Avian Beauties of Kasauli- Grey Drongo

We were on our journey back from Mani Mahesh, Chamba, while sitting over a parapet  I spotted the red eyed bird.
The ashy drongo (Dicrurus leucophaeus) is a species of bird in the drongo family Dicruridae. It is found widely distributed across South and Southeast Asia with several populations that vary in the shade of grey, migration patterns and in the size or presence of a white patch around the eye.

Vernacular Name 

Kashmir: Gankots, Telakots, Bengal: Neel finga, Lepcha (Sikkim): Sahim, Sahim pho, Bhutan: Chechum, Gujarat: Rakhodi koshi, Tamil: Erattai valan kuruvi, Telugu: Budidarangu aitrinta, Malayalam (Kerala): Kakkattampuran, Karnataka: Boodu bhujanga.

Description

Length 12 Inches, including 6 tail 6 inches. Sexes alike. The whole upper plumage dark indigo (  in field appears black with a slender forked tail and is only distinguished from the King Crow with difficulty, bu the more slender build, unless closer enough for the lighter duller color of the upper part is recognizable) with a high gloss;the lower plumage dark grey;a blackish patch in front of the eye.
Iris red; bill and legs black.
Tail long, slender and widely forked at the end, the outer feather curling upwards.

Distribution and reference

The ashy drongo breeds in the hills of tropical southern Asia from eastern Afghanistan east to southern China and Indonesia. Many populations in the northern part of its range are migratory. Charles Vaurie described subspecies beavani (after Robert Cecil Beavan) as the population that breeds along the Himalayas that wintered in peninsular India. However later workers include this as part of longicaudatus which also has a population that breeds in central India.In winter, the species is particularly fond of hill forests.E. C. Stuart Baker described stevensi which Vaurie considered as being either beavani or hopwoodi of the eastern Himalayas. To the east of the range of hopwoodi is mouhouti of Thailand and Myanmar. To the north of this range are leucogenis and salangensis (both migratory mainly to areas further south but also known to the west in Nagaland) while bondi is found to the south. Along the southeast Asian island chain, there are number of insular populations including periophthalmus, batakensis, phaedrus, siberu and nigrescens. The nominate form is said to be found on Simalur, Java, Bali, Lombok, Palawan, and Balabac Islands.

Identification

Subspecies longicaudatus of India (which includes beavani of the Himalayas that winters on the peninsula, with one breeding population in central India that Vaurie separates as longicaudatus in the restricted sense) is very dark and almost like the black drongo although this bird is slimmer and has a somewhat longer and less-splayed tail. It is found in more tall forest habitat, has dark grey underside lacking the sheen of black drongo. The iris is crimson and there is no white rictal spot. Subspecies leucogenis and salangensis have a white eye-patch as do several of the island forms that breed further south. The calls are a little more nasal and twangy than that of the black drongo.

Behaviour & Ecology

The ashy drongo has short legs and sits very upright while perched prominently, often high on a tree. It is insectivorous and forages by making aerial sallies but sometimes gleans from tree trunks.They are found singly, in pairs or small groups. During migration they fly in small flocks.

A common call that they make is described as drangh gip or gip-gip-drangh.They can imitate the calls of other birds and are capable of imitating the whistling notes of a Common Iora.

The breeding season is May to June with a clutch of three or four reddish or brown eggs laid in a loose cup nest in a tree.

Oriental white-eye.

Zosterops palpebrosus

This little bird made me cancel my trip to Pong Dam as I was going from Kasauli to Pong Dam Bird Sanctuary just to see it and found it in Kasauli . As I was heading my way I saw at 3 km distance from Kasauli in the forests of Kanda, this beautiful angel. The Oriental White-eye, Zosterops palpebrosus, is a small passerine bird in the white-eye family.The English and scientific names refer to the conspicuous ring of white feathers round the eyes, zosterops being Greek for 'girdle-eye'.
It is a resident breeder in open woodland in tropical Asia east from India to China and Indonesia.
They forage in small groups, feeding on nectar and small insects. They are easily identified by the distinctive white eye-ring and overall yellowish upperparts.
Several populations of this widespread species are named subspecies and some have distinctive variations in the extent and shades of yellows in their plumage.

