Skip to main content

Bird watching tour to Davanagere - Part II

Birding in Davanagere - Part II:
Eye-catching Blue-tailed bee-eater
The colorful Blue-tailed bee-eater
Continued...from...Birding in Davanagere - Part I Water Birds

Apart from the water birds and waders I spotted many species of birds, the highlight of the show was the Hoopoe, and a surprise sighting of the Barn Owl, with these two, my long awaited first sighting of these species we're accomplished. Another spectacular sightings were the colorful bee-eaters and Common Iora, along with the Wool neck Stork, which were also my first sightings.
‎Hoopoe, patrolling the grounds
‎Hoopoe, found patrolling the grounds
Barn Owl
Barn Owl
Blue-tailed bee-eater with its favorite food damselfly/dragonfly
Blue-tailed bee-eater with its favorite food damselfly/dragonfly
Green bee-eater
Green bee-eater
Common Iora
Common Iora
Woolly-necked stork, categorized as vulnerable species under IUCN Red List
Woolly-necked stork, categorized as vulnerable species under IUCN Red List 
It was interesting to see a pair of bold large grey babblers trying to flip the mud layer on the trees in search of prey.
Large grey babblers seen flipping the muddy layer on the tree in-search of insects
Large grey babblers seen flipping the muddy layer on the tree in-search of insects
Apart from these spotted many bird species for the first time including the Grey-bellied Cuckoo, Red collared dove, and Yellow-billed Babbler.
Yellow-billed Babbler or White-headed Babbler
Yellow-billed Babbler or White-headed Babbler
Grey-bellied Cuckoo
Grey-bellied Cuckoo
Although spotted over a dozen of White throated kingfishers, but didn't get sightings of any other species of Kingfishers.
White throated kingfisher
White throated kingfisher
Here are some of the other birds I was able to capture:
‎Asian koel male
‎Asian koel male
Greater coucal
Greater coucal
Rose ringed Parakeet male
Rose ringed Parakeet male
Black Drongo
Black Drongo
Red-vented bulbul
Red-vented bulbul
Laughing Dove
Laughing Dove
Ashy prinia
Ashy prinia
Common woodshrike
Common woodshrike
And the most difficult to classify, yes the Warblers. With some readings, narrowed down the below species names. Still not sure if they are identified correctly.
Green Warbler, considering its color grayish-green above and off-white below
Blyth's Reed Warbler, considering the supercilium upto eyes, and yellow lower mandible. With small tail and long undertail covert
Booted warbler, Supercilium beyong the eye, short and dark-tipped pale lower-bill. With color pale brown (weak tea colour) above and whitish below with buff flanks
Sykes’s warbler, considering the longer tail and supercilium over the eye and not extending beyond
Sykes’s warbler, considering the longer tail and supercilium over the eye and not extending beyond
Almost at the end of my birding tour, and still haven't sighted weaver-bird or munia's. Just before I could call off, I could spot some weaver-bird nests hanging down the thorny tree, adjacent to a water stream. Tried to zoom in search of birds, in and around the nests, but they were all appearing empty.  To my surprise a flock of Indian Silverbills or the White-throated Munia arrived at the abandoned nest and then I could spot a pair of Scaly-breasted Munia perched on the edge of the another tree branch. It was a perfect end for my birding tour.
Indian Silverbills or the White-throated Munia in an abandoned weaver bird nest
Indian Silverbills or the White-throated Munia in an abandoned weaver bird nest
Scaly-breasted Munia
Scaly-breasted Munia
Although I couldn't get any sightings of bar headed goose or the weaver-birds, but I got to witness many new species of migratory and resident birds. On a positive note it gave me a reason to visit the place again for another birding tour.

 Complete List of Birds spotted in Davanagere along with the count:

 1. Barn Owl : 1
2. Hoopoe : 2
3. White throated kingfisher : many
4. Green bee-eater : many
5. Blue-tailed bee-eater: many
6. Chestnut-tailed Starling : many
7. Large grey babbler : many
8. Yellow-billed Babbler or White-headed Babbler : many
9. Drongo : 6
10. Common Iora : 2
11. Red-vented bulbul : many
12. ‎Greater coucal : 1
13. ‎Asian koel male : 1
14. Grey-bellied Cuckoo : 1
15. ‎Rose ringed Parakeet : 1 pair
16. Red collared dove or Eurasian collared dove : 3
17. Laughing Dove : 2
18. ‎White-browed wagtail : 1
19. Scaly-breasted Munia : 2
20. Indian silverbill / White-throated Munia : 6
21. Indian robin male : 2
22. Ashy prinia : 2
23. ‎Blyth's Reed Warbler
24. Green Warbler
25. Booted warbler
26. Sykes’s warbler
27. Common woodshrike : 1
28. Purple rumped ‎Sunbird : many
29. ‎Pale-billed Flowerpecker : many
30. ‎Braminy Kite : 1

Waders:
31. Little ‎egret : many
32. Intermediate egret : many
33. Cattle egret : many
34. Grey heron : 3
35. Purple heron : 2
36. Pond heron : >5
37. ‎Red wattled lapwing : >5
38. Bronze-winged jacana : >25
39. Pheasant-tailed jacana : 5
40. Black-winged Stilt : >30
41. ‎Wood Sandpiper : 5-10
42. Common Sandpiper : 5-10
43. Green Sandpiper : many
44. Wool neck Stork : 6

