Sultanpur, New Delhi, India

The tranquillity of Sultanpur National Park seemed quite surreal after two and a half hours in the chaos and mayhem that is New Delhi traffic. Strikes and civil disobedience had brought the roads to a standstill while the police and cattle watched, bemused.
Sanjay, my driver for the afternoon was determined to get me to Sultanpur and cut across fields and even through someone’s garden to gain some positive forward movement. Finally with a big sigh of accomplishment, he pulled into the car park at 15.00.
Normally, the journey would take around one and a half hours from the city. Entrance fees are IR75 for a non-Indian with a camera. Sanjay and his car cost IR1200 for the return trip and a 3 hour wait.
Inside the park, it was wonderfully quiet apart from an hysterical man who wanted to take me to see some snakes.
But I had already spotted the first photo opportunity of the day and was aiming my brand new Canon 50D at a dragonfly. For more on the camera and the dragonfly, see the parallel post on http://www.redgannetsdragonflies.blogspot.com/

Sultanpur Jheel was wet. While this may appear to state the obvious, the lake only holds water for part of the year. It fills up during the southwest monsoon between June and September, but with no further supply, levels start to recede as soon as the rains finish. It is often dry by March.

It is shallow with wide marshy margins and a few islands with nesting trees for storks, herons and cormorants.
Waterbirds take advantage of the lake during it’s season and had already started arriving in good numbers by the time of my visit in the second week of October. Duck were well represented with 4000-6000 birds on the water and roosting on the islands. I counted 8 species of duck.

The Comb Duck stood out at a distance, but I didn’t spot the Ferruginous Ducks until I sat down and had a good hard scan. There was a White-breasted Waterhen beneath the overhanging vegetation on one of the islands and a few coots, moorhens and Indian Swamphens.
Purple Herons had obviously had a good year with at least 6 young birds feeding amongst the high water grasses. Other herons included Great, Intermediate, Little and Cattle Egrets and a roosting Black-crowned Night Heron. Across the water a white expanse came into focus as Black-headed Ibis and Painted Storks. 2 woolly-necked Storks flew over, but I didn’t see them settle.
A feature of Sultanpur is the Nilgai antelope. Some were grazing amongst the tall grasses and sedges surrounding the water. They appear to have no qualms about the water and will readily cross to the sanctuary of the islands. The females retain their caramel brown through adulthood while the males progressively develop a slaty grey colour as they mature and go by the name of Blue Bulls.
I was eager to test the 15.1 million pearl-plated pixels of my new camera and tried the picture of the Nilgai females which were 400m away. It has been cropped to make the animals the subject of the picture and I think the camera did quite well from that distance.
I am sure it was a nice day with blue skies, but this picture of the painted storks says otherwise. It was possibly a white balance error on my part.A narrow spit allowed me to get closer to the water, but I still could not approach closer than about 200m. Black Drongo

A blockhouse, in the trees away from the lake, often holds Spotted Owlet, but they were not to be seen today. Instead a Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher flitted through the trees and a Black Redstart pumped it's tail on a nearby fence.
I must confess that the birding took second place today. I am easily sidetracked at the best of times. Today with the moist margins full of dragonflies and the added distraction of a new camera, I was like an alcoholic at a wine fair; trying everything with abandon, not worrying what it was. So I got a few nice pictures, but not of birds. I did get a bad picture of a Plaintive Cuckoo, the Grey-bellied Cuckoo is the race over most of peninsular India. I had seen a cuckoo earlier as it flew over, but could not count such a poor view. Only when I returned from the narrow spit did I get an adequate look at it in the top of a large bush.
Three youths had paddled out through the reeds into the water grasses closest to the water. They all carried cutting hooks and appeared to be harvesting the long grass, probably for cattle feed in the village. They were in the foreground when the birds spooked and the whole lakeful of duck took to the air. It is possible that a raptor was in the vicinity, but I didn’t see it.
Returning to the car, I encountered a small troupe of Rhesus Macaque, one of whom decided that the apple core in the netting part of my rucksack should be shared with him.
The light was almost gone by 18.00, but my last sidetrail of the day proved the most exciting. A Shikra flew out from low down in a tree and seconds later a Jungle Cat flushed from almost beneath my feet. I just had time to register the long legs and short tail with 3 dark rings at the end. Luckily, it stopped a few meters down the path and looked back. The Jungle cat is bigger than the domestic moggy and lives wild across India. I had seen them before, but had never managed to get a picture of one.