Behavior and Ecology

These white-eyes are sociable, forming flocks which only separate on the approach of the breeding season. They are highly arboreal and only rarely descend to the ground. The breeding season is February to September but April is the peak breeding season and the compact cup nest is a placed like a hammock on the fork of a branch. The nest is made of cobwebs, lichens and plant fibre. The nest is built in about 4 days and the two pale blue eggs are laid within a couple of days of each other. The eggs hatch in about 10 days. Both sexes take care of brooding the chicks which fledge in about 10 days. Though mainly insectivorous, the Oriental White-eye will also eat nectar and fruits of various kinds.
They call frequently as they forage and the usual contact call is a soft nasal cheer. They pollinate flower when they visit them for flower insects (such as thrips) and possibly nectar (questioned) that form their diet. The forehead is sometimes colored by pollen leading to mistaken identifications. They have been observed bathing in dew accumulated on leaves.
When nesting, they may mob palm squirrels but being small birds they are usually on the defensive. Their predators include bats (esp. Greater False Vampire Bat, Megaderma lyra) and birds such as the White-throated Kingfisher. Endoparasitic Haemosporidia of the genus Haemoproteus and Dorisa have been isolated from the species although these rarely cause death.
Like some other white-eyes, they sometimes steal nest material from the nests of other birds. Cases of interspecific feeding have been noted with white-eyes feeding the chicks of a Paradise Flycatcher.
Although not strong fliers, they are capable of dispersing in winds and storms to new areas including offshore islands. A feral population of this species established itself in California during the 1980s requiring their capture and destruction. They were captured by luring them using call playback and live decoys into mistnets.

A bit More description

This bird is small (about 8–9 cm long) with yellowish olive upper parts, a white eye ring, yellow throat and vent. The belly is whitish grey but may have yellow in some subspecies. The sexes look similar. The species is widespread and is part of a superspecies complex that includes the Japanese White-eye (Zosterops japonicus), the Lowland White-eye (Zosterops meyeni) and possibly others. The taxonomy of the group is still unclear with some island populations being distinctive while some subspecies are not well supported. The population from Flores, Indonesia for instance is found closer to the Pale White-eye. The family itself is now questioned since they are nested along with the Stachyris babblers.

About eleven subspecies are well recognized. These include the nominate form (type locality Bengal, India) which is found from Oman and Arabia, Afghanistan, northern India and extends into China and northern Myanmar.
The population in the Western Ghats and hills of southern India is placed in nilgiriensis while salimalii of the Eastern Ghats hills (Shevaroy, Chitteri, Seshachalam, Nallamalai) is sometimes subsumed into the nominate race.

Beauties of Kasauli - Himalayan bulbul

Pycnonotus leucogenys

Crested like the famous the popular cartoon character 'Johnny Bravo',this species is widely distributed in the Himalayan foothills and rightly called as Himalayan Bulbul instead of its other name 'White-cheeked Bulbul', that is often confused with the White-eared Bulbul of the West India with almost similar appearance, but which is now a separate species (lumped together earlier).
The word 'Bulbul' is a Persian name for Nightingale, which featured extensively in their poetry, infact the Bulbul was called "Persian Nightingale" in the ancient era (probably because Bulbuls were popular cage songsters in Persia just like the Nightingales in the far west). Shimla Hills and Kasauli in particular is full of these pretty bird.The bird is better known as a singing bird, but its dance over the twigs made the comparison with Johnny Bravo well deserved.
The Himalayan bulbul (Aves Tennantus) is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family. If they are mixed with humans from a young age, they will become friendly to humans. It is found in the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent as well as some adjoining areas. It is found in Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Tajikistan. It is the national bird of Bahrain.

Size and appearance

Himalayan bulbul length is about 18 cm, wingspan of 25.5 to 28 cm and the weight of an average of about 30 g. Bird's head, throat, and crest are black and white . The back side, and a lengthy tail are brown, the underside and pale yellow . Both sexes have the same color. The song is a beautiful 4-piece whistle, which resembles an accelerated oriole whistle.

Housing

Himalayan bulbul habitat are at the and forests, and in the rich shrub layer. He also appear gardens and roadsides. Sometimes you can also find him in the gardens and parks where human visitors, who would leave food. This invites flies and other insects that are its main food.

Breeding

This bulbul is preparing a small cup-shaped nest, made of herbs, roots and twigs. the nest is usually built in the bush or low tree branch. The female lays usually three eggs, which are incubated for 12 days. The chicks leave the nest 9–11 days old. Flips are evaluated as two or three during the summer. During the breeding of this bird is very combative towards other birds.

Nutrition

This bulbul eat insects and other small invertebrates, and berries, fruits, seeds, buds and nectar.

