Bay Backed Shrike

A strikingly coloured, delicately built and fine-billed bird, the Bay-Backed Shrike is a beautiful bird, usually found singly, and commonly habituates the area of the Samudram Erie. This is a bird of open country and cultivation, and it inhabits dry, bushy areas with scattered trees or at the edge of woodland. 

The most distinctive feature of this bird is its black facial mask extending from the side of the neck through the eyes to the base of the hooked bill, that sits in stark contrast to the grey crown and shoulders and chestnut-maroon upperparts. The upper-wings and long, white-tipped tail are black, and the underparts of the body are whitish with a wash of brown. The bill and legs are black, and a large white patch sits on the primary wing feathers. 

Strikingly Coloured Bird

The Bay-Backed Shrike is the size of a Bulbul and is the smallest of the Indian Shrikes. This bird which is widely distributed is generally found singly. This curious bird may also be identified by its rather quiet, pleasant warbling song that is mixed with harsher ‘churring’ notes and much mimicry of other birds calls. 

Video of Bay Backed Shrike

This bird which is the same size as the Bulbul flies low and fast between perches and alights upon an exposed branch of a bush or an electricity wire, from which its watches for its insect prey in its characteristic upright position. After spotting its target, it swoops down onto the prey and catches it on the ground. Its diet consists almost exclusively of insects, but small lizards and even mice may also be taken in this way. 

Usually, the Bay-Backed Shrike feeds alone or in pairs, but it is always bold and conspicuous when feeding, and during times of abundant prey, it may store its food for periods when food is scarce impaled a sharp point, such as a thorn. Thus secured the prey can be ripped with the Shrike’s strong hooked bill, but its feet are not suited for tearing. 

Juvenile birds look like washed-out versions of adults.

 

Juvenile Bird

Nest of Bay-Backed Shrike

During breeding this bird’s nest is a small, neat cup built from grass, feathers, wool and other fibres and lined with grass. It is placed in a fork of a small tree or a large bush, up to ten metres above the ground, and its territory is defended around this nesting site as well as around favoured perches. A clutch of eggs is laid and incubated by the female for fifteen days, whilst the male brings the female food. The male also supplies all the food for the young nestlings once they have hatched, and they are tended to for around two weeks before they fledge. The Bay-Backed Shrike may produce two broods each breeding season.

Colour Vision in Animals

  

It will come as no surprise that an animal's view of the world is different to our own, but what isn't so clear is exactly what they see. A recent exhibition at the Royal Society showed images that illustrates what our pets and other animals see when they look at each other and when they look at us. 

The fascinating insight shows the latest research into the colour vision of animals, many of which can see ultraviolet, or colours that we can't see, making their world view completely different to ours. 

Birds, for example, can see ultraviolet so a peacock looking at a potential mate would not see the beautiful rainbow of greens and blues that we behold, but a plainer yet more brightly coloured display of plumage. 

Birds have four types of cone cells in their eyes called photoreceptors (humans have three), and can see many more colours than we can. They can also see ultraviolet, which means that the 'eye' markings in a peacock's tail features looks sharper.

Purple haze: Using the ultraviolet recepters in its eyes the peacock would see a mating feather display more like the example in the above photograph.

Understanding how animals see the world could be key to understanding their behaviour. 

Animal colouration provides some of the most striking examples of evolution by natural and sexual selection. But animal colours did not evolve for our benefit; the impressive array of animal colours that we see (and can’t see) in the natural world allows animals to communicate with each other, to attract mates and to avoid predators. 

Dr Tom Pike, Senior Lecturer from Lincoln University’s School of Life Sciences, said: ‘We rely overwhelmingly on colour vision in our everyday lives, and tend to assume that what we see represents the limits of the visual world. 

'However, colour vision in animals, and their resultant perception of the visual world, often differs considerably from our own. The eyes of cuttlefish evolved separately from humans and are completely different from ours - they can't see colours, but can discern the polarisation of light, which lets them pick out contrasts better.  The colourful spots are designed to fend off predators - what the butterflies themselves see is quite different ‘Many, for example, can see ultraviolet light, some can see polarised light, and a good number can see many more colours than we can,' says Pike. 

'Having said that, certain animals see far fewer colours than us – something that anyone who is colour blind can sympathise with.' 

‘Because animal colours evolved for the benefit of animal - and not human - eyes, understanding the visual world from an animal’s point of view can explain why some animals are bright while others are dull. Some are highly patterned and others plain. This allows us not only to shed exciting new light on the animal colours we can see, but also to understand the importance of colours that we can’t.’ 

Nesting Behaviour of Indian Birds

Below is a fascinating narrative entitled, “A Family Dedicated to Birds” which goes into detail about Bal Pandi and explores the nesting habits of many of the bird species found at Koothankulam Bird Sanctuary. 

To find out more about Koothankulam Bird Sanctuary and Bal Pandi’s work at that place, go to my previous link.

“Bal Pandi’s service to birds with love and affection like a mother is praiseworthy in this Twenty First Century. This is not only confined to him but his wife who is no more was also a great bird lover. The couple engaged themselves in feeding orphan chicks and bathing them. Whirlwinds with downpours may happen during April/May. At that time hundreds of chicks may fall from the nests of painted storks, pelicans, cormorants, openbills, spoonbills, darters and egrets. Once fallen the chicks become orphans and they will not be again able to return to the nest at any cost. So Bal Pandi rescues such orphans and nourishes with fish bought at the Koothankulam bird sanctuary, Tirunelveli District and secures them in cage. After three months the juveniles are freed to lead an independent life. Even after they leave the birds reared by Bal Pandi recognize him and come near and beat their wings and call expressing their gratitude. 

