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February 2015: visiting birds

The Times of India

Rare birds that visited Delhi in February 2015

Feb 23 2015

Neha Lalchandani

Rare birds fly into city

Birdwatchers have reported a host of rare birds in the city this season. The sightings, they say, are a result of luck and the proliferation of birdwatchers with better equipment. With the environment of Delhi becoming worse with every passing season, birders say that rare birds have become even more difficult to spot which is why these sightings become extremely important. Kanwar B Singh, a Delhibased birder, says that usually during active western disturbances when it snows in the hills, birds from the Himalayas migrate to the adjoining plains, which is why maybe some of these rare sightings take place in winter.

“The state of the city's wetlands and water bodies has deteriorated over the past few years and has resulted in a fall in the number of species seen here.These sightings have more to do with the increase in number of birders, using more sophisticated equipment and better communication that help in correctly identifying birds,“ he said.

One such rare bird seen in Delhi recently is the Smew, a species of duck which was last reported from the Delhi region in 1922 by Basil-Edwardes. On November 16 last year, Jagat Prakash Verma saw the bird in the Jhajjar district. Birders say it is a significant record as the bird is an extremely rare visitor to India and is a vagrant.

However, according to records of AO Hume, the bird could be seen regularly at the Najafgarh drain till the late 19 th century. The Red-necked phala rope, another rare bird to be spotted in India, was recorded by Sanjay , the bird guide at the Sultanpur bird sanctuary in the beginning of February . This was the first recorded sighting of the bird in almost 35 years. The phalarope migrates from the north Arctic to the tropical seas. “It was sheer chance that it was seen here.

There are a few records of the bird in India in the past few years but in Delhi, it is an extremely lucky sighting,” said Singh.

The Slaty blue flycatcher from the Himalayan forests was seen by Singh on January 31. “It tends to venture into the forests of the Himalayan foothills during winter. However, there has never been any sighting from the Delhi region. I was pleasantly surprised to see one blue-coloured male feeding on the ground next to the jogging track at Nehru Park on January 31,” he said.

Ultramarine flycatcher, another Himalayan species, spends the winter in the forests of Western Ghats. Its recent sightings in the Delhi region were in October 2013 at Sultanpur by Savithri Singh and then in January by at Sundar Nursery by Ratish Nanda.

The Oriental scops owl, a very small bird, was last seen in 1925 by Basil-Edwards till it was spotted once in Palam Vihar in 2013 and then at the Najafgarh drain in January this year.

The Smoky warbler, which is fairly common in east India, was also never conclusively seen around Delhi till this winter. Several birdwatchers saw it at the Basai wetlands this season.

The Lemon-rumped warbler, a Himalayan bird that barely ever descends into the plains, was seen sitting on a tree by Udiyaman Shukla from his balcony near All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

Birds spotted in March 2015

It was birders' day out with rare finds

TIMES NEWS NETWORK The Times of India Mar 09 2015

Seasonal guest (clockwise from top): Smew, Eurasian coot and painted stork, river lapwing

Sea Duck Spotted In NCR After A Century

It started out as a gloomy morning because of rain and low visibility in some parts of the city but the day turned out to be an ecstatic one for birders. Teams who participated in the Big Bird Day 2015 on Sunday not only spotted a great variety of species but also some extremely rare ones. A team that was birding in Jhajjar's Bhindawas spotted Smew, a European sea duck that was last seen in NCR between 1920 and 1925.

After close to a century, the birders were thrilled that the small duck species that breeds in northern Taiga of Europe and Asia continues to be seen around Delhi.

Another team that went to the Sultanpur bird sanctuary spotted a White-bellied drongo which is also an important sighting as its population is declining. However, Smew was the highlight of the day . “It was spotted in 1881 by AO Hume, who was a great birder and the founder member of Indian National Congress. In 1922, it was seen near the capital by Basil-Edwardes. Recently, there were also reports of it being spotted in West Bengal's Gajoldoba,“ said Bikram Grewal, one of the organizers of Big Bird Day .

Suresh Sharma, who was part of the team that spotted the Smew, said they also saw a Peregrine falcon and an Indian spotted eagle, thanks to their powerful binoculars. “We spotted 178 species on Sunday . Officials are apathetic towards Bhindawas Bird Sanctuary,“ said Sharma.

About 300 people, divided in to 12-14 teams, participated in this year's Big Bird Day . It is one of the largest birding events in the country where people spend a day birding and then upload a list of their sightings on an online portal called eBird. It was started by the Delhibird group--created by Nikhil Devasar and Bikram Grewal--as an informal event held in February or March every year. The first Big Bird Day was held on February 22, 2004, when 236 species of birds were recorded in NCR. The results for this year will be collated in a week.

At Yamuna Biodiversity Park, a team of 20 participated and spotted 109 species between 8am and 10am. A flock of small Pratincole was also seen in the flood zone of Yamuna. At Aravalli Biodiversity Park, counting started early in the morning. A team of six birders participated and listed 69 bird species.