Sanjeevaiah Park, Hyderabad, December 2013

Apparently everyone is supposed to pay the IR10 charge before entering Sanjeevaiah Park through the subway tunnel or cellar steps. So it was odd that I caused such a stir in trying to hand over my money. The man at the ticket desk seemed shocked and I had to pass through an airport-style security scanner and get my bag searched. Cameras are not allowed in the park, but I suspect that the guard had no wish to look after my bag and waved me on. Meanwhile, the rest of the park visitors streamed through an open gate (at Google Earth ref; 17 26 4.59N 78 28 39.98E), ticketless and possibly intent on mischief; or worse, photography.

In 2010, 2 bombs exploded in Hyderabad, claiming 42 souls. 2 other devices were found and defused. The next day 19 further unexploded bombs were found at strategic points around the city. I suspect that the security presence is in response to perceived threat. Bearded wierdos carrying rucksacks attract attention from security guards wherever they go.

The 92 acres of Sanjeevaiah Park in Hyderabad extends out into Hussain Sagar, the city’s big lake. It is a typical city park with lawns, trees and well made paths. It is bordered on 3 sides by the lake and has a small pond which was screened off today. This was a shame as the surroundings of the pond were nicely unkempt.

 The trees along the road that passes the pond were busy with birds. The Indian Golden Oriole was split from its European counterpart a few years ago. The extended eye-stripe is probably the best field marking.

The cawing of House Crows made me think that I would not be able to hear any other bird calls, but a thin insistent “Chiweet” gave away a Greenish Warbler and the harsh “chick” of a Purple-rumped Sunbird drew me towards a stand of pink-flowering trees. 

Other park visitors seemed to have no qualms about flaunting the rules with compact and camera phones, so I pulled out the Canon and took a couple of discrete shots.

There was a Purple Sunbird in the same tree wearing pre-breeding colours. Some species of sunbirds pass through an eclipse plumage. 

I don’t confess to understand the purpose of this phase of the moult, but I suspect that this was what the Purple Sunbird was changing from. What is the difference between eclipse plumage and non-breeding plumage? And why do only a few families pass through it? Sometimes only selected species within a family undergo eclipse. As well as sunbirds, ducks are commonly said to be in eclipse rather than non-breeding. If anyone can shed any light on this issue, please do.

A Black Drongo was perched in the lower branches of the same tree and I ventured a quick snap and then stowed the camera again before my crime progressed from lamb to sheep.

Birds seen; 29

Indian Spot-billed Duck 25, Little Grebe 1, Little Cormorant 1, Cattle Egret 35, Indian Pond-Heron 4, Black Kite 3, Eurasian Coot 3, Red-wattled Lapwing 3, Black-winged Stilt 15, Common Sandpiper 3, Wood Sandpiper 2, Spotted Dove 3, Asian Koel 3, House Swift 6, Coppersmith Barbet 2, Indian Golden Oriole 1, Black Drongo 2, House Crow 70, Barn Swallow 10, Red-vented Bulbul 1, Greenish Warbler 2, Blyth’s Reed Warbler 1, Yellow-bellied Prinia 1, Red-breasted Flycatcher 2, Common Myna 4, Asian Pied Starling 4, Purple-rumped Sunbird 5, Purple Sunbird 4, White-browed Wagtail.

Sanjeevaiah Park is on Necklace Road, on the north shore of Hussain Sagar Lake. There were no facilities inside the park that I could see. There were a couple of refreshment stalls outside the park, close to the entrance.
I should have checked the opening times. There is a big metal fence that will prevent all but the most persistent from getting into the park by any other means that the gate or the subway. According to the HUDA (Hyderabad Urban Development Authority) website, general tickets are issued for entry from 08.00 'til 19.00

Visit the dedicatedIndian Page for more posts from the sub-continent.

Birding, Birdwatching in Hyderabad, Andra Pradesh, India.

Hussain Sagar delta, Hyderabad, December 2013

The contributors at 10,000 Birds posted a series of articles about poop and how much birds seem to love it. Well, it isn’t the actual poop itself that attracts the birds, but the wonderful squishy environment that lots of poop can produce.

