Stylish Indian Skimmer

Happy monsoon to all lovely readers, thankfully monsoon arrived and hope it will be satisfactory at the end of the season. Lot many things depend on rain such as farming, the survival of human as well as living creatures, I mean birds and animals so I sincere request each and everyone to don’t wastewater and try to conserve to the best of your ability.

While thinking of river, one special bird strike to my mind, though I have referred it in past it was only for reference hence I decided to present this lovely bird with some more details in today’s topic, the unique bird is known as Indian Skimmer, let know more about it in the next section.  

The unique Story

I connected to this bird during my visit to National Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary; though the place is well known for the conservation of Gharial, we should also note that this is a favorite place rather I should say this is one of the breeding ground of Indian Skimmer in India. I was completely unaware of this unique stuff; it was super surprise to watch this bird in its habitat. The bird is special because of a strange bill pattern, which helps Indian Skimmers to catch aquatic prey. It has short upper mandible and the longer lower mandible that is plowed along the surface of the water as the bird flies over the water to pick aquatic prey. 

It is not only just catching fish but also about the manner in which the same is eaten. When the bird encounters a fish, the lower mandible is raised up and snapped shut with an up and down movement of the head. Excess water is drained from the beak as the bird lifts itself back into the air. The mandible, therefore, efficiently separates fish and sea protein from the water. The fish is then either eaten in flight or on landing

Isn’t it unique! You will get a better idea when you visit the DSLR section, we were extremely lucky to capture such unique pictures. Now let us move to the next section to learn some wonderful facts of Indian Skimmer

The Facts File

The Indian skimmer is one of 3 species belonging to the skimmer family: Rynchopidae. The Skimmer gets its name from the specialized predatory hunting behavior involving its unique bill

They show remarkable aerobatic skills as the bill is maintained on a steady path through the surface of the water

The lower mandible is flexible and resembles a knife and is skimmed through the surface of the water, picking up aquatic prey while it flies. The upper mandible is capable of considerable flexibility

The Indian Skimmer can be found on coastal wetlands and lagoons, large, lowland rivers, lakes, marshes, swamps and estuaries and freshwater sources particularly during the breeding season

Indian skimmers feed upon surface-dwelling fish, however, they will also eat small crustaceans and insect larvae. Marine life and sea protein make up a large part of the Skimmer’s diet

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CONSERVATION STATUS

The Indian Skimmer is classed as ‘Vulnerable’ by the IUCN. It is threatened by loss of habitat and degradation, pollution and disturbance of lowland rivers and lakes. Most colonies are unprotected, however, some lie within nature reserves such as the National Chambal (Gharial) Wildlife Sanctuary in India. Active management has reduced key threats at some wetland sites. African Skimmers are also almost as threatened as the Indian Skimmer

A Message of the Day – 

Conserve water; conserve life because A drop of water is worth more than a sack of gold to a thirsty man

                                               BT Wild Art

                               DSLR world

Unique Ullu – Eagle Owl

Happy Sunday to all my lovely readers, hope you are taking out a little bit of time for reading unique aspects even in this busy cricket season. To improvise your valuable suggestion is must, so don’t hesitate and share your feedback freely.

An owl is my favorite bird and hence today after a long time I am revisiting the topic but with specific species of owl that is rare and unique amongst them, so let’s meet Eagle Owl in the next section.

The Love Story

Engagement with the owl is very old may be of more than 30 years, during childhood days owl used to visit specific place near our Society which used to give fuel to the gossip of bad omen of an owl and we used to scare a lot. After that era, rapid development in the city affected the habitat and owls sighting has almost vanished. Since then I got the opportunity to sight owls in my various forest visit which helped me to regain my old days, from here the love story with owl reinstated. I remember during my first forest visit, I told Jogi that I am ok even if I don’t find Tiger but please ensure that you help me with Owl sighting. 

