How a Bee-eater Eats a Bee Without Being Stung
A bee-eater beats the sting out of its prey against a branch before swallowing it. A bee-eater in the dry country behind Bhigwan, how they hunt, and why they nest in tunnels.
Birdsong
When the Ground Explodes: Bush Quail on the Stony Slopes
A covey sits tight until you are a few feet away, then goes up all at once. Rock Bush Quail on the dry slopes behind Bhigwan — how to tell them from Jungle Bush Quail, and why they roost in a circle.
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The Female Booms, The Male Sits on the Eggs
In the Barred Buttonquail the female is bigger, brighter, louder and takes several mates. The male incubates alone and raises the chicks alone. Finding one on the dry ground behind Bhigwan.
Painted Sandgrouse at Bhigwan: Photos and Field Notes
A male sandgrouse soaks his belly feathers and flies water home to his chicks. Finding a female Painted Sandgrouse in the dry grassland behind Bhigwan — and why almost everyone walks straight past them.
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Roller at Bhigwan: Photos and Field Identification Notes
Original roller photographs from Bhigwan, with habitat notes and a cautious look at the bird’s field marks.
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Two Days of Monsoon Birding in Sindhudurg
We drove nine hours in the rain for a bird the size of a matchbox, and it stayed for less than a minute. A diary of two monsoon days in the Sindhudurg forest — the waiting, the leeches, the owl, and the pitta we never saw.
Birds on Wires: How Perch Hunters Work, and Why It Makes Them Easy to Photograph
Drongos, kingfishers and hawk-eagles all hunt the same way — sit high, watch, drop. Once you scan perches instead of scenery, they become the easiest birds in India to find and photograph.
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The Cuckoo Con: India’s Monsoon Brood Parasites and Their Hosts
The loudest bird of an Indian summer is one few people have seen. The Common Hawk-Cuckoo, the Grey-bellied Cuckoo, and the seven-gram prinias and bulbuls that end up raising their chicks.
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Sit Under a Fig Tree: The Easiest Way to See Forest Birds
Find a fruiting fig, sit down, and stay there. Why a fig tree is the most productive spot in an Indian forest, what turns up at one, and how to photograph birds in a canopy.
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Six Birds After the Flamingos: A Winter Morning at Bhigwan
Most people leave Bhigwan by nine, once they have their flamingo photographs. Here are six birds from the rest of the same morning — River Tern, Painted Stork, Montagu’s Harrier, Brahminy Kite, Asian Openbill and Bluethroat.
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