Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Green bee-eater

Green Bee-eater, I took this photo near the Matthur lake.
Green Bee-eaters are very common around the Shimoga district, and are relatively easy to spot. They can be seen easily on the electric wires beside the roads, frequently flying out to catch some insects and returning to their seats. I have seen them in the roads going back along the Tunga river, channels for the river as well as near the bridges, mainly in the evening. One of the behaviours of these birds which make them easy to sight is that they prefer to stay close to the ground - electirc wires are pretty much the highest point you will see them. And it is not uncommon to see them close to water sources, like the Tunga channels.

These are mainly insect-eaters, and can be seen in groups. Sighting an individual bird is also not rare. 
Scientific name for this bird if Merops orientalis.
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2 comments:

  1. Nanda-maya.September 2, 2010 at 6:29 AM

    Dear Ananda I am pleased to read this note by you. In my previous avatar I wanted to paint and watch birds. I had a binocular and used to go to the river, to Akki Mill and our cricket field(where once upon a time cricket used to be played!!) and would watch our common birds. People used to laugh at me. As it happened I had to leave and come over here. Many colourful birds can be found around Shivalaya across the canal with their beautiful nests and also nest building activities. I had noticed some snake-necked black birds(quite large ones) in our river during the last phase of rainy season diving in to tunga and staying for a while under water to catch fish! good luck Ananda and I look forward to more photographs and notes on what you find. Nandan-maya.

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  2. AnandaSeptember 2, 2010 at 9:25 PM

    Thank a lot for the encouragement, Nandanna Maya. I ill definitely keep a watch-out for that black-bird next time I swim :).

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