Raptors and other migrants!

Visited Vellore (my native place) again in Jan and I made the most of it visiting the dried-up Paalar river which is one of my favourite birding spots. It is said that the strength of an ecosystem is determined by the strength of the top. In case of birds, it's the raptors.

I hadn't spotted many raptors there, but this visit made up for the previous visits. One fine morning, several Black kites and Shikras were circling overhead. I've seen black kites flying all over the town, but hadn't spotted one in the river bed. The Shikras were being chased by crows. The black kites descended on to the sand. Several of them. There were this couple who were facing each other as though ready to duel. But, some noise by a passing bullock-cart was all that they needed to flee the place!

Apart from these, I was also spotted a male Common kestrel (migrant from as far as China/Japan) , several Shikras, and Black shouldered kites. Was a good visit for a raptor lover like me :)

Apart from Raptors, I was also lucky to spot several migrants - winter is when several birds migrate to South India. So, this time, several birds from the Himalayas and a few from neighboring hill ranges.

Some of the migrants which got me excited were:

Black Headed Cuckoo-shrike - Resident of Himalayan foothills.

Blyth's Reed Warbler - Resident of Eastern Europe and Asia, the rosy starlings migrate to India and Sri Lanka during winters. I loved the lighting in this photo :D

Black headed Cuckoo-shrike and Blyth's Reed Warbler

Chestnut tailed Starling - Resident of Himalayan foothills, and some parts of North India. A sub-species of this, the Malabar starling, is found in the Western Ghats.

Rosy Starling - Resident of Europe and Asia, the rosy starlings migrate to India and Sri Lanka during winters. The sheer number of these birds sitting in groups, is overwhelming!

Chestnut Tailed Starling and Rosy Starling.