I was called at a moment’s notice to fly to Hyderabad. It was my first visit to the area and I was delighted to find a wonderful squishy delta on Hussain Sagar (the large feature lake in the centre of the city), that appeared to have been built from the contents of a large drain that spilled into the lake. 90 million litres of delta-building material flows into the lake every day, producing a very attractive environment for the birds. I was lucky that this visit was during the winter as many of the wading birds seen are seasonal visitors and breed much further north.
The Black-winged Stilts were easy to spot and were registered before the taxi had even stopped. A White-throated Kingfisher flashed across the wide drain and Asian Koels cried from a line of trees between the road and the water.

I was en-route to Sanjeevaiah Park, but stopped early to look at the lake. Sadly I was looking straight into the rising sun, so I hardly bothered with the camera and spent more time trying to split stints and sandpipers.

There are two likely Stints, but I could only reliably identify the Little Stint with the binoculars. One that could have been a Temminck’s Stint was chased off by a Little Stint as soon as I got the camera trained on it, but the snatched picture confirmed the split.

There were lots of Wood Sandpiper, but the similar Green Sandpiper was quite likely too. I only caught one for sure with broader tail stripes and dark underwings. I don’t remember taking this shot, but it looks like a contender.

The extent of the Ruff’s distribution may not quite reach as far as Hyderabad, so I enclose this photo as a record in case the sighting should be called into question.

The delta reaches perhaps 400meters out into the lake, but as this is my first visit, I can’t say if it is a year-round feature. There is a campaign to clean up the lake. Much of it is made up of floating litter and the solid islands are very low-lying. I guess the personality of the place would change very quickly as water levels fluctuate. The water-levels had dropped enough to allow me to walk down the bank a little at Google Earth ref; 17 26 11.49N 78 28 4.83E). Black Drongos hawked from posts and a Clamorous Reed-warbler scolded from a bush.

At Google Earth ref; 17 26 12.18N 78 28 16.42E, there is a small promontory that juts slightly out into the lake and allows for a better light angle.

The Purple Swamphens were very obvious, but the Little Ringed Plovers needed careful scanning to pick out. Around the edges, Indian Pond-Herons, Cattle Egrets and Bronze-winged Jacanas picked through the water hyacinth.

A European Marsh Harrier flew over and sent clouds of stint, sandpiper and stilt into the air. It was odd to note that the constant presence of Black Kites caused the waders little or no concern, but a cruising harrier put them immediately to flight.

Birds seen; 42

Indian Spot-billed Duck 40, Little Grebe 4, Great Cormorant 5, Cattle Egret 10, Indian Pond-Heron 8, Black-shouldered Kite 1, Black Kite 20, Eurasian Marsh Harrier 1, White-breasted Waterhen 2, Purple Swamphen 150, Eurasian Coot 15, Red-wattled Lapwing 35, Little Ringed Plover 3, Black-winged Stilt 100, Bronze-winged Jacana 3, Common Sandpiper 15, Green Sandpiper 1, Marsh Sandpiper 2, Wood Sandpiper 80, Little Stint 300, Temminck’s Stint 1, Ruff 6, River Tern 5, Spotted Dove 5, Rose-ringed Parakeet 4, Asian Koel 2, Greater Coucal 1, House Swift 15, White-throated Kingfisher 1, Brown Shrike 1, Black Drongo 2, House Crow 40, Grey-throated Martin 80, Barn Swallow 20, Red-vented Bulbul 2, Clamorous Reed-warbler 1, Yellow-bellied Prinia 2, Common Myna 2, Asian Pied Starling 6, Purple-rumped Sunbird 3, Purple Sunbird 1, White-browed Wagtail 1.

In the distance, many more birds could be seen, but I was unable to identify them accurately so far off in the light conditions. A few that I could pin down were Indian Spot-billed Duck and Red-wattled Lapwing, but these were also easily seen much closer in. Nevertheless, it would be interesting to have a scope handy and the viewing conditions would probably be better in the afternoon.

There are no time restrictions here as birdwatching can be done from a public overlook, but nor are there any facilities. Sanjeevaiah Park is approx 1km further along and I believe that there may be refreshment stands and toilets there.

To instruct a taxi driver, ask to be taken to Necklace Road which runs around the northern section of Hussain Sagar Lake. The delta can be seen in the northwest corner of the lake between Jalavihar Entertainment Water Park and Sanjeevaiah Park.

This is the first post from Hyderabad, but visit the dedicated India Page just the same for more posts from the sub-continent.
Birding, birdwatching in Hyderabad, Andra Pradesh.