Heartwarming news
Check the Hindu back page dated 21.11.07. The Ministry of environments has
decided not to give clearance to the Singara project which would have
created havoc in the Nilgiris\ mudumalai\Bandipur core area. Thank God
people are still sensible
Revi Unni


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dear Mark
go to Thatekad near Kothamangalam in Ernakulam District.  Spend a few days
and you can see more than 200 species; migrants and endemics combined.
Local guides are available in the sanctuary.  Meet Vinod or Rajiv (Mobile:
9846474186).
Happy birding,
ajay sekher

On Sat, Nov 21, 2009 at 5:07 AM, nazemark <nazemark@...> wrote:

>
>
> Hi everyone,
>
> I've just joined the group and I'm hoping I've come to the right place for
> some informed advice. I'm an english birder based in London, travelling when
> and where possible, and in the first two weeks of March 2010 that will
> hopefully be Kerala.
>
> Unfortunately it won't be a full-on birding trip, but a combined 'birding /
> keep my girlfriend happy' holiday - i.e., I'll be able to squeeze at least
> six or seven days of that time dedicated to birds and wildlife (my partner
> isn't a birder, but appreciates nature and will enjoy the experience for
> sure).
>
> We don't have lots of cash to burn, but are willing to pay where necessary,
> especially if it contributes to ecotourism. We don't drive. We're flying
> into, and will most likely be based at or near to, Cochin. We're happy to
> have basic accomodation and food (but are vegetarians).
>
> What I'd really appreciate from group members is advice on how best to get
> the maximum birding out of Kerala in the short time available, under the
> above circumstances. I'd like to circumnavigate the endless, inaccurate info
> on the internet and get the real thing from the horses mouth, so to speak!
>
> Of course, I'd like to connect with as many endemics as possible, but I'm
> not an obsessive lister - my priority would be to go to the most productive
> areas, ideally with a local guide, and enjoy.
>
> Two, three, four or five day trips - or a combination of, say, two or three
> overnighters - would be great; and if anyone can recommend really reliable,
> locally-knowledgable guides (not necessarily from big companies!), even
> better.
>
> Thank you all for your time, I really appreciate it. If you're ever in
> England, look me up!
>
> Mark Pearson
>
> Cockney Sparrow Project Officer, London Wildlife Trust -
> http://www.wildlondon.org.uk/cockneysparrow
>
> Founder, Hackney Wildlife Group - http://www.hackneywildlife.org.uk
>
> Middlesex Recorder, Ornithological section of the London Natural History
> Society - http://www.lnhs.org.uk
>
> http://northernrustic.blogspot.com
>
>
>



--
ajay sekher
My Weblog - http://ajaysekher.net/


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Geetha Devi <vgeethadevi@...>
Date: Sat, Nov 21, 2009 at 7:08 PM
Subject: Ministry’s ‘no’ to Neutrino Observatory project in Nilgiris
To: paintedstork@...