Water birds:
45. Spot Billed duck : >100's
46. Garganey : many
47. Northern Shoveler : many
48. Cotton pygmy-goose : many
49. ‎Common coot : >100's
50. Common Moorhen: many
51. Purple swamphen : >50
52. Little grebe : many
53. Cormorant : >100

And the common birds...
54. Common myna : many
55. Jungle myna : many
56. Rock pigeons : >100
57. Crow : many
Labels:
Location: Davangere, Karnataka, India

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sky Islands to the Pacific shores - Part 1: The Sky Islands of Southeastern Arizona

In August 2026, I crossed the Atlantic to chase a long-cherished dream, stepping into the vast, untamed birding horizons of the American Wild West. Across a sweeping route through Arizona, Texas, Utah, and California, I logged 108 total species -  the vast majority of them absolute lifers for me! While the landscapes were vast and the wildlife was extraordinary, what truly made the Arizona portion of the trip unforgettable was the incredible warmth of the local birding community. At almost every trail, feeding station, and wetland, I met welcoming, friendly locals who were quick to share site tips, point out hidden roosts, and make a first-time visitor feel right at home. While North America’s diverse habitats delivered endless surprises, it was Arizona's high-desert canyons, towering rims, and lush riparian corridors that anchored the trip. Here is a location-by-location breakdown of the top birding hotspots, standout avian highlights, and unexpected wildlife encounters from the A...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sky Islands to the Pacific Shores – Part 2: Desert Valleys, Urban Wetlands & The Grand Canyon

If you missed Part 1: The Sky Islands of Southeastern Arizona , we explored the cool, high-elevation pine-oak Canyons of Madera, Montosa, Ramsey, Ash, and Carr, tracking hummingbird diversity and vibrant montane species across the legendary Sky Island ranges. Leaving the high, pine-scented peaks of the Sky Islands behind, the journey transitions into the sprawling lowlands and desert basins of Arizona. This second leg follows a dramatic ecological gradient—from open desert waters and lush suburban wetland oases into the iconic giant Saguaro forests of the Sonoran Desert, before ascending the Colorado Plateau to the high-elevation pine rims of the Grand Canyon. 3. Canoa Ranch Conservation Park Nestled in the Santa Cruz River Valley, Historic Canoa Ranch combines rich Southwestern heritage with wide-open water and vast desert horizons. Spending the late afternoon here delivered a bustling wildlife spectacle right up until dusk. Active hunters like the Belted Kingfisher, Black Phoebe, Ver...
Post a Comment
Read more

Seabird photography adventure on the Isle of May

Seabird Photography Adventure on the Isle of May – July 2025 Tucked off the east coast of Scotland, the Isle of May National Nature Reserve is a dream for wildlife and photography enthusiasts alike - especially during seabird breeding season. My trip in early July 2025 turned out to be more thrilling and rewarding than I had imagined, thanks to an unexpected boat change, incredible wildlife encounters, and a few lucky early moments of solitude with the stars of the island— the Puffins . A puffin staring right at the lens, proud of its catch. Getting There: A Wild Ride on the North Sea Originally, I had booked a standard boat tour with BlueWild from Dunbar harbour, but due to a last-minute issue with the vessel the night before, our journey was downgraded - well, depending on how you look at it - to a RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) . What followed was a wild, wind-whipped ride across the North Sea , bouncing over waves with little warning. Thankfully, our guide kindly offered me a spar...
Post a Comment
Read more

Birding in the Netherlands

The Netherlands has a coastline of over 451 km, wide open to the north sea. Much of its land has been reclaimed from the sea and is below sea level, not surprisingly its coastal wetlands make up some of the best birding hotspots, apart from the inland nature reserves. Close to 500 bird species are recorded in the country, much of them are waders and water birds due to its geography. As a non-resident birdwatcher it was not an easy task to locate the right bird watching spots, whilst ebird helped considerably, the rest was on me to explore the Dutch lands. Nevertheless, the country is much safer to explore and the good facilities such as birding hides at the right places, easy access to most reserves makes it a birder friendly country. I have explored two of the birding hotspots, the Texel Island and Oostvaardersplassen nature reserve. Apart from these, I found bird watching and bird photography can be interesting in the neighborhood city parks and also tourist places such as Zaans...
Post a Comment
Read more

Chennakeshava temple of Belur- Exteriors

Chennakeshava temple of Belur: Some facts about the Chennakeshava Temple: Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana defeated the Cholas at Talakad & to commemorate this great event built many temples in 1117 A.D., of which Chennakeshava temple at Belur is the most important & beautiful , dedicated to Keshava one of the 24 forms of Vishnu. Although the temple was completed by Narasimha, it took over 103 years to finish the structure. Though the legends assign this temple to have been built by Jakanachari, as per the inscriptions the master builders of this temple are Dasoja and his son Chavana, other sculptors include Chikka-Hampa, Malliyana, Padari Malloja, Masada and Nagoja who bestowed their best in creating this masterpiece. Chennakeshava Temple, Belur Back to the travelogue: Most important aspect of these Belur Halebeedu temples is that Chennakeshava temple is famous for beautiful and intricate interiors and Hoysaleshwara temple is famous for the magnificent sculpture...
3 comments
Read more