Sarus Cranes @ Keoladeo National Park

In September-October of 2014 I had gone to North India and among other places visited Keoladeo National Park. Here I got lucky with the mating calls of a pair of Sarus Cranes - the star attraction of the park. The first time when I heard this call I got a start, because I couldn't see the birds and was certainly not prepared for the sound. After that I took out my recorder and waited ready for it. After about six minutes they suddenly called out. It was really worth the wait. The time shown in Xeno-Canto is wrong. It was recorded in the late afternoon at around 4.30 pm on 2nd October, 2014.

The recording turned out to  be very clean, clear and crisp. I didn't do any editing whatsoever. Not even volume push up. This is the first time I used the new Marantz PMD 661 Mk II with the Sennheiser K6/ME66. It's a fantastic combination. 

Wood Sandpiper

Went to Kharibari on Sunday, 31st March and made a number of recordings. This species offered both - an opportunity for a good photograph and a decent sound recording that I uploaded today (the pic and the vocalisation is not of the same individual) on Xeno-Canto. I must confess that when I saw and heard the bird in flight I couldn't identify it but knew it was some sandpiper - from the shape of its body. Later, while matching the calls I realised I had recorded a Wood Sandpiper :) That's the beauty of internet and modern technology. 

To listen to the recording click here or the embedded file below

Flame-throated Bulbul

My first bird in Goa's Backwoods Camp on 8th March 2013 was this bird. Light condition being very poor I couldn't get a decent image of the bird. After that it remained elusive for the rest of my stay there only to reappear on the last morning when a pair sat on a branch right outside the main building of the resort and happily sang for a long time.

This bird was earlier considered a sub-species (Gularis) of Black-headed Bulbul. Now it has been split.