Birds of Alibaug, Maharshtra

It was the 20th year reunion of our B- school classmates and we got together at Alibaug. Amidst all the fun and frolic, managed to motivate a few of my classmates to come with me for birding. These are from Khim beach in Alibaug.

The day was overcast and we got a very inquisitive lesser Sand plover walking very close







At a distance there was common redshanks



and another one was getting ready to sleep...amazing balance !!

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On our way back from Alibaug you see huge flocks of black headed seagulls chasing the boat. A few shots from there.





They were so close that I could take them from my mobile phone (Pixel 3) 😉



The only thing I did not like was passengers feeding food to sea gulls 😞

Birds of Hyderabad (2018 roundup)

The year started with a trip to ICRISAT at the outskirts of Hyderabad.  It is a popular place for migratory birds











and it was great to see spotted pelicans




and ruddy shelducks

In March a trip to Ameenpur lake showed birdlife is vibrant but lot of human intervention especially with fishing.

















In Sep we went to Narsapur and was happy to see that the illegal sand mining has stopped. But a factory has come up in the neighbourhood of our favorite birding spot. However the lake was quiet and beautiful



A pheasant tailed Jacana greeted us from far

Ashy sparrow larks showing their mating dance





a solitary ashy wood swallow ( I haven't seen many in Hyderabad)





A lapwing warning everyone of our presence



The forested area had Baya weavers and Red avadavat






However the best part of 2018 was not a bird not a plane ... it was the blood moon !!