Jan-Feb 2007

Newsletter forBirdwatchers

Vol. 47 No. 1 Jan.-Feb. 2007

S. Theodore BaskaranDr. A.M.K. BharosHarish R. BhatDr. S.P. BhatnagarDr. A.K. ChakravarthyDr. Ranjan Kumar DasDr. S. DevasahayamB.S. KulkarniArvind Mishra

Publisher : S. Sridhar

Editorial Board

Address for Correspondence :

Newsletter for BirdwatchersNo 10, Sirur Park B Street, Seshadripuram,Bangalore 560 020, India. Tel. 080 2356 1142, 2346 4682E-mail : <[email protected]>Printed and Published bi-monthly by S. Sridhar atNavbharath Enterprises, Seshadripuram, Bangalore - 560 020, India.For Private Circulation Only.

Note from the Publisher

Dear Fellow Birdwatchers,

The king of migration �Sooty Shearwater, flies 40,000 miles a year!

In this issue we have published the article �MIND THE

SHEARWATERS� by Stig Toft Madsen of Denmark. In the past

few months, scientists have discovered that the Sootyshearwater (Puffinus griseus), a small bird with a wing span of100 centimeters, has accomplished the longest migration onrecord. The sooty shearwater travels the Pacific Ocean in afigure-of-eight pattern each year, flying up to 46,000 miles onits migration route, flying from New Zealand to the North PacificOcean every summer in search of food, according to a newstudy. The extensive summer trek is the longest animalmigration ever recorded electronically.

�These extraordinary migration routes represent the longest

recorded of any animal tracked to date,� the international team

of researchers reported in Proceedings of the NationalAcademy of Sciences. Dr Scott Shaffer, of the University ofCalifornia, Santa Cruz and one of the research team, said:�The only other bird species known that could rival the

migrations of the sooty shearwater would be the Arctic tern(Sterna paradisaea), clocking up 22,000 miles between thepolar icecaps. But we don�t know if they do that in a single

season, because nobody�s ever tracked them.�

To follow the sooty shearwater on its migration, Dr Scott Shafferand his team of scientists fixed 33 birds with electronic tags(12-gram) to record data including location, air temperatureand the depth to which they plunge to feed. A year after the initialcapture of the birds in breeding burrows, 20 of the tags wererecovered with 19 providing full records of the distancestraveled.

�It was really amazing to see the distance they were traveling,�

said Scott Shaffer. He and his colleagues tracked the birds formore than 200 days in 2005, between their breeding groundsin New Zealand and their seasonal feeding grounds off thecoasts of California, Alaska, and Japan.

Sooty shearwaters leave New Zealand in the SouthernHemisphere�s winter�summer in the Northern Hemisphere�

and take advantage of prevailing winds along different portionsof their migration route. When plotted on a map, their pathslook like giant figure eights over the Pacific Ocean (see map).

Vol. 47 No. 1 Jan. - Feb. 2007

Continued on Page 15...

CONTENTS

Note from the Publisher

The king of migration �Sooty Shearwater, flies 40,000 milesa year!oof

Articles

Birds of Bundelkhand (Uplands), Uttar Pradesh, India,by P. C. Tak and J. P. Sati

Mind the Shearwaters, by Stig Toft Madsen

Ortolan Bunting (Emberiza hortulana) not vagrant buta regular winter visitor to Pune, Maharashtra, by SatishPande and Amit Pawashe

Incubation period of White-bellied Sea Eagle(Haliaeetus leucogaster), by Palkar Sachin Balkrishna,Katdare Vishwas Dattatraya, Mone Ram Vasudeo andJoshi Vishwas Vishnu

Correspondence

Defense Mechanism of Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) tothe attack of Black Eagle (Ictinaetus malayensis), bySellamuthu Somasundaram

First Record of Black-Necked Stork (Ephippiorhynchusasiaticus) In Murshidabad District, West Bengal, byArunayan Sharma

A Checklist of Birds of Jhalawar and adjacent areas,by Vijai.N. IFS,

Occurrence of Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)near Mysore, Karnataka, by M.Sahana, K.R. KishenDas and D.H.Tanuja

Book review

Golden Trees, Greenspaces and Urban Forestry, byS.G. Neginhal, Review by Alladi Jayasri

Dr. Geeta S. PadateProf. S. RangaswamiK. Mrutumjaya RaoA.N. Yellappa ReddyDr. Rajiv SaxenaDr. A.B. ShanbhagArunayan SharmaS. SridharDr. Abraham Verghese, FRES (London)

mailto:[email protected]>

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (1), 2007 3

January 1992 and the other for 10 days in 2002. Only fivedistricts, viz., Lalitpur, Jalaun, Jhansi, Hamirpur and Bandafalling in the Bundelkhand area of Uttar Pradesh weresurveyed.

Observations on birds were made in as many as 14 localitiesincluding the major reservoirs and dams on the rivers Betwaand Ken. These observations have been used in two ways:one for setting an arbitrary frequency scale for determiningthe abundance status and the other for plotting the distributionof birds in the study area.

The arbitrary frequency scale has been set as: very common(VCom) for the species sighted in 11 to 14 localities,common (Com) for the species sighted in 3 to 10 localities,uncommon (UnCom) species sighted in one or two localitiesonly, and wherever the abundance status was not known, ithas been indicated with a question mark (?).

The residential status presented here is strictly in contextwith the study area, while the conservation status has beenworked out in the light of the recent literature.

The birds were observed with the aid of 10x50 super ZenithField Binoculars and identified with the help of various fieldguides (Ali & Ripley 1983a & b, Grimmett et al. 1999, Krys2000). The nomenclature followed here is after Manakadan& Pittie (2001).

Observations and Results

A total of 122 species of birds belonging to 90 genera and43 families have so far been recorded from the area. Ofthese, 98 species are residents and 24 winter migrants.Out of 98 residents, 40 species depict local movements. Inall, 44 (36%) are water birds (Table).

Of the 122, only six species are very common (VCom), 49common (Com), and 59 uncommon (UnCom), while theabundance status of remaining eight bird species is notknown (?) (Table).

The following seven species, viz., Indian White-backedVulture, Gyps bengalensis (CR); Green Munia, Amandavaformosa (VU); Sarus Crane, Grus antigone (VU); Darter,Anhinga melanogaster (NT); Painted Stork, Mycterialeucocephala (NT); Oriental White Ibis, Threskiornismelanocephalus (NT); and Red-headed Vulture, Sarcogypscalvus (NT) are threatened (BirdLife Int. 2004) and hencesignificant from the conservation point of view (Table).

Five species are listed under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife(Protection) Act 1972 amended up to 2003, 104 underSchedule IV, and one under Schedule V, while 12 speciesare not listed under the Act (NLA) (Bombay Natural HistorySociety 2002) (Table).

Introduction

A survery of the existing ornithological literaturepertaining to Bundelkhand area of Uttar Pradeshreveals that adequate information on birds of the

area is not available except for a few anecdotalarticles by Bell (1901), White (1919), Faunthorpe (1929),

Tyabji (1991) and Bhargava (1996). Therefore, whileconducting general faunistic surveys, it was thoughtworthwhile to study avifauna of the area.

The study area was surveyed twice : firstly in January 1992under �General Faunistic Survey Programme� of the

Zoological Survey of India and secondly in January 2002under the �National Wetland Survey Programme�. During

these two surveys locality-wise bird records along with theirstatus were maintained. The present communication isbasically an outcome of these surveys. The present articledeals with a total of 122 bird species along with their statusand locality-wise distribution.

Study area

Bundelkhand, also known as uplands, is a geographic regionof central India, which lies between the two majorgeographical entities, viz., the Indo-Gangetic Plain in thenorth and the Vindhya Range in south. The region spreadsover in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.The larger portion of this region falls in Madhya Pradesh.The Bundelkhand area of Uttar Pradesh comprises Lalitpur,Jhansi, Jalaun, Hamirpur, Banda, Mirzapur districts,including Meja and Karchhana tehsils of Allahabad districtand south of the Ganga and Chakia tehsil of Varanasi district.

The area is a gently-sloping upland, distinguished by barrenhilly terrain with sparse vegetation, though it was historicallyforested. The height of this table-land does not exceed 300metres generally and rarely goes over 450 metres abovethe sea level. The general slope of the area is towards thenorth-east. The Betwa and Ken rivers drain the area andfinally join the river Yamuna. Rainfall is scanty in the areaand due to the heat and scarcity of water the trees arediminutive and stunted. However, in the recent years, anumber of storage reservoirs have been constructed to provideirrigation and drinking water facilities. The main crops of thearea are jowar, gram and wheat. The original vegetationconsisted of �Tropical Dry Forest., dominated by teak

(Tectona grandis) associated with ebony (Diospyrosmelanoxylon), Anogeissus latifolia, Lagerstroemia parvifolia,Terminalia tomentosa, Lannea coromandelica, Hardwickiabinata, and Boswellia serrata.

