2014 | 271 | 28Sep14 | Hoskote Lake

01.  Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) - Adult - 18 cm
ID by  Richard Grimmett : Adult has bright red forehead and throat, blue-black breast-band and upperparts, and long tail-streamers. Underparts vary from white to rufous. Immature has duller orange forehead and throat, breastband is browner and less well defined, upperparts are duller, and has shorter tail-streamers.

02. Baya Weaver (Ploceus philippinus) - Female/ Juv ? - 15 cm
ID by  Richard Grimmett : Breeding male of nominate has yellow crown, dark brown ear-coverts and throat, unstreaked yellow breast, and yellow streaking on mantle and scapulars. Non-breeding male, female and juvenile usually have unstreaked buffish underparts; streaking can be as prominent as on poorly marked Streaked, but has less distinct and buffish supercilium, lacks yellow neck patch, and lacks pronounced dark moustachial and malar stripes. Non-breeding male,female and juvenile burmanicus more rufousbuff on supercilium and underparts. 

03.  Indian Pond Heron (Ardeola grayii) - Non-Breeding Adult - 42-45 cm
ID by  Richard Grimmett : Whitishwings contrast with dark saddle. Adult breeding has yellowish-buff head and neck and
maroon-brown mantle/ scapulars. Head, neck and breast streaked/spotted in non-breeding plumage.

04.  Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola) - Juvenile ?? 18-21 cm
ID by  Richard Grimmett : From Green Sandpiper by longer, yellowish legs and slimmer appearance, heavily speckled upperparts, and prominent supercilium behind eye; in flight by call, slimmer body and narrower wings, toes projecting clearly beyond tail, paler underwing contrasting less with white underparts, and paler brown upperparts contrasting less with smaller white rump. Adult breeding has heavily streaked breast and barred flanks; upperparts barred and spotted pale grey-brown and white. Adult non-breeding has more uniform grey-brown upperparts, spotted whitish, and breast brownish and lightly streaked. Juvenile has warm brown upperparts speckled warm buff, and lightly streaked buff breast.

05. Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea) - Adult - 78-90 cm
ID by  Richard Grimmett : Rakish, with long, thin neck. In flight, compared with Grey Heron, bulge of recoiled neck is very pronounced, protruding feet large, underwing-coverts purplish (adult) or buff (juvenile) and lacks white leading edge to wing. Adult has chestnut head and neck with black stripes, grey mantle and upperwing-coverts, and dark chestnut belly and underwing-coverts. Juvenile has black crown, buffish neck, and brownish mantle and upperwing-coverts with rufous-buff fringes.

06.  Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus) - Adult
ID by  Richard Grimmett : Small size and kite-like flight. Wings usually angled at carpals. Tail rounded. Adult mainly chestnut, with white head, neck and breast. Juvenile mainly brown, with pale streaking on head, mantle and breast, large pale patch at base of primaries on underwing, and pale brown and unmarked underside to tail.

07.  Indian Silverbill or White-throated Munia
(Lonchura malabarica)  - Male
ID by  Richard Grimmett : Male has fawn brown upperparts, whitish face and underparts with barred flanks, long and pointed black tail, and white rump and uppertail-coverts. Female is duller with plainer face, and flanks are less barred. Juvenile lacks barring on flanks, has dark mottling on rump, and tail is shorter and more rounded.
ID by  Wikipedia : The adult Indian Silverbill is 11–11.5 cm long and has a conical silver-grey bill, buff-brown upperparts, white underparts, buffy flanks and dark wings. The tail is black and the wings are dark contrasting with a white rump. The sexes are similar.

08. Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) - Breeding Adult - 55-65 cm
ID by  Richard Grimmett : Slim and graceful. Has black bill, black legs with yellow feet, and greyish or yellowish lores. In breeding plumage has two elongated nape plumes, and mantle plumes, and lores and feet become reddish during courtship. Bill in non-breeding and immature can be paler and pinkish or greyish at base, or dull yellowish on some; legs can be yellowish or greenish. 

09. Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) - Breeding Adult - 38-46 cm
ID by  Richard Grimmett : Large size and broad-winged/short-tailed appearance. Huge red bill and black underside to primaries. Adult breeding has complete black cap. Adult non-breeding has black-streaked crown and black mask; bill is duller, with more black at tip. First-winter and first-summer are similar to adult non-breeding, but show faint dark lesser-covert and secondary bars and dark-tipped tail (but upperwing appears much plainer than in Lesser and Great Crested Terns). Juvenile has narrow dark subterminal bars to scapulars and wing-coverts; forehead and crown are more heavily marked, almost forming dark cap.