http://www.hindu.com/2009/11/21/stories/2009112154952000.htm

Ministry’s ‘no’ to Neutrino Observatory project in Nilgiris   R. Ramachandran
Suggests the project, proposed by Department of Atomic Energy, be moved
to a site near Suruliyar falls
New Delhi: The government has decided against locating a Neutrino
Observatory (INO), an underground experimental physics project, at
Singara in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu. Instead, the Ministry
of Environment and Forests has suggested that the project, proposed by
the Department of Atomic Energy, be moved to a site near the Suruliyar
falls in Theni district of Tamil Nadu.
Suruliyar was one of the several sites considered by the scientists,
but rejected as being inferior, compared to Singara.
The INO is a major multi-institutional project, at the forefront of
high-energy physics. It aims at addressing several fundamental
unresolved questions in physics by studying elusive particles called
neutrinos in a world class laboratory built underground. A large
material overburden above an underground laboratory helps to stop all
other contaminating particles and allows only the very weakly
interacting neutrinos to arrive at the detector.
In a letter to Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) Anil
Kakodkar on Friday, Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests
Jairam Ramesh said that based on the report of Rajesh Gopal, Additional
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and Member-Secretary of
the National Tiger Conservation Authority (MS-NTCA), the Ministry
cannot give a go-ahead to Singara.
After a discussion with key scientists connected to the project at
the Ministry on September 4, the Minister instructed Dr. Gopal and
other forest officials to visit the project site and submit a report.
The visit took place on October 31. It was followed by a meeting with
the scientists at the PCCF’s office in Chennai on November 3. The
Minister too was supposed to visit the site to ascertain the issues for
himself, but it did not happen.
“The proposed project site,” says the report, “falls in the buffer
zone of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve and is in close proximity to the
core/critical tiger habitats of Bandipur and Mudumalai Tiger reserves.
It is also an elephant corridor, facilitating elephant movement from
the Western Ghats to the Eastern Ghats and vice-versa.”
It must be pointed out that the notification declaring these areas
as tiger reserves was issued only in 2008, six years after the INO
project was proposed and two years after the DAE applied to the Tamil
Nadu Forest Department for approval. According to the scientists, till
date no communication had been received on their application from the
Department. Even more pertinent is the fact that the State government
is apparently yet to endorse the notification.
The report says that the area is already disturbed on account of
severe biotic pressure due to human settlements and resorts and that
the construction phase of the project would involve transport of
building materials through the highways passing through the core area
of the Bandipur/Mudmulai Tiger Reserves.
It, however, does not say how these resorts came up in the reserved
forest area in the vicinity of the elephant corridor.
Interestingly, both the Minister’s letter and Dr. Gopal’s report do
acknowledge the views of R. Sukumar, an expert on the Nilgiris
Biosphere Reserve from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He
was of the view that the proposed project would not be detrimental to
the wildlife and environment of the region and that the arguments
against Singara were, to a very large extent, exaggerated and
misplaced.
“Even though various safeguards have been proposed in the
environment management plan and even though I have high regard and
respect for Dr. Sukumar, I am forced to come to the conclusion that
Singara location should not be proceeded with,” says the Minister in
apparent contradiction.
Asking the DAE to seriously consider the Suruliyar site, the
Minister has said that this site did not pose the types of problems
that Singara posed and environmental and forest clearances should not
be a serious issue. The letter also assures the DAE that the Ministry
would facilitate necessary approvals for the alternative location.
A major consideration in favour of Singara over other locations was
the existence of the ‘Charnockite’ geological formation, with an
already excavated cavern of known strength for the underground power
plant PUSHEP of the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB), and the
associated infrastructure already established. The INO project was
proposed to be located within the power plant premises.
While the new site too has a hydroelectric project and also has
Charnockite formation, a preliminary investigation report by the
Geological Survey of India (GSI) points to the existence of a shear
zone at the site where the tunnel for the experiment could be dug.
According to the scientists, a detailed survey by the GSI would take
4-5 months after which an Environment Impact Assessment will have to be
undertaken.
“But Suruliyar too is in a reserved forest area that is dense and
would require cutting down of trees, something that was not required at
Singara,” says Dr. Naba K. Mondal of the Tata Institute of Fundamental
Research, who is the spokesperson for the project. “Can the government
assure us that forest clearance for this site will be given,” he asks.
“Alternatively, we can move to the nearby Thevaram, which is about
20-30 km away from the Suruliyar falls. This forest area has only
shrubs but there is no source of water here and water will have to be
piped over a distance of 30 km,” he adds.



     The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo!
Homepage. http://in.yahoo.com/

hi... If you are to Trivandrum, do visit the wetlands of Punchakkari. You can
spot about 80+ species there and can get some excellent pictures also.. I can
assist you in case you are interested. (I'm not a professional guide and hence
no charges please... )..  mob : 09495037819...
                                                                                \
   regards, Biju



       The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I've seen it... and its unfortunate that one eminent environmentalist has
strongly assured that there wont be any harm done evenif the project is
implemented.. Thankfully, better sense prevailed at last..
  regards, Biju

--- On Sat, 21/11/09, revi unni <reviunnik@...> wrote:

From: revi unni <reviunnik@...>
Subject: [keralabirder] Hi The Fate of Singara Project
To: keralabirder@yahoogroups.com
Date: Saturday, 21 November, 2009, 5:23 PM







 









       Heartwarming news

Check the Hindu back page dated 21.11.07. The Ministry of environments has

decided not to give clearance to the Singara project which would have

created havoc in the Nilgiris\ mudumalai\Bandipur core area. Thank God

people are still sensible

Revi Unni



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]























       The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
http://in.yahoo.com/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Geetha Devi <vgeethadevi@...>
Date: Sun, Nov 22, 2009 at 8:34 AM
Subject: Research centre for Silent Valley
To: paintedstork@...


http://www.hindu.com/2009/11/22/stories/2009112255060400.htm


Research centre  for Silent Valley   Staff Reporter
Rs.5 crore for the centre on biodiversity


A success story: Union Minister of State for Forests
Jairam Ramesh inaugurating a national seminar on the Silent Valley
National Park in Palakkad on Saturday.
PALAKKAD: Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam
Ramesh has said that a biodiversity research centre of international
standards will be set up at the Silent Valley National Park. The
centre, named after the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who helped
save the Silent Valley rainforests, will start functioning in 2010, the
International Year of Biodiversity.
Mr. Ramesh was speaking after inaugurating a national seminar
organised as part of the silver jubilee celebrations of the national
park at Mundur, near here, on Saturday. The Minister said Rs.5 crore
would be sanctioned to the research centre. On getting the project
report from the State government, the Centre would release the money.
He said that in the history of modern environmental movements, two
stood out — the Chipko movement, a campaign against tree-felling and
construction of the Tehri dam, and the campaign to protect the Silent
Valley rainforests.
These two movements made the then Union government, led by Indira
Gandhi, enact the Forest Conservation Act, 1980.
The Minister released a stamp on Silent Valley brought out by the
Department of Posts. Hilda Abraham, Postmaster-General, Northern
Region, Kozhikode, presented the commemorative stamp to the Minister.
The Minister honoured the veterans who fought to save the forest. They
are Madhav Gadgil, K. Sukumaran, A. Achuthan, Anand Parthsarathy, U.K.
Gopalan, Gopalakrishnan Nair (who fought the first case on Silent
Valley), M.K. Prasad (then president of the Kerala Shasthra Sahitya
Parishad), K. Sreedharan, V.S. Vijayan, Satishchandran Nair, N.
Namasivayam and V.M.N. Namboodiripad.
Electricity Minister A.K. Balan announced the dropping of the
Pathrakadavu hydel project brought as an alternative to the Silent
Valley hydel project by the KSEB as there were apprehensions that it
would damage the forests.