Now let me tell you the story of Eagle Owl, it is special because the encounter was very interesting. We went to Nanaj to locate many birds but finally, Eagle Owl turned out to be the man of the match. It was two days visit with Saurbh and Vishnu, on the first day we just had a glimpse of Eagle Owl, which mesmerized us and forced us to locate once again for clear images. Normally, our expert manages to sight but in this case, Eagle owl suddenly came bang opposite to Vishnu and me and distance was also good enough. You will not believe it was staring us for some time that is to with direct eye contact, we wanted that even Saurabh should take advantage of it hence Vishnu moved silently to call Saurabh, it took around 5 to 10 minutes but still, an owl was sitting in front of me without any movement. This is unique in itself that it was sitting on open ground for such a long time with eye contact. We enjoyed to sighting like anything and finally, it took off. We were feeling like it came there specially to welcome us and gave sufficient time to meet and greet, it gave sufficient time to stay there and see every part of it because of which it is special for us. Now let us learn some unique facts of Eagle Owl. 

The Facts File

The Indian eagle owl also called the rock eagle owl or Bengal eagle owl (Bubo bengalensis), is a species of a large horned owl restricted to the Indian Subcontinent. They were earlier treated as a subspecies of the Eurasian eagle owl

Eagle owls have a very large wingspan, and they are known for vivid orange eyes and tufts of feathers on their heads

 They have a deep resonant booming call that may be heard at dawn and dusk. They are typically large owls and have "tufts" on their heads. They are splashed with brown and grey and have a white throat patch with black small stripes

Prey species of birds include partridges, doves, Indian roller, Shikra, and the spotted owlet. Birds the size of a peacock are sometimes attacked

The deep resonant call is associated with a number of superstitions. Like many other large owls, these are considered birds of ill omen. Their deep haunting calls if delivered from atop a house are considered to forebode the death of an occupant

Eagle owl is described as the largest of owls, however, in terms of length, that particular honor belongs to the Great Grey and the Blackiston's Fish Owl is arguably heavier

This bird does not tear the meat from the bodies of its prey but ingests the complete caucus. Later, the bird will regurgitate a single pellet that consists of bone, feathers, fur, and any other matter which the owl cannot digest

I hope you liked the blog, please leave a comment with your feedback to help me improve. Please visit DSLR section for pictures

A Message of the Day -

Conserve water; conserve life because A drop of water is worth more than a sack of gold to a thirsty man

BT Wild Art

                    DSLR world

Shrike – The Butcher Boy

Dear readers hope you all are ready to welcome rain; much-needed for us as well as for farming and for healthy wildlife. Please make sure we don’t waste water and use it appropriately so as our farmers don’t struggle at a time when they need for farming.

Last time we learned about an aquatic animal, so let’s pick up a bird for today’s learning. While going through trip albums this bird's pictures were hitting my mind continuously, it’s like a bird was behind me to publish its profile on the blog spot, I did some research and thought yes the bird surely deserves the space not only because of pictures but for its unique or I can say strange habit. So let’s meet Butcher boy Shrike in the next section.

The butcher story 

Do you know why I am calling this bird a Butcher? I am sure you are thinking that the bird must be giant or looks similar to butchers. No it's not like that but the main story behind the name is unusual habit of the bird, it is just similar to a butcher. Now let me tell you about the interesting fact behind the name. Shrike is known as a "butcher bird" because it attaches the prey on the sharp thorns or barbs before it starts to eat it. This unusual method helps them to tear the flesh into smaller, more conveniently sized fragments and serves as a cache so that the shrike can return to the uneaten portions later.

I am sure it is a big surprise to you and difficult to digest, but it is true. To help you digest the fact let me update you with one of the most important reasons behind this habit. The bird is known to eat species like poisonous butterflies, lubber grasshoppers, or frog; here this habit helps the bird to degrade the poison. Poison in the body degrades after a couple of days, and Shrike patiently waits for that to happen before it starts to eat the prey. I hope now all doubts are clear and you can digest the fact of butcher story. Therefore, to continue the journey let us see what all other things make this bird a fantastic bird.

