नकटा-Knob Billed Duck

Hello readers, thanks a lot for an overwhelming response, the reason for motivation is just your love which helps me to take my passion to the highest level. Very soon you will get a unique trip report till the time you will get yet another topic for the week.

You must be surprised with “Nakta” this is what Knob billed duck is known in Hindi, sounds interesting! so without wasting time lets meet Knob Billed Duck. 

What's in a name?

Knob billed duck with so many names such as Nakata, Nandukhi, Hansak, Nakawa, Nakihans, Nakuma, Nasachhina, and Comb Duck. So many names in a different language but the reason is one. The unique pattern on the head of the duck defines the name of this bird. Mainly males have a large black knob on the bill this unique pattern is the main reason for such names. Knob Billed Duck, a knob on the bill, you can co-relate the same when you see DSLR section. now we know how it looks like let us know the detailing of the bird in the next section.

The Fantastic facts

The Knob-billed Duck is an unusual, pan-tropical duck this common species is unmistakable. Adults have a white head freckled with dark spots, and a pure white neck and underparts. The upperparts are glossy blue-black upperparts, with bluish and greenish iridescence especially prominent on the secondary (lower arm feathers)

The male is larger than the female and has a large black knob on the bill. Young birds are dull buff below and on the face and neck, with dull brown upperparts, top of the head and eye stripe. The female is similar but smaller and duller than male, and she lacks the fleshy knob. Her plumage is less glossy

Immature Knob-billed Ducks look like a large a greyish female of the Cotton Pygmy Goose and may be difficult to tell apart if no other birds are around to compare size and hue

They often perch in trees, and are typically seen in flocks. During the wet season, they form small flocks and in the dry season, up to 100 individuals can be seen foraging together. Sometimes they separate according to gender

Even though they are locally common, their numbers are declining. Still, due to their wide range, this species is not yet considered globally threatened by the IUCN

Males may have two mates at once or up to five in succession. They defend the females and young but not the nest sites. Unmated males perch in trees and wait for opportunities to mate

They feed on vegetation by grazing or dabbling and to a lesser extent on small fish, invertebrates, and seeds

The Knob-billed Duck is a good flier. It performs slow, but steady and noisy wing beats. When they move to find water, they fly in irregular formation, or in single-file lines, or in V-formation

I hope you liked the content to visit DSLR section to enjoy the pictures, these are taken by me during Bharatpur and Tadoba Visit

A Message of the Day – 

God loved the birds and created trees, humans loved the birds and created cages. 

Don’t Cage birds, let them enjoy the sky

BT Wild Art

Deadly DSLR 

Male

Female

Super Duper Spoonbill

My lovely readers hope the weekend is treating you well, take out a camera and visit any place nearby and take a few clicks, trust me it will be fun. Be it street photo, birds, or animal anything but something unique from daily routine will give you a different level of satisfaction. Do try once and share your experience on btwildart@gmail.com

So are you ready for today’s topic? I guess everyone would be lazy to start the weekend hence by the time you get charged up let me be ready with the topic to serve you on time. Album suggests me to go for bird today so I search Bharatpur and City folder to find some interesting bird for you while searching both the folders I found Spoonbill in both folders and immediately I decided to go for it. Did you notice one thing? I found a bird in both folders Bharatpur to Mumbai, this is what I wanted to highlight, the bird is common but with uncommon habits. So get set go to meet the bird in the next section.

The  spoon story

The connection with the bird started from Bharatpur visit, the place where I notice this bird for the first time. During this visit due to the low water level, we were just lucky to sight the bird but were not so lucky to see various activities of this bird. Even though we had a very small encounter with spoonbill but it still got registered in mind because of its unique bill pattern, which helped me to identify the bird in my routine birding at a wetland near Vashi. I was surprised to see spoonbills in good numbers near home believe me it was like a treat to watch. It was morning time with full-on fishing activity. 

This was the first time I saw spoonbills active on fishing it was impressive and attractive; they were in a group and moving continuously all around to find a fish. The way they used to move everywhere it was funny. Until they find a fish, they keep bill submerged in the water, they keep walking across the water with the bill inside with very quick speed, it gives an impression that they are dancing and not fishing. After few attempts, they somehow manage to catch a fish and gulp it inside through it long spoon patterned bill. I almost spent an hour with them and had the best time ever, this made me crazy hence I make sure that I visit this place every week which offers something unique every time. I am sure you will co-relate the story when you visit the DSLR section. 