Methodology

As stated above, two field surveys were conducted in thestudy area using a departmental vehicle: one for 20 days in

Birds of Bundelkhand (Uplands), Uttar Pradesh, IndiaP. C. TAK and J. P. SATI

Northern Regional Station, Zoological Survey of India218- Kaulagarh Road, P.O. IPE, Dehra Dun 248 195 (Uttaranchal) India

e-mail : [email protected]

4 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (1) 2007

1. Grebes Podicipedidae

Little Grebe (5) Tachybaptus ruficollis (Pallas, 1764) R^ Com IV + + +

2. Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Little Cormorant (28) Phalacrocorax niger (Vieillot, 1817) R^ Com IV + + +

Great Cormorant (26) Phalacrocorax carbo (Linnaeus, 1758) R^ Com IV + + +

3. Darters Anhingidae

Darter (29) Anhinga melanogaster Pennant, 1769 R^ UnCom NT IV +

4. Herons, Egrets & Bitterns Ardeidae

Little Egret (49) Egretta garzetta (Linnaeus, 1766) R^ VCom IV + + + + + + + + + + +

Grey Heron (35-36) Ardea cinerea Linnaeus, 1758 RW UnCom IV + +

Purple Heron (37-37a) Ardea purpurea Linnaeus, 1766 R^ UnCom IV +

Large Egret (45-46) Casmerodius albus (Linnaeus, 1758) R^ Com IV + + + + +

Cattle Egret (44) Bubulcus ibis (Linnaeus, 1758) R Com IV + + + +

Indian Pond-Heron (42-42a) Ardeola grayii (Sykes, 1832) R^ Com IV + + + + + + + +

Little Green Heron (38-41) Butorides striatus (Linnaeus, 1758) R UnCom IV +

Great Bittern (59) Botaurus stellaris (Linnaeus, 1758) W UnCom IV + +

5. Storks Ciconiidae

Painted Stork (60) Mycteria leucocephala (Pennant, 1769) R^ Com NT IV + + +

Asian Openbill-Stork (61) Anastomus oscitans (Boddaert, 1783) R^ Com IV + + +

White-necked Stork (62) Ciconia episcopus (Boddaert, 1783) R Com IV + + + +

6. Ibises & Spoonbills Threskiornithidae

Oriental White Ibis (69) Threskiornis melanocephalus (Latham, 1790) R^ Com NT IV + + +

Eurasian Spoonbill (72) Platalea leucorodia Linnaeus, 1758 R^ UnCom I +

7. Geese & Ducks Anatidae

Greylag Goose (81) Anser anser (Linnaeus, 1758) W UnCom IV +

Brahminy Shelduck (90) Tadorna ferruginea (Pallas, 1764) W UnCom IV + +

*Common Shelduck (91) Tadorna tadorna (Linnaeus, 1758) W ? IV

Cotton Teal (114) Nettapus coromandelianus (Gmelin, 1789) R UnCom IV + +

Comb Duck (115) Sarkidiornis melanotos (Pennant, 1769) R^ UnCom IV +

Gadwall (101) Anas strepera Linnaeus, 1758 W UnCom IV + +

Eurasian Wigeon (103) Anas penelope Linnaeus, 1758 W UnCom IV + +

Northern Shoveller (105) Anas clypeata Linnaeus, 1758 W UnCom IV +

Northern Pintail (93) Anas acuta Linnaeus, 1758 W Com IV + + + + + +

Red-crested Pochard (107) Rhodonessa rufina (Pallas, 1773) W UnCom IV + +

Common Pochard (108) Aythya ferina (Linnaeus, 1758) W Com IV + + +

Tufted Pochard (111) Aythya fuligula (Linnaeus, 1758) W UnCom IV + +

8. Vultures, Kites, etc. Accipitridae

Black-shouldered Kite (124) Elanus caeruleus (Desfontaines, 1789) R UnCom I + +

Black Kite (132-134) Milvus migrans (Boddaert, 1783) R Com I + + + +

Egyptian Vulture (186-187) Neophron percnopterus (Linnaeus, 1758) R Com IV + + + + + + + +

Indian White-backed Vulture (185) Gyps bengalensis (Gmelin, 1788) R Com C R IV BRS (11) + + + + + + +

Red-headed Vulture (178) Sarcogyps calvus (Scopoli, 1786) R UnCom NT IV BRS (11) +

Shikra (137-140) Accipiter badius (Gmelin, 1788) R UnCom I + +

9. Pheasants, Partridges Phasianidae

Grey Francolin (244-246) Francolinus pondicerianus (Gmelin, 1789) R Com IV + + +

Indian Peafowl (311) Pavo cristatus Linnaeus, 1758 R Com I BRS (11) + + + +

10. Buttonquails Turnicidae

Common Buttonquail (316-319) Turnix suscitator (Gmelin, 1789) R^ UnCom IV +

11. Cranes Gruidae

Sarus Crane (323-324) Grus antigone (Linnaeus, 1758) R Com VU IV + + + + + + + + +

12.Moorhens, Coots, etc. Rallidae

White-breasted Waterhen (343-345) Amaurornis phoenicurus (Pennant, 1769) R Com IV + + + + + +

Purple Moorhen (348-349) Porphyrio porphyrio (Linnaeus, 1758) R^ UnCom IV + +

Common Moorhen (347-347a) Gallinula chloropus (Linnaeus, 1758) R Com IV + + + +

Common Coot (350) Fulica atra Linnaeus, 1758 R UnCom IV + +

13. Jacanas Jacanidae

Pheasant-tailed Jacana (358) Hydrophasianus chirurgus (Scopoli, 1786) R^ UnCom IV +

Bronze-winged Jacana (359) Metopidius indicus (Latham, 1790) R UnCom IV + +

14. Plovers & Lapwings Charadriidae

River Lapwing (369) Vanellus duvaucelii (Lesson, 1826) R^ Com IV + + + + + + + + +

Red-wattled Lapwing (366-368) Vanellus indicus (Boddaert, 1783) R^ Com IV + + + + + + + + + +

Table. Systematic list of birds observed in Bundelkhand (uplands), Uttar Pradesh, India

Status Jalaun Jhansi Hamirpur LalitpurEnglish name Scientific name

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15. Sandpipers & Curlews Scolopacidae

Eurasian Curlew (387-388) Numenius arquata (Linnaeus, 1758) W UnCom IV +

Green Sandpiper (397) Tringa ochropus Linnaeus, 1758 W UnCom IV +

Wood Sandpiper (398) Tringa glareola Linnaeus, 1758 W UnCom IV + +

Common Sandpiper (401) Actitis hypoleucos Linnaeus, 1758 W Com IV + + +

16. Ibisbill, Avocets & Stilts Recurvirostridae

Black-winged Stilt (430-431) Himantopus himantopus (Linnaeus, 1758) R^ Com IV + + + + +

17. Gulls & Terns Laridae

Black-headed Gull (455) Larus ridibundus Linnaeus, 1766 W UnCom IV + +

18. Pigeons & Doves Columbidae

Blue Rock Pigeon (516-517) Columba livia Gmelin, 1789 R Com NLA + + + + +

Spotted Dove (537-540) Streptopelia chinensis (Scopoli, 1786) R^ UnCom IV +

Red Collared-Dove (535-536) Streptopelia tranquebarica (Hermann, 1804) R^ Com IV + + +

Eurasian Collared-Dove (534) Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) R^ Com IV + + + + + + + +

19. Parakeets Psittacidae

Alexandrine Parakeet (545-548) Psittacula eupatria (Linnaeus, 1766) R^ UnCom IV +

Rose-ringed Parakeet (549-550) Psittacula krameri (Scopoli, 1769) R VCom IV + + + + + + + + + + + + +

20. Coucals Cuculidae

Greater Coucal (600-602) Centropus sinensis (Stephens, 1815) R Com IV + + + + +

21. Owls Strigidae

Collared Scops-Owl (619-624) Otus bakkamoena Pennant, 1769 R UnCom IV +

Spotted Owlet (650-652) Athene brama (Temminck, 1821) R Com IV + + +

22. Swifts Apodidae

House Swift (702-706) Apus affinis (J.E. Gray, 1830) R^ UnCom NLA +

23. Kingfishers Alcedinidae

Small Blue Kingfisher (722-724) Alcedo atthis (Linnaeus, 1758) R UnCom IV +

White-breasted Kingfisher (735-738) Halcyon smyrnensis (Linnaeus, 1758) R VCom IV + + + + + + + + + + +

Lesser Pied Kingfisher (719-720) Ceryle rudis (Linnaeus, 1758) R Com IV + + + + + + + + + +

24. Bee-eaters Meropidae

Small Bee-eater ((749-752) Merops orientalis Latham, 1801 R^ Com NLA + + + +

Blue-tailed Bee-eater (748) Merops philippinus Linnaeus, 1766 W UnCom NLA +

25. Rollers Coraciidae

Indian Roller (755-757) Coracias benghalensis (Linnaeus, 1758) R^ Com IV + + + + + + +

26. Hoopoes Upupidae

Common Hoopoe (763-766) Upupa epops Linnaeus, 1758 R Com NLA + + + + +

27. Barbets Capitonidae

Coppersmith Barbet (792) Megalaima haemacephala (P.L.S.Müller, 1776) R UnCom IV +

28. Woodpeckers Picidae

Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpecker Dendrocopos nanus (Vigors, 1832) R UnCom IV +

(851-854)

Lesser Golden-backed Woodpecker Dinopium benghalense (Linnaeus, 1758) R UnCom IV BRS (11) +

(818-823)

Yellow-fronted Pied Woodpecker (847) Dendrocopos mahrattensis (Latham, 1801) R UnCom IV BRS (11) + +

29. Larks Alaudidae

Red-winged Bush-Lark (875-877) Mirafra erythroptera Blyth, 1845 R UnCom IV BRS (11) +

Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Lark (878) Eremopterix grisea (Scopoli, 1786) R UnCom IV BRS (11) +

30. Swallows & Martins Hirundinidae

Dusky Crag-Martin (914) Hirundo concolor Sykes, 1833 R^ UnCom NLA +

Common Swallow (916-918) Hirundo rustica Linnaeus, 1758 W UnCom NLA + +

Wire-tailed Swallow (921) Hirundo smithii Leach, 1818 R UnCom NLA + +

Red-rumped Swallow (923-928) Hirundo daurica Linnaeus, 1771 R UnCom NLA +

Streak-throated Swallow (922) Hirundo fluvicola Blyth, 1855 R UnCom NLA +

31. Wagtails & Pipits Motacillidae

White Wagtail (1885-1890) Motacilla alba Linnaeus, 1758 W Com IV + + + + + +

Yellow Wagtail (1875-1880) Motacilla flava Linnaeus, 1758 W UnCom IV + +

Grey Wagtail (1884) Motacilla cinerea Tunstall, 1771 W UnCom IV + +

Paddyfield Pipit (1858-1860) Anthus rufulus Vieillot, 1818 R^ UnCom IV +

32. Woodshrikes Campephagidae

Common Woodshrike (1069-1071) Tephrodornis pondicerianus (Gmelin, 1789) R UnCom IV BRS (11) + +