     The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo!
Homepage. http://in.yahoo.com/

Today (Saturday, 21 Nov. 2009) I visited Thatekad and adjoining forest patches
with Jaime Chithra. We were a bit late to reach the Cuckoo Paradise at eight in
the morning.  Though we could not see any Cuckoos first we heard the welcome
call of Indian Cuckoo.

  A couple of Red-wattled Lapwings were warming up in the open grassland in
bright sunshine. The Cuckoo that we finally saw there turned out to be a Drongo
Cuckoo! Plenty of Spotted Doves and Pompadour Green Pigeons were on the canopies
of the teak tress. Racket tailed, Bronzed, Ashy and Black Drongos were also
vocal and very much visible in the morning glory.

As we crossed the river Periyar the Ashy Wood Swallows were sitting tight
together on the electric wires above water.  As soon as we entered the Salim Ali
Sanctuary with guide Rejiv the Jazzy ensemble of Malabar Grey Hornbills began. 
We saw the Brown Hawk Owls perched on the pinnacle of a bamboo grove. 
Brown-breasted and Asian Brown flycatchers came to us to say hi! Black-naped and
Black-hooded Orioles were enjoying themselves on top of bare branches in the
sun. Little Cormorants and White-throated Kingfishers were plenty in the lagoons
nearby. A solitary Small Blue Kingfisher was perched on a pole provided by the
authorities anew.

Inside the forest we saw the awesome Black Baza spreading its wings and crest
and coming down to perch on a tall tree.  We were shown the roosting Frogmouth,
the favourite of Thatekad.  A Crested Serpent Eagle was hovering above with
frequent calls.  We saw a lot of Brahmany Starlings and Black Crested Bulbuls.
Yellow-browed Bulbuls were also not uncommon.  A few Paradise Flycatchers also
came out.  Gold-fronted Leafbirds were delightful to watch.  Scarlet Minivets
showed off in full colours to entertain.  As we were leaving the place we also
heard the call of a Dollar Bird distinctly.

From Thatekad we went further west all along the Periyar to reach Budhathan
Kettu barrage were a Long-tailed Shrike was sitting on a pole awiting us.
Popular superstition says that the huge stone dam was built by the 'Bhuthathans'
or Demons, but historians say that it was built by the Bhudhist missionaries to
feed paddy fields in the adjacent villages in the pre-Brahmanic era.

Then we moved further down stream along the southern bank of Periyar to reach
Thrikariyur an ancient Buddhist shrine which is now a Hindu temple.  The huge
temple pond and the Pearl-spots or Karimeens in it are a reminiscence of the old
eco-cultural heritage of conservation, a lasting legacy of Buddhism in Kerala
and South India in general.  A few Indian Cormorants and a Darter were seen by
the pond.

From here we moved slightly south west to reach Kallil, the ancient Jain
rock-cut temple near Methala in Odakali. We were received by a chatty group of
jungle babblers on this rocky hillock.  It is a laterite hillock with a granite
top.  The image of the Thirthankara is still visible above the rock entrance. 
Archeologists say that there were reliefs and granite idols of Mahavira,
Parshwanatha and Padmavathi Devi inside the rock chamber. Now the Padmavathi
Devi idol is worshiped as Bhagavati.

  As we encircled the gigantic rocks on top of the shrine we saw the carved image
of an elephent on a rock which clearly is a Jain Mudra or symbol of peaceful
co-existence with nature without conflict and non-violence. On a nearby ancient
fig tree we saw five yellow footed green pigeons savoring the sun and the
mellowing fig-fruits.  The brooding presence of a Brahmany Kite was really
alarming as a dramatic re-enactment of the whole history of violence.
Fortunately the green doves were perfectly camouflaged.

Then we moved further west to reach Iringol Kavu near Perumbavur.  It was
already past noon and was getting hotter and hotter.  We could not see much
birds here except a hasting Oriental Honey Buzzard.  Plenty of flower peckers
and sun-birds are thriving inside this ancient Sramana sacred grove which was
once part of the Periyar valley civilization created and nurtured by the
Jain-Buddhist heritage of Kerala. As the clouds of North Eastern Monsoon began
to gather in the horizon we were speeding up the retreat back to Kottayam.

Regards,
ajay sekher

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: vsram2003 <vsram2003@...>
Date: Sun, Nov 22, 2009 at 12:07 PM
Subject: [Tamilbirds] Two valuable bird books available for download
To: Tamilbirds@...




