Its a new passion. Bird spotting.

It took me a while to figure out which species it belonged. There are innumerable passerine birds that have the same colour. The Pipits, Sparrows, Warblers, and so on. They all look so much alike. My perseverance paid off eventually. The Bunting has a pink beak, a small and thin frame and are usually spotted in a group, which matched exactly with the bird that I spotted.

I spotted this bird about a month back in my backyard in India. The red bellied woodpecker is not a native bird of the asian subcontinent. In fact, its primarily found in northern America and Canada. I'm sure this is quite a unique sighting. The Red Bellied Woodpecker is medium sized woodpecker that has a red nape, pale body and barred back. The bird was swift and kept hiding behind the branches. So, that's the best shot I managed to take.

Early on, when I was new to the bird, it would feel like I had conquered the day clicking a kingfisher. Today, I know this bird well and clicking its picture feels rewarding but the feeling is much more refined. For a long time, this bird sat on the cable wire in my driveway, swinging a bit with sporadic calls now and then. So I got ample time to take its snaps albeit it was far. To my surprise, it then flew and sat on my nearest tree.  Happiness.

The enchanted tree is gradually turning into a parrots' paradise. Too many parrots reside on this tree now. There is never a single parrot. They are always four or more at a time. Here are four!

It had been a while since I came across a new bird. After a leisurely brunch on a Sunday, and thereafter while everyone went for a nap, I sat in my room working on my project. Just then, I heard an unusual bird call. I went out to see the bird and there it was right in front of me, perched on the nearest tree.  The bird 'Papiya' is often mentioned in Indian cinema songs and poems. I was well aware of the bird but had never seen it. When I searched on google, I found out that the common hawk was known as "papaya' in Hindi.  The common hawk is light brownish and white. The flying shot.

There were two eagles, hovering over the driveway in the morning. Few hours later, they were roosting on the enchanted tree (I call this tree enchanted for various reasons). Perched there in silence, sporadically alerting at sounds, the eagle sisters spent hours on that branch.

Watching the enchanted tree has become a habit now. I wake up in the morning to see the birds. I spend my evenings mostly around the enchanted tree because you never know when you spot a new bird. Sometimes, I hear an unfamiliar bird call and I scuttle outside to see the bird. But it is not always that I spot it. Recently I saw a blue black bird. It was just a glimpse, on the same enchanted tree but hidden in the leaves. As yet I have not been able to spot it. This one afternoon, sipping tea on my verandah chair, my camera around my neck, I gazed over the tree. For one second, I thought it was a Greater Coucal. But then, this was white in the wings! It was a Treepie . The treepie seldom joins mixed hunting parties along with species such as Drongos and Babblers. I came across a drongo yesterday afternoon. The treepie is known to eat certain fruits that are toxic for the mammals. Henceforth, proving beneficial for crop cultivation.