1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1213 14 15 16 17 18 Ba

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33. Bulbuls Pycnonotidae

White-eared Bulbul (1123-1124) Pycnonotus leucotis (Gould, 1836) R^ UnCom IV BRS (13) +

Red-vented Bulbul (1126-1132) Pycnonotus cafer (Linnaeus, 1766) R Com IV + + + +

34. Shrikes Laniidae

Rufous-backed Shrike (946-948) Lanius schach Linnaeus, 1758 R^ UnCom NLA +

Southern Grey Shrike (933-935) Lanius meridionalis Temminck, 1820 R^ UnCom NLA + +

35. Robins, Babblers, etc. Muscicapidae

35a. Robinds, etc. Turdinae

Oriental Magpie-Robin (1661-1664) Copsychus saularis (Linnaeus, 1758) R Com IV + + + +

Indian Robin (1717-1721) Saxicoloides fulicata (Linnaeus, 1776) R Com IV BRS (11) + + +

Pied Bushchat (1700-1703) Saxicola caprata (Linnaeus, 1766) R UnCom IV +

**Indian Chat (1692) Cercomela fusca (Blyth, 1851) R ? IV BRS (11)

35b. Babblers, etc. Timaliinae

Yellow-eyed Babbler (1230-1232) Chrysomma sinense (Gmelin, 1789) R Com IV + + +

Common Babbler (1253-1254) Turdoides caudatus (Dumont, 1823) R Com IV + + +

Large Grey Babbler (1258) Turdoides malcolmi (Sykes, 1832) R Com IV BRS (11) + + +

Jungle Babbler (1261-1265) Turdoides striatus (Dumont, 1823) R Com IV BRS (11) + + + +

35c. Prinias, etc. Sylviinae

Plain Prinia (1510-1514) Prinia inornata Sykes, 1832 R^ UnCom IV +

Common Chiffchaff (1574-1575) Phylloscopus collybita (Vieillot, 1817) W UnCom IV +

35d. Flycatchers Muscicapinae

Verditer Flycatcher (1445) Eumyias thalassina (Swainson, 1838) W UnCom IV +

36. Tits Paridae

Great Tit (1790-1797) Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 R UnCom IV +

37. Sunbirds Nectariniidae

Purple Sunbird (1916-1918) Nectarinia asiatica (Latham, 1790) R^ Com IV + + + + +

38. Munias (Estrildid Finches) Estrildidae

***Red Munia (1964) Amandava amandava (Linnaeus, 1758) R ? IV

***Green Munia (1965) Amandava formosa (Latham, 1790) R ? VU IV BRS (11)

***White-throated Munia (1966) Lonchura malabarica (Linnaeus, 1758) R^ ? IV

***Spotted Munia (1974-1975) Lonchura punctulata (Linnaeus, 1758) R ? IV

Black-headed Munia (1976-1978) Lonchura malacca (Linnaeus, 1766) R UnCom IV +

39. Weaver Birds Ploceidae

39a. Sparrows Passerinae

House Sparrow (1938-1939a) Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) R Com IV + + + + + + + +

39b. Weavers Ploceinae

***Black-breasted Weaver (1961) Ploceus benghalensis (Linnaeus, 1758) R^ ? IV

***Streaked Weaver (1962-1963) Ploceus manyar (Horsfield, 1821) R ? IV

Baya Weaver (1957-1959) Ploceus philippinus (Linnaeus, 1766) R UnCom IV + +

40. Starlings & Mynas Sturnidae

Brahminy Starling (994) Sturnus pagodarum (Gmelin, 1789) R^ Com IV BRS (11) + + +

Asian Pied Starling (1002-1004) Sturnus contra Linnaeus, 1758 R^ VCom IV + + + + + + + + + + +

Common Myna (1006-1007) Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus, 1766) R^ Com IV + + + + + + + + + +

Bank Myna (1008) Acridotheres ginginianus (Latham, 1790) R^ Com IV BRS (11) + + + + + + +

41. Orioles Oriolidae

Eurasian Golden Oriole (952-953) Oriolus oriolus (Linnaeus, 1758) R UnCom IV +

42. Drongos Dicruridae

Black Drongo (962-964) Dicrurus macrocercus Vieillot, 1817 R^ Com IV + + + + + + + +

Ashy Drongo (965-966b) Dicrurus leucophaeus Vieillot, 1817 W Com IV + + + + +

43. Crows, Treepies, etc. Corvidae

Indian Treepie (1030a-1034) Dendrocitta vagabunda (Latham, 1790) R Com IV + + + +

House Crow (1048-1051) Corvus splendens Vieillot, 1817 R VCom V + + + + + + + + + + + +

Jungle Crow (1054-1057) Corvus macrorhynchos Wagler, 1827 R VCom IV + + + + + + + + + + + + +

Legends for the abbreviatons used in the above table1 = Residential, 2 = Abundance, 3 = BirdLife International 2004, 4 = Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, 5 = Jhunjhunwala et al. 2001, 6 = Jalaun, 7 = Orai,8 = Jalaun - Auriya road, 9 = Kalpi, 10 = Parichha, 11 = Barwa Sagar, 12 = Chirgaon, 13 = Hamirpur, 14 = Mahoba, 15 = Hamirpur - Rath road,16 = Lalitpur, 17 = Lalitpur - Sagar road, 18 = Talbahet+ = Present, R = Resident, R^ = Resident with local movements, CR = Critical RW = Resident with winter influx, VU = Vulnerable, W = Wintervisi tor, NT = Near Threatened, VCom = Very common, BRS (11) = Indo-Malayan Tropical Dry Zone, Com = Common,BRS (13) = Saharo-Sindian Desert, UnCom = Uncommon, ? = Abundance staus not known*Species reported from Banda district by Faunthorpe, 1929. ** Species reported from Banda district by White, 1919. ***Species reported fromJhansi district by Bhargava, 1996.



1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1213 14 15 16 17 18 Ba

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In all, fifteen species, viz., Indian White-backed Vulture,Red-headed Vulture, Indian Peafowl, Lesser Golden-backedWoodpecker, Yellow-fronted Pied Woodpecker, Red-wingedBush-Lark, Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Lark, CommonWoodshrike, Indian Robin, Indian Chat, Large Grey Babbler,Jungle Babbler, Green Munia, Brahminy Starling and BankMyna are restricted to the Indo-Malayan Tropical Zone, whichis classified as Biome Restricted Species- BRS (11); andonly one species, viz., White-eared Bulbul is restricted theSaharo-Sindian Desert, classified as BRS (13) Jhunjhunwalaet al. 2001) were observed during the study (Table).

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the Director, Zoological Surveyof India, Kolkata for the encouragement received throughout.We are also thankful to Officer-in-Charge, Zoological Surveyof India, Dehra Dun for providing various facilities.

ReferencesAli, S. and Ripley, S.D. (1983a). A Pictorial Guide to the Birds of Indian

Subcontinent. Oxford University Press, New Delhi.Ali, S. and Ripley, S.D. (1983b). Handbook of the Birds of India and

Pakistan (Compact Edition). Oxford University Press, New Delhi.Bell, A. S. (1901). Birds of prey. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 13(4):

696-697.

Bhargava, Rajat (1996). Notes on Green Munia. J. Bombay Nat. Hist.Soc. 93(3): 588-589.

BirdLife International (2004). Threatened Birds of the World 2004. CD-ROM. Cambridge, U.K.: BirdLife International.

Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS). (2002) A BNHS Review of theAvifaunal list of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Buceros 7 (3):1- 56.

Faunthorpe, J. C. (1929). Occurrence of the Sheldrake (Tadorna tadorna)in the United Provinces. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 33(2): 446.

Grimmett, R., Inskipp, C. and Inskipp, T. (1999). Pocket Guide to the Birdsof the Indian Subcontinent. Oxford University Press, New Delhi.

Jhunjhunwala, S., Rahmani, A. R., Ishtiaq, F. and Islam, Z. (2001). TheImportant Bird Areas Programme in India. Buceros 6 (2): 1-50.

Krys, Kazmierczak. (2000). A Field Guide to the Birds of India, SriLanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and the Maldives. OmBook Service, New Delhi.

Manakadan, R. and Pittie, A. (2001). Standardised common and scientificnames of the birds of the Indian subcontinent. Buceros, 6 (1): i-ix +1-37.

Tyabji, Hashim N. (1991). Flies forming a possible food supply for youngHouse Sparrows (Passer domesticus) (Linn.). J. Bombay Nat. Hist.Soc. 88(2): 289.

White, L. S. (1919). Nesting habits of the Brown Rockchat (Cercomelafusca). J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 26(2): 667-668.

The table shows the number of shearwaters and the lengthof observation on each observation day:

Date M/A No. of Minutes ofshearwaters observation

7/9 A 5 65

8/9 M 0 97

8/9 A 1-200 120

9/9 M 0 103

9/9 A 154 105

10/9 A 72 151

12/9 A 20 60

14/9 A 0 64

15/9 A 0 90

17/9 M 0 102

17/9 A 0 40

18/9 A 0 105

20/9 A 0 63

23/9 A 0 55

M = Morning, A = Afternoon

Mind the ShearwatersStig Toft Madsen

Strandgade 92, 2.t.h., DK-1401 Copenhagen K, Denmarke-mail : [email protected]

The public announcement system in the London Undergroundrepeatedly warns the passengers: �Mind the gap, please�.The message of this article is: �Mind the shearwaters,please.�

I visited Pondicherry from 1st to 24th September, 2006,.Seabird watching was done from the main beach near theGandhi Statue with a 30x telescope. Shearwaters were seenalready on the first day of seabirding, September 7th. Thelast were seen on September 12th despite seven furtherobservation days.

