CHAKKIMOR BIRDING ON 28.11.12 by Rima Dhillon

THE  KALKA BYPASS HAS MADE CHAKKI MOR EASILY ACCESSIBLE TO US CHANDIGARH BIRDERS.THE TRAUMA OF BEING STUCK IN TRAFFIC JAMS HAS PASSED INTO THE REALMS OF UNPLEASANT MEMORIES. NARBIR ,DR.DEEPAK AND I DECIDED TO CELEBRATE GURPURAB WITH THE DAWN CHORUS FROM OUR  WINGED FRIENDS.

WE LEFT CHANDIGARH AT 5.40am SO AS TO BE IN PLACE FOR THE DAWN CHORUS.THE WARM RAYS OF THE YET INVISIBLE SUN HAD TURNED THE MOON INTO A  SHINING GOLDEN ORB HANGING LOW IN THE WESTERN SKY.THIS BREATHTAKING SIGHT WAS FOLLOWED BY THE MELODIUS SONG OF THE BLUE WHISTLING THRUSH AS IT WOKEUP TO A FRESH NEW MORNING.FOR ME IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE HERALDER OF A NEW DAY, FOR AS FAR BACK INTO MY CHILDHOOD AS I CAN REMEMBER .AS IF THE AVIAN WORLD WAS WAITING FOR JUST THIS SIGNAL ,THE SURROUNDINGS SOON CAME ALIVE WITH FURTIVE MOVEMENT IN THE VEGETATION.

THE BLUE WHISTLING THRUSH WAS THE FIRST BIRD TO BE SEEN AND HEARD AND WE WERE TO SEE IT AT ALMOST EVERY TURN OF THE ROAD FOR THE REST OF THE DAY.

THE KALEEJ PHEASANT WERE SEEN AT FOUR DIFFERENT LOCATIONS ALONG THE ROADS ALWAYS IN PAIRS OF  MALE AND FEMALE ,EXCEPT ONE WHERE THERE WERE ONLY TWO MALES.

THE MIXED FLOCK OF ORIENTAL WHITEEYE ALONG WITH BLACKCHINNED BABBLERS AND LEMONRUMPED WARBLERS WERE IN A FEEDING FRENZY IN THE WILD BLUE FLOWERS COVERING THE HILLSIDE.

THE WILD APPLE TREES WERE PLAYING HOST TO A LARGE FLOCK OF HIMALAYAN BULBULS, THEIR COUSINS THE BLACK BULBULS AND THE REDVENTED BULBULS ALONG WITH THE WHISKERED YUHINA AND A LONE RUFOUS SIBIA.

AS USUAL THE RUSTYCHEEKED SCIMITARBABBLERS COULD BE HEARD APLENTY BUT NOT SEEN TILL WE CAME UPON  A FLOCK OF REDBILLED LEIOTHRIX . ALARMED AT OUR APPROACH THEY FLEW HELTER SKELTER INTO THE THICK BUSHES ALONG THE HILLSIDE AND UNWITTINGLY LED US STRAIGHT TO THE SCIMITARBABBLERS QUIETLY BREAKFASTING ON BUGS UNEARTHED  FROM BENEATH FALLEN LEAVES.

THE” MAD LAUGHTER” OF THE RUFOUS CHINNED LAUGHINGTHRUSHES AND THE WHITECRESTED LAUGHINGTHRUSHES ALONG WITH THE PLAINTIVE CALLS OF THE GREAT BARBET ADDED TO THE MUSIC OF THE MORNING.

IN ALL A GREAT WAY TO CELEBRATE GURPURB, BY ENJOYING, THE BOUNTIES OF NATURE AND ROUNDING OFF WITH A SANDWICH AND LUKEWARM TEA FROM MY THERMOSE.