Bird Species 45

Oriental Darter 1, Purple Heron 8,Great Egret 1, Intermediate Egret 3, Little Egret 1, Cattle Egret 30,Black-crowned Night Heron 3, Painted Stork35, Woolly-necked Stork 2, Black-headed Ibis 80, Comb Duck 220, Eurasian Teal 1500, Mallard 600, Spot-billed Duck 140, Northern Pintail 500, Garganey 600, Northern Shoveller 1000, Ferruginous Duck 4, Black Kite40, Shikra 1, Grey Francolin 1, Indian Peafowl 5, White-breasted Waterhen 1, Indian Swamphen 2, Common Moorhen 15, Common Coot 6, Red-wattled Lapwing 8, Eurasian Collared Dove 12, Yellow-footed Green Pigeon 8, Rose-ringed Parakeet 6, Grey-bellied Cuckoo 1, Greater Coucal 1,House Swift 12, White-throated Kingfisher 3, Indian Roller 1, Indian Hornbill 2, Coppersmith Barbet 5, Red-vented Bulbul 4, Black Redstart 2, Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher 2, Jungle Babbler 6, Black Drongo 4, House Crow 30, Bank Myna 12, Common Myna 30

Mammal Species 3

Nilgai 22, Jungle Cat 1, Rhesus Macaque 14

Sultanpur, New Delhi, DEL, India

Central Park, New York

My knee was on probation today to see how well it could hold up. Rain was predicted and was looking likely. I took a bus, any bus going north on Madison would have done, to 85th St and cut across to the park from there.
This brought me into the park at the southern end of the reservoir.
South from here, overlooked by Belvedere Castle, is Turtle Pond. Today it was covered with a mat of duckweed. Mallards were there the most obvious duck on the pond with 30 or so Gadwall in loose groups. I watched from the jetty in the northeast corner of the pond. Beside me a Grey Catbird called from thick undergrowth, then hopped up into an open space at eye-level to feed quickly on the red berries.

The flag on the castle was flying at half-mast today. The resident red-tail found it a good place to perch for a while. Out in the open, he was less likely to be bothered by smaller birds trying to move him along. I guess that while he is in full view, he poses less of a worry. A single Chimney Swift was feeding above.

From the castle, I moved into the meadow on the west side. An Eastern Phoebe was hawking from a perch on the low fence. American Robins on the lawn found the fence a good refuge as I passed.

There is an area above the upper, west lobe of the boating lake that has been fenced off to protect a re-planting project. Here were Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Wood Thrush, Grey Catbird, Common Yellowthroat and Blue Jay and White-throated Sparrow.

The robins and catbirds had been the most conspicuous birds of the day, followed by the jays whose constant calling followed me through the park.

Near the Azalea Pond was a shallow part of The Gill stream. It should be an easy enough puzzle to work out which bird was bathing there.I passed The Oven, hoping that a few straggler Ruby-throated Hummingbirds might be feeding in the Jewelweed. They were not, but a Blue Jay sat out in a pleasant pose. A female Rose-breasted Grosbeak looked lonely on the willow.My knee had held up well and I decided to give it one more task; get me to Strawberry Fields. Sparrows and Eastern Towhees were flitting about through the trees there. A bird party suddenly approached. Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Brown Creeper and Chestnut-sided Warbler passed through as I watched.

I was about to call it a day when the redtail flew through the trees and landed just ahead. Among the trees, the hawk was considered a much bigger threat and the jays were mobbing it madly. I could hear an impression of the hawk's wheeling call. Earlier, I had heard something very similar and assumed it to be a jay mimicking the call. Actually, it was a Grey Squirrel making quite a passable impersonation.

Bird species 35

Eared Grebe 1, Double-crested Cormorant 2, Great Blue Heron 1, Gadwall 30, Mallard 60, Red-tailed Hawk 2, American Kestrel 1, Ring-billed Gull 120, American Herring Gull 40, Mourning Dove 7, Chimney Swift 1, Red-bellied Woodpecker 2, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 10, Downy Woodpecker 1, Eastern Phoebe 1, Grey Catbird 15, Northern Mockingbird 1, Brown Thrasher 3, Northern Mockingbird 1, American Robin 150, Wood Thrush 1, Swainson’s Thrush 3, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1,Brown Creeper 1, Blue Jay 15, American Crow 15, Common Starling 20, House Sparrow 40, Chestnut-sided Warbler 1, Black and White Warbler 1, Common Yellowthroat 3, Eastern Towhee 2, White-throated Sparrow 24, Northern Cardinal 3, Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1, Common Grackle 6.

I'm still here.

How gratifying that somebody misses me.

I have beeen off work for a couple of weeks with a knee injury, unable to hobble to the nearest birdy patch.

Here is a piece about Victoria Peak that I should have included with the Hong Kong Wetlands post.