The Facts effect

Now it is time to know the details of the bird, the behavior, the pattern, the food habits and reason of name “Spoonbill” 

Spoonbills are a genus, Platalea of large, long-legged wading birds, the genus name Platalea derives from Latin and means "broad", referring to the distinctive shape of the bill. The Shape of the bill is similar to the shape of a spoon, check out DSLR section to cross-check with a spoon 😂😂

All spoonbills have large, flat, wider bills and feed by wading through shallow water, sweeping the partly opened bill from side to side 

The moment any small aquatic creature touches the inside of the bill—an insect, crustacean, or tiny fish it is snapped shut. Spoonbills generally prefer fresh water to salt but are found in both environments. They need to feed many hours each day

Many time people consider spoonbill as Ibis because both have bare patches of skin around the bills and eyes but in reality, it is not the same. The spoonbills are most distinct from the ibises in the shape of their bill, which is long, flat, and wider at the end but they has similarities as well, Like the ibises, the spoonbills have bare patches of skin around the bills and eyes

The nostrils are located near the base of the bill so that the bird can breathe while the bill is submerged in water. The eyes are positioned to provide spoonbills with binocular vision, although when foraging tactile senses are important too

Spoonbills are monogamous, but, so far as is known, only for one season at a time. Most species nest in trees or reed beds, often with ibises or herons

The female lays a clutch of about three smooth, oval, white eggs and both parents incubate; chicks hatch one at a time rather than all together. The newly hatched young are blind and cannot care for themselves immediately; both parents feed them by partial regurgitation. Chicks' bills are short and straight, and only gain the characteristic spoonbill shape as they mature

I am sure you will like the content and pictures, do share your feedback and suggestion on the blog, it will help me to serve you better.

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

                         

                     

The Great Gaur

Hello friends, I hope you are enjoying the rainy Sunday with the flavor of winning trend of our beloved cricket team, wishing our team a stroke of great luck and hope to see the Cup in the Country soon. 

Now back to the wilderness, let me thank everyone for continued support, your overwhelmed response is commendable. Many of you liked the Indian Skimmer blog because they were completely unaware about of existence of such unique birds in India. Many of you were amazed by skimming habit especially skimming pictures, many thanks once again for your blessing. 

I know you want to know the topic of the week, so without taking more time lets get into the topic. Today I will enlighten you on Indian Gaur (Indian Bison) which is considered as Buffalo/bull but let me tell you that in reality, this animal is completely different from buffalo/bull in all aspects, so let us meet the giant Gaur and understand how it is different from other cattle and learn more about characters of this heavyweight.

The Common Mistake

The heading is a common mistake because we always treat the Gaurs as buffalo, which is not the fact. Even for the first time when I saw Gaur at Nagzira, my innocent statement was oh kya huge बैल hai!, then Jogi explained that this animal is different and is known as Indian Bison or Indian Gaur. Now I will explain the Characteristics of Gaur so you don't make such a common mistake and you can easily differentiate them from Buffalo. 

The Unique Character  

The gaur (Bos gaurus), also called the Indian bison, is the largest extant bovine, though it is part of cattle family and is the tallest of wild cattle species

Male Gaurs are black in color, while female Gaurs are brown. Both the hide of male and female Gaurs is white below the knee of each leg, giving the gaur an appearance of wearing white stockings. Gaur calves are light brown and do not have "stockings

Both males and females have upwardly curved horns. They can reach 45 inches in length. They are usually green or yellow in color, with black tips

Gaurs have a high dorsal ridge on the upper back and very large ears. They have a deep hollow area on the forehead and a ridge that passes between the horns. Large ears are another prominent feature on their head

These unique characteristics help us to differentiate Gaur from Buffalo, you can check out pictures in DSLR section to get more clarity. Now let me throw lights on habits, behavior and some other facts of this giant animal

The Facts File

Gaur is the largest representative of the wild cattle. Males weigh between 600kg to 1500kg while female reaches around 1/4^th of the male weigh. They can reach 8 to 11 feet in length and from 5 to 7 feet at the height at shoulder

Gaurs are diurnal animals (active during the day). They are mainly active early in the morning and late in the afternoon. In areas close to humans, gaurs can change their normal routine and become a nocturnal animal (active during the night)

Gaurs are territorial animals. One group requires territory of around 30 square miles. Gaurs live in a group (herd) composed of usually 8-11 animals (rarely up to 40). These groups consist of one dominant male and females. Gaurs live in matriarchate, which means that the group has a female leader

Gaurs produce a different type of sounds for communication. High-pitched growling is used for alarming the members about the upcoming danger

Gaurs are known for their bad temper. Even unprovoked, gaur can attack and inflict deadly injuries using its horns

Gaurs are capable of defending against (and killing) tigers, as well as chasing them off. An old tigress in Navegaon Nagzira Tiger Reserve appears to have died after being wounded by a gaur

Gaurs are among the largest living land animals. Only elephants, rhinos, the hippopotamus and the giraffe consistently grow heavier. Two species that naturally co-exist with the gaur are heavier: the Asian elephant and Indian rhinoceros

Please visit DSLR section, most of the above characters are covered in the DSLR section, thanks so much for your love and support

CONSERVATION STATUS

IUCN Red List. A great percent of their habitat has been destroyed in the last couple of decades, leading to a dramatic decline (70%) in the population of the wild gaurs. Poaching is another factor that affects their survival. Gaurs are listed as vulnerable species (may become endangered in the near future)

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

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