Nature Notes/Loss Of Habitat

Recently I had posted pictures of egrets seen in the marshy plot of land near our house. Yesterday there was this lone bird foraging amid the vegetation and I realized with a pang that this could well be the last year I'll be seeing them here. This patch will soon have a structure coming up. The trucks have been coming and one side of the land is already filled with tons of soil. Since New Year's day we have had light showers and cloudy days and the droplets of rain on the colocasia leaves are the first thing that catch my eye as I look down from our balcony. Otherwise this season is usually very dusty.But these birds are not the only ones who will be deprived of their feeding ground. The white-breasted water hen is another and the worst affected might be the marsh mongoose.

This photo of this small Indian mongoose was taken at the local zoo today. Although we see the marsh mongoose in our yard, it moves very fast and it's near impossible to get a decent shot. In only a few months' time our landscape will change and another habitat, will be destroyed forever.


I'm linking up to Michelle's meme, Nature Notes.

The Cattle Egret

Now that the water in the marshy patch near our house is drying up, the sight of  egrets feeding on the ground will greet us most mornings. Just like dew on the grass and the tomato re-seeders that somehow manage to make their way through the soil at this time of the year, it's a seasonal occurence. For the rest of the year it's as if the egrets understand that they remain in the outskirts of the city where the low-lying rice fields and water bodies with their innumerable flora and fauna provide enough for them. Marshy plots of land near residential areas are to be visited only in December!:) This is the fourth year that I've observed this. Maybe I'd have forgotten the month but for the photos I have taken....

                            
 To peck or not to peck seems to be the question for these birds. In summer the colocasia grows as high as six feet and you can barely see the other side. Swarms of dragonflies hover above them and the bee-eaters and the drongos are always around to feast on them. Families of marsh mongoose are seen scurrying in all that luxuriant growth. Only small clumps of colocasia plants remain at this time of the year. 

Cattle egrets feed on grasshoppers, crickets, flies, moths, spiders, frogs, and earthworms. Wiki says that the cattle egret has attracted many common names. These mostly relate to the habit of following cattle and other large animals, and it is known as cow crane, cow bird, and cow heron, or even elephant bird, and rhinocerous egret. The cattle egret is a popular bird with cattle ranchers for its perceived role as a biocontrol of cattle parasites such as ticks and flies.


Take a look at our feathered friends from around the world by visiting Springman at World Bird Wednesday.


Thank you for taking the time to stop by. May you have a wonderful Christmas!

The White-breasted Water Hen

The white breasted water hen is a shy bird, ever so furtive in its movements. Years ago we could only hear them as we were surrounded by marshy land. But now that most of the rice fields have disappeared and apartments have come up, we see them in our yards now, foraging in our gardens. But they still nest in some of the marshy patches left untouched by man so far. Their call is raucous and they tend to get vocal during the breeding season around dawn and dusk.

Although the bird's colours are predominantly dark grey and white, the undertail feathers are rust brown. The beak is greenish yellow and the base is red.


I often see them pecking on the ground much like the way chickens do. Their diet includes seeds, insects and small fish. They also nibble on small snails, worms and snack on shoots and roots of marsh plants.


This is my entry for World Bird Wednesday. Click on the link and check out some of the most stunning bird photos from across the planet.

The White-breasted Water Hen

Around this time of the year we wake up to the loud and raucous calls of the White-breasted Water hen. When we first moved here, in the area we are living in, I remember being fascinated by these beautiful birds. A pair even nested on our bamboo grove years ago. Although they still nest in the vicinity, it's a comforting thought to know that they are still around. More land is being cleared and there's less open space now but the marshy land near our house is a good feeding ground. So are the small gardens in my neighbourhood.

The white-breasted water hen/Amauromis phoenicurus belongs to the Rail  family. As you can see from the picture above, they have a  white face, neck and breast. The upper part of the body and flanks are dark grey whereas the lower belly and undertail are the colour of rust.  I often see a pair in my yard feeding on the grain that I leave for the birds. Their diet also includes worms, small snails and fish. They like to forage in the mud in shallow water but roost on low bushes and trees.

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According to Wiki, White-breasted water hens nest in a dry location on the ground in marsh vegetation laying 6-7 eggs. It takes about 19 days for the eggs to hatch. The bird is found throughout Asia near streams and lakes, near rice fields, and in marshy areas.