I just came across two most interesting books of special interest to birders
in southern India on the net:

Vedanthangal by M. Krishnan
Author: Madras Government
Keywords: birds; India; Madras; Vedanthangal
Language: English
Collection: opensource

Description
Government Brochure on Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary written by M. Krishnan
Under current RTI 2005 act, this document should be readily available to
citizens.

Available at: http://www.archive.org/details/VedanthangalByM.Krishnan
------------------------------
The other is:
The Birds of Southern India
Author: Baker, HR and C M Inglis (scanned by Osmania University)
Keywords: birds; India
Language: English
Collection: opensource

Description
Baker HR and CM Inglis (1930) The Birds of Southern India. Government Press,
Madras. Scanned by Osmania University, available on Digital Library of India
in other forms. As Indian government work done before 1947, it is public
domain under the Indian Copyright Act 1957

http://www.archive.org/details/TheBirdsOfSouthernIndia

Best wishes,
Santharam




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Nice report Ajay...     regards, Biju


       The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dear Friends, Awifo cordially invites you all, for this event.
 
Prabhu.P
 
Manging Trustee, Asian Wildlife Foundation (AWIFO)
Secretary,              GREENZONE,
EC member,          Butterfly Conservation Society

 
HYDERABAD-500 075, (AP) India .
Prabhu_pvsub@ yahoo.com



 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-----------------------------------------------
RamRudra
Student Coordinator,
Asian Wildlife Foundation, HYDERABAD.
ramrudra@...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12721378@ N04/




        Add whatever you love to the Yahoo! India homepage. Try now!


       The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
http://in.yahoo.com/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi all,

           Dr.Sreekumar pinged me while earlier and mentioned that
somebody reported a huge congregation of Black-tailed Godwits and
GLossy Ibis at Pandi Is roost today.
Number reported to him was 10000 Black-tailed Godwits & uncountable no
of Glossy Ibis. This is a very important observation and yet again highlights
the importance and conservation of large wetlands like Vemabanad.

As per BLI, population estimate of Black-tailed Godwits is around
630,000 - 805,000 nos. This gives a 1% figure of 6300-8050. The
present number, if conservative, is well above 1% threshold of this
Near-threatened species.

However, counting huge numbers can be tricky - it would be good if
two/three people visit this area tomorrow and give a very conservative
figure of the birds - of both species. I think this info would be a
very useful input while revising estimates of these species.

On a different note, P C Rajeevan called up two days back and passed on the
disappointing news at Varakadavu, Katampally where a road construction has
totally destroyed the habitats where Grey-necked Bunting and Bristled Grassbirds
were seen in past years.

best rgds
Praveen

Hi all,

             Yellow Wagtails that winter in Kerala are found in a wide
range of colors. Some of them can be attributed to  the transitioning to/from
winter plumage, sexual dimorphism, juvenile plumages while other reason being
possibly 4-5 races occur in Kerala  - sometimes many races are found in the same
flock.

              I am trying to identify the subspecies of a Yellow
Wagtail in breeding plumage from a photo made by P B Biju from
Vellayani. The bird seems to have a yellow eye brow and dark ear
coverts.

Among the Yellow Wagtails which are believed to winter in Kerala, only
lutea race (Yellowheaded Wagtail) has a yellow supercelium - however,
that subspecies also has more yellower head and almost no dark on the ear
coverts.

The other race which I can think of is taivana (Green-crowned Yellow
Wagtail), though the supercelium is supposed to be more prominent than
this.


The link to the photo is here
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/keralabirder/photos/recent/999026495/view

After wading through lots of photos in OBI, I did not see any race
with these features other than taivana.

Opinions welcome.

best rgds
Praveen

PS: Race that are known to winter in Kerala are

thunbergi (Darkheaded or Greyheaded Wagtail)
beema (Syke's Wagtail)
simillima (Short-tailed Grey-headed / Berring Sea Yellow Wagtail)
melanogrisea (Turkestan Black-headed Wagtail)
lutea (Yellowheaded Wagtail) - possible in the region, no definite
ring recoveries.

More info can be gleaned from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_Wagtail

Dear Friends,

On 22-11-2009 I visited Vypeen Islands from 10.30 am to 12 noon to find whether
there are Lesser crested sea terns. But I did not find any one there. I have
found the following birds,
1. Western Reef Egret
2. Common Tern?
3. Whiskered Tern
4. Black Kite
5. Yellow Wagtail
6. Paddyfield Pipit
7. Common Swallow
8. Grey Heron
9. Little Ring Plover
10. Common Redshank
11. Common Sandpiper
12. Wood Sandpiper
13. Blue-tailed Bee-eater: and
14. Brahminy Kite.
There are a lot of water birds there, but I was able to spent only a few hours
there. I am planning to visit there for some more times.

