2015-01-10 Karnala

This was my second visit to Karnala on consecutive weekends.

This time it was with my friends from my earlier company.

It started with an orange headed ground thrush popping out of the undergrowth when we were trying to look for sunbird, drongo and tailor bird in a very low light condition.

The orange headed ground thrush obliged us for long time and we were able to see its feeding habit very closely.

As we moved on chestunut shouldered petronias or the yellow throated sparrows flew over head, rested on a tree for a brief time and then flew ahead.

The activity was comparatively low with no sound of bronzed drongos or woodshrikes or paradise flycatcher.

We reached the guest house and tried to search for green pigeons and flycatcher but with no luck.

But we saw a flock of rose ringed parakeets sitting on a tree top across the pond.

And also Chestnut Shouldered Petronia and Ashy drongo having a breakfast.

Then we moved down the mortaka trail and took the turn on the Harial trail crossing the bridge.

Here there was a flowering red silk cotton tree and there we saw a purple sunbird and an ashy drongo.

We also observed some other beauties of nature in the form of peacock pansy and the giant wood spider which had woven a beatiful huge web as usual.

Just on the right site in the thick vegetation we saw the treepie and black hooded oriole.

Down the Harial trial near the main road again we encountered a pair of Chestnut Shouldered petronias and a pygmy wood pecker.

From here we traced back the trail to the bridge and then moved to the open space.

Here we saw common woodshrike, purple sunbird trying to build a nest and a white bellied drongo.

At the end of the trail near the stream we saw a juvenile black hooded oriole, chestnut shouldered petronia and rose ringed parakeet.

We saw also a flock of 5-6 white rumped munias (only seen in this area of karnala).

From here we returned back to guest house to have some breakfast and ended our trip here!!

2015-01-04 Karnala

After a trip to Bhandup with not much sightings on 1st of January 2015 we (me, Abhijit and Rohit) decided to take a trip to Karnala on Sunday 4th January 2015.

The day started with lot of activity at the start of Hariyal Trail.
Many brown cheeked fulvetas, bronzed drongo and scarlet minivets.

As we moved towards the guest house these flock of birds were also moving.
Now they were joined by many other birds forming a big mixed hunting party of various species. We spotted 14 species of birds in this mixed hunting party. Following were the birds
Brown cheeked fulvetta
Bronzed drongo

Scarlet minivet

Small minivet

Brown headed barbet

Common woodshrike

Eurasian Golden Oriole
Black Naped Oriole
Black Hooded oriole
Paradise Flycatcher

Marhatta woodpecker

Pygmy Woodpecker
Golden Fronted Chloropsis

Chestnut Shouldered Petronia


This continued till the guest house.

From the top near the open area near guest house "Go Green" nursery and a food stall has been setup.
The food stall serves tasty and very cost effective food.

From this top point across the small pond on the other side we observed Treepie, Racket tailed drongo and Pompodour green pigeons. At the bottom of the pond there was very little water and there was a pond heron and great egret.

On bushes next on the pond on our side was a greenish leaf warbler and a female paradise flycatcher.

It was sometimes doing a fantail flycatcher style dance trying to fan its small tail.

Later on the open portion of the Hariyal trail we saw the usual purple sunbird

and at the stream at the end of the trail a pygmy woodpecker.

It was a very eventful morning with lot of activity and a big mixed hunting party !!