at Chaki Ka Mor on 3rd August 2011, It promised to be a good birding day. Those of you, who have visited Bhojnagar in Solan district near Parwanoo, will agree that this is definitely one of the best birding spots in the region. The narrow winding road from Chaki Ka Mor to Bhojnagar has a number of varied habitats meshed together the edges of each such merger are rich in fauna and flora. The forests are natural and the people are gentle comprising mainly of pundits who by virtue of their religious beliefs do not indulge in hunting. Development seems to have by-passed this region, a number of small communities (Villages) dot the landscape, houses are dispersed rather than in large clusters and most families have members who are living and working in other parts of the state. Crops of this region include Tomatoes, Ginger, Arbi, Maize&Wheat. There are orchards of Peaches and Plums and the use of pesticides and insecticides are not that widespread but these chemicals have started to make an appearance. During the Monsoons the period of birding gets extended (The sun for most of the day is playing hide and seek with the clouds), However the dense vegetation offers greater cover for the birds, which in turn offers a greater challenge while birding. The poor light conditions test the photographic skills of those of us who are looking to take pictures and only add to a birders woes. Inspite of tough conditions I was able to record 53 species with one lifer (an addition to the area list of the Chandigarh Capital region), I am sure I missed a few species which were busy high up in the canopy they could be heard but my ears are not that well trained. The birding as envisaged was good and the 4 hours spent in this idyllic setting were extremely enjoyable. While birding I came across a flock of about 20 House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) next to a grocery store eight Km short of Bhojnagar. I decided to stop for tea and got into a conversation with the owner of the shop who told me that he has been feeding the sparrows grain each morning for more than twenty years. According to him earlier the flock used to be almost a hundred strong but now only about twenty- thirty birds come each morning. The only heartening fact was that there were 4 juvenile birds seen pestering their parents for food. A study conducted by Dr. Kohli at the Punjab University attributes the decline in numbers due to microwave towers, but I am not sure that that is the main reason for the decline of this species. There is a need to conduct a proper study on all possible factors affecting this species globally. Studies in UK suggest its decline has something to do with the messing up of it’s food chain specially in the breeding season because of change in urban habitat and the use of insecticides, the study corelates reduced clutch size and failed breeding to lack of sufficient proteins in the diet of hatchlings. There is a section which belives modern architecture is responsible since the sparrows no longer have good breeding sites, still others feel the accipiters who feed on them are decimating the population. Whatever the reasons there is no doubt about the steep decline in population, it should therefore be considered a Threatened species. We need to wakeup to the threats faced by this companion of the human race and take all steps necessary to ensure its survival. It is always nice to see Juveniles of any species and because of a rich habitat there were quite a few on offer. - A pair of juvenile Eurasian golden Orioles could be seen learning the fine art of flying from two attentive parents.
- Juvenile White-crested laughing thrushes their crees clearly visible were out with the Gangs of boisterous adults trying to draw attention to themselves, opening their gapes in an attempt to draw juicy morsels from the watchful adults as they foraged in the forest.
- A juvenile pied bush chat was seen sitting on a blade of grass indicating a successful breeding season.
Apart from the juveniles I enjoyed watching the often heard but seldom seen Puff throated babbler. It was nice seeing it call from a perch puffing its white throat in the process. A Chestnut bellied nuthatch also had me engrossed for a while as it scampered up and down the trunk of a large Pine tree, successfully picking out a large worm from under the bark, which it proceeded to slam on a branch stopping only when it was satisfied that its prey had no more fight left in him the nuthatch then proceeded to gulp down it’s richly deserved breakfast. The highlight of the day however was a falcon. When I first saw it perched in the distance I thought it was a Shikra as its back was grey but the moment I put the binoculars to my eyes my heart skipped a beat (Birding is not for the faint hearted). The head pattern was clearly visible distinctly like that of a Eurasian Hopbby / Peregnine Falcon. Size being smaller the beak weaker along with heavy streaking on the breast shifted the scale towards the Eurasian Hobby. The bird was not in complete view but as it raised its foot to scratch its beak rufus thigh feathers were visible the vent was also rufus. The falcon called a few times, It had a feeble tee-tee-tee call which more or less confirmed the identity. The light was poor and so I took pictures trying various combinations of exposure and film speed, but was only able to get ID shots for all my troubles. It was quite patient but finally tiring from all the attention it was getting it flew higher up into the canopy , its thin pointed wings in flight were clearly visible . When the subject of my attention flew it’s partner whom I had not noticed till then (sitting on another tree) flew into the dense canopy of another tree. Much as I tried I could not get good pictures of either thereafter, but what I got was good enough to add the 363rd bird to the area List of the Chandigarh Capital Region (CCR). Sightings such as the above only reinforce the fact that there are still plenty of species waiting to be added to the CCR list , The quest for which continues egging the smitten few to go out there in all seasons and explore the rich environs around Chandigarh. Birds Seen: 1. Black Francolin Francolinus francolinus 2. Kalij Pheasant lophura leucomelanos hamiltonii 3. Red Junglefowl Gallus gallus (heard) 4. Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo 5. Grey capped Pgmy Woodprcker Dendrocopos canicapillus 6. Brown fronted Woodpecker Dendrocopos auriceps 7. Great Barbet Megalaima virens 8. Blue Throated Barbet Megalaima asiatica 9. Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri 10. Plum-headed Parakeet Psittacula cyanocephala 11. Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis 12. Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto 13. Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis 14. Yellow-footed Green Pigeon Treron phoenicoptera 15. Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach 16. Rufous Treepie Dendrocitta vagabunda 17. Grey Treepie Dendrocitta formosae 18. Red Billed Blue magpie urocissa erythrorhyncha 19. Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos 20. Golden Oriole Oriolous oriolus 21. White throated Fantail Flycatcher Rhipidura albicollis 22. Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus 23. Dark Sided Flycatcher Muscicapa sibirica 24. Oriental Magpie Robin Copsychus saularis 25. Indian Robin Saxicoloides fulicata 26. Pied Bushchat Saxicola caprata 27. Grey Bushchat Saxicola ferrea 28. Streaked Laughing Thrush Garrulax lineatus 29. White Crested Laughing Thrush Garrulax lecolophus 30. Blue Whistling Thrush Myophonus caeruleus 31. Brahminy Myna Sturnus pagodarum 32. Great Tit Parus major 33. Red-rumped Swallow Hirundo daurica 34. Black Bulbul Hypsipetes leucocephalus 35. Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer 36. Himalayan Bulbul Pycnonotus lleucogenys 37. Striated Prinia Prinia criniger 38. Grey Breasted Prinia Prinia hodgsonii 39. Oriental White-eye Zosterops palpebrosus 40. Grey Hooded Warbler Seicercus xanthoschistos 41. Black-chinned Babbler Stachyris pyrrhops 42. Puff Throated Babbler Pellorneum ruficeps 43. Rusty Cheeked Scmittar Babbler Pomatorhinus erythrogenys 44. Jungle Babbler Turdoides striatus 45. Crimson Sunbird Aethopyga siparaja 46. House Sparrow Passer domesticus 47. Russet Sparrow Passer rutilans 48. Chestnut Bellied nuthatch Sitta castanea 49. Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura puntulata 50. Asian Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone paradist 51. Black throated Tit Aegithalos concinnus 52. Thick-billed Flowerpecker Dicaeum agile 53. Red-rumped Swallow Hirundo daurica | 