Dr. S. Prasanth

hi.. I've uploaded a close up of the yellow wagtail pic.. in case it can be of
help...
                                                  regards, Biju

link : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/keralabirder/photos/recent/2100342802/view



       The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
http://in.yahoo.com/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

If ur going again, try to go early (7ish) - you might get to see some
pelagic movements if you look out to the sea... Skuas, Petrels,
Shearwaters etc
rgds
Praveen

On Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 10:33 AM, Prasanth <drsprasanth@...> wrote:
>
>
>
> Dear Friends,
>
> On 22-11-2009 I visited Vypeen Islands from 10.30 am to 12 noon to find
whether there are Lesser crested sea terns. But I did not find any one there. I
have found the following birds,
> 13. Blue-tailed Bee-eater: and
> 14. Brahminy Kite.
> There are a lot of water birds there, but I was able to spent only a few hours
there. I am planning to visit there for some more times.
>
> Dr. S. Prasanth
>

One Amur Falcon Falco amurensis was seen & photographed by Raghunandan Kulkarni
& videographed by my driver Nafees at Dhikala, Corbett Tiger Reserve, India on
19th November 2009. I have seen 150+ Amur Falcons at Dhikala on 15th November
1997. During 1976-79 Girish Kumar & B. S. Lamba recorded the species thrice from
Dhikala during months of October & November. On 1st & 2nd November 1977 they
recorded a flock of 300 birds.
Manoj SharmaVillage Shankarpur, Ramnagar - 244 715,Distt. Nainital, Uttarakhand,
INDIA.+91 97600 21878, +91 98370 61878  




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Sorry, Ajay ,

Your observations are ornithologically and ethologically
invalid. You are trying to allude anthropomorphical impressions to birds and
their behavior when you say “The brooding presence of a Brahmany Kite was
really alarming
as a dramatic re-enactment of the whole history of violence” . The Brahminy
kite, is more of a scavenger than a hunter and the yellow footed green pigeons
therefore could savor the sun  unalarmed.   The
birds, per-se, doesn’t know whether
it is pariah, brahminy,  garuda,  Malabar , Oriental, European or whatever. And
what about the “brahminy” starling you saw? dilip kg



----- Forwarded Message ----
From: ajayshekher <ajaysekher@...>
To: keralabirder@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sat, November 21, 2009 9:50:54 PM
Subject: [keralabirder] Birding the Banks of the Periyar


Today (Saturday, 21 Nov. 2009) I visited Thatekad and adjoining forest patches
with Jaime Chithra. We were a bit late to reach the Cuckoo Paradise at eight in
the morning.  Though we could not see any Cuckoos first we heard the welcome
call of Indian Cuckoo.

A couple of Red-wattled Lapwings were warming up in the open grassland in bright
sunshine. The Cuckoo that we finally saw there turned out to be a Drongo Cuckoo!
Plenty of Spotted Doves and Pompadour Green Pigeons were on the canopies of the
teak tress. Racket tailed, Bronzed, Ashy and Black Drongos were also vocal and
very much visible in the morning glory.

As we crossed the river Periyar the Ashy Wood Swallows were sitting tight
together on the electric wires above water.  As soon as we entered the Salim Ali
Sanctuary with guide Rejiv the Jazzy ensemble of Malabar Grey Hornbills began. 
We saw the Brown Hawk Owls perched on the pinnacle of a bamboo grove. 
Brown-breasted and Asian Brown flycatchers came to us to say hi! Black-naped and
Black-hooded Orioles were enjoying themselves on top of bare branches in the
sun. Little Cormorants and White-throated Kingfishers were plenty in the lagoons
nearby. A solitary Small Blue Kingfisher was perched on a pole provided by the
authorities anew.

Inside the forest we saw the awesome Black Baza spreading its wings and crest
and coming down to perch on a tall tree.  We were shown the roosting Frogmouth,
the favourite of Thatekad.  A Crested Serpent Eagle was hovering above with
frequent calls.  We saw a lot of Brahmany Starlings and Black Crested Bulbuls.
Yellow-browed Bulbuls were also not uncommon.  A few Paradise Flycatchers also
came out.  Gold-fronted Leafbirds were delightful to watch.  Scarlet Minivets
showed off in full colours to entertain.  As we were leaving the place we also
heard the call of a Dollar Bird distinctly.

From Thatekad we went further west all along the Periyar to reach Budhathan
Kettu barrage were a Long-tailed Shrike was sitting on a pole awiting us.
Popular superstition says that the huge stone dam was built by the 'Bhuthathans'
or Demons, but historians say that it was built by the Bhudhist missionaries to
feed paddy fields in the adjacent villages in the pre-Brahmanic era.

Then we moved further down stream along the southern bank of Periyar to reach
Thrikariyur an ancient Buddhist shrine which is now a Hindu temple.  The huge
temple pond and the Pearl-spots or Karimeens in it are a reminiscence of the old
eco-cultural heritage of conservation, a lasting legacy of Buddhism in Kerala
and South India in general.  A few Indian Cormorants and a Darter were seen by
the pond.

From here we moved slightly south west to reach Kallil, the ancient Jain
rock-cut temple near Methala in Odakali. We were received by a chatty group of
jungle babblers on this rocky hillock.  It is a laterite hillock with a granite
top.  The image of the Thirthankara is still visible above the rock entrance. 
Archeologists say that there were reliefs and granite idols of Mahavira,
Parshwanatha and Padmavathi Devi inside the rock chamber. Now the Padmavathi
Devi idol is worshiped as Bhagavati.

