Table Of Content,
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
BROAD-BILLED SANDPIPER LIMICOLA FALCINELLUS
13.
:
AN ADDITION TO THE AVIFAUNA OF RAJASTHAN
OnSeptember7,2001 whiledrivingtoLongewalainthe oftwelvebirdsfrom fivelocalities:
earlyafternoon,wefoundsomewadersonthedryingBaramsar 1999 March 7, two adults, Kochia ki Dhani, Sambhar
depression, Jaisalmer district, Rajasthan. We noticed some Lake.
littlestintCalidrisminuta,butonebird lookedquitedifferent 2001 September 1, two adults, between Sam and
fromtheothersinthegroup. Onmovingcloser,werecognized Jaisalmeron a roadside depression.
the bird as a broad-billed sandpiper Limicolafalcinellus, a 2001 September 19,twoadultsandonejuvenile, Phulera
species we had seen at Pt. Calimere (TamilNadu), Jamnagar Lake,Jaipurdistrict.
(GulfofKutch)andPulicat(AndhraPradesh)earlier.However, 2001 September 19, one juvenile, Kochia ki Dhani,
because ofthe rarity value ofthe bird in Rajasthan, we were SambharLake.
very cautious and took some record shots. 2001 November 18, three individuals at Surwal Lake,
Intheexcellentlight,thebirdwasclearlyidentifiableas Sawai Madhopur.
aBroad-billedSandpiperbythecharacteristicdunlin-likebill 2001 November 19oneindividualatChoruLake, Sawai
with a kink towards the tip, the snipe-like pattern of the Madhopur.
upperparts,whitebellyandflanksanddoublewhiteeyebrow. The above records indicate a clear pattern ofautumn
However,comparedtotheillustrationsinHaymanetal.(1986), and spring migration through Rajasthan. Perhaps difficulty
Beaman and Madge (1998) and Svensson et al. (1999) the in identification and paucity of observers at the crucial
juvenile was interesting in having only a hint ofstreaks on time are the reasons for their being overlooked in inland
thebreast. Theearcoverts, neckside, chinandthroatwereas localities.
white as its bellyand flanks. The ‘lower’ supercilium looked
exceptionally broad and eye stripe was very faint. March 19,2002 HARKIRAT SINGH SANGHA
Broad-billed Sandpiper is a “winter visitor to the B-27,Gautam Marg,
seaboard of both Pakistan, India, Ceylon Andaman and HanumanNagar,Jaipur30202
1
NicobarIslands”and“recordedlesscommonlyinBihar, Delhi Rajasthan, India.
and elsewhere - presumably on passage” (Ali and Ripley [email protected]
1980). KazmierczakandvanPerlo(2000)recordedonlyeight
inland records fromthe Indian subcontinenttill 1999. To the MANOJ KULSHRESHTHA
best ofour knowledge, the species has not been recorded in Snehdeep,B-33,SethiColony,
Rajasthan, except forthe sixrecentrecords, includingatotal Jaipur302004, Rajasthan, India.
REFERENCES
Ali.S.&S.D.Ripley(1980):HandbookoftheBirdsoflndiaandPakistan, Identification Guide to the Waders ofthe World. Croom Helm,
Vol. 2. 2nd Edn. Oxford University Press, Delhi, pp. 315-317. London, pp. 191.
Beaman,M.& S. Madge(1998):TheHandbookofBirdIdentification Kazmierczak,K.&B. vanPerlo(2000):AFieldGuidetotheBirdsof
for Europe and Western Palaearctic. Christopher Helm London, India. Pica Press, Robertsbridge. pp. 124.
pp. 369. Svensson, L. & P.J. Grant (1999): Collins Bird Guide. London,
Hayman, P., J. Marchant & T. Prater (1986): Shorebirds: an pp. 141.
14. NESTING OF TERNS ON VENGURLA ROCKS, DISTRICT SINDHUDURG,
MAHARASHTRA
On June 6, 2001, we visited Vengurla Rocks (16° 35'- Wesailedat0930hrsfromNivtiharbourfortheisland.
16° 45' N and 73° 27'-73° 30' E), Taluka Vengurla, District At 50 m from the island, we saw several terns flying above
Sindluidurg, Maharashtra to follow up the conservation the land. We landed at Bandra Rock at 1030 hrs. Dry grass
action on the Indian Edible-Swiftlet Collocalia unicolor. was spread all over the rock. Tern eggs were present all
This was the first visit to the Rocks in monsoon, the over the Rock. There were four tern species on Bandra
breeding season ofthe terns. All previous visits were made Rock.
