Bird watchers Summer treat at Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary
It’s that time of the year when our feathered guests from far across lands fly hundreds and thousands of miles to Ranganathittu for breeding during summer and spring months, looking for warmer perches. The season from mid of December till beginning of May is the migratory bird season, and is one of the best time for bird-watching and photography in and around Ranganathittu. Since most of the plants flower during this time of the year, the birds have lot to feed on.
There are some bird species which let humans come near them like the Storks or Spoonbills and there are those that are shy and take wing at the slightest of disturbance like the Kingfishers or Darters.
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| A Bowl of Spoonbills in the Summer hot sun at Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary |
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| Darter or Snake bird with long thin neck, which has a snake-like appearance |
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| Darter in flight |
Each bird has their own comfort zone when it comes to contact with Humans, and this needs to be understood by the birdwatchers or photographers. Chasing the bird persistently and disturbing them is not the right way to do it.
After my visit to the sanctuary in Jan, I couldn’t wait for long and decided to visit again in March. Every time I visit Ranganathittu it is getting to be more and more amusing to me with new species of birds, this time it was Great Stone-Curlew, Purple Heron, White-browed Wagtail, Red-Whiskered Bulbul, Oriental Magpie Robin and Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher.
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| Tickells Blue Flycatcher |
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| Red-Whiskered Bulbul |
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| White-browed Wagtail |
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| Purple Heron with Juvenile Egret in background |
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| Great Stone-Curlew or Great-billed Thick-knee or Great Stone Plover |
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| Oriental Magpie Robin |
What’s special this time was the migratory birds with their young ones. The paradise for birds was colonized with cute little chicks, young juveniles along with the fully grown adults.
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| Black-Crowned Night Heron |
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| Juvenile Black-Crowned Night Heron |
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| Asian Open-Billed Stork with its wings open |
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| Open-Billed Stork with little chicks in their nests |
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| Open-bill Stork with its distinctive gap between the recurved lower and arched upper mandible of the beak |
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| Little cormorant on a waterside rock with its wings spread for drying after soaking in the water |
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| Little cormorants perched on a tree |
We got to see all ages of Egrets; the little chicks, Juveniles and full grown adults.
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| Baby Egret |
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| Juvenile Egret learning to fly |
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| Adult Egret |
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| Great Egret adults during the springtime in breeding condition with its long feathery white plumes, makes it one of the most beautiful birds. |
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| Pair of Pied Kingfishers outlying on the tree |
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| Pied Kingfisher taking the flight. Fully zoomed and cropped, couldn't get a more closer pic |
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| White Spotted Fantail Flycatcher in her Nest |
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| Blue Tiger Butterfly at the Ranganathittu Park |
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| Crimson Rose Butterfly at Ranganathittu |
This time we spotted hundreds of Pelicans, Cormorants and open bill storks. Compared to my earlier visit in January, the population of Spoonbills, Pied Kingfishers & open-bill storks sighted were larger; where as Painted Storks was lesser. I was able to spot about three White Spotted Fantail Flycatcher's, six Stone Plovers, three Black-Crowned Night Herons (two were juveniles) and about one or two each of Purple Heron, White-browed Wagtail, Darter and Tickells Blue Flycatcher.
This place gives me so much of peace and happiness that i definitely want to come back over and again.
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