All the birds that I observed were heading south. They werefurther out over the sea than almost all the other birds. Theywere uniformly brown in color. Even the birds closer to theshore showed no deviating coloration on either the featheredor the bare parts. I am familiar with the Sooty Shearwater(Puffinus griseus) from Denmark, which shows a grayishunder-wing that I would have recognized because the lightin the afternoon was often good. Sooty Shearwaters fly withquick stiff wing-beats. The birds in Pondicherry flew in amore relaxed manner with slow wing-beats on the up-curve.In stronger winds, they careened towards the surface of thesea, as one would expect of shearwaters. The tails werelong, but in no case did I observe the tails being spread out.


Rex de Silva has reported several species of shearwatersfrom Sri Lanka (de Silva 1997). Two species appear to bemore common, i.e. the Wedge-tailed and the Flesh-footed.I cannot rule out that the birds in Pondicherry were Flesh-footed (Puffinus carneipes), but they did not show lightercoloration anywhere. Hence, I consider the birds to havebeen Wedge-tailed Shearwaters (Puffinus pacificus).

In Denmark, shearwaters and other seabirds aregenerally seen on days with strong winds around gale force.Under the right conditions they are even seen off Zealand andalong the Swedish west coast far away from the Atlantic. Thewind was not that strong in Pondicherry. According to mynotes, the day with the strongest wind was September 9th

when some white foam formed on the waves. A perusal ofINSAT pictures in �The Hindu� newspaper shows a belt of

clouds off the Tamil Nadu coast around September 7th

( h t t p : / / w w w. t h e h i n d u . c o m / 2 0 0 6 / 0 9 / 0 8 / s t o r i e s /2006090803060700.htm). If shearwaters are found in goodnumbers off the west coast of Sri Lanka, it is not surprisingthat some of them enter the southern parts of the Bay of Bengaland can be seen from the Coromandel Coast. The distributionmap in Kazmierczak (2003) also indicates this possibility.

Shearwaters were observed on five out of twelve observationdays. Even when there are no shearwaters, there are otherbirds to struggle with, including hundreds of middle-sizedterns that fly (mainly towards the south) closer to the shorethan the shearwaters. I suspect most of these terns to beCommon Terns (Sterna hirundo). Even closer to the shorethere are always a few Gull-billed (Gelochelidon nilotica)and Caspian Terns (Sterna caspia). Towards the end of theobservation period, a southward migration of Whiskered(Chlidonias hybridus) and a few White-winged Terns(Chlidonias leucopterus) in small compact flocks wasobserved close to the shore. Five Skuas (Arctic or Pomarine)were also observed, as well as a few gulls, a few ducks anda good number of waders.

Referencesde Silva, Rex. �Watching seabirds on the West Coast of Sri Lanka�, OBC

Bulletin 26, November 1997, at www.orientalbirdclub.org/publications/bullfeats/seabirds.html

Kazmierczak, Krys. A Field Guide to the Birds of India, Sri Lanka,Pakistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh and the Maldives, New Delhi: OmBook Service, 2003.

association with the latter two species of buntings in ourobservations. The Ortolan Buntings were gleaning seeds fromthe ground in stunted grass amidst gravel on semi-parchedground. They were not seen in tall grass. On disturbancethey flew to the adjacent Acacia nilotica trees and descendedafter some time to resume feeding.

The Ortolan Buntings could be told from the associated Grey-necked Buntings from the slightly larger size, prominentyellow eye ring, yellow chin and moustachial stripe, greenishgrey head and breast band (vs. grey head and nape), differentcall and more confiding nature. Ortolan Buntings were morevocal than Grey-necked Buntings and their calls were pip,pip, pi, pi, pi, ti, ti, repeated in succession and in low volume.

Ortolan Buntings were seen feeding on grass shoots, seeds,beetles and grasshoppers. Grasses of Aristida setacea,Aristida adscensciconis, Andropogon pumilus, Hetoropogoncontortus and Chrysopogon montana species and legumeIndigofera cordifolia associated with grassland were seenin this region. The Ortolan Buntings were observed to gleanthe tiny seeds and shoots of these grasses and legumesfrom the ground in association with Silverbills and Grey-necked Buntings. During the hot noon hours they perchedquietly on the ground in the shade of short Echinopsechinatus shrubs or Acacia trees.

Ortolan Bunting (Emberiza Hortulana) not vagrant but aregular winter visitor to Pune, Maharashtra

Satish Pande and Amit PawasheEla Foundation, Pune, C-9, Bhosale Park, Sahakarnagar-2

Pune 411009. Maharashtra. e-mail : [email protected]

The Ortolan Bunting Emberizahortulana (Linn.) is considered to be a

winter migrating vagrant to northwestIndia. (Ali and Ripley, 1969.) It is reported from Gilgit,Kashmir, Delhi and Gujarat, (Jackson & Gaston, 1972;Grimmett, et al, 1999; Kazmierczak, 2000;) and frompeninsular India from Nasik and Pune during springmigration. (Raha & Gudsoorkar, 2002; Pande, et al, 2003;)Interestingly, the note of the above mentioned reports ofOrtolan Buntings from peninsular India around Nasik andPune is not taken in recent literature (Rasmussen &Anderton, 2005). We therefore record our additionalsightings of these buntings along with photographicdocumentation.

We sighted a flock of at least 12 Ortolan Buntings nearvillage Chambli (18° 21� 82" N, 73° 58� 07" E), near Saswad

town in district Pune, Maharashtra on 12 November 2006.They were in a mixed flock of Indian Silverbills Lonchuramalabarica, Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Larks Eremopterixgrisea and Grey-necked Buntings Emberiza buchanani andwere seen in scrub arid habitat with patches of cropland.Other regularly sighted winter migrating buntings recordedby us in the same habitat are Black-headed BuntingsEmberiza melanocephala and Red-headed BuntingsEmberiza bruniceps. Ortolan Buntings were not seen in

http://www.orientalbirdclub.org/



Photographs of the Ortolan Buntings were taken. Video filmingwas also done this year and the tape is in our file. They arriveon the wintering grounds around Chambli village in Novemberand remain latest till end of March. Raha & Gudsoorkar (2002)have noted their presence till February around Nasik. Closeobservations with spotting scope or 10 x 50 binoculars isnecessary to identify them amidst more numerous Grey-necked Buntings with whom they freely mingle. Juvenile andadult Ortolan Buntings are seen with the juvenile to adultratio of 1 : 0.16 indicating that more adults than juvenilesmake the long journeys from their northern breeding groundsin Europe to the wintering grounds in Maharashtra.

On 18 December 2005 and also in the last week of November2005, we had sighted a flock of Ortolan Buntings nearPangare village (18° 17� 04" N, 74° 04� 02" E). These buntings

were in a habitat comprising cropland in hilly area amidstscrub region and were also in the company of Grey-neckedBuntings. We also report our previous sightings of OrtolanBuntings 8 km from Chambli village on 11 March 2000 at4.30 PM. It is a scrub landscape with a few farms of Jowar,gram and peas, near the percolation tank at Ghorawadi villageon the parched slope of the mud embankment facing awayfrom water. We have sighted the Ortolan Buntings in smallnumbers regularly each winter near Chambli and Pangarevillages since year 2000 till our recent records in 2005.

Raha & Gudsoorkar (2002) have suggested that the status ofthe Ortolan Buntings could be changed from vagrant touncommon regular winter migrants to our region. The regularsightings of the Ortolan Buntings in the Chambli-Pangare areaby us since the year 2000 substantiates this argument andindicates that these buntings are not just vagrants to our regionas thought earlier. They appear to be regular and uncommon

winter visitors to Pune region in peninsular India, which appearsto be their southward range extension from the earlierdistribution in northwest India up to Gujarat and Nasik.

Acknowledgement

We thank Mr. J. C. Daniel and Mrs. S. Unnithan, formerHon. Secretary and Curator, respectively, of the BombayNatural History Society, for kindly confirming theidentification of the Ortolan Buntings from our photographs.We thank Dr. Anil Mahabal, Jt. Dir. WRS, Akurdi, ZoologicalSurvey of India, Pune for his critical comments on thismanuscript and Prof. S. D. Mahajan, former Head,Department of Botany, Gokhale College, Kolhapur foridentification of vegetation.

ReferencesAli S. & Ripley, S.D. (1969). Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan.

Oxford University Press, Bombay, Vol. 10.Grimmett, R., Inskipp, C. & Inskipp, T. (1999). Birds on the Indian

Subcontinent. Christopher Helm, London.Jackson, P.F.R. & Gaston, A.J. (1972). Ortolan Bunting Emeberiza

hortulana Linn. Near Delhi. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 69(3) : 654-655.

Kazmierczak, K. (2000). A Field Guide to the Birds of India, Sri lanka,Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Maldives. Om BookService.

Pande, Satish, Tambe, S., Francis, C. and Sant, N. (2003). Birds ofWestern Ghats, Kokan and Malabar (Including birds of Goa).Oxford University Press and Bombay Natural History Society.

Raha, B. and Gudsoorkar, S. R. (2002). Sightings of Ortolan BuntingEmberiza hortulana at the grassland around Gangapur, Nasik.J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc., 99(3), 536, Dec. 2002.

Rasmussen, P. C. and Anderton, J. C. (2005). Birds of South Asia: TheRipley Guide. Vols. 1 & 2. Smithsonian Institution & Lynx Edicion.Washington D. C. and Barcelona.

