It was a damp, gloomy and quiet Sunday. I had rained a lot of previous night. Whenever I am not sure I am going to do on a Sunday morning, I pick up my gear (Canon 70D and Sigma C 150-600mm) and head towards ARAI Hill or Vetal Tekdi near Pune for Bird Photography. It has a perfect blend of virgin woods and a variety of birds and animals. The only thing I was worried about was the rain. It is a bad idea to take your camera gear into rain (just a tip for newbies).

The ground was wet and somewhat sticky. It was going to be difficult to walk on the muddy paths in the woods. So, I went straight towards the gate near the ARAI facility. I headed straight towards the quarry, my favorite birding spot! It was getting ready to get filled with rainwater. I immediately spotted Indian Spot-Billed Ducks and Red Wattled Lapwing

Indian Spot-Billed Ducks at ARAI Hill

Indian Spot-Billed Ducks at ARAI Hill

Red Wattled Lapwing at ARAI Hill

Red Wattled Lapwing at ARAI Hill

Although it was not a thrilling sighting, it was still beautiful. The ground was green and there were droplets on the grass leaves. To be honest it reminded me of a favorite Marathi poem…

हिरवे हिरवे गार गालिचे … (O’ the lush green grass)

It was beautiful. I started to take a walk around the quarry. The air was clear and there was a very faint smell of moist soil. I was enjoying the weather, the scenery more than the birds around me. Still, I couldn’t help myself clicking at some beautiful birds around me. They were not rare kinds but, they looked cleaner and sharper for some reason. It was a Green Bee-Eater then a Laughing Dove and then an Indian Robin (Female)

Green Bee-Eater at ARAI Hill

Indian Robin (Female) at ARAI Hill

Interestingly there were very few people who came to ARAI Hill that day. Only the ones who came for the daily workout. Technically I was the only person looking out at the scenery and the birds that day on the hill.

Laughing Dove at ARAI Hill

A lot of people go out for birding in winters but, I think every season has something to offer. Every season comes with its own setup, scenery, and colors. People who do bird photography regularly would know that in such setups even the most ordinary bird’s photograph can turn out to be astounding.

Ashy Prinia at ARAI Hill

Ashy Prinia (Zoomed in) at ARAI Hill

Since quarry was filled with water I decided to just walk around the quarry. I took a photo of an Ashy Prinia on the way. I also spotted a beautiful Lesser Minivet. When I took a look at the photos, they all looked like I have turned up the contrast colors on them 🙂 Thanks to the monsoon!

Lesser Minivet at ARAI Hill

Lesser Minivets are easier to spot due to very contrasting and bright colors. It looks beautiful. This is the biggest benefit of bird photography or birding at ARAI Hill or Vetal Tekdi that, you will always find these birds there. This minivet was daring. It didn’t fly away immediately which gave me some time to take more snaps at it.

Lesser Minivet at ARAI Hill

Lesser Minivet at ARAI Hill

I could have taken a lot of photos of this tiny beautiful bird. It was very comfortable to be photographed. But, I had to go back home at the time so I moved ahead to check what’s in it for me waiting. After a few steps, I spotted a usual bird in a seasonal outfit the Non-Breeding Plumage! Yes, because if you take a look at the photo of a Purple Sunbird below you will immediately ask “But where is the Purple?” … Well, the Purple Sunbird sheds off its purple feathers during the non-breeding season. Hence, all you can see is a purple streak near the throat and very few feathers near the shoulder of some purple shade. Nature has its own way of beautification in each season!

Purple Sunbird (Non-Breeding Plumage) at ARAI Hill

I went to the western side of the quarry. There was not much moving around. I was mindful of mosquitoes (I hate those since I suffered through dengue) Fortunately I had my boots on because walking in the wet grass can make your trousers or jeans really wet and muddy. After 10-15 minutes or so I spotted some bird in the grass. It was a grey bird with red’ish eyes. It was a Yellow-Eyed Babbler

Yellow-Eyed Babbler at ARAI Hill

It was around 9:30 AM but, there was no way to tell it looking at the scene around. It was equally gloomy and cloudy as it was when I left my house! It felt as if the time just stopped. It was silent and almost felt like someone paused the place! A sort of nothingness…

I sat on a rock for some time looking towards the west side of the hill. The city looked calm, silent and grey’ ish as well. For a moment a funny thought crossed my mind that ‘What if I am the only one awake in the world?’