The Facts File

Shrikes are carnivorous passerine birds of the family Laniidae. The family is composed of 31 species in four genera. They are closely related to the bush-shrike family

Shrikes are territorial, and these territories are defended from other pairs. In migratory species, a breeding territory is defended in the breeding grounds and a smaller feeding territory is established during migration and in the wintering grounds. Where several species of shrikes exist together, competition for territories can be intense

Shrikes make regular use of exposed perch sites, where they adopt a conspicuous upright stance. These sites are used to watch for prey and to advertise their presence to rivals

It hunts and eats insects, lizards, small mammals, birds, frogs, and snakes

Hooked bill of loggerhead shrike is equipped with a pair of sharp projections that inflict injuries to the spinal cord when bird strikes the nape of its prey

Female lays 5 to 6 eggs. Incubation period lasts 15 to 17 days. Both parents provide food for the hatchlings and participate in the rearing of chicks. Young birds are ready to leave the nest at the age of 16 to 20 days

Shrikes can survive up to 11 years in the wild, but they usually, live only 3 to 4 years

Now since you know the bird well, I would request you to check DSLR section for more clarity 

A Message of the Day -

Conserve water; conserve life because A drop of water is worth more than a sack of gold to a thirsty man 

BT Wild Art

                    

DSLR world

Chambal King Gharial

Friends, how are you all doing? I am sure you must have enjoyed the uniqueness of Sunbird and now you can confidently identify this little bird without any help from experts. 

So its weekend again and time to know about another dashing creature, today I will talk about one of the critically endangered species which requires utmost attention and action for conservation. Most of us are aware of Crocodile but not aware about Gharial or you can say Gavial. Let’s study more about this wonderful creature in detail and understand the reason for drastically drop in the count. You will be shocked to know that Gharial was once numerous and widespread in the wild, and today it is restricted to only 2% of its historic range hence it is important for us to know more about Gharials, the topic is an eye-opener for all of us because it will highlight what all can happen if we don't pay attention to our wildlife

Gavial’s Kingdome

Before we start on details let me update you on my experience with Gharial, I have been very lucky to sight Gharial on a couple of occasions during Chambal and Corbett visit. The close sighting off course came from Chambal because it is Gharial’s Kingdome; most of the count comes from Chambal and nowhere. The sighting was memorable because it was boat safari in Gharial and Crocodile home, both gave wonderful opportunities to capture, this will always remain in the heart because of boat safari experience. I am sure you are excited to know more hence let go to the next section to learn the characteristics of this wonderful reptile. 

The gharial a fish-eating crocodile is a crocodilian in the family Gavialidae and is native to sandy freshwater river banks in the plains of the northern part of the Indian subcontinent

The name Gharial derives because of its snout, have a distinctive boss at the end of the snout, which resembles an earthenware pot known in Hindi as GHARA

The gharial's belly is yellowish-white, its neck long and thick. There are two rows of ridges on the central region of the back

The gharial's snout is very long and narrow, with 27 to 29 upper and 25 or 26 lower teeth on each side. The front teeth are the largest

Female digs hole in the sand and lay 20 to 95 eggs per season. Eggs are much larger and heavier (around 6 ounces each) compared with eggs of other crocodilians

The gharial is a carnivore. Adults hunt and eat fish, while immature gharials mostly consume insects and frogs

The list is as long as its length and hence let us move to the next section to explore unknown facts of Gharials

Fantastic Facts

Gharial has very short, poorly developed legs that are not able to carry the body weight and are not suitable for moving around on land but they can easily push the body forward. Gharial also moves by gliding on the belly, body, and tail hang down when they are floating and their hind feet act as brakes to stop them from sinking completely

Like other members of the crocodilian family, gharials have slit-like pupils that open wide during the darkness of night to allow them to see better. Because their eyes are set so close together and face forward, gharials are able to see in three dimensions, which help them to judge distances more accurately

Gharials also have a special, transparent third eyelid that they are able to cover each eye with to protect them when they fully submerge themselves in the water

Along with this, they have external flaps that close over their ears and nostrils to protect them from the incoming water, and a flap that closes at the back of their mouths to prevent water from entering their lungs

Gharials reach sexual maturity late in life: females at the age of 7 to 10 years, males at the age of 13 to 15 years

Absolutely unique creature from others hence it is utmost important that we conserve this creature at any cost. At the speed which it declined is seriously matter of worry, checkout conservation status to understand the criticality. 

