Birds Of Bareilly : Water Birds ... Part 1 !!!
Hey There !!!
As I have mentioned earlier, there is a stream flowing near my residential area and believe it or not, it's an actual birder's paradise ! There are lots of birds which come to this stream in search of food, water and other needs like their homes. This lists includes grassland birds, water birds, scavengers and other types of aves species.
This week, I have done some reasearch on a few frequent water birds which I spotted in the last few days and am ecsatatic to share it with you all ...
1. Great Egret
This is a large, widely distributed egret, found in Asia, Africa, the Americas and Europe. Distributed across most of the tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world, it builds tree nests close to water. It is a large heron with all-white plumage. Apart from size, this large egeret can be distinguished from other white egrets by its yellow bill and black legs and feet, though the bill may become darker and the lower legs lighter in the breeding season.It has a slow flight, with its neck retracted. This is a characteristic feature of herons and bitterns, and distinguishes them from storks, cranes, ibises, and spoonbills, which extend their necks in flight. The great egret walks with its neck extended and wings held close. The great egret is not normally a vocal bird; it gives a low, hoarse croak when disturbed, and at breeding colonies, it often gives a loud croaking cuk cuk cuk and higher-pitched squawks.The great egret forages in shallow water or in drier habitats, feeding mainly on fish, frogs, small mammals, and occasionally small reptiles, crustaceans and insects. It often waits motionless for prey, or slowly stalks its victim. It's conseration status is Least Concern as per the IUCN red List. .
I shot this video of a Great Egret strolling throught the Naktiya Nadi ...
This is a member of the cormorant family of seabirds which is widely distributed across the Indian Subcontinent and extends east to Java. It resembles closely with the Indian Cormorant, The difference being smaller in size, lack of the characteristis peak head of the former and the smaller sized beak. It forages singly or sometimes in loose groups in lowland freshwater bodies, including small ponds, large lakes, streams and sometimes coastal estuaries. Like other cormorants, it is often found perched on a waterside rock with its wings spread out after coming out of the water. They swim underwater to capture their prey, mainly fish. They propel themselves underwater using their webbed feet. Captured fishes are often brought up to the surface to swallow them and during this time other birds including other little cormorants, painted storks, gulls and egrets may attempt to steal them ! They are vocal near their nest and roosts where they produce low roaring sounds. They also produce grunts and groans, a low pitched ah-ah-ah and kok-kok-kok calls. It's conservation status is Least Concern as per the IUCN red list
Sunbathing is for birds also !!! This video was shot by me ... A little cormorant sunbathing !
Moreover, you can always look up for more information regarding birds on Ebird, my trustred birding site !!!
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