A separate entry recorded on 16th December for the birdwatching that I did on 14th and 15th December while traveling to a nearby (yet faraway) town, Chatra.
On 14th December, we’d to travel to Chatra (a small, densely populated township 70 kms away from Piparwar) to meet my eldest sister. Even though, I was somewhat against covering such a long, tiring journey I decided to go along not only because my little niece was waiting for us there, but I also wished to earn some more birdwatching experience.
We started at about 7:30 am in the morning. It was a tad hazy and the sun’s rays were mildly piercing the fog. I didn’t assume it to be too much of a successful day from birdwatching point of view because we weren’t traveling with any intention of explicit birdwatching and I didn’t have high hopes for spotting any unique bird because of my last experience of watching birds from moving car. However, I didn’t wish to give up my hope entirely because just like the last time, we were mostly going to get the scenery of forests, villages and open farming fields along the roadside, so chances were in abundance for me point a new bird or two or three but not more than that. It’s just that the road from Ranchi to Piparwar took away much of my excitement. But, this time things were going to be different.
Our day started with greetings from Pied Starlings, Common Pigeons, and House Crows pecking on the road and open areas in front of our apartment complex. I had never got a close view of Pied Starling so I felt very delighted and my hope for seeing more birds strengthened with it. As we moved on, some common birds continued to show up for a while including song of Oriental White-Eye, House Sparrows flying in flocks, Black Drongos solitarily sitting over cattle, trees or on roadside wires, Large-billed Crows, Common Mynahs, Spotted Doves, a Greater Coucal, some Mallards, a few Parrots, Black kites etc. An another common species, that I encountered for the first time after starting deliberate birdwatching, was perching over the high rocks in riverbank awaiting its meal to appear out of the muddy river water: a group of Little Egret waiting for fishes to pop up. Not only that, but the enjoyment doubled when a Little Egret took off from the rock, crossed our car from above, doing it in a very dramatic way as if it was trying to catch our attention.
Even though, the journey was all the same, quite tiring, the ambience of the countryside washed away our tiredness, literally. The view of the roadside landscapes kept awing and rejuvenating us: the mustard fields with layers of refreshing yellow flowers at the top and their green stems at the bottom, freshly ploughed open fields, the cluster of mud and wooden houses all around with sprinkled Roosters and Chickens pecking freely along the side of the road, the cows either grazing or relaxing and masticating in the shade of trees, House Swifts soaring over the open meadow, Cattle Egrets seriously standing in vast, open fields, cool blowing wind and a bright sun glowing above in the clean blue sky. I believe there wouldn’t have been a better day for birdwatching and crazy photographing than that epic day.
To reserve some space for the upcoming attractions in my entry, I’m going to limit my words by describing only those events when I spotted some unseen birds, the first one being a pair of fluffy, beautiful birds of prey perching on a distant electricity wire. It was apparent from their appearance (as my sister figured it out too and said,”It looks like a kite”) that they were a kind of raptors but which one I didn’t know. It was actually a pair of Brahminy Kite, white chest, brown wings and sharp beak, easily identifiable from its distinct look of plumage. Those birds weren’t only beautiful but I’d my first meeting with their kind which only escalated my hope and determination to keep looking around. Alas, that day only one species got listed in my life list but I learned to be more hopeful about that trip as we’d to travel back next day as well.
The next day, we got up at about 6 am because we’d to leave for Piparwar by 7:30 am. At about 6:30, my mum called me outside, when I was just procrastinating to get ready, to check out a little bird that was flitting around flower pots and a mango tree. At first, I thought it to be an Oriental White-Eye but a close look changed my thought. It had chestnut coloured crown, white chest, a slightly long bill, and olive wings. I instantly knew that it was a tailorbird, a Common Tailorbird. Not only that, but a bonus bird was flitting over the roof top as well. For the first time, I got such a closer look of Oriental Magpie Robin. I had seen it at Kanke too but never so closely. There were also a few Oriental White-Eyes singing light-heartedly over the mango tree. A bit later, mum and I went to the backyard (which was full of mess and trees were grown here and there in an unorganised manner) because we were attracted by the sweet, strong and repetitive call of a pair of Common Tailorbird, probably trying to warn other birds in the vicinity for the presence of a cat and its two kittens, one of them was black and the other was grey. Although, they seemed mostly harmless and were more interested in scouring the mess in the yard than creating any national geographic scene and attacking any of the bird around. The birds seemed to be very gregarious and I moved towards them very slowly and silently to closely observe them until they flew away.
Well, so we left the town at about 7:45 AM. In the beginning, things were calm until my sister and I spotted a brightly-coloured bird at the side of a lake. It was a typical kingfisher scene, a bird with blue plumage perching on one of the twigs that were scattered around the lake, gazing seriously the clear water below to snatch a fish at the speed of light. As we saw it from the moving car, we obviously missed the fishing scene, but who cares. It was the first time in my whole life that I got to see a kingfisher, wasn’t that enough? It was a White-throated Kingfisher, “widely found throughout the country” as some birders mention, but just because they’re widely available doesn’t mean they are commonly visible. I was stupefied and felt very thankful to have such a brilliant experience (but, my sister after saying, “It’s a kingfisher!” turned to her usual calmness. I wonder how she managed to control her delight or maybe she didn’t feel it the way I was feeling because when I asked her later on she said, “I love birds all right, but I’m not as obsessed as you are, that’s all”). I also managed to see a pair of Red-vented Bulbul and other usual birds on the way.
After a long and tiring journey, when we were close to our destination, I found a Green Bee-Eater perching on a wire, another feather in my birdwatching cap. Even though, it wasn’t completely clear, its colours and body structure were enough to identify it: green body, long pointed tail and a light brown head. Not to mention, the jackpot that I got to notice at the very end of the journey: a pair of Brown-headed Barbet sitting on an electricity wire. I can never forget that bright green plumage, black head (it was actually brown but you can’t expect a completely distinguishable view form a moving car) and a slightly wide tail. It was one of the most beautiful birds I’ve ever seen! I’m still in awe, you just can’t assess it.
There’s one thing I can tell you for sure that from this trip I’ve gained a very clear idea on how to watch birds from moving vehicle. It’s more necessary to concentrate on those areas that offer a clear shape and size of birds keeping in mind the contrast with the background, for example, wires, open fields, leafless trees and close adjacent areas to the road. It’s wastage of time and probably a loss of a better chance of spotting birds by searching them in green, dense trees, because in such situation a well camouflaged bird can be easily mistaken as a leaf and a leaf might appear as a bird.
All in all, as you’ve already assumed by reading my longest birdwatching entry ever, that I wholeheartedly enjoyed my trip in contrary to what I believed before starting. I can never forget these two, most eventful days in my whole birdwatching history till now. If the outskirt of the forests can be so beautifully adorned with such magnificent jewels, just consider the kind of treasures hidden inside those deep, dark forests. Inconceivable! (For a starter birdwatcher like me, at least).
The adventure for me, my dear friends, surely has just begun!