During winter and passage, one might expect to find some exciting thrushes and flycatchers on the peak, but as this was early summer, I did not imagine that I would find anything out of the ordinary. What I especially wanted to get was a photo of a kite from above. The Hong Kong variant is the Black-eared Kite and it often soars on the thermals around the buildings and the peak. A circular path around the mountain gives the opportunity to look down on them as they fly. I had previously got some nice shots, but the air had been a little misty on that occasion. Today it was clear so I hoped that I could get a better one.

Bus no. 15 leaves the bus terminus at Central and takes about 40 mins to reach the peak. A path runs in a loop around the mountain. It is a flat, paved path which made for easy walking on a hot day. There were the predictable Chinese and Crested Bulbuls and a few kites in the distance.

Much of the path is lined with secondary forest. Here and there a drive leads up to a desirable residence. Occasionally, an open area affords a view over the city.

There are two proper lookout points. From the first of these, I tried to get a shot of a kite against the mirrored glass of the huge buildings, but it was too distant to be realistic.

At the second lookout, there were kites gliding around in the wooded valley below. They would come up the mountainside and cross a ridge into the next valley before reappearing a few moments later. All the time, they kept very distant. There was a potential shot of a bird against the islands in the distance, so I set up for it and waited for it to happen.

Each time a bird came into frame, I fired on motor-drive at nearly 3 frames per second, hoping that it would wheel around and complete my picture. Sadly they kept going straight and appeared as a black line on the photo rather than a recogniseable bird shape.

After nearly 200 frames, I had a couple of marks that might, without prompting, be taken for birds, but not quite what I was hoping for.

The traditional Hong Kong afternoon rain was closing in, so I waited for one more bird to fly through the frame and then packed up. No sooner had the tripod been hoisted back onto my shoulder than something spooked the birds in the valley below. Suddenly there were 30 kites in the spot where my framed picture would have been. I quickly tried to set up the shot again, but now I had more bird-like shapes than I knew what to do with.

The second lookout is almost exactly half-way round the loop. Just slightly further on, travelling anticlockwise, a big fig tree spreads out over the path. Birds were very loud here and I hoped that the Crested Goshawk might be close. Magpie Robin, bulbuls, White-throated Laughing Thrush, Common Tailorbird, White-eye and Peking Robin were all calling.

Crested (red-whiskered) Bulbul

Perhaps it was a snake, I never found out. The threat appeared to pass and all the birds melted back into the trees.

Just for fun, I tried to create the image I had been hoping for using my photo-editing software. Is it too much do you think? Perhaps I should include a prayer?

High Park in Toronto is a public area of oak and sycamore woodland with a few dotted pines, lawns, meadows and ponds. There are areas of ground cover plants and tangled understorey. It takes about 20 mins on the Subway. On the Yonge/University line, head from Union Station to St George. Change here onto the westbound platform of the Bloor Line. High Park has a station named for it. Get out here and the park is just across the road.
This morning, the birds seemed to be suffering the same hangover as the human inhabitants who had been celebrating Labor Weekend. It was very quiet in the park. I had hoped that a few fall warblers would be moving through. Apart from a brace of Wood Duck on one of the ponds, I didn’t see a bird until nearly an hour in.
A few quiet contact chips eventually announced the arrival of a flock of Black-capped Chickadees. Mixed in with them were a Red-eyed Vireo, a couple of White-breasted Nuthatches and a warbler that I couldn’t identify.
Once this party had passed through, the woods became very quiet again. Even a pair of American Robins were followed with relish and I resorted to taking pictures of House Sparrows in case I had nothing better to blog about. Halfway through the morning, a tug of attention came about when I thought I heard a Red-breasted Nuthatch, but could definitely smell bacon cooking. Another small party were passing through the pines close to the Grenadier Restaurant. Guests of honour were indeed some Red-breasted Nuthatches, sounding like the hooter on a little toy car, Northern Cardinal and more chickadees.
After an excellent breakfast, I made for the Grenadier Pond. It is more like a lake, but in such close proximity to Lake Ontario, there has to be a scale I suppose.
A Ring-billed Gull sat quietly in the sunshine while the eclipse Mallards roosted on the bank. A Great Blue Heron flew across the lake and a Black-crowned Night Heron climbed about in a snag on the far side.
A path follows the eastern shore of the lake. Martin boxes lined the reedbeds on the western side A patch of flowers had attracted a Ruby Throated Hummingbird and at the top end, Wood Ducks preened and roosted on snags poking from the water.
I back tracked to the point where the paths meet at the lakeside. A patch of small sunflower-like weeds was busy with American Goldfinches and chickadees. The male goldfinch was looking very worn. Close-by a small tree showed signs of beaver activity. The mammal life is quite good for such a small park. There are Racoons, groundhogs, Eastern Grey Squirrels in grey and black forms, Eastern Chipmunks, and reportly, Coyote. A Striped Skunk was out by day near to the zoo enclosures. It did not look at all well, which may explain why it was out in the daylight.
I found myself by to the ponds at the southern end of the park and close to Lake Ontario. Apart from a flock of Canada Geese, some eclipse American Wigeon and Gadwall and a Great Egret, the rest of the day was taken up with dragonflies so follow the link to see what happened next. http://www.redgannetsdragonflies.blogspot.com/