Study area and method

Guhagar is a small Taluka in Ratnagiri district which is some50 kms away from the Chiplun city. It has a six to sevenkms long seashore. We found three nests of White-belliedSea Eagle at a distance of 3 kilometers from each other.

We studied breeding biology of White-bellied Sea Eagle byusing a 12-volt close circuit television camera. The camerawas fixed to a 6" long (3" dia) PVC pipe, which was paintedblack for camouflaging.

The nest was at a height of 50 feet from ground level on aMangifera indica tree. The tree did not have any branchesup to 20 feet. We fixed the camera to a small branch whichwas 10 feet above the nest. The circumference of the tree

Incubation period of White-bellied Sea Eagle(Haliaeetus leucogaster)

Palkar Sachin Balkrishna, Katdare Vishwas Dattatraya, Mone Ram Vasudeo and Joshi Vishwas VishnuSahyadri Nisarga Mitra, Near Laxminarayan Temple, Chiplun. Ratnagiri Dist, Maharashtra. Pin.-415 605

e-mail : sahyadricpn @ rediffmail.com.

Introduction

White-bellied Sea Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster is a large,handsome, resident breeding bird found on seaboard andoffshore islands and listed as vulnerable in the Indian RedData Book. White-bellied Sea Eagle is a large bird, ashywith brown colour above, head, neck, under parts andterminal third feathers of tail (Ali & Ripley, 1983). �Kaknghar,

Kakran� are the local Marathi names of this handsome bird.

We studied the breeding biology of White-bellied Sea Eagleat Guhagar. The study was carried out to collect data onnest building, egg laying, and chick development.

Temperature in the study area ranges from 22° to 30°c.

Humidity is about 80% and average rainfall is 3500 mm.


was about 6 to 7 feet. We started the work early in themorning of 24th September 2000. The pipe containing thecamera was connected to the branch by using a clamp andmetal wire. We camouflaged the pipe by tying pieces ofbark to the pipe. The requisite electricity was providedthrough a generator. The contents of the nest and thesurrounding areas were clearly visible to us on the T.V.monitor.

Observations and Results

Nest and Nest building

The breeding period of the White-bellied Sea Eagle lastsfrom October to January. Nest is an enormous platform oftwigs and sticks placed at a height of 10 to 50 meters fromthe ground in a lofty tree (Ali & Ripley, 1983). Both the birdsbuild nest. The nest is reused year after year. We learnedthat some nests were reused for upto 10 years. We alsoobserved alternate nesting sites at three other places. Weobserved that the distance between two nests was 2 to 3kms. But in Netrani, Bhatkal 25 nests were sighted in onesquare kilometer area on an island.

The pair added new thorny twigs, sticks, pieces of fishingnet, plastic paper, and woven bag bits to the nest. Afterthat they lined the nest using fresh green leaves of theMangifera indica and Casuarina equisetifolia. The liningwas carried on throughout the breeding period. Nestingmaterial was collected from a radius of one km. Nestwas kept clean and tidy by the adults. They regularlyadd fresh leaves and blossoms of Mangifera indica andCasuarina equisetifolia.

In 2000 at Ambolgad we found a dead adult White-belliedSea Eagle on the ground below the nest, during their breedingperiod. Another adult was found wandering aimlessly nearthe nest. The linings in the nest had just dried up and thenest was empty. We presumed that the nesting had failed.But when we visited the nest in January 2004, a pair wasfound using the same nest and two chicks were present.We are not sure whether the bird that had lost its partnerhad picked up a new partner or another pair had occupiedthe nest.

Pair formation and mating

Courtship and pair formation was observed from August.The birds were observed chasing each other at high speedsin the sky. During this period both the birds were veryvociferous and were seen call ing �kank-kank-kank�

continuously for four or more minutes. Mating took placenear the nest in the morning on the same tree. During thisperiod both the birds were very noisy.

Egg and egg laying

Eggs are almost invariably two, broad to longish, white, ovals,unmarked. Baker gives average size of 32 eggs and it was77.7 x 53.4mm (Ali and Ripley, 1983).

The first egg was laid on 31st September 2000 at 15.00hrsand the second egg was laid on 4th October 2000 at 7.45hrs.

Incubation and Hatching

Incubation began soon after the first egg was laid. Both thebirds incubated the eggs. During incubation the birds werealert and the incubating bird was observed rotating the eggsand rearranging the twigs in the nest. Some new twigs andfresh green leaves were brought to the nest everyday. Oftenone of the birds would bring a prey and drop it into the nestfor its partner at nest. The birds were not found removingthe leftovers of the prey. Weaver ants were found swarmingover the leftovers. Sometimes these fragments were fallingdown while the birds took off from the nest. First egg washatched on 10th November 2000 at 13.20hrs. The paircontinued to incubate the second egg till the 15th November.But the egg did not hatch. It was infertile. The pair did notattempt to remove it but new fresh leaves were placed onthe infertile egg.

We could not get exact incubation period; since we werenot sure as to whether the egg that hatched was the onelaid on 31st September or the one laid on 4th October. Howeverthe Incubation period is estimated to be around 40 days.

Eaglet

Eaglet had white coloured down feathers. Both the birds fedthe chick. Between 11.00hrs and 15.00hrs the birds wereobserved protecting the chick from the hot sunrays by rotation.Immature eaglet had dark brown colour above and manyfeathers were tipped with white fulvous tinge. Wings werebrownish black. Eyes were brown and feet dirty yellowishwhite. After 10 days the chick tried to stand inside the nest,after 14 days the chick fluttered its wings to exercise. Fromthe 28th day onwards the chick walked in the nest andexercised its wings through vigorous flapping. The chick stoodfor longer periods and tried to balance itself by opening itswings. From 14th January the chick flapped its wings andhopped up and down in the nest and practised flying. Thechick was also seen moving backwards and defecating atthe edge of the nest. Neither the chick nor adult was observeddropping the fecal matter inside the nest. About 90-95% foodmaterials comprised fishes and sea-snakes. Sometimes adultbirds fed themselves first and thereafter fed their eaglet. Afterabout 40 days the eaglet tried to feed by itself.

Chick brooding was observed up to 5 weeks. Thereafter onebird remained near the nest on guard duty. The chick wasalso inquisitive and watched the surroundings curiously, likethe adults. On 12th December the adult fed the chick 88times in 27 minutes. On this day a total of 5 fishes werebrought for feeding. From 14th January onwards the chickheld a leaf in its foot and tried to tear it. Sometimes thechick held exposed twigs in its foot and tore pieces or triedto chew it. It Perhaps it was practising the art of tearing andchewing fish and snakes. From 28th January 2000 the chickleft the nest for a few minutes and practised flying aroundthe nesting tree. After a few sorties it returned to the nest. Itlooked very tired after these sorties. Sometimes the eagletwas mobbed and chased by the crows. The chick fledgedsuccessfully after 55 days.


Mortality

In the present study we observed one infertile egg. At somesites we observed chicks falling from the nest and dying; ordying due to competition for food or sibling rivalry.

Summary

Incubation period of White-bellied Sea Eagle is around 40days. Birds refurbish and reuse the nest for several years, ifleft disturbed. Fresh green leaves are added to the nestthroughout the breeding season. The parental duties areequally shared. Normal clutch size is two eggs. Fledgingperiod was found to be 55 days.

ReferencesAli Salim and Ripley S. Dillon (1983). Handbook of Birds of India and

Pakistan, Second Edition, Oxford University Press, Delhi. VolumeNo. 1.

Ali Salim (1996). Book of Indian Birds.Skutch Alexander F. (1945). Auk Vol. 62. Incubation and nestling periods

of Central American Birds.

CORRESPONDENCE

DEFENSE MECHANISM OF PEAFOWL (PAVO CRISTATUS)TO THE ATTACK OF BLACK EAGLE (ICTINAETUSMALAYENSIS), SELLAMUTHU SOMASUNDARAM, Division ofConservation Ecology, Sálim Ali Center for Ornithology and

Natural History, Anaikatty, Coimbatore 641 108

I was on a field visit to the Anaikatty Hills, Coimbatore (E 76°39´

- 76°47´; N 11°39´-11°5´), a mixed dry deciduous forest with

scrub jungle on 13th December 2006. At around 11.30am Isaw a pair of Black Eagles (Ictinaetus malayensis) soaring inthe sky. They were apparently skimming through the ground forpotential preys. Ali and Ripley (1987), report that Black Eaglesmainly feed on bird eggs and nestlings and also on insects,frogs, lizards. There are instances of them attacking and killingJungle fowl and pheasants. A flock of Peafowl (Pavo cristatus)was foraging on the ground in the open scrub near a Bamboothicket. One of the black eagles remained almost motionlesson wings and scanned the spot scrupulously. It singled out asub-adult peafowl, dived suddenly and attacked the head ofthe sub-adult peafowl. The peafowl somehow dodged theeagle and frantically uttered Kok-Kok� Kok-Kok. It seemedvery nervous and bewildered. It hysterically repeated the call 6or 7 times and wildly tried to flee towards the bamboo thicket.But the eagle continued to attack the peafowl remorselessly. Inthe meanwhile, on hearing the alarm calls of the unluckypeafowl, the other members of the flock foraging nearby, tookto cover uttering similar alarm calls. Two minutes later, membersof another peafowl flock that had taken refuge under the nearbylantana bushes, also started calling frantically. At this point oftime, the second Black eagle flew closer to overpower thepeafowl, but it was taken aback by the cacophony and loudalarm calls made by so many peafowl. Finally, it decided tomove away and wait for an opportune moment to strike. Thedrama continued for some 10 minutes by which time thepeafowl had managed to slip in to a Lantana thicket. The other

members of the flock skulked and continued their alarm calleven after both the eagles had retreated.

