More birds at Barha Jabalpur

Bird watching is exciting and gets more exciting if you see/hear interesting species. In summers birds of diverse habitat congregate around water sources. This is the case of birds at Barha reserve forest near Jabalpur Mandla.

In today's morning birding I heard calls of India Pitta (Pitta brachuyra) just as we entered the forest. This bird I had noted earlier only for a brief period between March and April and thought it migrated locally (Kanha?). But today's calls means it stays here for more extended period or could be permanent resident.

More calls: Indian scimitar babbler, Shikra,

Sightings:

Black headed oriole (Oriolus xanthogenys)

Black-naped monarch

Asian paradise flycatcher

White browed flycatcher

White browed bulbul

Bonelli's eagle

Crested Serpent eagle (Adult + juvenile)

Honey buzzard

Greater racket tailed drongo (Dicrurus paradeseus)

Puff throated babbler

Common hawk cuckoo

Pied crested cuckoo (Clamator jacobinus)

Grey breasted prinia

Brown fish owl (Ketupa zeylonensis)

Crested tree swift (Hemoprocine longipenis)

Common Iora

My checklist of bird of Jabalpur is consistently increasing (over 260). Thanks to frequent bird watching trips lately in all seasons. Except my friend Bittu ,I have yet to come come across bird watchers in Jabalpur town which by all means is a large town in India. It is expected that many more youths/elders/men/women would take interest in our birds and contribute somehow to learning about avian wonders and conserving them as a result.

White Browed Bulbul - Jabalpur Birds

In my recent birding at Barha Reserve Forest in Jabalpur we were surprised to discover White-browed bulbul (Pycnonotus luteolus) in the canopy. This bird has not been recorded in my checklist of Jabalpur Birds in Madhya Pradesh. According to distribution maps its spread is shown much below Jabalpur region.

Similarly Red whiskered-bulbul (Pycnonotus jocusus) is now much less seen in Jabalpur and that too in gardens and not in the wild. From my discussion with the residents the number has gone down?

I have recorded more than 270 + bird species in Jabalpur. I have been surprised by the fact that this is the number that exists in birds of Kanha and Bandhavgarh National Park. In fact the checklists of birds in Kanha and Bandhavgarh show about 250 + species. More species are recorded in Jabalpur in MP Central India.

The reason for such large numbers of bird being sighted in different areas of Jabalpur is the diversity of habitat which ranges from extensive wetlands, scrub, dense forests and drier areas along with agriculture fields. levation also shifts mildly resulting in vast number of species that prefer to spend winters here along with resident birds.