Celebrating my Big Year 2022

Celebrating my Big Year 2022 with all of you… 906 species of birds recorded in India in the year 2022.

 

Pictorial representation of my travel destinations (Map is only for representation)
Map source: Places Been

A small note and some stats followed by a few favourite pictures from the amazing year that was. This note is part of a series (six to twelve) that I hope to share with you all.

Birding is a celebration of Life for me. I’ve been a bird watcher since childhood. It began with my Mom often showing to me the common birds that came to our garden. The songs of the Indian Golden Oriole still reverberate from lore. I held my first camera very early too, with my dad capturing pictures and portraits of family members and picnics. His collection of more than a thousand pictures is magical.

I bought my first camera, a Canon S3IS in the year 2006 and moved into the digital age. Then in the year 2017 my better half suggested that I do the Ornithology course being offered by INHER, Pune. I followed it up with the Basic Course in Ornithology being offered by BNHS headed by Dr. Raju Kasambe which really got me going, especially excited to see and experience the work being done at BNHS. Also, in this period I got introduced to the formal world of birding, amazing birding buddies and also eBird. In the following years, I tried unsuccessfully to find avenues (still am) to work in the field of wildlife and conservation. On a personal & professional front things were a bit damp by now and then the COVID waves followed. By end of 2021, my mind was made up having decided to follow my passion and do a Big Year in 2022.

My Mission was set: Visit various regions and habitats of India, explore the wilderness of forests and grasslands, brace the sea, scan the skies and wetlands, walk where no one dares, climb, scale, tread every terrain, meet the wonderful people of the regions, gobble some amazing local cuisines, catch glimpses of the local life, but most importantly in doing so, see a 1000 birds in the year and capture as many through my two cameras, the Sony-RX10MIV and Canon-R5. I was neither sure nor prepared to be on the road for most of 2022. Positivity prevailed, and I was able to spend as many as 300+ days in the field away from my home turf in Pune, all the while ensuring that I birded every day of 2022, recording 1,336 eBird checklists and 906 species. There were health scares and other personal challenges but I/ we as a family managed to sail through 2022.

Collage1: Species name - Left to Right

R1: Chestnut-crowned Warbler (Darjeeling), Spotted Flycatcher (Pune), Fire-tailed Myzornis (Zuluk, Sikkim), Palani Laughingthrush (Munnar, Kerala);

R2: Velvet-fronted Nuthatch (Coonoor, TN), Sulphur-bellied Warbler (Pune), Blue-tailed Bee-eater (UP), Marbled Duck (Nal Sarovar, Gujarat);

R3: Dalmatian Pelican (Nal Sarovar), Eurasian Hobby (Sambar Lake, Rajasthan), Painted Bush-Quail (Mahabaleshwar), Bonelli's Eagle with Amur Falcon kill (Lonavala).

Some of my stats are as follows:

Collage 2: Species name - Left to Right

R1: Crab Plovers (Jamnagar), White Stork (Kutch), Sarus Crane (Nal Sarovar), Greater Painted Snipe (Pune);

R2: Black Francolin (Chhapar), Eurasian Griffon (Bikaner), Great Indian Bustard (Jaisalmer), Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark (Jaisalmer);

R3: Tibetan Snowcock (Ladakh), Peregrine Falcon (Kutch), Indian Roller (Kanha, MP), Koklass Pheasant meyeri subspecies (Walong, Arunachal Pradesh);

Collage 3: Species name - Left to Right

R1: Mangrove Pitta (Bhitarkanika NP, Odisha), Collared Owlet (Mishimi Hills, Arunachal Pradesh), Black Bittern (Bharatpur), Bar-tailed Treecreeper (Sattal, UK);

R2: Masked Booby (Off Mangalore Coast), Flame-throated Bulbul (Goa), Hume's Hawk Owl (South Andaman), Rufous-throated Wren-Babbler (Sikkim);

R3: Indian Thick-knee (Rajaji NP, UK), Slaty-headed Parakeets (UK), Olive-backed Sunbird (South Andaman), Wedge-tailed Green-Pigeon (Uttarakhand);

This is just the beginning. I hope that this inspires many to pursue birding and conservation. Conservation starts through conversation.

Besides family, I have many to thank. Two good friends helped a lot, Francis D'Souza & Tehzoon Karmalawala. 

There are many to thank here. All the wonderful local guides, the circuit drivers, tour operators, wonderful birding friends during these trips, the homestay people, safari operators, the forest staff and officials who are doing their best in their limited capacity. Thank you all.

