Photo feature: A flight of fantasy

Or

Advertisement

Theh Kanjla village — a birder’s paradise

Strap: Tribune lensman Sarabjit Singh spends some time with these birdies at Theh Kanjla village in Kapurthala, near the Kanjli wetland, and tries to capture the beauty of these winged guests through his lens

Studying the pattern of migratory birds, their breeding habitats, feeding habits, plumage patterns and mating calls can be quite interesting. This is the reason why Theh Kanjla village, nearly 3 km from Kanjli Wetland, on the outskirts of Kapurthala, has emerged as a birdwatcher’s paradise, as they are able to spot some rare species here. With little human activity around this area, falling near the Modern Jail, it has now assumed more importance than that of the Kanjli wetland owing to massive construction work going on at the wetland site, where a new cycling track, walkway etc. are coming up. A lot of morning walkers, too, dither these winged guests from visiting the wetland area.

As winter season is just round the corner, Tribune lensman Sarabjit Singh spent two days at the village site to capture a variety of birds through his lenses. Spending six hours a day from as early as 6 am to 12 noon, he was successful in capturing some rare species swimming in the lotus-filled sewage ponds formed out of vacant industrial plots of the Urban Estate, while others were captured in flight or while perching atop trees and wires. Some of these birds are local, while others have migrated in this new breeding ground from surrounding Asian countries.

Little cormorant: It belongs to the family of seabirds. It is common in smaller rivers and lakes.The entire body is black in the breeding season, but the plumage is brownish, and the throat has a small whitish patch in the non-breeding season. It has blue-green eyes.

Black-winged kite: It is distinctive with long wings; white, grey and black plumage; and owl-like forward-facing eyes. They are non-migratory, but show nomadism in response to weather and food availability.

Black-winged stilt: It is a very long-legged wader. They have slender, pink legs, a long thin black bill and are blackish above and white below with a white head.

Black-headed swamphen:Itis a very large bluish-purple gallinule with a red bill and forehead shield and red legs and feet with long toes. It is a common inhabitant of marshy, vegetated freshwater bodies such as swamps, rivers, and lakes and usually live in small groups.

Egret:Itis a heron, which has white or buff plumage and develops fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season.

Purple heron: It is a wading bird in the heron family, which hunts for a range of prey, including fish, rodents, frogs and insects, by either stalking them or standing and waiting in ambush.

Indian silverbill: It is a small bird found in the Indian subcontinent. It has a conical silver-grey bill, buff-brown upperparts, white underparts, buffy flanks and dark wings. The tail is black and the wings dark. It feeds mainly on seeds, but also takes insects and has been known to visit nectar-bearing flowers. Although largely sedentary, some populations make seasonal movements.

Jacobin cuckoo: It is a member of the cuckoo order of birds that is found in Africa and Asia. It is partially migratory and in India, it has been considered a harbinger of the monsoon rains due to the timing of its arrival.

Little egret: It is a species of small heron. It is a white bird with a slender beak and long black legs. As an aquatic bird, it feeds in shallow water as well on land, consuming a variety of small creatures.

Pheasant Tailed Jacana:Ithas elongated toes and nails. They swim or walk on aquatic vegetation. The body is chocolate brown, with a white face and the back of the crown is black with white stripes running down the sides of the neck. The wings are predominantly white. A dark eye stripe runs down the sides of the neck and forms a dark necklace on a slightly sullied white front.

Plain prinia: It is a small warbler found in the south-east Asia. They have short rounded wings, a longish tail, strong legs and a short black bill.

Purple sunbird:It is a small bird found mainly in South Asia. Like other sunbirds they feed mainly on nectar, although they will also take insects. They have a fast and direct flight and can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, but often perch at the base of flowers. It has a dark and short square ended tail. They have a down-curved bill.

Red-naped ibis: It is a species found in the plains of the Indian subcontinent. It is a large black bird with long legs and a long down-curved bill. The wing feathers and tail are black with bluish-green gloss, while the neck and body are brown minus the gloss. The top of the featherless head is a patch of bright red warty skin.

Spot-billed duck: This bird is a large non-migratory breeding duck found in freshwater wetlands in the Indian subcontinent. Its name is derived from the red spot at the base of the bill. It has a scaly patterned body with a green speculum bordered by white.

White-breasted kingfisher: It is a tree kingfisher, widely distributed in the Indian subcontinent to the Philippines. It feeds on a wide range of prey that includes small reptiles, amphibians, crabs, small rodents and even birds. During the breeding season, they call out loudly in the mornings from prominent perches including the tops of buildings in urban areas or on wires.