I have a summer cold as I write this, so I'll just copy and paste the intro from the last one.
For anyone who hasn't seen any of these diaries, these photos are my dad's. I can't take responsibility for them. My dad travels to India quite frequently, and he always makes some time for birding. He sees some incredible birds there.
I'll try to provide so e information on each bird.
The Asian Openbilled Stork (Anastomus oscitans) its beak halves only meet at the tip. They use the beak to eat snails and mussels. The upper bill holds the shellfish in place, while the lower bill snips the good bits out, leaving the shell intact. (thanks to scrubjay for that info)
More below the fold :: ::
The Imperial Green Pigeon (Ducula aenea) is a large pigeon about 45cm in length.
The Tawny-Bellied Babbler (Dumetia hyperythra). There are 4 regional variants, 3 of which have white throats. This little fellow is one of the three. The fourth has a tawny throat.
The Oriental Magpie Robin, once considered a thrush, is now classified as an Old World flycatcher.
The Pied Kingfisher(Ceryle rudis) is likely the ancestor of the American Green Kingfisher.
The Indian Pond Heron. They can be rather tame, and are common around rubbish heaps where they forage for leftovers.
For more birding fix, look for Dawn Chorus on Saturday mornings, hosted by lineatus. Also look for "Photo Breaks" from juliewolf throughout the week.
Also, plf515 has a meta series called Daily Kos University, where he (/she?) links to all the "teaching" diaries from the week. Check it out!
As usual, The Left Wing is sort of an avian open thread. Feel free to share any bird (or any critter) pictures/stories, whether they're from the other side of the world, or from your own backyard.