As we encircled the gigantic rocks on top of the shrine we saw the carved image
of an elephent on a rock which clearly is a Jain Mudra or symbol of peaceful
co-existence with nature without conflict and non-violence. On a nearby ancient
fig tree we saw five yellow footed green pigeons savoring the sun and the
mellowing fig-fruits.  The brooding presence of a Brahmany Kite was really
alarming as a dramatic re-enactment of the whole history of violence.
Fortunately the green doves were perfectly camouflaged.

Then we moved further west to reach Iringol Kavu near Perumbavur.  It was
already past noon and was getting hotter and hotter.  We could not see much
birds here except a hasting Oriental Honey Buzzard.  Plenty of flower peckers
and sun-birds are thriving inside this ancient Sramana sacred grove which was
once part of the Periyar valley civilization created and nurtured by the
Jain-Buddhist heritage of Kerala. As the clouds of North Eastern Monsoon began
to gather in the horizon we were speeding up the retreat back to Kottayam.

Regards,
ajay sekher







[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi all,
       I was back to kole today after a long break(Tholoor-Chittilapilly). Saw 52
species in total, including 3 un id.Gulls. More than a thousand
egrets(incl.Little,Median,Large,Cattle and western reef) were observed.
Ducks(Pintails dominating) were also present in about the same strength at the
same place. More than 500 glossy ibis were also seen.

  A booted eagle was observed soaring above this congregation of ducks and
egrets, occasionally swooping down and flushing them. It was having a hard time
with 4 immature Brahminy kites mobbing and interfering. An adult Brahminy kite
was seen taking fish from the surface of water, but the immatures were mostly
kleptoparasitic-they were robbing egrets. Saw one of them chasing a Black-headed
ibis which had something in its beak.

Compared to previous years, there seems to be a dip in the total no: of birds-
evident in the case of Whiskered terns. Would like to hear from others. Also,
Common coots seem to be more numerous than usual and they are surprisingly not
shy! They are seen in groups in canals, even near the bridges. They used to be
seen singly or in pairs, that too in some corners of the flooded fields!

On the way back, I was stopped by some 8 gentlemen who wanted to know how many
species I had seen. They were polite to me, but weren't very happy with the
birds around. The birds were accused of 2 'crimes'
1. They eat all the fish
2. They agitate floating vegetation, which in turn get stuck in the motors while
they are used to pump out water.

I'm not sure how valid there arguments are, but it is sad that most people are
not passionate about the birds. These people were happy that some birds were
being disturbed and driven off due to the dynamites being used there for
fishing.

With warm regards,
Vivek

Dear all,

I had a short birding trip on Sunday with Basil to his alma atar-Kalathara
and Kandakkadavu.
It is a large wetland in the south western part of Kochi.It is mostly
uncultivated with some localised shrimp cultivation and a large tract of
Mangrove on Kalathara side.We saw:

1.Osprey
2.Brahmany Kites
3.Pariah Kites.
4.Large Egret
5.Intermediate Egret.
6.Little Egret.
7.Pond Heron.
8.Black Bittern(?)
9.Stork Billed KF.
10.Black Capped KF.
11.White Throated KF.
12.Common KF
13.Common Mynah.
14.Plain Prinia.
15.Blythe`s Reed Warbler.
16.Purple Heron.
17.Grey Heron.
18.Little Cormorant.
19.Darter.
20.Little Grebe.
21.White Breasted Waterhen.
22.Purple Moorhen.
23.Black Winged Stilt.
24.Common Woodshrike.
25.Swallows.
26.Blue Tailed Beeeater.
27.Black Drongo.
28.Crow Pheasant.
29.Common Crow.

According to Basil, there are mainly six species of Mangrove
here-Avicenia,Rhizophora,Brugeria,Accanthus,Exocaria,Sonnoratia.

We spent only about 2 hours there and the place had good water level.

Namaskaram!
Found single Forest Wagtail on 24/11/2009 morning at Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary.
Regards.
Pradeep Aymanam

Dear Vishnu,

Can you please say how to reach that place


Dr. S. Prasanth

--- In keralabirder@yahoogroups.com, vishnu@... wrote:
>
> Dear all,
>
> I had a short birding trip on Sunday with Basil to his alma atar-Kalathara
> and Kandakkadavu.
> It is a large wetland in the south western part of Kochi.It is mostly
> uncultivated with some localised shrimp cultivation and a large tract of
> Mangrove on Kalathara side.We saw:
>
> 1.Osprey
> 2.Brahmany Kites
> 3.Pariah Kites.
> 4.Large Egret
> 5.Intermediate Egret.
> 6.Little Egret.
> 7.Pond Heron.
> 8.Black Bittern(?)
> 9.Stork Billed KF.
> 10.Black Capped KF.
> 11.White Throated KF.
> 12.Common KF
> 13.Common Mynah.
> 14.Plain Prinia.
> 15.Blythe`s Reed Warbler.
> 16.Purple Heron.
> 17.Grey Heron.
> 18.Little Cormorant.
> 19.Darter.
> 20.Little Grebe.
> 21.White Breasted Waterhen.
> 22.Purple Moorhen.
> 23.Black Winged Stilt.
> 24.Common Woodshrike.
> 25.Swallows.
> 26.Blue Tailed Beeeater.
> 27.Black Drongo.
> 28.Crow Pheasant.
> 29.Common Crow.
>
> According to Basil, there are mainly six species of Mangrove
> here-Avicenia,Rhizophora,Brugeria,Accanthus,Exocaria,Sonnoratia.
>
> We spent only about 2 hours there and the place had good water level.
>

