Birding at Nandi Hills - Part 3 - Nilgiri Wood Pigeon

Its been so long, that I almost forgot what was supposed to be the third species in this list. :)

Well, here it is, the Nilgiri Wood Pigeon, another commonly found and photographed bird in this region.

Nilgiri Wood Pigeon, Columba elphinstonii

The Nilgiri Wood Pigeon, Columba elphinstonii , is a large pigeon found mainly in the Western Ghats and Nilgiri region of Southern India. They are mainly frugivorous, i.e, their diet mainly consists of fruits. They have a distinctive checkerboard pattern on the nape. They are closely related to the Ceylon Wood pigeon and the Ashy Wood Pigeon. They forage singly or in groups usually up in the fruit trees, but are seen foraging on the ground for fallen fruits as well. They play a vital role in dispersing seeds of the fruits they consume.

Nilgiri Wood Pigeon, Columba elphinstonii

Part - 1 of this series: Tickell's Blue Flycatcher
Part - 2 of this series: Blue-capped Rock Thrush EQUIPMENT USED:

Nikon D3S / Canon EOS 20D
AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4G ED VR / CANON EF 600mm F4L IS
Gitzo + Wimberley

Join me on Facebook: Angad Achappa Photography

For tailored wildlife photography trips please get in touch at: angadachappaphotography@hotmail.com

All Images are Copyrighted Angad Achappa and may not be used in any form, website or print/online media without written permission of the Photographer. For any inquiry for the photographs please contact: angadachappaphotography@hotmail.com

Birding at Nandi HIlls - Part 2 - Blue-capped Rock Thrush

This is the second post in the three part series. The first post can be viewed at the link specified at the end of the post.The Blue-capped Rock Thrush is another species quite commonly spotted at Nandi Hills.

Blue-capped Rock Thrush (male), Monticola cinclorhynchus

The Blue-capped Rock Thrush winters mainly in Western Ghats and is a summer visitor in the Himalayas. It is 15-17cm in length and feeds mainly on insects. The male has a blue crown or cap and throat with the remaining underpart orange in color, while the female has an olive-brown with barred and whitish underparts which are heavily scaled. They are usually found in moist forests an well wooded areas during the winters and in open dry forests during the summers.

Blue-capped Rock Thrush (female), Monticola cinclorhynchus

Part - 1 of this series: Tickell's Blue Flycatcher

EQUIPMENT USED:
Nikon D3S / Canon EOS 20D
AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4G ED VR / CANON EF 600mm F4L IS
Gitzo + Wimberley

Join me on Facebook: Angad Achappa Photography

For tailored wildlife photography trips please get in touch at: angadachappaphotography@hotmail.com

All Images are Copyrighted Angad Achappa and may not be used in any form, website or print/online media without written permission of the Photographer. For any inquiry for the photographs please contact: angadachappaphotography@hotmail.com

Birding at Nandi HIlls - Part 1 - Tickell's Blue Flycatcher

As usual, its been a while since my last post, in this four part post, i will put up images of three species commonly found at our local birding hotspot Nandi Hills.

Nandi Hills is an old hill fortress in the Chikkaballapur district of Karnataka. It is approximately 60 Km from Bangalore City. Nandi Hills has typical high hill vegetation. Every morning the trees of the forest are covered with water as the forest acts as a substrate for cloud condensation. The patch of forest on the top of the hill is evergreen and makes for a favored wintering location of many winter migrant species such as flycatchers, warblers and thrushes.

I will start of with the most common and easy to photograph species here, the Tickell's Blue Flycatcher.

The tickell's blue flycacther is a small passerine bird of the flycatcher family. It is 11-12cm in length and feeds mainly on insects. The male is bright blue with a deep orange/reddish throat with the remaining underpart whitish in color, while the female is a duller shade of blue. They are usually found in thick cover and shade.

Tickell's Blue Flycatcher, Cyornis tickelliae

Tickell's Blue Flycatcher, Cyornis tickelliae

Part - II of this series will be on the Blue-capped Rock Thrush

EQUIPMENT USED:
Nikon D3S
AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4G ED VR
Gitzo + Wimberley

Join me on Facebook: Angad Achappa Photography

For tailored wildlife photography trips please get in touch at: angadachappaphotography@hotmail.com

All Images are Copyrighted Angad Achappa and may not be used in any form, website or print/online media without written permission of the Photographer. For any inquiry for the photographs please contact: angadachappaphotography@hotmail.com