On these days, Madhava wakes up to the call of the cuckoo. As the eastern horizon is still turning pink, her garden is joined by early birds such as magpie robins, tailorbirds and white-cheeked barbets, along with cuckoos, all looking for a snack in her garden or neighborhood. Once the early morning rays fill his garden and the flowers bloom, the purple sunbirds, Luton’s sunbirds with their sickle-like beaks and small yellow flowered chickadees come to drink nectar. are, and fill the surroundings with their chatter and chatter. Reaching from one flower to another.
Male Asiatic cuckoo, aka cuckoo. | Photo credit: Madhav Krupp
Madhav, associate professor at the Asian School of Business, and an avid naturalist, explains that many birds have tweets and bird songs. He laughs and says that even a cuckoo can be grumpy and angry, just like someone speaking angrily to another person. “Mynahs have a full repertoire of chirps and sounds while the harsh chirping of the Rufous Treepie, now abundant in the city, is occasionally replaced by melodious notes. One can watch these birds for hours and a Never gets tired even for a moment,” says Madhav.
Flocks of rufous tripe are a common sight in Thiruvananthapuram. Photo credit: Madhav Krupp
Even as naturalists and birders watch for flocks of birds in their neighborhoods at the Great Backyard Bird Count from February 17 to 20, for avid bird watchers, every day of the year the birds around them. There is an opportunity to see the population. .
Thiruvananthapuram’s green cover and diverse habitats make it an interesting place for birders, says wildlife photographer and filmmaker Suresh Ellamon. In 2011, he filmed The Living in his garden at his home in Karmana. It included reptiles, insects and birds.
The magpie robin, often seen in the gardens of Thiruvananthapuram, has melodious notes. | Photo credit: Madhav Krupp
Suresh says that in the city, one of the early risers is the magpie robin who starts the day with mellifluous notes. In fact, health experts believe that waking up with birds is one of the best ways to start the day. Guardian A recent UK-based survey of the World’s Garden Wildlife Count shows that watching birds and listening to birdsong has a positive effect on our health, the report said.
Yellow flower petals Photo credit: Madhav Krupp
Concurring with the report, Dr. Kalesh Sadashivan, a plastic surgeon and wildlife enthusiast, says that he does not participate in bird counts but is a bird enthusiast every day of the year. “I enjoy opportunities to be in the company of nature.”
A woodpecker prepares his nest for the coming season. | Photo credit: S Gopakumar
Dr. Kalish says that there are different types of birds that can see in day and night. “Mothers, bulbuls, crows and doves are active from dawn to dusk, and so are house sparrows. But as the urban environment changes drastically, it has affected house sparrow populations. Once, they Cereals were found in abundance near the markets in Chala and Palam. But supermarkets have reduced the availability of cereals, so they can only be seen in certain pockets. Moreover, in our orchards, the variety of birds It depends on the environment where we live,” explains Kalish.
Black Drongo | Photo credit: Madhav Krupp
The brilliant blue glow seen near ponds and reservoirs is usually a white-breasted kingfisher that emits a series of high-pitched calls. Another commonly heard bird is the Black-rumped Flameback Woodpecker. Its tapping sound is distinctive as it burrows into a tree or coconut palm to find food or even shelter. The calls of woodpeckers are usually heard after the sun is in the sky and before dusk.
A crow partridge dries its feathers. | Photo credit: Lingaraj Panda
Ruby-red-eyed, russet and black-winged crow pheasants can be found throughout the city, usually in the early morning or late afternoon. Their distinctive deep call is often heard in places with little natural greenery.
Kingfishers and Lesser Flameback Woodpeckers were a common sight in the city as there were water bodies, coconut palms and old trees, bird watchers said. As concrete jungles have replaced trees and water bodies, kingfishers and woodpeckers are becoming rarer in the city.
Brahmin Kite | Photo credit: Madhav Krupp
Once the sun rises in the sky, pariah kites and brahmin kites can be seen hovering in the sky or swooping down on prey. These birds scream loudly. As you move towards the forested areas on the outskirts of the city, many hawks can be seen.
Common tailorbirds are shy songbirds that are abundant in the urban gardens of Thiruvananthapuram. Photo credit: Madhav Krupp
Flocks of pink parrots can be seen feeding on the seeds of some trees. And now many people have peacocks in their gardens, a sign that the city’s wetlands are becoming scarce.
Dr. Kalish says that the white-headed buffalo, known as Kadila bud, is a bird found in abundance in Thiruvananthapuram, Palakkad and Thrissur as it prefers dry areas to wet areas. The palm swift, commonly found where there are palms, and the little green bee-eater are feathered inhabitants of the city and its suburbs.
Sunbirds come when the sun is high in the sky and the flowers are blooming. | Photo credit: Krishnan VV
“If you have paddy fields or water bodies in your neighborhood, you can see Indian pond heron, little egret, great egret and night heron. By evening, Indian white-breasted waterhen ( Kolkozy) becomes vocal, with high-pitched hissing sounds,” adds Dr. Kalish.
Sparrows, once a common sight in the markets of Thiruvananthapuram, can now be seen only in pockets. | Photo credit: Ramesh Krupp S
At sunset, when most birds that are active during the day are nesting, nocturnal birds such as owls can be heard calling. The most common barren in the city is the forest owl. “These birds can be heard in many horror movies in Malayalam! Barn owls and brown hawk owls can be seen flying around silently at night,” says Dr Kalish.
White-cheeked barbets are commonly found on fruit trees in Thiruvananthapuram. | Photo credit: Madhav Krupp
“To enjoy the company of birds, we have greenery around our neighborhood, which provides them with food and habitat. To ensure that the diversity and population of birds in the city remains the same, we need to The surrounding greenery and water bodies have to be protected,” says Madhav.