Dear friends,                                               For the past few
days I had been looking for common house sparrows in our market
area..Tripunithura market.. I could not find even a single one in any of the
shops. Once when we go through the market area we could find them rushing around
everywhere. Have any of you observed this in any other places?
 Yours        Gokul Das.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Geetha Devi <vgeethadevi@...>
Date: Wed, Nov 25, 2009 at 7:29 PM
Subject: A new haven for tigers at Parambikulam
To: paintedstork@...


http://www.hindu.com/2009/11/25/stories/2009112554570400.htm

A new haven for tigers at Parambikulam   Staff Reporter
Jairam Ramesh to inaugurate Parambikulam Tiger Reserve on February 17

PALAKKAD: Union Minister of State for Environment and Forest Jairam
Ramesh will inaugurate the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, the second in
the State after the Periyar Tiger Reserve, on February 17.
Forest Minister Benoy Viswom will preside over the function. The new
reserve will have a total area of 648.5 sq km, with a buffer zone of
225.3 sq km. The newly added core area measures 188.2 sq km. and the
existing core of the Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary is 235 sq km.
Converting the Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary into the tiger reserve,
adding forest areas spread across Kerala and Tamil Nadu, will help in
the better protection of the area, sanctuary officials here said.
Infrastructure, eco-development and payment of salary to the staff
will be borne by the Centre. So it is also a big economic relief for
the State government, said P.S. Easa, a member on the committee
constituted by the government for identifying areas for the tiger
reserve.
Section 38 V (4) of the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2006,
defines a tiger reserve as one which includes the core or critical
tiger habitat and the buffer or the peripheral area.
As per Section 38V (4)(i) of the Act, the core is defined as
“critical tiger habitat areas of national parks and sanctuaries, where
it has been established, on the basis of scientific and objective
criteria, that such areas are required to be kept as inviolate for the
purposes of tiger conservation, without affecting the rights of the
Scheduled Tribes or such other forest dwellers, and notified as such by
the State government in consultation with an expert committee
constituted for the purpose,” he said.



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Hi.. I've seen them in Kottayam KSRTC stand and Private Bus Stand upto May 2009
(I was transferred in May 2009 to Kollam)...    
                                                                                \
       regards, Biju



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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dear all,

Last week I could visit some parts of Kole & beaches. Also did manage to go for
a vacation in the Nelliampathies. Here is a quick summary


1. Ennamavu Kole: Bird population appear to be very less. There used to be so
many migrants by this time - but couldn’t see any Harriers or Blue tailed
Bee-eaters. Notable observations include a Rosy Starling with a completely
different plumage - gray & green (Thanks to Praveen.J for id.). Whiskered terns
used to flood here- but this time there numbers are not more than a few 100’s.
And finally as always, people around the place are not happy about the birds-I
have visited the kole fields more than 20 times or so last year, yet to find a
single person sympathetic about birds or wildlife. There are people who threaten
to shoot down & poison birds. I try to convince them, but in vain. 

2. Adat Kole: Egrets in good numbers. No harriers, no Open-bill Storks. I could
see a possible albino little ringed plover among a group of few 100’s. Saw
some whiskered terns & a few Blue-tailed Bee-eaters. 100's of liters of
insecticide were sprayed to counter the recent Armyworm atatck on paddy,
apparantly polluting the water bodies flowing by; and I suspect we will see any
good numbers of ducks & waders, this year. There is still a greater danger of
birds consuming the poisoned insects,even though it is claimed that birds dont
eat dead worms-experts may confirm.

3. Uppungal Kole: The area is fully water–logged & will take another couple of
weeks to start drying up. A few common sandpipers & common coots were the only
birds seen apart from a few little terns.

  4. Chavakkad main beach: Kentish plovers & some gulls in distant flight

  5. Puthan Kadappuram (Near Chavakkad): This is a great place for seeing waders
at close quarters. Birds are not wary-they allow you to come quite close. I
spent nearly 2 hours there in the morning photographing & observing them. It was
funny to watch Sanderlings running around. It’s a great feeling to be in the
company of so many waders - some sitting on their “knees”, some on their
belly, while others run around in search of food all within a 4-5 meters
distance. I felt like in the show of “Life of birds” by Sir. David
Attenborough where he sits on the desert floor with a pan full of water & birds
swarm in hundreds to have a drink–some sitting even on his head. Saw Ruddy
turnstones, Sanderlings, Kentish & lesser sand plovers & a common Tern.



