More birds

These are some of the other birds I could spot in and around our place, in Faridabad. The first is the Eurasian Hoopoe, commonly seen around Delhi. Funny kinda crown, this bird has. Often seen around the India Gate lawns, pecking at something or the other in the ground, I saw it on a neighboring tree

Also seen in our patch of green, pecking as usual. The coloration makes it next to impossible to detect among the fallen leaves

Mynahs are quite common in these parts. In fact, they seem to be positively thriving. There are two other varieties which are however, not so common, the hill mynah and the Brahminy Mynah 

Why is it called the Brahminy Mynah, I wonder. Is it because of the black strip on its head, which resembles the head of a traditional Brahmin, shaved except for a narrow tuft of hair!

 This is probably a hill mynah, come to slake its thirst. And the oriental magpie robin, distinctive in its coat of black and white. It is called doel in bengali and has got some beautiful songs in its repertoire. I have also noticed the magpie robin to be a bit territorially possessive, chasing away other birds when it flies down to our patch of green 

Then, there is an entire family of parrots that have chosen a huge neem tree as their home. It helps that there are a few guava trees also in the vicinity!

I have noticed a few white wagtails, but could not shoot them as I didn't have my camera with me. One day however, noticing a movement in the trees, I saw a female koel which is extremely shy and has outstanding camouflage abilities

 

One cannot omit the pariah kite. There is a couple around our place, keeping a beady eye on happenings, circling high. Notice the strength in that tail ..

Few months back, I saw a shikra sitting on the fence. Much smaller than the kite, ashy countenance and red eyes. Only a few feet from me but once again, I did not have my camera with me. It was a beautiful bird. 

Guess all of them are beautiful, created by Nature and I love them all!