Crimson Sunbird - Birds of Kasauli

Aethopyga siparaja seheriae (Tickell, 1833)

It is a beautiful sunday morning fresh after night showers. Air was crisp to make the visibility more long ranged, I spotted a Crimson Sunbird ( Male). Named after their most prominent looking color, Crimson Sunbirds are nectar feeders mistaken by many as hummingbirds in India which are never found outside of Americas in nature!! The flamboyant crimson color and high pitched calls of chweet-chweet-chweet make it easy to notice this bird though its very small (approx. 10cms in size). The beak is a typical nectar feeding one and most of the times, these birds are seen drinking nectar in weird ways like upside down, etc. Female Crimson Sunbirds look very similar to many other Sunbirds with olive-yellow colored wings with darker olive-brown body.

Range

Himalayan foothills in India from West Himachal Pradesh (Kangra) east to Sikkim and Bhutan, south to northern West Bengal, eastern Bihar,eastern Madhya Pradesh and Orissa (possibly northern Andhra Pradesh), and western Bangladesh.

Description

Crimson Sunbirds average 11 cm or 4.3 inches in length. They have medium-length thin down-curved bills and brush-tipped tubular tongues, both adaptations to their nectar feeding.
The adult male has a bright red throat, chest and sides. He has deep blue moustachial stripes. His back is maroon-colored, his rump is yellow and his abdomen is yellowish-olive. He has a bluish-green tail with white tips to the outer tail feathers.
In most of the range, the males have a long green-blue tail, but subspecies Aethopyga siparaja nicobarica from the South Nicobar Island (Great and Little Nicobars, Kondal and Meroe Islands) lack the long central tail feathers.
The adult female has an olive-green back, yellowish chest and white tips to the outer tail feathers.

Breeding / Nesting

The Crimson Sunbird male and female build the purse-shaped, moss-covered nest together - although the female takes on the part of lining the nest. The nest is often suspended from the underside of large fern fronds, or thin branch of a low tree or shrub.
The average clutch consists of 2 - 3 eggs which are mostly incubated by the female for about 18 - 19 days. The male assists with feeding the young.

Crimson Sunbird, Aethopyga siparaja Calls / Vocalizations
Its call is described as a chee-cheewee.

Diet / Feeding

Crimson Sunbirds mostly feed on nectar, although take insects particularly during the breeding season to feed their young and to satisfy their own need for increased protein in their diet during this demanding time.
They favor flowers with the highest sugar content and seek out those areas containing flowers with high energy nectar.
Even though most sunbirds can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, the Crimson Sunbirds usually perch while taking nectar
The males establish feeding territories on flower bearing shrubs and trees, which they aggressively defend.
Many native and cultivated plants on whose flowers sunbirds feed heavily rely on them for pollination. The mostly tubular-shaped flowers actually exclude most bees and butterflies from feeding on them and, subsequently, from pollinating the plants.

Blyth's reed warbler

Birds of Kasauli

This small passerine bird is a species found in scrub or clearings, often near water, but it is not found in marshes. 4-6 eggs are laid in a nest in a bush. It is migratory, wintering in India and Sri Lanka. It is one of the most common winter warblers in those countries. It is a rare vagrant to western Europe.The habitat is different from the reed beds favoured by reed warbler or the rank vegetation of marsh warbler, this species choosing trees or bushes as song
REcently posts. Like most warblers, Blyth's reed warbler is insectivorous, but will take other small food items, including berries.
In the breeding season, the best identification feature is the song, which is slow and repetitive, with much mimicry of other birds, punctuated with scales and typically acrocephaline whistles.
This is a medium-sized warbler, 12.5-14 cm in length. The adult has a plain brown back and pale underparts. It can easily be confused with reed warbler, marsh warbler and some of the Hippolais warblers. It is most like reed warbler but is greyer on the back, the forehead is less flattened and the bill is less strong and pointed. The sexes are identical, as with most warblers, but young birds are yellower below.
Observed 6 day day ago in the Wild Southern Forests of Kasauli, of Distt SOlan in Himachal Prdesh Indian, the Blyth's reed warbler (Acrocephalus dumetorum) is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. It breeds in temperate Asia and easternmost Europe. It is migratory, wintering in India and Sri Lanka. It is one of the most common winter warblers in those countries. It is a rare vagrant to western Europe.
This bird is named after the British zoologist Edward Blyth.
As might be out from the call it makes its commonly know as Tik-Tiki.

Mani Mahesh : The significance of Half cresent Moon

Passim my Exploration to Mani Mahesh I have heard of the providentially or Magically Lucky Mani Darshan and throughout my way I have been dead reckoning over my chances of it happening to us. But what I perceived by sight was far beyond that, the half crescent moon over the almighty Mani Mahesh.

