WBW/Crows & Sparrows

For today's WBW I'm posting pictures of birds we see on a daily basis. In sunshine or rain, they are ever present! The house crow/Corvus splendens is black with a grey neck and breast. The depth of colour in the plumage and the thickness of the bill varies from region to region. With an omnivorous diet they can survive on anything edible that they find near human habitation. The sparrows in this collage were taking a breather after pecking at the purslane that have sprung up all over my yard.

A crow's nest on our mango tree

To see more of our feathered friends, visit the home of World Bird Wednesday.

Birds (caught) In The Rain

Bee-eater

 I nearly tripped on the stairs as I ran for the camera at the sight of this bee-eater, the first one this year. It was raining and the wind had just died down. Certainly not a bird watching day. Suddenly a flash of blue and green descended on the wires and sat there for several minutes. On days that do not rain we usually see these pretty birds dive down for the bees, wasps, and dragonflies. Before eating their prey, bee-eaters remove the stinger by repeatedly rubbing and hitting the insect on a hard surface. These birds only catch prey on the wing and ignore flying insects once they land. Throughout the summer months it's a joy to watch these delightful birds.

Another rainy day...I'd assumed that sparrows seek shelter from the rain by sitting under the eaves of our house. But no. A few sparrows preferred to stay put on my berry tree with the rain pouring steadily. Can you spot the two on the extreme left (top)?

To see more of our feathered friends, please visit World Bird Wednesday.


                                         

Sparrows

Scatter a handful of grain and the sparrows are the first to arrive. Sparrows and crows are the only birds that we see (in our backyards) in flocks unlike the others who are seen in pairs or alone. Today's papers carried articles about the decline in the population of the sparrow. I did look up online about World Sparrow Day. It's disturbing to read about the decline of the sparrow population in several parts of the world.

The tender branches of a young mango tree is a favourite perch.

I'm glad to say that nearly all the trees and shrubs in our area has a few or several sparrows sitting on them at some point of the day. These are the images that I see every time I look out or step out of the house. And I hope it remains so for a long, long time.


To see more of our feathered friends visit Springman at http://pineriverreview.blogspot.in/