After a while, something blue flew right past in front of me from left to right and settled in one of the trees full of green leaves. There are not many blue colored birds in this area so I was wondering if it was one of the known species. For a moment I thought about Black Naped Monarch but, it migrates in winters only.

I stood up slowly and walked towards the tree around 15 ft from where I was sitting. I was looking through the leaves if I can spot the bird. Finally, after some minutes of search, I caught a glimpse of the bird and immediately took a photo. I hurriedly zoomed-in into my camera to identify the bird. It was Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher! This bird has strikingly blue colored feathers and a contrasting off-white or faint brown belly. The beak is sturdy and eyes round. Flycatchers somehow always look different! I like them.

Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher at ARAI Hill

Like I mentioned before not special but beautiful. Tickell’s blue is also a common bird at ARAI Hill or Vetal Tekdi. But, it does not in any way means that it is less beautiful. Sometimes, people are in search of special totally forgetting that the commonplace things can also be as special. I took this opportunity and took some good photographs of Tickell’s (this is the way I call it .. just Tickell’s!)

Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher at ARAI Hill

Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher at ARAI Hill

After some time, I walked away from it leaving it behind. I started walking towards the Southern part of the quarry. This is an interesting place for birding because on the left side there is a wetland of quarry and on the right side, there is the forest and grass. I was keeping an eye on both sides to make sure I am not missing anything. At the edge of the quarry, a bird which initially looked like a wet sparrow caught my eye. I went ahead and zoomed in on it. The bird had its back towards me. It was hazy and the bird was far away. But, looking at the photo I am convinced that it was Juvenile Pied Bushchat.

Juvenile Pied Bush Chat

The sun peeked through the thick clouds just I was about to move. It started looking even more beautiful around. The sun rays were falling on the green grass and the leaves. It felt as if someone just took the lid off a pressure vessel. Suddenly, there was much more movement than some time ago. I started moving back towards the east side of the quarry.

I could see a Drongo (easily identifiable due to forked tail) on the fence.

Drongo at ARAI Hill

Then another Green Bee-Eater and a Yellow-Eyed Babbler

Green Bee-Eater at ARAI Hill

Yellow-Eyed Babbler at ARAI Hill

Just when I thought it was time to go back home ARAI Hill started opening its treasure to me. Once again I was caught in the dilemma of whether to leave the place on time or hang around a bit to see if I can get lucky? On the one hand, if I go home I will have breakfast on time and probably a nap. But, I chose to stay at ARAI Hill even though it was going to cost me some scolding at home! … and it paid off. I spent around half an hour taking photographs. The colors were looking even brighter with some sunshine. Take a look at some of the beautiful photos of apparently ordinary birds.

Oh.. I also took a couple of photos of a lizard as well!

Ashy Prinia at ARAI Hill Ashy Prinia at ARAI Hill Sunbird at ARAI Hill Rufous Treepie at ARAI Hill Red Wattled Lapwing at ARAI Hill Plain Prinia at ARAI Hill Oriental White Eye at ARAI Hill Lizard at ARAI Hill Lizard at ARAI Hill Laughing Dove at ARAI Hill Indian Spot Billed Ducks at ARAI Hill Indian Robin (Male) at ARAI Hill Indian Robin (Male) at ARAI Hill Grey Tit at ARAI Hill Ashy Prinia at ARAI Hill Ashy Prinia at ARAI Hill Ashy Prinia at ARAI Hill

All I can say about that day is that the Birds I saw were not special but were certainly beautiful!

I hope you enjoyed reading this blog. Please check out my other blogs on ARAI Hill Bird Photography at http://www.robasworld.com/category/photography/bird-photography/vetal-hill/

I would love to hear your suggestions and responses 🙂 Cheers!