lifer

These flew over my house last week! Besides being rare just because what they are, they where a good was out of their normal range, and the first county record! I hope that's enough tags!

Initially I thought this was a juvenile black-headed bunting. But learnt it is actually a crested bunting on cross checking its id on the forum. My reference book shows no ocurrence of this species any where in my state. So a lucky find & another lifer for me. I still think it is a juvie...

As you can see from the title... I got him, even if he isn't very clear in the picture, even after a huge crop. Had great views of him through the scope though. What a great birding session that was, you can read all about it in the Kinnordy Thread here...

Thought this was a Marsh Sandpiper. Chris(Scridifer) pointed out it to be Greenshank. Amended after crosschecking on id section. Turns out it is a lifer. Many thanks, Chris. A winter migrator here.

Just a single shot I managed of this flycatcher during my trip to Ganeshgudi Reserve Forest. A migratory bird & winters in South Asia. So a lucky break. A huge crop & yet another lifer.

I had captured females on camera when I was posted at Karwar about 5 years ago. This is the first male capture during my trip to Ganeshgudi Reserve Forest a few weeks back. As usual he was perched very high up in a tall tree.

Another first & the only shot I got of this Common Woodshrike during my trip to Ganeshgudi Resrve Forest. As usual he was perched high up in a jungle tree.

This one just flew in & settled in to the tall grass on the opposite side of a water pond. Another first for me from my trip to Attiveri Forest Reserve. Had not even seen it before.

As usual, this pair was perched very high up on a tall bare tree top in the forests of Ganeshgudi. Also called the ashy swallow-shrike, it is found in south Asia. Another first for me during my trip there.

Another first for me during my trip to Ganeshgudi Reserve Forest. He was perched very high up in an eucalyptus tree. A big crop on this image.

Shot this one just in time from my moving car before it vanished into the thick roadside undergrowth near Attiveri reserve forest. Not a great shot but another lifer. I think this is a grey variant, but can't be sure.

Another lifer from my visit to Ganeshgudi Reserve Forest. Was perched very high up & against light. So, not a very great image but good enough for a record shot, I think. A huge crop on this one.

Could manage just one record shot of this shrike during my trip to Ganeshgudi Reserve Forest. Obviously a lifer. Yet another rare visitor to BF gallery, only the 7th image on Opus page.

Very active bird, saw many of them in the Attiveri Bird Reserve but could manage just one shot of this beauty, after spending almost 2 hours there! Didn't see any males though. A lifer for me. There are only 5 images of Jerdon's Leafbird in BF Opus data, this being only the second image of a...

Second of the lifers from my visit to Ganeshgudi, Dandeli Reserve Forest. Shot from a long distance with a huge crop. A rare visitor to the BF gallery; this is only the sixth image upload.

Went on a day's trip to Ganeshgudi located in Western Ghats near Dandeli about 100 kms from here. Got a few lifers. This is the first of the lot. Perched far & high up in the tree against light, he was partially hidden. Managed to get a couple of shots before he was off. A very big crop...

I uploaded this on BF's ID section & was told that it is a little stint. Had captured it earlier in a group from a distance.This is the first stand alone close up photo of it taken during my last trip to Mumbai. So, another lifer for me.

Though I have shot this bird before, the image quality did not qualify to be counted as lifer. Had to crop quite a bit since it was shot from a long distance, still a lifer for me. Photo taken during my trip to Mumbai in April.

Captured yesterday morning during my trip to a place called Miraj in South Maharashtra. Lucky to spot him & capture a decent photo(I think), because it seems to be fairly uncommon; this being only the fourth image in the BF Gallery. Obviously, a first for me.

They are so small that they are barely visible even from a short distance. They also move about pretty fast while foraging. Shot on the bank of a lake. Another first for me.

Shot yesterday morning at my local birding patch. He was circling around looking for prey when some lapwings started chasing him forcing him to take a break. He was perched in the tree shade when I managed to get a few shots. A first for me.

A strictly winter migratory bird from Europe & Western Asia. Saw a few of them at a lake in the city. Another first for me.

A strictly winter migratory bird from Europe & Western Asia. Saw a few of them at a lake in the city. A first for me.

If there is one thing I have learnt while birding, it is to expect the unexpected! I was on a lake bank & fortuitously saw a movement in a very dense tree. Waited patiently shifting my position trying to get as clear a view as possible. Finally, after about 15 minutes I could get in a couple...

Shot at a lake between Hubli & Dharwar yesterday. It is a migratory species & winters in Africa & India. Never seen this one before. So, another lifer. I think it is the most beautiful among all sandpipers. Tried to look for opus page for this bird. Doesn't seem to exist. So am I...