My FB post will tag as many as possible.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/indianbirds/permalink/10159662754572411/?mibextid=Nif5oz

Collage 4: Species name - Left to Right

R1: Black-capped Kingfisher (Odisha), Yellow-throated Bulbul (Karnataka), Rufous-necked Hornbill (WB), Himalayan Monal (UK);

R2: Nilgiri Flycatcher (Coonoor), Streaked Weaver (Kutch), Andaman Coucal (South Andaman), Tawny Fish-Owl (Jim Corbett NP, UK);

R3: Grey Peacock-Pheasant (Dihing Patkai NP, Assam), Sri Lanka Frogmouth (Goa), Black-and-orange Flycatcher (Munnar, Kerala), Streak-throated Woodpecker (Jim Corbett NP, UK);

Naani aka Nanny Eternal

Nani as we all fondly referred to her. Well, she is no more and it has been a few years now. Nani was our family Nanny and had been associated with our Ali family for many decades. She must have joined the household as a young girl and continued to nurture many a young ones over the years.

My great grandfather settled in Rajnandgaon, now in Chattisgarh and had a flourishing timber business. His legacy was passed on to my eldest uncle, being the eldest grandchild and his grandfather's favourite. Well, this is another long story.

Nani must have come into the household when my eldest uncle settled down in Rajnandgaon and had kids of his own. Now, this page is no family date line but you must understand that the age difference between me and my eldest cousin is above twenty years, while the oldest and the youngest cousins may have thirty plus years of age difference and Nani would surely have had a role in each of my cousins' life.

She was soft-spoken, gentle, kind hearted and educated. I have never actually lived in Rajnandgaon but it is a place dear to me  In her later years when she was not in service, she always came to visit us when we all descended in Rajnandgaon for a family 

Fun with kids

Picture story filmstrip

The impregnable Fort of Golconda

Famous for its moat, aquaducts, Amazing acoustics and echo based communication, strong build, the history of the dynasties that have ruled, the Kakatiyas, the Bahmani Sultanate and the famous Qutub Shahi dynasty, the colossal structure of Golconda Fort still stands in magnificence.

Golconda, an engineering marvel, used to be a complete city/township kingdom even at the time of the Qutub Shahi dynasty. Only when it's population overgrew, the city of Hyderabad was founded by Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah.

Golconda gets its name from the fact that shepherds used to take their herd to graze on its hill and thus was locally known as the "Shepherd's Hill" which loosely translates to Golconda.

The most prized diamond, 'Koh-i-Noor' and also 'Daria-i-Noor' was found in its mines.

A story that I recall from childhood is of the thief that lived and hid in the tree (a Baobab Tree), 'Hathiyan ka Darakth'. He was finally caught when one day someone noticed smoke rising from the tree and decided to investigate. The thief had been cooking in his hideout which was a giveaway.

If you visit Hyderabad and not visit this magnifique, your visit will be incomplete. Submerge yourself in the local lores and many wonderful tales of yore and ofcourse the light & sound narratives that are organised in the evenings.

Like I would say, if you do not know the history, the city is a mystery... Unravel the colours of the past with a visit to Golconda Fort.

This panoramic silhouette is of the view of the fort in the fading lights on a clear winter day.

Fun pics

Some images speak for themselves. 
Enjoy this one as much as I did shooting.

Land of the Himalayas

Chestnut Shouldered Petronia is also known by the name Yellow - Throated Sparrow. As visible distinctly on its throat is yellow ribbon type patch as if the little one is wearing a collar.

I was lucky to get a good number of pictures to do a thorough study. During our Honeymoon trip, Mariam and I were trekking in the hills by the side of the Sattal lake near Almora, when I sighted this bird doing rounds & feeding its young ones holed up in a pine tree trunk.

We spend near about an hour observing the pretty bird. I started crawling towards it nest, and on spotting my approach, the Petronia decided to play patient. Also an owl threatened perched from a near by tree. Little Petronia's call was sharp and sweet very unlike a sparrow's. It moved to the nest only after I withdrew to a safe distance.

Tv = 1/320; Av = 3.5; ISO set Auto; f = 72 mm; White Balance set Auto

Heart of the City Stinks

The Hussain Sagar Lake is the Heart of Hyderabad. Come summer and the Lake stinks. This is due to negligence of the Muncipality and unawareness amongst the Citizens about Sanitation and Hygiene. Long polluted, the Lake has been crying to be given fresh breath of Life. Come early morning and the area around the Lake is alive with joggers, morning walkers and fitness seekers; come evening and the Lake plays host to Love Birds; if one hangs around then a Beautiful Sunset awaits you. All those city dwellers who are regular takers of the Lake's services forget about its pangs. None of us wake up and wish to take up the cause of cleaning the Lake. The Lake is also still managing to draw beautiful birds and many rare winter birds to frequent the dying Lake. Wake up All you Citizens of Hyderabad and save this dying Lake. Today it stinks, tomorrow we will.