Friendly neighbourhood Shikras!

I've been meeting several Shikras and have been writing about them too. Over the past few weeks, hearing calls of Shikras from my house. The calls have been really loud and hence, I wasl sure that the birds were pretty close. But, hadn't spotted the Shikras from my terrace. Till recently.

One morning, I finally spotted a male Shikra, snacking on a garden-lizard, on a neem tree right behind my apartment. 

Shikra (Male)

I kept spotting the male and female there over the next few days and understood that it's their favourite haunt! I'd been looking up the sky to spot the bird, when they were right behind my apartment, all along!

Shikra (Female)

There's a nest there, which I assumed to be a crow's nest, as there used to be a large flock of crows on that tree. But, later did I realise, that the crows have now shifted to another tree, giving way for the raptor! These days, I spot either of the Shikras, almost daily, perched on the nest! The Shikras, which were very shy at first and used to fly away on just seeing me, are now kinda used to me, I guess. They pose for me and fly away only when I get too close!

Shikra (Female)

Hunter or hunted!

Visited Theosophical society after many months, today. Spotted the usual friends - the spotted owlets, Sunbirds, Roufus treepies and Oriental Magpie Robins. 

Found a juvenile Rose-ringed, while walking along the usual path. At first I didn't realise it couldn't fly. I wondered what it was doing on the ground. Crows were trying to attack it. Luckily, one employee rescued it and took it to provide protection.

While walking back to the exit, heard a lot of noise - a shikra calling frantically and calls of several crows. Turned back to see a Shikra flying so low almost towards me and then changing direction, with the crows in pursuit. The next second, the Shikra was gone. The crows perched on a nearby tree looking for the Shikra, gave up after sometime, and finally left. 

All the while, the Shikra was in a branch on the same tree, though well hidden. It was sitting there silently and after sometime moved a bit, revealing the reason for the crows pursuit. The Shikra had hunted a squirrel and the crows, which are not adept at hunting, tried to snatch it from the Shikra. The hunter had ,in a way, become, the hunted! The Shikra started finishing its meal after ensuring that there was no one there to snatch it away.