Further more I made some more inquiring on reaching my home from some scholars and pandits. Lord Shiva represents the destructive aspect of Nature. He is one of the most popular Gods of Hinduism and can be easily identified by His looks. He wears a tiger skin, holds a trident in His hand, wears a snake around his neck and the moon on His matted hair. These ornaments may sound quite uncanny to most of us. These are some very unusual ornaments to be worn by a God. All of these ornaments have their own significance. The trident in His hand represents the three 'gunas' present in a human being and He wields the power over all these gunas. His 'damru' represents the beginning of sound. The snake around His neck signifies the Lord's justice towards each and every being on the Earth. Have you ever wondered why Lord Shiva wears the crescent or the waning moon on his matted hair? Like every other ornament on His body, the moon also has its own significance and story.

Let's find out about the significance of the crescent of Lord Shiva.

Story Behind The Crescent:

According to the mythology, Daksha Prajapati, one of the sons of Lord Brahma had 27 stars as his daughters. All of these stars were married to the moon. However the moon had a special attraction towards one of the daughters called Rohini. So, all the other wives of the moon complained to their father that the moon was not treating them well. So, Daksha got angry and he cursed the moon that it will loose its shine day by day. Soon the moon started loosing one part of its light with every passing day. 

Afraid of the curse, the moon disappeared into the ocean. Without the moon the balance of Nature was disturbed and many lives dependent on the light of the moon started suffering. To end the problem, all the deities requested Lord Shiva to do something. With only one part of its light left, the moon took refuge in Lord Shiva's matted hair. Hence Shiva wore the moon crescent on His head, making the moon grow in size for 15 days and then wane for another 15 days causing the full moon and the new moon.

Significance Of The Crescent:

 Lord Shiva is known by the name of 'Chandrashekhara' or the one who holds the moon on His head. The crescent worn by Lord Shiva is actually the moon in its fifth day phase and symbolizes the cycle of time through which the process of creation evolves, the beginning till the end. Hence the moon is the measure of time and the crescent on Lord Shiva's head signifies His control over time. It shows that Lord Shiva is beyond the measure of time and is the eternal reality. Therefore the moon is only His ornament and not an integral part of the Lord. Thus, the crescent moon on Lord Shiva's head signifies His control over time and the fact that He is the beginning and the end of all things in the universe.

Leave your sins not you underwear

This is what a very expected scenario in most of places where the word "Yatra" gets attached to a pure and serene place, I am heading on an excursion yeah of course the Mani Mahesh Lake Yatra 2014 and for that I am going to share some of the do's and don'ts which one must adhere to not because of that its a code but because of common sense. Atleast the people known to me should know

Environment

Tread softly  stick to trails and recognized camping areas. Avoid creating new tracks, or damaging the environment in any way. Follow the adage: take only photos ( if you must shoot use a camera), leave only footprints.
Pack it in, pack it out  avoid taking tins, glass, or plastic containers and bags unless you plan to carry them back to a major city. 
Conserve water quality  wash away from water sources, and always use local toilet facilities when available. Bury all organic waste at least 30cm below the ground and 50m away from water sources.

Conserve natural resources  what few resources there are belong by right to the locals. Always ask permission before using anything along the trail. It is illegal to disturb wildlife, remove animals or plants, or buy wildlife products.

Safety

1. Beware of altitude sickness  use the buddy system to watch for symptoms of altitude sickness. Make sure everyone remains fully hydrated by drinking water throughout the day, everyday. Stay together along the trail, and communicate frequently with everyone.

2. Be safe  carry an extensive first-aid kit and know how to use it. Have multiple plans for emergency evacuation and designated decision makers. Leave your itinerary details with someone responsible at home. 

3. Be self-reliant  don’t assume you will receive help or assistance. Ensure your group has extensive field-craft and navigation skills. Research thoroughly, is your route appropriate for your party? Do you have the necessary skills, experience, resources and equipment?

4. Remain hydrated  drinking between two and four litres of water per day will help prevent altitude sickness and improve your body’s recovery time.

5. Don’t rush  there are no prizes for coming first on the trail and rushing will probably over-stress your body and may increase your chances of suffering from altitude sickness. Frequent stops to drink water and rest often become photo opportunities and a chance to chat with locals.

6. Trekking poles  that more people aren’t impaled by absent-minded trekkers swinging their poles is amazing. Be aware of the pole tips, especially when crossing bridges or negotiating narrow or steep trails.

7. iPod use  rather than listening to the noise of life along the trail some people prefer to plug in to an iPod. Doing so puts you at greater risk from animals and rock fall.

8. Common courtesy  the trail is often busy, especially at steep or difficult sections. A common courtesy is to give way to people walking up-hill, or to those who are obviously struggling or carrying a very large load.