FIRST RECORD OF BLACK-NECKED STORK(EPHIPPIORHYNCHUS ASIATICUS) IN MURSHIDABADDISTRICT, WEST BENGAL, ARUNAYAN SHARMA,Centre for Ecological Engineering, Netaji Subhash Road, Infront of T.O.P., Malda � 732 101, West Bengal. e-mail:

[email protected]

While undertaking a survey on flood pain wetlands ofMurshidabad district in West Bengal, I visited the Ahiran wetlandon 4th February 2006. Ahiron wetland is situated near theJangipur Railway Station, c. 35km south of Farakka Barrageand c. 85km north of Beharampore town, besides the NationalHighway 34 in Murshidabad district, West Bengal. TheMurshidabad district is a flood prone area and dotted with manybig and small wetlands. The Ahiron wetland is one of theimportant wetlands designated for conservation and protectionfrom the point of view of richness of its birdlife (Vijayan et al �2004). There are a few smaller marshy vegetated wetlandslocated alongside National Highway 34 opposite to Ahironwetland, close to the railway track near the Jangipur RailwayStation.

During the wetland survey there, at c. 11h25 I noticed two hugeblack birds foraging on the edge of the marshy wetland. Froma distance c. 400m through 10x50 binocular those two birdsappeared to be some �stork species�. I took out my 20-60x

telescope and focused on the birds and I easily recognisedthose two birds by their striking black-and-white markings, thejet-black head, wing bar and tail, which contrasted against thewhite plumage of the rest of the body. I noted the othercharacteristic features : glossy dark green and purple neck,massive black bill and long, coral-red legs .At this point I wasnot sure of the gender of those two birds. From a distance theylooked identical. After closer observation from a distance of100m through the telescope, I noticed the colour of the iris ofone bird which was yellow as the female and the iris colour ofanother bird which was brown, as the male. Both the birdswere in their adult plumage and probably they are paired forlife. In the field the birds were easily identified as a pair ofBlack-necked Storks Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus. (Grewal et al� 2002, Grimmet et al � 1998, Kazmierczak & Perlo � 2000,

Robson � 2000, Ripley et al � 2005)

The Black-necked Stork frequents freshwater marshes, lakes,and pools and in open forest, large rivers, mangroves andinfrequently coastal mudflats, up to 1,200 m. The distributionof this species ranges from South and Southeast Asia toAustralia, occurring in Pakistan, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, SriLanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Irian Jaya(Indonesia), Papua New Guinea and Australia (Ali & Ripley-1989, Birdlife International � 2005).

In the Indian Sub-continent the Black-necked Stork was recordedin the lower Sind province of Pakistan and used to breed in theIndus delta. In Nepal it is a rare resident and winter visitor tothe terai region. In India it is a widespread resident, but nowgenerally rare and local, and may now be missing in manyareas in the south. In Bhutan the species is likely to occur as a



non-breeder. In the neighbouring country adjacent to theMurshidabd district in Bangladesh, it was a former residentbut now a vagrant. In Sri Lanka it is resident mainly in the drylowlands of the country. In Myanmar the species was earlier awidespread resident but current status is not known. In Thailandit was formerly quite widespread within the country but now arare resident in the peninsular areas. In Laos it was once awidespread non-breeding visitor, but now extremely rare. InCambodia it was previously fairly common. This species wasapparently once present in the Sundaic region, but now extinct(Grimmett et al � 1998, Birdlife International � 2005)

In India the Black-necked Stork is very widely but thinly distributedwith the north and northwest regions forming its main strongholds (Rahmani � 1989). Its population appears to be declining

in most parts of India except the Gangetic plains of UttarPradesh and north-west of India, especially in Gujarat, wherepopulations are stable or marginally increasing (Rahmani �1989). In other parts of India it is present in very low numbers.A detailed survey on Black-necked Storks reported 141 sightings(or individuals) from 11 states between 1981-1989 (Rahmani� 1989). 30 individuals of Black-necked Storks were recorded

from five states during a survey from 1998-1999 (Sunder &Kaur � 2001). Recently 187 Black-necked Storks were recorded

in 59 sites from five states (Maheswaran � 2004).

In West Bengal the Black-necked Storks are mainly recordedfrom North Bengal regions. In North Bengal the species hadbeen recorded from Mahananda Barrage, Jalpaiguri district inthe year 2002 and from Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary,Darjeeling district (Anon � 1996, Sharma - 2006). The species

was also recorded from the Garati Bheel, Jalpaiguri district inthe year 1997. From the Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary,Jalpaiguri district in the year 1997 & 1999 and also from RasikBheel, Cooch Bihar district in the year 2003 (Maheswaran et al� 2004). There was a very old record of this species from the

South 24 Parganas district, Sunderbans (Mukherjee � 1959).

The author searched for this species at various parts of centralWest Bengal from Malda, Murshidabad and North & SouthDinajpir district between 2001 and 2003, but could not find any.The species has not been recorded earlier from the centralparts of West Bengal and from the Murshidabad district(Majumdar et al � 1992).

The Black-necked Stork has been reported from only threeImportant Bird Areas of West Bengal. From Buxa Tiger Reservein Jalpiguri (Inglis et al � 1920), from Mahananda Wildlife

Sanctuary in Darjeeling district (Anon. � 1996, Maheswaran etal � 2004, Sharma � 2006) and from Sunderbans in South 24

Paraganas district (Mukherjee - 1959).

The population of Black-necked Stork in South and South-EastAsia is estimated to be less than 400 individuals. The specieshas steeply declined in the former ranges and has dwindled tothe brink of extinction in the latter ranges. The primary threatsfacing this bird across its range are habitat loss, degradationand fragmentation due to the encroachment of humandevelopment and agriculture, which has resulted in thedrainage of wetlands and the felling of trees suitable for nesting.Unregulated fishing, overgrazing, hunting and excessivecapture for zoos, have also contributed towards their depletionin the wild. Despite its critical position in South and Southeast

Asia, the black-necked stork has been given threatened statusand classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List2004 (1). In recent months, the plight of this species is beinghighlighted. Previously listed under schedule IV of the IndianWildlife (Protection) Act 1972, under which the trapping of thisspecies was largely uncontrolled, the black-necked stork hasrecently been upgraded to Schedule I by the Indian government,giving total protection to the species (Birdlife International �2005, IUCN � 2005, IWPA � 1972).

Earlier birders have not reported or sighted this spices fromthe central parts of West Bengal and from the Murshidabaddistrict (Majumdar et al � 1992). Sighting of a pair of Black-

necked Stork in the Murshidabd district from the central part ofWest Bengal is not only the first record of the species from thisregion but it also suggests the importance of the area from thepoint of view of richness in its birdlife.

ReferencesAnon. (1996). Flora & Faunal Resources of Mahananda Wildlife

Sanctuary. Wildlife Wing of Forest Department, West Bengal andNature, Environment & Wildlife Society, Kolkata.

Ali, S and Ripley, S.D. (1989). Compact Handbook of birds of India andPakistan. Oxford University Press, New Delhi.

BirdLife International (2005). Species fact sheet: Ephippiorhynchusasiaticus. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org

Grewal, B., Pfister, O. and Harvey, B. (2002) A Photographic Guide toBirds of India: And the Indian Subcontinent, Including Pakistan,Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, PrincetonUniversity Press, Princeton, NJ.

Grimmet, R., Inskipp, C and Inskipp, T. (1998). Birds of the IndianSubcontinent. Oxford University Press. Delhi

Indian Wildlife protection Act (1972). Government of India.Inglis, C.M., Travers, W. L., O�Donel, H.V. and Shebeare, E.O. (1920). A

Tentative list of the vertebrates of Jalpaiguri district, Bengal. Journalof Bombay Natural History Society. Vol: 26 & 27. Bombay NaturalHistory Society, Mumbai.

Ishtiaq, F., Rahmani, A.R., Javed, S. and Coulter, M.C. (2004). Nest sitecharacteristics of Black-necked Stork (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus)and White-necked Stork (Ciconia episcopus) in Keoladeo NationalPark, Bharatpur, India. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society,Vol: 101. Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai.

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2005). http://www.redlist.orgKazmierczak, K and Van Perlo, B.V. (2000). A Field guide to the Birds of

the Indian Subcontinent. Mountfield, Sussex, United Kingdom. PicaPress.

King, B. et al. (1991). A Field Guide to the Birds of South East Asia.London: Collins.

Kumar, A., Sati, J.P., Tak, P.C., and Alfred, J.R.B .(2005). Handbook onIndian Wetland Birds and their Conservation, Zoological Survey ofIndia, Kolkata

Maheswaran, G., Rahmani, A.R., and Couttler, M.C. (2004). Recent recordsof Black-necked Stork Ephippiorhychus asiaticus in India. Forktail:20. 2004. Journal of Asian Ornithology. Oriental Bird Club, U.K.

Majumdar, N., Roy, C.S., Ghosal, D.K., Dasgupta, J.M., Basu Roy, S. andDutta, B.K. (1992). Fauna of West Bengal. Zoological Survey ofIndia. Kolkata.

Mukherjee, A.K. (1959). Pakhirala, Sajnekhali �an introduction to a birdsanctuary in the Sunderbans. Journal of Bombay Natural HistorySociety. Vol: 30. Mumbai.

Prasad, S.N., Tiwari, A.K., Kumar, A., Kaushik, P., Vijayan, L.,Muralidharan, S. and Vijayan, V.S. (2004). Inland wetlands of India

http://www.birdlife.org

http://www.redlist.org


- A Conservation Atlas. SACON, CoimbatoreRahmani, A.R. (1987). Are Black-necked Storks in India declining?

Hornbill � 4. 1987. Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai.

