Barn Swallow

A very common bird from the rural area and semi open country side. These birds fly at a fast clip over the grass land and hawk the insects mid air. They are also very adaptable and are known to have expanded their presence to build nests in human constructions too. The swallows are also perform a fairly communal roost post nesting as we could see hundreds of them perched on the electric wires and often together.  A long distance winter migrant to Bangalore, these birds breed across the norther hemisphere and travel to the southern hemisphere during winters. These are classified as least concern by IUCN.

Streak Throated Swallow

Extremely happy to see this bird in Bangalore. It is a species of the swallow found in South Asia. Whitish below the throat and boldly streaked with brown on throat and upper breast is a clear way to identify this bird. As with other swallow species this also has a very communal roosting behavior. They are mostly found in large clusters of nesting groups around water bodies. It is erratic in its distribution but within its range it is plentiful around water bodies near cliffs or other masonry on which it can build its nests, often in the company of Sand Martins.  This is classified as least concern by IUCN.

Western Marsh Harrier

The marsh harriers are birds of prey of the harrier subfamily. They are medium-sized raptors and the largest and broadest-winged harriers. A migratory raptor that visits Indian and Africa from Europe and Asia during winters. These harriers glide low just above the grassland and make a quick dive to feed on frog, fish, insects and birds. The adult female is identified by the pale crown. This image was made as the bird was preening and a small feather is seen on one of the eyes as a result of the preening activity.

Indian Roller with catch

  The state bird of Karnataka goes by the other common name of Neelkanth meaning blue throat. This is a colorful bird with varying shades of blue and Indigo usually seen perched on wires and tree tops. It will sit patiently observe the ground for some movement and make a quick plunge to capture its prey. The roller has a wide diet and is known to feed on insects, anarchids, snakes, amphibians, reptiles etc. They are known as rollers because of their display – the male is known to perform twists and turns during the breeding season and consequently this name. This bird is found across Indian subcontinent and is classified as least concern by IUCN.

Grassland

Pristine grassland are a very difficult find these days. These vast tracts of land with tall grass that become a golden hue when they dry host myriads of species of avifauna. This image is one such that shows the beauty of the grassland with two of its inhabitants – the Black buck and the Black Drongo. What makes the subject very interesting is the blackbuck seems to have lost a part of the mighty horn that it has. The blackbuck is also called as the Indian antelope, is a near threatened species as per IUCN. The main reason for the diminishing blackbuck is the habitat loss, hunting. Blackbuck is the state animal of Andra Pradesh. There are many tribes that rever blackbuck and there is some cultural reference and the blackbuck is called as krishna mrig / Krishna Jinka.