[BirdPhotoIndia] A Field Report of Sunday trip to Nalban, Kolkata, West Bengal - 21st November 2010

Hi All,
FIELD REPORT

Date of Trip: 21st November 2010. (Sunday)
Duration of Trip: 7:00 am to 6:00 pm
Location: Nearest Busstop: Chingrighata. From Chingrighata
bus stop, 5 minutes walk towards Nalban to reach Nalban Bheri Gate on
the right side of the road and then enter the bheri with permission.
Birding starts from here.
Temperature: (As in Alipur) Max 31°C and Min 21.7°C.
Humidity: (As in Alipur) Max 83% and Min 31%.
Weather: Faintly cloudy Morning. After 9 am clear sky. Gentle wind.
Habitat: Nalban Bheri is a part of East Kolkata Wetland,
which is a Ramsar Site. It comprises a few huge waterbodies of which
we covered only 5 waterbodies today. This waterbodies are exclusively
used for the purpose of pisciculture. So compared to the vastness of
the waterbodies, unfortunately only a few patches of aquatic plants
have been left. As a result number of birds is low. Moreover we have
been informed by some local people that here birds are being killed on
a regular basis. We know this should be stopped but we are helpless.

BRIEF REPORT:-
--------------------------
We started our day's trip by meeting at Chingrighata Bus stand and
then after having a cup of tea we headed towards the main gate of
Nalban Bheri. As we started walking on our route and were seeing a few
wild flowers and identifying them, Prasenjit pointed out that there
were many coral-tailed cloud wing dragonflies hanging on a single
branch. A real sight, as we have always seen coral-tailed cloud wings
in flight especially in the early evening time. Seeing 6-7 of them
hanging from a single branch was a gem of a sight, and also probably a
rare sighting. Manoj Nair, an odonate expert from Orissa once told me
to keep watch for a new dragonfly in Kolkata which is almost similar
to Senegal golden dartlet(Ishnura senegalensis) but with a blue
marking in lateral part of the thorax, Ishnura forcipata. Yes, we
found that one in numbers here and the difference with senegalensis
was quite visible to us. We reached the starting of the bheris and
could see the Grey Herons, cormorants, gadwalls at a distance. Just
then a common kingfisher just dropped in before us giving up a few
good photo ops. We proceeded further and Gadwalls, Gargeny, Tufted
Ducks, Shovlers and Large cormorants were visible to us in our binos.
Subhankar da also pointed out a few Ferroginous Pochard among them. It
was almost noon and we reached the baya weaver's nest place. Only the
nests were there and a very few weavers. Suddenly we saw a Purple
Swamphen and a Cinnamon Bittern in the reed bed. Grey Herons were
sitting at a long distance and were in numbers. We ended our day with
a sight of a beautiful sunset and a good sighting of a Plaintive
Cuckoo hepatic female.

Anyhow due to favorable weather birds, butterfly and odonate movement
was very satisfactory. Everyone of the trip is very glad and trip is
very successful.

TEAM MEMBERS:-
-----------------------------
1. Subhankar Patra.
2. Sujit Das.
3. Jayanta Manna.
4. Avisek Chatterjee.
5. Saroj Kumar Tula.
6. Mousumi Tula(wife of Saroj Tula).
7. Prasenjit Dan.
8. Arkopravo Ghosh.
9. Montu Hait.
10. Anirban Mondal.
11. Arnab Mondal.
12. Pradipto Bagchi.
13. Abhijeet Banerjee.
14. Sudip Pal.

PLEASE NOTE THAT AN APPOXIMATE NUMBER OF A PARTICULAR SPECIES OBSERVED
IS INDICATED IN BRACKETS () BY THE SIDE OF THE NAME OF THE SPECIES.