Rahmani, A.R. (1989). Status of the Black-necked StorkEphippiorhynchus asiaticus in the Indian subcontinent. Forktail.Vol: 5. Journal of Asian Ornithology. Oriental Bird Club, U.K.

Ripley, S.D., Rasmussen, P. & Anderton, J. (2005). Field Guide to theBirds of South Asia. USA: Univ. of Texas Press.

Robson, C. (2000). a field guide to the Birds of South East Asia. NewHolland

Sharma, A. (2006). Some Birds of Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary,Darjeeling district, West Bengal (unpublished report)

Sonobe, K. (ed) (1993). A Field Guide to the Waterbirds of Asia.Kodansha International, Tokyo

Sundar , K.S.G. and Kaur, J. ( 2001 ). Distribution and nesting sites ofthe Black-necked Stork Ephippoiorhyncjus asiaticus. Journal ofBombay Natural History Society. Vol : 98, No : 2. 2001. BombayNatural History Society, Mumbai.

Sundar, K.S.G. (2003). Notes on the breeding biology of the Black-necked Stork Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus in Etawah and Mainpuridistricts, Uttar Pradesh, India. Forktail. Vol: 19. Journal of AsianOrnithology. Oriental Bird Club. U.K.

Vijayan V.S., Prasad S.N., Vijayan L. and Muralidharan S. (2004). InlandWetlands of India-Conservation Priorities. Salim Ali Centre forOrnithology and Natural History, Coimbatore.

A CHECKLIST OF BIRDS : BIRDS OF JHALAWAR ANDADJACENT AREAS, VIJAI.N. IFS, Research Officer, Office ofthe Field Director and Conservator of Forests, Project Tiger,Ranthambore, Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan.

Introduction

Jhalawar district is one of the four districts of Hadoti region andlocated South West of Kota district of the State of Rajasthan.This lies in the part of Malwa plateau and possesses a typicalbiological diversity. It is endowed with a fair share of rainfall(between 800 and 900 mm) and therefore popularly referred toas �Cheerapunji of Rajasthan�. The forest type of Jhalawar

comprises mainly of Northern Tropical Dry Deciduous and themain vegetation is madeup of Anogeissus pendula (Dhonk),Diospyros melanoxylon (Thenthu), Holoptelia integrifolia(Churel), Dalbergia sissoo (Shisham), Acacia leucophloea andcertain pockets consist even Tectona grandis (Teak orSaagwan). Jhir nursery is one of the oldest nurseries locatedin the outskirts of Jhalawar town. It is famous for its bambooclumps which contribute quite a lot to the microclimate of thatlocality. It houses a good and exceptional number of avifaunawithin that small ambit. For administrative purposes Jhalawarforest is divided into seven ranges and the checklist of birds isnot merely restricted to forest areas but birds from someadjacent revenue areas are also included. The entire processof identification and preparation of checklist was undertakenbetween September 2005 and March 2006. Detailed notes arenot given since the objective of the study was to provide achecklist of the birds of the area, which was not available tilldate. Therefore the objective is to create a kind of primary datawhich consists chiefly of identification of birds and their locationin the district. In all, about eighty species have been recordedduring the study, which is comparatively more than the listprepared by the Working Plan of Jhalawar district. I have not

adopted any methodology, but only the birds encountered duringthe field visits are enumerated. However, I trust that this kind ofmaiden effort would possibly form the basis for future studies.

Checklist

Common Name Most Occurrence

Coppersmith Barbet Herbal Garden (Jhalrapattan),Jhir Nursery

Indian Grey Hornbill Herbal Garden, SemlikhamCommon Hoopoe Jhir Nursery, Semlikham,

Asnawar, DFO Campus(Durgpura)

Indian Roller JhalarapattanCommon Kingfisher Saredi (Aklera)

White-throated Kingfisher Dok Bungalow Road,DFO Campus

Pied Kingfisher Raipur (Pirawa),Dok Bungalow Road.

Green Bee-eater DFO Campus, Herbal Garden(Jhalarapattan)

Pied Cuckoo Khanpur, DFO Campus, Pirawa.Asian Koel DFO Campus, Herbal GardenGreater Coucal Dok Bungalow Road, DFO

Campus, Herbal Garden.Rose-ringed Parakeet Jhir Nursery, DFO Campus

Plum-headed Parakeet Gagron FortAsnawarHouse Swift Gagron Fort, Durgpura, Jhalawar

Rock Pigeon Dok Bungalow, Beed Pojal PuriaOriental Turtle Dove Asnawar, Jhalawar, Dok

Bungalow Road, KhanpurSpotted Dove Dok Bungalow, DFO Campus,

Bhavani Mandi road.Eurasian Collared-Dove SemlikhamWhite-breasted Waterhen Pirawa.

Common Sandpiper Dok Bungalow Road.Red-wattled Lapwing DFO Campus, Pattan,

Gok Bungalow etc.Black-shouldered Kite Beedpojalpuria,Semlikham,

NH Road, Asnawar.Black Kite DFO Campus (Durgpura)Cinereus Vulture Dug, Naarsinghe (Devrighatta)

Egyptian Vulture Bojalpuria, Naarsinghe(Devrighatta)

Shikra DFO Campus (Durgpura)Little Egret Jhalarapattan, Dok Bungalow,

Gudagav.Great Egret Jhalarapattan, Dok Bungalow,

Gudagav.Cattle Egret Herbal Garden (Jhalarapattan),

Gudagav, Dok Bungalow Road.Indian Pond Heron Herbal Garden (Jhalarapattan),

Dok Bungalow Road.Long Tailed Shrike Asnawar, Pirawa


Common Name Most Occurrence Common Name Most Occurrence

Rufous Treepie Khanpur, Dok Bungalow,DFO Campus (Durgpura Road)

House Crow Extensive Coverage almostwhole district

Large-Billed Crow Gagron Fort, BakaniEurasian Golden Oriole Dok Bungalow road (Bamboo

Grove)Large Woodshrike Herbal Garden (Jhalarapattan)Small Minivet Devrighatta

White-browed Fantail DFO Campus (Durgpura Road),Herbal Garden (Jhalarapattan)

Black Drongo Dok Bungalow, Gagron Fort,Semlikham, Beed Pojalpuria

White-bellied Drongo Jhir Nursery (Jhalawar),Dok Bungalow Road.

Marshell�s Iora Jhir Nursery (Jhalawar)Blue Rock Thrush Stadium (Jhalawar),

DFO Campus (Durgpura Road)Verditer Flycatcher DFO Campus (Durgpura Road)Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher Jhir Nursery (Jhalawar),

Herbal Garden (Jhalarapattan)Oriental Magpie Robin Gagron Fort, DFO Campus,

Jhir Nursery.Indian Robin DFO Campus, NH Road,

Beed Pojal Puria.Black Redstart DFO Campus

Pied Bushchat Khanpur, AsnawarDesert Wheatear Mashalpura, LakshmipurllaBrahminy Starling Gagron Fort, Dok Bungalow

Road, DFO CampusAsian Pied Starling Durgpura Road, Beed Pojal

Puria, Dok Bungalow Road.Common Myna NH road, Dok Bungalow, Pattan,

DFO Campus, almost all partsof the district

Bank Myna NH Road, Beed pojal puria,Asnawar.

Wire-tailed Swallow Dok Bungalow (Near Lake)Durgpura, Semlikham

Red Vented Bulbul Gagron Fort, DFO Campus,Pattan, NH Road etc.

Common Tailorbird Pattan, DFO Campus, JhirNursery (Watch Tower),Mangalnath Dungri

Yelloweyed Babbler Jhir Nursery, Herbal GardenCommon Babbler Pattan, Dok Bungalow, NH Road.Jungle Babbler Jhir Nursery

Large Grey Babbler Semlikham, Salothia, Raipur(Pirawa) and almost distributedthrough out the district

Oriental Skylark Semlikham, Khanpur

Singing Bushlark Semlikham, Khanpur

Ashy -crowned Sparrowlark Salothia, Semlikham, DFOCampus, Pirawa.

Purple Sunbird DFO CampusHouse Sparrow Extensive Coverage

(almost all parts of the district)White-browed Wagtail Dok Bungalow Road.

White Wagtail SemlikhamGrey Wagtail DFO CampusBaya Weaver Asnawar, Khanpur

Indian Silverbill DFO Campus, Gagron FortCrested Bunting Gagron FortLittle Cormorant Gudagav, Herbal Garden, DFO

campus (Durgpura water bodies)Painted Stork Jhalawar, Durgpura,

Gudagav water bodiesSarus crane Gudagav

Purple Moorhen Gudagav water bodyCommon Coot Jhalawar, Gudagav,

JhalarapattanBlack-winged Stilt DFO Campus (Back side Water

body), Pirawa.River Tern Gagron Fort water bodyCaspian Tern On the way to Mashalpura

(near Gagronfort)Peafowl Dok Bungalow, Gagron Fort,

Khanpur.Spotted Owlet DFO campus, Herbal Garden

(Jhalarapattan)Black-rumped Flame Jhir Nursery, Dok Bungalow

back WoodpeckerRed-rumped Swallow Gagron Fort, Beedpojalpuria

Black Bellied Sandgrouse Laksmipura, Mashalpura

Note: DFO campus � Located in the Jhalawar town en route

Durgpura village and spread over 4 hectares.

Herbal Garden � Artificial garden created in the bustling town

of Jhalarapattan just 6 Km away from Jhalawar town. Thereare more than 200 medicinal plants collected from variousparts of the country and planted in the herbal garden.