Conservation Status

Today, the gharial is listed as an animal that is critically endangered in its natural environment by the IUCN. It is estimated that their population number has declined by up to 98% over the past century, with gharials nearly becoming extinct in the 1970s due to the severity of hunting and habitat loss. Gharials are now a protected species and although hunting has certainly decreased, they are still heavily affected by the loss of their habitats and getting caught up in fishing nets, even in areas that are actually protected by law

Because of efforts made by WWF India (World Wildlife Fund) with its various Special Recovery program, we are able to keep this animal alive

A Message of the Day - 

Do not pollute the water, land, or air, or in the future, we will face despair

Keep the trees and the bees, clean water, and the otter, or disappointed will be your son and daughter

BT Wild Art

Old World bird – Sunbird

Hello followers, I hope you explored and enjoyed the blog on Baboon. Therefore, what to offer today is a challenge in front of me for selection, so many choices and so many topics are already published, so what is new? Not to worry friends, our duty is to keep you happy with stories and pictures. With this commitment today I went out for a city birding to find something from our own city and see I found Sunbird in front of me as if requesting me to publish him on the blog 😂so taking request from Sunbird let’s get into the world of Sunbird in the next section.

The Sun Story 

The little bird with a history of 1000s years belongs to the old world birds. This is a common bird found in the city as well as in the forest. The first time I saw this bird in Tadoba where I was impressed with the activity display. In Tadoaba after the safari, we were roaming around in the nearby area to do time pass and see if we get some birds, during the experiment we saw Sunbird picking up flowers/insects, it was a treat to see such activity in open. The distance was also favorable for capturing the activity clearly, little purple sunbird was shining in the sunshine and enjoying time with flower, flying from one place to another, what a lovely time! Some time such common bird surprise you with unexpected moments. Since then I started following it to understand the qualities of this little bird. After Tadoba I was lucky to get Sunbird at Jhalana and was very much surprised to see it in my own city near my home. you also need to keep your eyes open to look around for this bird near wetlands if it is near your residence. To look around this bird in the city we must know a few things about this bird so as we can recognize if it is around us, so let's move to the next section to know the fantastic facts. 

Fantastic Facts

Sunbirds are small birds that belong to the family of spider hunters. There are 132 species of sunbirds that can be found in Africa, Asia, and Australia

They are small, slender passerines from the Old World, usually with downward-curved bills

1   Sunbirds are brightly colored birds, covered with various combinations of green, purple, blue, red, and yellow feathers. Males are more intensely colored than females (plumage often has metallic sheen)

1  Diet of sunbirds is based mostly on nectar. They occasionally consume fruit, insects, and spiders

1   Sunbirds can hover in front of the flowers (like hummingbirds) or perch on the branches when they extract nectar from the flowers

1  Despite the great similarity with hummingbirds, sunbirds and hummingbirds are not closely related. A similar morphology is a result of convergent evolution: unrelated species develop same morpho-anatomical features due to a similar lifestyle

1  Sunbirds play an important role in the pollination of many tubular flowers (bees and butterflies cannot reach nectar hidden on the bottom of the "tube")                             

    Some species of sunbirds decrease body temperature and lower their metabolic rate during the night

   Sunbirds produce unpleasant, insect-like calls for communication. This is one of the reasons why these birds are not popular as a caged bird

1   Cuckoos and honeyguides often lay eggs in the nest of sunbirds

I hope you liked the content, don’t forget to visit DSLR section it will help you to connect to the story appropriately

A Message of the Day - 

Do not pollute the water, land, or air, or in the future, we will face despair

Keep the trees and the bees, clean water, and the otter, or disappointed will be your son and daughter

BT Wild Art

Author:

BT Wild ArtLife is Safari. Enjoy it.

DSLR