BIRDLIST FOR THE DAY:

1.BLUE WHISTLING THRUSH

2.ORIENTAL WHITEEYE

3.KALEEJ PHEASANT

4.RUFOUS CHINNED LAUGHINGTHRUSH

5.STREAKED LAUGHINGTHRUSH

6.WHITECRESTED LAUGHINGTHRUSH

7.BLACK BULBUL

8.HIMALAYAN BULBUL

9.REDVENTED BULBUL

10.GREYHEADED WARBLER

11.LEMONRUMPED WARBLER

12.BLACKCHINNED BABBLER

13.JUNGLE BABBLER

14.GREAT TIT

15.BLACKTHROATED TIT

16.GREYBREASTED PRINIA

17.TREE PIPIT

18.ORANGEFLANKED BUSHROBIN

19.WHISKERED YUHINA

20.INDIAN ROBIN

21.WHITECAPPED WATERREDSTART ( RASMUSSEN -WHITECAPPED RIVER CHAT)

22.BLUECAPPED REDSTART

23.PLUMBEOUS WATER REDSTART

24.RED JUNGLEFOWL

25.FULVOUS BREASTED WOODPECKER

26.ROSEFINCH –PINKBROWED?

27.RUFOUS SIBIA

28.RUFOUS TREEPIE

29.PLUMHEADED PARAKEET

30.ROSERINGED PARAKEET

31.VERDITERS BLUE FLYCATCHER

32.GREY BUSHCHAT

33.CHESTNUT BELLIED ROCKTHRUSH

34.GREAT BARBET (HEARD)

35.RUSTYCHEEKED SCIMITARBABBLER

36.LARGEBILLED CROW

37.REDBILLED LEIOTHRIX

38.WHITETAILED FANTAIL FLYCATCHER

39.COMMON ROCKCHAT

40.SHIKRA

41.HOUSE SWIFT

42BLACK KITE

PONG COMES ALIVE

Dear All!
Pong has come alive with the return of migratory birds. Over 80,000 birds are reported to have already arrived at this Ramsar wetland.

Census will take place in the last week of January. Volunteers may contact us please.

CHADWICK FALL RESTORED

Dear All,

As planned we gathered at the Chadwick Fall at 10 am on the 7th April and cleaned the world renowned Chadwick Fall. This 67 m fall Chadwick Fall is renowned world over for its beautiful setting and the sylvan surroundings and rich avi-faunal importance. Thousands of tourists, both Indian and foreign, trek to this place which has been mentioned in all tour guides in glowing terms.

However, the Chadwick Fall had fallen from grace due to increased biotic pressure and neglect. Plastic, rubber slippers and other waste had accumulated around the fall in large quantities. Seeing the plight of the place and its attraction among the visitors, Himachal Birds decided to organise a Kar Sewa to cleanse the place and restore it to its original glory, said Somesh Goyal, Founder President of Himachal Birds.

Help poured from all quarters in this noble endeavour. Local Forest Division readily agreed to join. So did the Himachal Pradesh Police, Sashastra Seema Bal and the faculty and students of HP University. Class 8 students of the local middle school also participated in the half day campaign to rid the Fall of all waste. Among the notable participants were Raj Kumar Raj, Retd DFO Wildlife, Amarjeet Singh Kawatara, Jasjeet Singh, Sanjay Sood, Vikram Kanwar, Dr Suneel Sumbli, Commandant SSB, Dr M L Thakur, Deptt of Bio-Sciences, Dr Sanjay Narang, Asstt Prof, Govt college, Chaura Maidan and Dr Pawan Attri, Senior Research Officer, Institute of Integrated Himalayan Studies. In all 80 persons toiled without any break to clean the water body, remove the debris and plastic and improve the track from the main road to the Fall. The track has virtually vanished at a number of places due to erosion and construction of road above. However, the volunteers largely restored the track so that tourist could have easy approach to the Fall.

The picnic hut near the fall was full of debris which was cleaned and it was discovered that it still had a good floor. However, graffiti on the walls could not be removed for obvious reasons. Himachal Birds requests the Local Forest Division and the Tourism Department to repaint the whole structure immediately as visitors have started arriving at the place.

Volunteers summoned their creative skills to make use of the fallen drift wood to arrange these in the overall landscaping design of the area.

Some volunteers in the campaign expressed concern that sewerage lines of some villages in the catchment area were contaminating the water of the Fall. Himachal Birds makes an earnest appeal to the concerned authorities to pay attention to this immediately because some tourists take a sip of the water thinking it to be potable and from a natural source.