Bird species 21
Pied-billed Grebe 1, Double-crested Cormorant 1, Great Egret 1, Great Blue Heron 1, Black-crowned Night Heron 1, Mute Swan 4, Canada Goose 200, Mallard 30, American Wigeon 6, Gadwall 3, Ring-billed Gull 20, Peregrine Falcon 1, Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2, Black-capped Chickadee 16, White-breasted Nuthatch 2, Red-breasted Nuthatch 2, American Robin 2, Red-eyed Vireo 1, Red-winged Blackbird 3, House Sparrow 15, Northern Cardinal 6, American Goldfinch 20

ps. when in Toronto, visit the Open Air Book and Map Shop. It is a basement shop down some stairs at the corner of Toronto and Adelaide. It is exactly what it claims to be and even with agoraphilia like mine, I find it a pleasure to spend hours inside. Bird books and mammal encyclopaedia, insects, travel. There are no books about cooking or teen idols, no magazines about overexposed celebrities, just outdoor books and maps.
A Peregrine Falcon breeds on a building across the road from the shop. Each year, volunteers with bikes, rucksacks and radios collect the newly fledged chicks when they make their maiden flights. Apparently the tram lines are a bad hazard. The volunteers communicate on where the chick came down and the cyclist picks it up, puts it in the rucksack and takes it back up in the lift to the roof of the nest building to try again

Newark, Woodbridge

Regulars to this blog may recognise the cycle route around Woodbridge, New Jersey. From the Renaissance (nee Sheraton) Hotel at Woodbridge, turn into Gill Lane and freewheel down to the bottom of the hill. Here, you will recall, is a railway line with a trail running alongside. The trail and the surrounding trees have been recently mascerated, so while access is good, all the ground cover and leaf cover have gone.
Still, the few remaining fruiting trees and shrubs were pulling in the birds. American Robins and Grey Catbirds were feeding from the berries and were joined by a Red-bellied Woodpecker, acrobatically picking fruit from the highest clusters. Northern Cardinals and Song Sparrows, Mourning Dove, Blue Jays, American Goldfinches and a Northern House Wren, made this quite a hotspot.Beyond the railway line is a large Jewish cemetery on both sides of the road. American Robins and Starlings were abundant on the lawns. At the far side is an area where earth is dumped. Being a graveyard, the area is regularly topped up with loose soil and has developed a covering of rank vegetation, weeds and thistles.This was another hotspot with Downy Woodpecker, American Goldfinch, Grey Catbird, House Wren, American Redstart and Warbling Vireo.It was only 09.30, but the first dragonfly of the morning was already on the wing.
My next stop was Merrill Park, South. It was just a short ride away.
I made my way along the stream that runs through the park and noticed a pair of Belted Kingfisher and later, a forlorn looking chick. A Red-tailed Hawk flew over and spooked the kingfishers. It circled, gaining height, then dove down in a stoop, pulling up just before the tree line.The sun was high, the day was hot and the dragonflies were zipping back and forth above the stream. Most of the rest of the day was spent “oding” (if there is such a word). For those of you who wrote in urging me to “stick to the birds”, here are some pictures especially for you.A Green Heron, perched on a stake in the lake at Menlo Park, looked as if it was just about to lunge for a fish. Note the damselfly in the bottom right corner of the picture. Now note the damselfly in the Green Heron. So after the coot in LA last week, the score stands at Birds 2 – Odonata 0.If you prefer to see pictures of live dragonflies, go to http://www.redgannetsdragonflies.blogspot.com/ for some hot New Jersey odonata action.I would be interested to know if any of you notice a reduction in the resolution for these pictures. I had reduced the resolution to take a picture to upload to e-bay and forgotten to adjust the setting back to the thumping 6mp that you are more used to.

Bird Species list 25
Double Crested Cormorant 1, Green Heron 2, Mallard 15, Canada Goose 100, Red-tailed Hawk 2, Mourning Dove 20, Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2, Belted Kingfisher 3, Downy Woodpecker2, Red-bellied Woodpecker 4, Warbling Vireo 1, Blue Jay 15, Northern House Wren 3, American Robin 200, Grey Catbird 12, Northern Mockingbird 2, Starling 150, American Redstart 3, Common Yellowthroat 2, Northern Cardinal 8, Song Sparrow 4, Brown-headed Cowbird 12, Common Grackle 30, House Finch 4, American Goldfinch 25.