BIRDS OBSERVED DURING THE TRIP:-
-------------------------------------------------------------
1. Gadwall(105).
2. Gargeny(4).
3. Northern Shoveler(20).
4. Ferroginous Pochard(6).
5. Tufted Duck(8).
6. Rufous Woodpecker(1).
7. Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker(1).
8. Black-rumped Flameback(8).
9. Blue-throated Barbet(4).
10. Coppersmith Barbet(5).
11. Common Kingfisher(10).
12. White-throated Kingfisher(8).
13. Stork-billed Kingfisher(3).
14. Green Bee-eater(8).
15. Common-Hawk Cuckoo(2).
16. Plantive Cuckoo(1).
17. Asian Koel(3).
18. Greater Coucal(4).
19. Rose-ringed Parakeet(10).
20. House Swift(12).
21. Asian Palm Swift(40).
22. Spotted Owlet(2).
23. Rock Pigeon(100).
24. Spotted Dove(40).
25. Eurasian Collared Dove(12).
26. Yellow-footed Green Pigeon(38).
27. White-breasted Waterhen(2).
28. Ruddy-breasted Crake(1).
29. Purple Swamphen(6).
30. Common Moorhen(5)
31. (Unidentified) Snipe(5).
32. Common Sandpiper(1).
33. Bronze-winged Jacana(1).
34. Black Kite(5).
35. Shikra(2).
36. Little Cormorant(400).
37. Indian Cormorant(150).
38. Great Cormorant(50).
39. Little Egret(3).
40. Great Egret(35).
41. Intermediate Egret(25).
42. Cattle Egret(300).
43. Indian Pond Heron(70).
44. Grey Heron(100).
45. Black-crowned Night Heron(2).
46. Yellow Bittern(1).
47. Cinnamon Bittern(1).
48. Asian Openbill(35).
49. Brown Shrike(15).
50. Tricolor Long-tailed Shrike(8).
51. Rufous Treepie(6).
52. House Crow(150).
53. Large-billed Crow(10).
54. Black-hooded Oriole(6).
55. Black Drongo(50).
56. Red-throated Flycatcher(3).
57. Oriental Magpie Robin(6).
58. Common Stonechat(3).
59. Chestnut-tailed Starling(150).
60. Asian Pied Starling(250).
61. Jungle Myna(250).
62. Common Myna(250).
63. Red-whiskered Bulbul(1)
64. Red-vented Bulbul(70).
65. Plain Prinia(15).
66. Yellow-bellied Prinia(3).
67. Blyth's Reed Warbler(20).
68. Clamarous Reed Warbler(30)
69. Common Tailorbird(15).
70. Jungle Babbler(2).
71. Purple Sunbird(1).
72. House Sparrow(25).
73. White Wagtail(30)(leucopsis).
74. Citrine Wagtail(15)(calcarata).
75. Yellow Wagtail(30)(beema).
76. Grey Wagtail(25).
77. Baya Weaver(3).
78. Scaly-breasted Munia(2).

BUTTERFLIES OBSERVED IN THE FIELD TRIP:-
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Common Rose(6).
2. Common Jay(1).
3. Tailed Jay(2).
4. Common Mime(1)(dissimilis 1).
5. Common Mormon(25).
6. Lime(10).
7. Common Wanderer(1).
8. Common Jezebel(20).
9. Psyche(10).
10. Stripped Albatross(25).
11. Common Emigrant(35).
12. Mottled Emigrant(15).
13. Common Grass Yellow(25).
14. Three-spot Grass Yellow(7).
15. Tawny Coster(2).
16. Common Castor(250).
17. Danaid Eggfly(2)
18. Common Leopard(5).
19. Commander(3).
20. Grey Pansy(100).
21. Peacock Pansy(15).
22. Lemon Pansy(1).
23. Common Baron(1).
24. Common Bushbrown(2).
25. Common Four Ring(3).
26. Common Evening Brown(20).
27. Plain Tiger(35).
28. Stripped Tiger(15).
29. Common Crow(25).
30. Common Pierrot(2).
31. Rounded Pierrot(20).
32. Quaker(5).
33. Gram Blue(50).
34. Lime Blue(1).
35. Dark Grass Blue(5).
36. Tiny Grass Blue(2).
37. Pale Grass Blue(7).
38. Ciliate Blue(1).
39. Slate Flash(2).
40. Brown Awl(1).
41. Rice Swift(2).
42. Large-branded Swift(15).
43. Small-branded Swift(5).
44. Dark Palm Dart(1).