OCCURRENCE OF PIED AVOCET (RECURVIROSTRAAVOSETTA) NEAR MYSORE, KARNATAKA, M.SAHANA1,K.R. KISHEN DAS2 and D.H.TANUJA3, 11795, NearBrhamaramba Choultry, Srirampura 2nd Stage, Mysore 570023.e- mail: sahanish@ yahoo.com, 2951, 6th Cross, 1st Main,Srirampura 2nd Stage, Mysore 570023. E-mail:[email protected], 3No.5, 5th Main, Yadavagiri, Mysore570020, e-mail: [email protected]

Pied Avocets (Recurvirostra avosetta), seven in number werenoticed in Narasambudhi kere (12°05' 00" N; 76° 43' 00"E)

situated nearby Nanjanagudu town on 3.xii.2006. These piedbirds were resting in the middle of shallow waters tucking theirheads for over two hours. Even the alighting of 408 nos. of Bar-




headed Goose close to them didn�t deter their siesta. Distinctive

features like excessive whiteness, up-curved bill and longwhitish blue legs, were easily noticeable from a distance.

Again, on 9.xii.2006, two Avocets were found in Lingambudhikere (12°16' 20" N; 76°37' 00"E), Mysore. They too were found

resting away from a flock of ducks. After some time, they beganfeeding in the shallow waters. Previous sighting of this bird(single) in the same lake was on 5.xi.1997. Incidentally, boththese water bodies have been designated as Important BirdArea (IN-KA-27 & IN-KA-22 respectively) by Islam et al (2005)for the priority of conservation. The pair continued to visit thelake till the date (26.xii.2006) of posting this manuscript.

In the Indian limits, their breeding record is only from Kutch,Gujarath (Ali, 1945) numbering thousand and 150 nests. Arethese birds spreading out? If not, are the European and West-Asian populations joining them? These winter visitors havebeen well documented more frequently in northern India, butless frequently in southern India, below the Vindhyan belt.Sighting records are few:-by Betham (1902) in Poona;Namassivayam et al (1990) in Kadalundi, Kerala;Shantaram(1991) in Vedanthangal, Tamilnadu;Vijay Mohanrajin Gadag (2003), Karnataka; Tanuja in Raichur(2004);Karnataka and Suvi Kadur in Point Calimere(2004). Hence,the present sighting is worth documenting. The last threesightings are reported in yahoogroups-bngbirds portal.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Sri. A.Shivaprakash for sharing his fieldnotes which he has maintained for over a decade andstreamlining the script. In addition, our thanks are due to Mr.Kishendas.K.R, Vishwanath.M.K. & Kulashekar S.C forphotographing these birds in the Lingambudhi kere). (Kere,means tank/lake/water body in Kannada language)

ReferenceAli, Salim. (1945). The Avocet breeding in India. J.Bombay Nat. Hist.

Soc. 45(3): 420-421.Bethom R.M. (1902). Occurrence of the Avocet near Poona. J.Bombay

Nat. Hist. Soc. 14(2): 386.Shantharam V. (1991). Notes on the Indian Shag, Avocet & Little Egret,

Newsletter for Birdwatchers. 31(9-10): 9-12Namassivayam L. and Venugopalan R. (1990). Avocet in Kerala.

J.Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 86(3): 447.Islam, M.Z. and A.R. Rahmani (2005). Important Bird Areas in India:

Priority sites for conservation. Mumbai: Indian Bird ConservationNetwork: Bombay Natural History Society and BirdLife International(UK). Pp 574,575 & 578.

Note from the Publisher Continued....

Material for publication should be sent (in duplicate)

by post or courier to :Newsletter for Birdwatchers

No 10, Sirur Park B Street, Seshadripuram,

Bangalore 560 020, India.

along with a soft copy

(in MS Word format only)thro� E-mail to <[email protected]>

During the migration, the birds fly fastest over the equatorialregion, at times traveling nearly 620 miles (1,000 kilometers)in a day. The data showed that the birds had flown farther ontheir migration route than any other species previously recorded.

Contradicting the earlier speculations, sooty shearwaters visitjust one of their three northern hemisphere feeding groundsbefore returning south. Investigators were also astonished todiscover that once breeding pairs had reared their young, theyhad taken separate journeys. Sooty shearwaters are also foundin the Atlantic Ocean and visit Britain�s coastal regions. The

Atlantic population is said to breed on the Falkland Islandsand Tierra del Fuego. They are one of the most abundant birdspecies in the world, with a total population of about 20 million,but are classified as �near threatened� because their numbers

have been declining.

Data proved that the birds plummeted to a depth of 46 feetunder water, on average to catch fish, squid and krill, andthere were instances of them diving to a depth of 225 feet.�When they cross the Equator, they�re traveling fast and not

stopping much to feed. They feed near Antarctica during theaustral summer, then zip north to feed in one of three areas ofthe North Pacific, taking advantage of high productivitythroughout the year,� Dr Shaffer said.

The study is part of a project called Tagging of Pacific Pelagics,which is tracking 23 top ocean animal species in the NorthPacific to better understand their environment.

Incidentally, the studies hint that climate change could causeareas where these organisms grow to reallocate or diminishin size. �If climate change is affecting ocean productivity, and

shearwaters are making long migrations to get to [these areas],it could have a large impact on the population,� Shaffer said.

Without adequate food to consume in the North Pacific, thebirds would be incapable of getting their strength back tosuccessfully fly back to the Southern Hemisphere and breed.

Several studies suggest that sooty shearwater populations arediminishing in recent years, both at their New Zealand breedinggrounds and at their feeding grounds off the California coast,Shaffer and colleagues report. �These trends were associated

with increases in oceanic temperatures, which may have limitedregional biological productivity [of plankton and other one-celledorganisms],� they write in their study. A comparison of the data

from year to year will help the researchers answer many newquestions, like whether the birds travel to different feeding areasdepending on food availability or if they always return to thesame place.

�This paper is perfect, and such studies will allow scientists to

understand how migratory animals think and points the waythis kind of research has to go in the future.� said

Martin Wikelski, a biologist at Princeton University inNew Jersey who studies the migrations ofsongbirds and insects.

Thanking you,Yours in bird conservation,S. Sridhar, Publisher, NLBW

mailto:[email protected]>


Book Review

GOLDEN TREES GREENSPACES AND URBANFORESTRY, by S.G. NEGINHAL, Review by Alladi Jayasri*e-mail: [email protected]

A case for increasing urban green cover

Urban forestry became a buzzword in the 1980s, thanks toformer Chief Minister R. Gundu Rao�s conviction that

increasing the tree cover in Bangalore is best handled byforest officers who were normally confined to managing andprotecting reserve forests. His successor, RamakrishnaHegde, took up from where Gundu Rao left off, and the yearsfrom 1982-87 came to be what retired forest officer S.G.Neginhal, describes as the �golden years� that saw a

dramatic increase in Bangalore�s green cover.

Gundu Rao�s decision to transfer the tree-planting work to

the Forest Department from the Bangalore MahanagaraPalike and the Bangalore Development Authority paid offand Neginhal virtually authored the greening of Bangaloreby planting 15 lakh tall seedlings from 1982 to 1988, pickingup the Indira Priyadarshini Vriksha Mitra award for this nobletask. It even attracted the attention of former Prime MinisterRajiv Gandhi, and he soon had the Director of Horticultureof Delhi to examine how it could be replicated in Delhi. Urbanforestry even made it to the Five-Year Plans as a subject tobe budgeted for.

Features

How Bangalore got a bigger tree canopy, and how to protectit from the rapid pace of infrastructure development that isgaining on its green spaces, is what Neginhal�s latest book,

Golden Trees Greenspaces and Urban Forestry is all about.This is a sequel to his book A Handbook of City Trees.

The book covers everything from morphology and aesthetics of142 trees, their flowering seasons, and the range of uses theycan be put to, their medicinal value, planting techniques andtree-care. Their imperceptible role in arresting pollution, actingas dust-busters, reducing noise pollution by muffling the soundsof urban living, their cooling effect on the city�s temperatures,

Cover : Plain Prinia (Prinia inornata). This sand coloured inornatewarbler frequents cultivated paddy and wheat fields and is alsopartial to long grass and bushes. It makes a curious snapping noisein flight. The bird clambers about the stems, with an awkward flickingmovement of its tail. It also flits, creeps and hops erratically in theundergrowth. This wren-warbler brings about a kind of rustic festivitywith its magical, loud jingling wheezy song that often suggests theshaking of a bunch of keys at a distance. It is a natural pest controlagent too and in any given day, one can watch this industriouswarbler gobbling up to 800 injurious insects.

Photo : S. Shreyas

and how all of this canhelp keep climatechange at bay for alittle while longer, andeverything youwanted to know abouttrees and why youneed to keep them,are in this book.

The author, who alsowields a camera andloves haring off intothe forests in searchof wildlife to �shoot�

and frame, has used72 colour plates,many his own, andseveral whichfriends like T.N.A.P e r u m a l ,Balakrishna Gowda, S. Pankaj, and S.R. Jayaprakash haveoffered him.

An interesting section of the book, on managing urban greenspace, dwells at some length on the history of urban forestry,rural forestry, covering cities outside the Indian sub-continent,and ancient civilizations such as indus Valley, Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa, the Vedic period, the Aryan era, andallusions in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, the periodof the Buddha and Mahavira, the Mauryan age and throughto the Moghul period, the coming of the European influenceand also the post-Independence urban forestry.

This book has the potential to be the Bible for city planners,landscapers, foresters, horticulturists, naturalists and bird-watchers, and that new breed called �tree-walkers�. Its

chapters on management of green spaces, gardens andparks, and benefits of caring for these trees, and theemphasis on education, training and publicity, beartestimony to this fact.

Published by the Author, No. 643, 2nd Cross, 9th Main,III Stage, III Block, Basaveshwaranagar, Bangalore 560 079

Rs. 750/-(Special discounted price for Birdwatchers Rs. 650/-)

*As published in The Hindu, 30th January 2007Enroll a Friend

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