6. Nelliampathi: Although this was not meant to be birding trip, I could manage
some memorable sightings here. I was at Victoria hills – my favorite spot in
the Nelliampathies - it’s a place from where you look down to see Great
Hornbills & Eagles in flight. I saw a majestic black eagle flying past the hill
and stooping into the valley below, before circling the place for a few moments.
It was such a fantastic sight. I heard Hornbills from the distant valley below
but couldn’t spend enough time to see them in flight. I saw [& photographed]
my first Blyth’s reed Warbler here [I had only heard them before]. Saw a few
Tawny-bellied Babblers & 2 Philippine Shrikes
Regards,
Praveen.E.S


       The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

dear friend,
i too have the feeling that the number of house sparrows have drastically
reduced in places like the markets in recent times. However, i see them
regularly in Kalady (inside the civil supplies sales outlet complex) but not
near the other grain shops at the junction (kalady - malayattoor Road).
  dilip kg




________________________________
From: gokul das <gokuleriyat@...>
To: keralabirder@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wed, November 25, 2009 8:57:36 PM
Subject: [keralabirder] House sparrow


Dear friends,                                               For the past few
days I had been looking for common house sparrows in our market
area..Tripunithura market.. I could not find even a single one in any of the
shops. Once when we go through the market area we could find them rushing around
everywhere. Have any of you observed this in any other places?
  Yours        Gokul Das.







[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dear all:
 
We have a request from the KFD for a Bird survey at Mangalavanam bird sanctuary.
Mangalavanam is a recently declared Bird sanctuary having an extent of only
2.74ha and is located in Kochi.
 
We propose to conduct the survey during the coming weekend (28 & 29 Nov. 2009).
Being a tiny santcuray we can accommodate only 15 people. Anyone interested may
please contact me either today or latest by tomorrow at nameer.ommer@...  
 
Best wishes
 
NAMEER




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hii,
Still you could see House Sparrows at Changanassery market (Kottayam dist). But
in small numbers...
rgds
Prasanth

--- On Thu, 26/11/09, Dilip KG <drdilipkg@...> wrote:


From: Dilip KG <drdilipkg@...>
Subject: Re: [keralabirder] House sparrow
To: keralabirder@yahoogroups.com
Date: Thursday, 26 November, 2009, 8:12 AM


 



dear friend,
i too have the feeling that the number of house sparrows have drastically
reduced in places like the markets in recent times. However, i see them
regularly in Kalady (inside the civil supplies sales outlet complex) but not
near the other grain shops at the junction (kalady - malayattoor Road).
dilip kg

____________ _________ _________ __
From: gokul das <gokuleriyat@ yahoo.com>
To: keralabirder@ yahoogroups. com
Sent: Wed, November 25, 2009 8:57:36 PM
Subject: [keralabirder] House sparrow

Dear friends, For the past few days I had been looking for common house sparrows
in our market area..Tripunithura market.. I could not find even a single one in
any of the shops. Once when we go through the market area we could find them
rushing around everywhere. Have any of you observed this in any other places?
Yours Gokul Das.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]









       The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
http://in.yahoo.com/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

It is a real fact that house sparrow population has come down drastically.  In
my childhood days we used to keep an earthern pot with a hole in our house in
Valanjambalam, Ernakulam  and generations of house sparrows used to breed in it.
Now I cannot see a single sparrow in Ernakulam/Tripunithura area.
But on a recent visit to Shoranur, I saw flocks of birds nesting in the five or
six big trees in the railway station and they were in thousands. On a closer
examination I could see that they were undoubtedly, house sparrows!
Balasubramanian.

any possibility that the mobile towers have any impact on birds.the number of
mobile phone towers are increasing day by day.and the waves could certainly have
impact on birds too.mobile towers are the one thing that got increased over
these years.may be we have to wait n watch......

--- In keralabirder@yahoogroups.com, prasanth narayanan <prasanthns2004@...>
wrote:
>
> Hii,
> Still you could see House Sparrows at Changanassery market (Kottayam dist).
But in small numbers...
> rgds
> Prasanth
>
> --- On Thu, 26/11/09, Dilip KG <drdilipkg@...> wrote:
>
>
> From: Dilip KG <drdilipkg@...>
> Subject: Re: [keralabirder] House sparrow
> To: keralabirder@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Thursday, 26 November, 2009, 8:12 AM
>
>
>  
>
>
>
> dear friend,
> i too have the feeling that the number of house sparrows have drastically
reduced in places like the markets in recent times. However, i see them
regularly in Kalady (inside the civil supplies sales outlet complex) but not
near the other grain shops at the junction (kalady - malayattoor Road).
> dilip kg
>
> ____________ _________ _________ __
> From: gokul das <gokuleriyat@ yahoo.com>
> To: keralabirder@ yahoogroups. com
> Sent: Wed, November 25, 2009 8:57:36 PM
> Subject: [keralabirder] House sparrow
>
> Dear friends, For the past few days I had been looking for common house
sparrows in our market area..Tripunithura market.. I could not find even a
single one in any of the shops. Once when we go through the market area we could
find them rushing around everywhere. Have any of you observed this in any other
places?
> Yours Gokul Das.
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>       The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
http://in.yahoo.com/
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>