DRAGONFLIES OBSERVED DURING THE TRIP:-
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Common Clubtail(1).
2. Blue-tailed Green Darner(2).
3. Scarlet Marsh Hawk(1).
4. Rufous-backed Marsh Hawk(2).
5. Little Blue Marsh Hawk(3).
6. Ditch Jewel(75).
7. Ruddy Marsh Skimmer(50).
8. Crocothemis erythrea(15).
9. Ground Skimmer(50).
10. Pied Paddy Skimmer(2).
11. Green Marsh Hawk(40).
12. Wandering Glider(300).
13. Rufous Marsh Glider(1).
14. Common Picture Wing(6).
15. Coral-tailed Cloud Wing(20).
16. Crimson Marsh Glider(15).
17. Long-legged Marsh Glider(10).

DAMSELFLIES OBSERVED DURING THE TRIP:-
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Coromandel Marsh Dart(25).
2. Orange-tailed Marsh Dart(2).
3. Black Marsh Dart(2).
4. Pied Bush Dart(1).
5. Pigmy Dartlet(100).
6. Agriocnemis femina(6).
7. Senegal Golden Dartlet(75).
8. Ishnura forcipata(10).
9. Blue Grass Dartlet – Pseudagrion microcephulum(2).

WE ALSO ENCOUNTERED:-
-------------------------------------------
We casually watched a few other species which we encountered in the
field. Reporting of these species is done to give an idea of the area
which we surveyed and this is not a comprehensive report of mammals,
reptiles, amphibians or insects in that area. Any serious watcher in
these areas must watch much more than what we have encountered.

MAMALS: - 6 SPECIES
------------------------------------
1. Five-stripped Palm Squirrel(2).
2. Marsh Mongoose(3).
3. Sewer Rat(2).
4. House Mouse(1).
5. Tree Rat (Rattus rattus arboreus)(2).
6. (Unidentified) Pipistrelle

AMPHIBIANS: - 2 SPECIES
-----------------------------------------
1. Indian Bull Frog(1).
2. Common Toad(2).

REPTILES: - 5 SPECIES
-------------------------------------
1. Garden Lizard(12).
2. Keeled Grass Skink(2).
3. Checkered Keelback (2).
4. Buff-stripped Keelback(1).
5. Unidentified Gecko(3).

SPIDERS: - 12 SPECIES
--------------------------------------
1. Brown Lynx Spider.
2. Signature Spider.
3. Tent Spider.
4. Stick-mimic Spider.
5. Giant Wood Spider.
6. Ant-mimic Spider.
7. Two-tailed Spider.
8. 2 species of Jumping Spider.
9. Another 3 other species of spider.

ANTS: - 12 SPECIES
--------------------------------
1. Bengali Name: Kalo Sursuri Pipre.
2. Oecophylla smaragdina(Weaver Ant) [Bengali Name: Nalsa Pipre ].
3. Crematogaster sp.
4. Large Tetraponera [Bengali Name: Baro Kath Pipre].
5. Fire Ant [Bengali Name: Baro Lal Pipre].
6. Diacama sp. [Bengali Name: Deo Pipre].
7. Camponotus sericeus(Golden-backed Ant).
8. Camponotus compressus(Black-backed Ant).
9. Another 4 other species of Ants.

OTHER INSECTS:-
----------------------------
1. At least 6 species of Grasshoppers including a locust, painted grasshopper.
2. At least 8 species of Beetles.
3. At least 5 species of Bugs.
4. At least 6 species of Moth.
5. Paper Wasp, unidentified Solitary Wasp, Brown Wasp.
6. At least 5 species of Bee.
7. Many other insects including paper wasp, brown wasp, black bee etc.

Thanks to Subhankar da (Subhankar Patra) for helping me and guiding me
in writing this report. His encouragement is helping us to produce
this weekly report on our field trips. Also thanks to all team members
for their contribution in bringing out this report. Thanks to Sujit da
(Sujit Das) for formatting the report in such a good way.

Cheers,
Avisek Chatterjee on behalf of the team members.

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