The road leading to the Fall from Summer Hill has not been black topped so far. Its maintenance will definitely improve the tourist flow. Also road signages are in bad shape. Tourism department may consider putting some nice sign-boards for the convenience of the visitors.

Himachal Birds has decided to clean the Fall once every month with the help of students and local communities. We will also put pictures of the birds seen in the area along the track so that tourists get more information on their visit, said Somesh Goyal.

Let's Beautify Shimla

Hi All,

You will be glad to learn that Himachal Birds is launching a campaign in Shimla to clean its water sources and places of tourist interest which are also birding hotspots.

First such exercise will be carried out on the 7th April from Chadwick Fall. HP Forest Department, NSS volunteers from HP University, SAGES, HP Police and SSB will lend their helping hands to Himachal Birds in this endeavour.

All are welcome to join the drive beginning 10 am on 7.4.2012

We are organising a bird-walk for SAGES on the same day. Assembly time is 09:30 hrs on 7.4.2012 in front of Advanced Study, Chaura Maidan.

Cheers and Happy Birding!

OUR NESTS ARE TAKEN

Dear All,

You will recall we had placed bird nest homes for sparrows in Shimla on 20th March, 2012. Hon'ble Chief Minister and Forest Minister Himachal Pradesh had launched the drive.

We are happy to report that this threatened species has found a home in the nests. You may see the images of a sparrow preparing her bed in the home! These pictures were taken by Mr. Raj (retired DFO-Wildlife) and an executive member of Himachal Birds.

Happy chirping!

WORLD SPARROW DAY, 2012, SHIMLA

Hi All!

Today we celebrated World Sparrow Day in Shimla. It was very kind of Hon'ble Chief Minister and Forest Minister of Himachal Pradesh to kickstart our campaign of installing nest homes for sparrows in Shimla.

In fact the Forest Minister, Sh. Khimi Ram chose to install the first one himself.

We are installingh 100 such nest homes in Shimla alone. To take our message forward

to create awareness about house sparrows, 10 bird nest homes will be installed in all the district headquarters.

We take this opportunity to thank Sh Sudripto Roy, Addl Chief secretary, Forests and Environment, Himachal Pradesh and PCCF, Wildlife Sh RK Sood for supporting Himachal Birds in this cause.

This is what people had to say:

1. "Its a great effort by you and its a inspiration to other...." - Mohammed Dilawar, Nature Forever, Nashik
2. " That's a great effort for celebrating and conserving house sparrow. More over events like these really make people think of saving this little creature." - Mahesh Garg
3. "Just great". - Saurabh Sawant, Mumbai
4. " Great initiative,wonderful way to spread the awareness. Keep it up Somesh ji." - Col BS Lakra
5. " This is a great initiative undertaken by Himachal-Birds team, very well done !" - Navjit Singh, Chandigarh
6. "It is nice to see politicians at the highest level in the state of Himachal Pradesh stepping forward for protecting birds specially the House Sparrow a bird regarded as a pest at one time in China, where politicians almost drove it to extinction.
   While adults are grain eaters and farmers try and drive them off their fields. Hatch-lings and young birds are almost entirely fed on a diet of insects, because of their voracious appetites the sparrow protects crops from insect attack when the crop is most vulnerable in doing so It is actually a farmers friend.And for this reason deserves our respect." - Narbir Kahlon, Chandigarh
   
   

Happy Chirping!

BOOK - THE COMMON BIRDS OF SIMLA

Hi All!

Himachal Birds has reprinted a long forgotten book titled THE COMMON BIRDS OF SIMLA by AE Jones. The book was published in 1920 by Liddell's Printing Press, Simla.

The book now carries 124 pictures, a new introduction and two bird lists compiled in 2011.

It makes a very interesting read for enthusiastic birders.

The book can be ordered at the following link:

http://himachalbirds.org/publications

The book is moderately priced at Rs 250 only.

Hope those who order the book will find it useful. Your feedback will be eagerly awaited.