Bal Pandi overseeing the Sanctuary

The Governments of Tamil Nadu Forest Department engage the couple as contingent staff for the past 20 year with poor payments. Bal Pandi survives his wife with two sons and two daughters. A daughter has been married and recent demise of Mrs Vallithai his wife is a great loss to him as well as the birds. Many painted storks and egrets breed even in middle of his village. When a nest slides down he erects a pole to support it. Sometimes his pocket may not have any penny, but he would be fishing in the Koothakulam lake to feed fish to his orphan birds. Once when he got into a public bus to go the nearby Tirunelveli town, pelican juveniles also climbed into bus. Such a pure love he enjoyed from the birds he nourished. Birds have hearts full of thanks but humans alone may be thankless even to their own parents. 

When I invite him to come to Coimbatore during the nesting season i.e. from March-July, he denies and the next minute he asks me who would look after his orphan birds. He moves closely with the orphanage birds, and his routine work is to watch for new incoming migratory birds and their number. He wants to know how they would live in that sanctuary and till which month. When will they leave for the foreign land? He safeguards foreign birds along with the local birds. Nearly 150 species of birds we may see in around Koothakulam. He planted a large number of trees with the assistance of the Forest Department and watered them. Of course! All his works were shared by his wife. He introduces the birds to the visitors of the sanctuary and safeguards the locality from humans and their herds. 

Raising the young separated from their parents

He is capable of writing and singing folk songs. While walking on the bund of the Sanctuary lake he used to sing these songs. In the last verse of his folk songs he sings that he likes to pass on from this world only from the bund of the Koothakulam lake. Every day early in the morning before the sun rises he walks along the bund of the lake, the narrow bunds of the paddy fields to reach Kadankulam to watch birds. He prepares a daily check list of birds and notes down in his diary. He is exposed to nature and has a deep knowledge about birds. He can identify birds without binoculars and spot hidden nests. 

When a painted stork chick falls from the tree its leg maybe fractured and blood would be oozing from its beak. Bal Pandi does not hesitate seeing the filth but immediately takes a mouthful of water, puts his mouth over the beak of the swooned chick and forcibly pushes the water into the stomach of the bird. He wraps and sets the banana bark and ties with a thread to hold fractured leg in place. If a pelican falls from the tree, due to its weight and softness of the body, its belly may get ruptured. Bal Pandi, with a mother’s love, becomes a veterinary doctor, stuffs the organs back inside the belly and stitches it with nerve and pours water. 

For a few weeks the wounded pelican is laid down on a sack so that worms and parasites will not infect the wound. He applies slag and residue of the grindstone to the wounds which heal very fast. In due course the stitches become absorbed into the bird’s body. Sometime the pelican chicks may eat clay due their enormous appetite. At that time he feeds them fish to avoid clay eating. Each and every species of birds has a variety of lice, flies and ticks which thrive on the blood of birds. Bal Pandi removes them by bathing the birds twice daily. At times these parasitic flies jump onto him and crawl all over his body. At once he runs to the lake and jumps in. In the same manner he takes care of openbills, spoonbills, cormorants, darters, night herons and egrets. 

If chicks fall from the nests they all perish due to starvation. It is a pathetic scene to watch. Some orphan birds pick spilled fish from the nests above in the trees. A few days may pass like this. But dogs, foxes and raptors snatch away the chicks. The mother birds are incapable of carrying these chicks back to their nests. So the only source of hope for the fallen chicks to thrive in this world is Bal Pandi. I am really astonished at the blindness of conservation associations and charities of Nature who abstain from funding this meritorious service to Birds.

Birds and animals are quiet fond of the one who rescued and nourished them and repay thankfulness in all manners. The birds show their gratitude by calls, gestures and wing beats and they never forget. Whereas man will just say thanks for the moment and then think about spending the money received from the helpers. He even forgets his mother and father who brought him into this world and nourished him. Think about the Almighty! Can they at least thank the visible Nature?” 

The writer of this narrative, Chinna Sathan has combined with Bal Pandi to write, “Diary on the Nesting Behaviour of Indian Birds”. 

To find out more about this book and to order it visit the website at this link. 

To read more about this extraordinary conservationist and the work he is doing at Koothankulam Sanctuary, please go to this link entitled, “Bal Pandi Saving a Paradise”. 

Large Grey Babbler

The Large Grey Babbler (Turdoides malcolmi) is common throughout the Arunachala area. This bird habituates the Arunachala Samudra area as well as scrub, open forest and garden land throughout the Tiruvannamalai District. The Large Grey Babbler is usually seen in small groups and is easily distinguished from other babblers in the region by its nasal call.

This bird is pale grey-brown, with grey forehead. Its tail is long and graduated with white outer feathers which are very conspicuous in flight and when the tail is spread. It is one of the largest babblers in the region.

This species is found in small flocks which keep in contact with loud nasal calls. Its call, is loud and discordant, crying: kay, kay, kay, kay monotonously which is repeated by several individuals at the same time. Members of the flock may join in defending against predators. Individuals may also mob their own reflections.

This bird forages on or close to the ground, hopping and leaping in search of prey. It feeds mainly on insects but also feed on small lizards, molluscs and arachnids, and also feeds on seeds, grains and berries.

The Large Grey Babbler nesting season is irregular, but it believed to be more or less throughout the year. The usual clutch is four eggs. The nest is a shallow cup placed in a shrub often of thorny species. Their nests are parasitized by the Pied Cuckoo and the Common Hawk-Cuckoo.

Below is a video of a Large Grey Babbler feeding a Common Hawk-Cuckoo who she thinks is her offspring, but is a result of the nest being earlier parazitized by the Mother Common Hawk-Cuckoo.