07/08/2017
The Prince and the Frog
The Frogmouths are a group of nocturnal birds related to theNnightjars. They are found from the Indian Subcontinent across Southeast Asia to Australia.They are named for their large flattened hooked bill and huge frog-like gape, which they use to capture insects. Their flight is weak. They rest horizontally on branches during the day, camouflaged by their cryptic plumage. Up to three white eggs are laid in the fork of a branch, and are incubated by the female at night and the male in the day.Many mistake them to be owls as well in the night. Our bird of interest for the day but is the Ceylon Frogmouth (Batrachostomus moniliger), which is a small frogmouth found in the Western Ghats of south India and Sri Lanka. Related to the nightjars, this bird is nocturnal, found exclusively in forest habitats.
For getting a decent photograph of a Ceylon Frogmouth bird an aspirant needs to wait until daytime for the Sun's blessings. But then he may not be getting the images of a lively bird; instead could possibly manage only pictures of an almost blind bird that was resting after an eventful and adventurous night. This was the reason why we decided to set out a bit before daybreak; so that even though we might fail to get some clear pictures in the absence of light, we could still watch the routines of a totally nocturnal being at its best as it would be its day's fag end. Knowing the best place to get the CFB is Thattekad we had started from our starting place Chengannur as early as 2 am to reach the famous bird sanctuary before daybreak. We also knew that the sanctury gates would be officially opened by 6.30 am, but then there are spots around and outside the Thattekad bird sanctuary where we might find ourselves getting a surprise sight of the elusive bird if our lucky stars permit.
Here, we must admit that we had not been so fortunate to locate a Frogmouth, or to be fair any bird such as a nightjar or an owl expected to pop up at that time of the clock. Still you know better than us that every moment spent in or around the forest is priceless as regards to the spiritual, physical and psychical wellness imparted on the roamer by that bare ambience. The man with the better set of lenses between us Mr Bose Prathap showed not an iota of the early morning drive fatigue as we found ourselves pressing at the gates at the first squeaking sounds of it by 6.30 am in the morning. The officials of the sanctuary were sharply punctual and so were we. As we moved into the massive dark green cavern of nature with our guide Mr Haridas of Thattekad, we had as always great expectations toward achieving our prime target of the day - photographing the CFB.
The CFB is rarely seen during the day except at roost sites or when flushed. But our chances lied in the fact that it regularly used the same roost spot for months.When alarmed at its perch, it slowly moves its head, pointing its bill upward, and it can easily be mistaken for a jagged, broken branch. It relies on this camouflageand is often seen sittting still a long time before making an escape. It may also open its mouth wide in a threat display. Like its congeners, it feeds on insects, catching them in flight or gleaning them from the ground or tree branches. Although the prime heckler of these birds are the elephant troops that hit on them inadvertently in their march, they are sometimes mobbed at their day roost by small songbirds as well.
The CFB is generally vocal at dusk; the call of the female being a loud, screechy "shkeerauuw" which drops in volume and ends is a series of hiccups. Another call is a series of rapid "skwar-skwar-skwar" which is produced by both male and female. But we least expected to track it listening to the calls since it had been well past dawn. But still we had our ears sharpened as regulation for any sort of sound from the forest shrouding us that could open up a thousand different gates of exciting instances for us. Then suddenly the atmosphere was enlivened by a few echoing chirps and short shrieks much resembling the passive calls of a common Rufous Treepie.
Nope! It was definitely not a CFB but an Oriental Dollarbird (Eurystomus orientalis) from the roller family, so named because of the distinctive blue coin-shaped spots on its wings. This bird can grow to a length of up to 30 cm. It is dark brown but this is heavily washed with a bluish-green sheen on the back and wing coverts. Its belly and undertail coverts are light coloured, and it has glossy bright blue colouring on its throat and undertail. Its flight feathers are a darker blue. Its bill is short and wide and in mature animals is coloured orange-red with a black tip. It has very light blue patches on the outer parts of its wings which are highly visible in flight and for which it is named. The females are slightly duller than the males but overall the two are very similar. Immature birds are much duller than the adults and do not have the blue colouring on their throats. They also have brown bills and feet instead of the red of the adults.
What a pleasant sight to behold is the Oriental Dollerbird particularly placing itself on a near dry bark set against the early rays of the Sun! But we had to move ahead, for our prime target still was the CFB. As a start-up ploy we combed the lake side for a roost but in vain. The walk then had started taking its toll as we were fast running out of energy as the Sun's rays had begun gradually picking up their devastating midnoon self. Our eyes had started meeting often with that nescient tint as anyone could go through after a lengthy and seemingly futile stroll of more than four hours in the forest. And mind you, Thattekad is a riverine forest where you seldom have the air conditioning effects you get in the hilly forests of the Ghats.
Then suddenly Haridas' 'rowing' eyes glued on to something glittering amid a motley of dried leaf and lichen patterns. Yes! Those were unmistakably two pairs of white shiny yellow sapphires in a near canopy. Our stars were shining high and bright; what we have so close to us is a CFB couple roosting in felicity after an obviously eventful night. Now that our eyes have had a plentyful it was the turn of our machines. We were armed with a Nikon D500 with a Nikkor AF-S 200-500 lens, a Canon D60, and a couple of bridge cameras. As always they did not fail us once again doing their best even without disturbing the roosting lovebirds who were allowed not even the faintest hint of suspicion that they were being optically and digitally stalked and captured.
The breeding season of the CFB in southern India is January to April, and in Sri Lanka February to March, which says wew have been extremely lucky to have this sighting in the month of July under a constant threat of torrential rains. The nest is a small pad made of moss lined with down and covered on the outside with lichens and bark. The bird incubates a single white egg, covering the nest and holding the tail flush with the tree, taking on the outline of a lichen-covered snag. The male often broods during the day, while both parents share the duty during the night.After the chick fledges, the male destroys the nest. The parents often use the same branch for multiple nestings.The juvenile may stay with the parents for a couple of months, huddling between them at the roost.