duringthenon-breedingseason(Abdulali 1940, 1942, 1983). Eight hundred bridled terns Sterna anaethetus were
Madsen (1988) had observed Sterna bergii S.fuscata, seen on the Rock. Their eggs were laid all over the island,
,
S. repressa and S. anaethetus on the Rocks from a boat. under tussocks ofgrass and small rocks, and on bare rock.
318 J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 101 (2), May-Aug 2004
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
Most of the nests contained one egg, while two nests the rock for rest. The small, noisy flocks kept flying and
contained two eggs each. The eggs were creamy, stone landingfor30 minutes.
coloured with deep brown blotches. The minimum distance A Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres was also seen
betweentwonestswas0.43 m. Amaleandfemalewereseen feeding amongst a group of Large Crested Terns. In the
in courtship display. They caught each other by the bill and evening, 400 Blue Rock Pigeons Columba livia landed in
themalewalkedtwiceinasemi-circle in frontofthefemale. small flocks. One White-bellied Sea-eagle Haliaeetus
ThreehundredLargeCrestedTernsSternabergiiwere leucogaster was also seen sailing over the island.
seenonthe southern side on bare rock. Seventeen eggswere
seenonbarerockandtwoonopenground inshallowscrapes. March21,2002 VISHWAS KATDARE
RAM MONE
The creamy white eggs, blotched with deep brown and
SACHIN PALKAR
brownish scrawls at the broad end, and bigger than that of
Sterna anaethetus, were being incubated. SahyadriNisargaMitra,
FiveLesserCrestedTernsSternabengalensiswereseen NearLaxminarayanTemple,
in a flockofLarge Crested Terns. One pairofRoseate Terns Chiplun415605, Ratnagiridistrict,
Sterna dougalliiwere seen on the rock in courtship display. Maharashtra,
At 1900 hrs, 150 Roseate Terns in scattered flocks arrived India.
from the old lighthouse and gathered on the western side of Email: [email protected]
REFERENCES
Abdulau, Humayun (1940): Swifts and Terns at Vengurla Rocks. Abdulau, Hum—ayun (1983): Pigeons Columba livia nesting on the
J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 41(3): 661-665. ground some more bird notes from the Vengurla Rocks.
Abdulau, Humayun (1942): The Terns and Edible-nest Swifts at J BombayNat. Hist. Soc. 80(1): 215-217.
Vengurla, West Coast, India. J BombayNat. Hist. Soc. 43(3): Madsen, Stig Toft (1988): Terns of the Vengurla Rocks. Hornbill
446-451. 1988(1): 3-4, 29.
15. COMMON HOOPOE (UPUPA EPOPS) FEEDING ON PRINIA (PRINIA SP.) CORPSE
On October 22, 2001, while traveling from Shahada According to Ali and Ripley (1983), the Common
to Ranipur, Nandurbar district, Maharashtra, at about Hoopoeisstrictlyan insectivorousbird. However,ithasbeen
1400 hrs, I observed a Common Hoopoe (Upupa epops) reportedfeedingon lizards,frogsandtoads,andexceptionally
on the metalled road. As we passed by, I noticed that it onbirds’eggs(Cramp 1985),butI couldnotfindanyreference
was feeding on a Prinia (Prinia sp.) that was probably to a Common Hoopoe feeding on a bird carcass. This could
hit by a vehicle. Its belly was open and the intestines be an opportunistic meal.
were hanging out; one eye too was hanging out of the
socket. November13,2001 GIR1SH A. JATHAR
Aswe approached, the hoopoe flew to anearby tree. I BombayNatural HistorySociety,
tookthePriniawithmeforidentification. As I returnedtothe Hornbill House,S.B. Road,
vehicle,theCommonHoopoecamebackandstartedpicking Mumbai400023, Maharashtra, India.
up the scraps ofmeat on the road. Email:[email protected]
REFERENCES
Ali, S. & S.D. Ripley (1983): Handbook of the Birds of India and Cramp,S.(Eds)(1985): HandbookotBirdsofEurope,theMiddleEast
Pakistan (Compact Edition). Oxford University Press, Delhi. and North Africa. Vol. 4. Oxtord University Press, Oxford.
Pp. 126. Pp. 790.
16. INDIAN PITTA PITTA BRACHYURA IN THE THAR DESERT
Balsamand Lake liesatthefootofthe lowhillsnorthof Singhji II. There are a number of large trees of Ficus
Jodhpur (25° 6'-27° T E to 71° 9'-74° V N). It commands a benghalensis, F. religiosa, Azadirachta indica, Terminalia
view ofa garden on the slopes still owned by the erstwhile arjuna,Syzygiumcumini,Mangiferaindica,Aeglemarmelos,
MaharajaofJodhpur. 1 wasgiventheopportunityofstudying Salvadora oleoides and Dalbergia latifolia.
thefaunaofthisancient lakeconstructed in 1 159AD. A dam ThefirstthingI sawwashundredsoffruitbatsPteropus
was constructed here in 1873 to 1895 by Maharaja Jaswant giganteusclingingtoagroupofBanyantreesontheoverflow
J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 101 (2), May-Aug 2004 319
