Bird watching session to be held on 11th December 2016

See the birds at Puttenahalli Lake

To spot birds at the lake now's the season 

Residents ho ya migratory, there's no division.

Let Madhurima show you the feathered ones

Flying, feeding and having their own fun. 

Bird watching on Dec 11th (Sunday) from 7:30 AM to 8:30 AM
Led by Madhurima Das at our own Puttenahalli Lake.
This is a free event for adults BUT seats limited to 15 only. 

Please register with Sapana <sapana_rawat@yahoo.com> asap to avoid disappointment. 

We'll organize one exclusively for children very soon! So ... Chin up, Kids!! 

About Madhurima

A birder for the last four years, her training began when she was in Michigan, USA. She has been tracking the birds at the Puttenahalli Lake from September 2014.

Tracking bird species at the lake with eBird

For the last few years birdwatchers and PNLIT Shutterbugs have been sharing their observations and pictures with us. Some have been uploading their sightings to the eBird website http://ebird.org/content/ebird/.

Some of the early pictures we have...

A lone Cormorant, Jul 2010

A pair of Coots, Nov 2010  

Some time ago, Abhijit, who lives near the lake made the lake a "Birding Hotspot" on eBird. All birders can enter data of the birds they've spotted at the lake using this hotspot. While birdwatching, do keep a notebook and record the following, to the extent possible (this is what you can enter on eBird) - the time, bird species, and each species - gender, age (adult, juvenile, etc.), any other observations.  

The method of recording on eBird is simple, and once you get a feel of the website, you will not have to spend more than a few minutes each time. Submissions can be made for even one bird.

1. This link below will directly take you to the hotspot "Puttenhalli Lake (Puttakere)"
Please note that there is a small spelling error, which we have been unable to rectify. So let us use it as is. There are already many listings linked to this hotspot which we do not want to lose track of.
http://ebird.org/ebird/hotspot/L2583597 - Please save this in your bookmarks for easy access.

2. You can view the link above without an eBird account. To submit your sightings you will need to login (or create a login if you are new to eBird).

3. Once you are logged in, fill in the details. Over time, this will be a great repository of data, that can be used in several ways, as mentioned on this link http://ebird.org/ebird/eBirdReports?cmd=Start. eBird itself is created by © Audubon and Cornell Lab of Ornithology, so it is hoped that all this data won't disappear overnight.    

If you haven't the time to access eBird, we will be happy to receive your observations at Puttenahalli Lake in the format as below. Currently we have Madhurima Das doing this on a regular basis.

1. Date and Time of visit
2. Team size (no. of people watching) and other info about the birdwatchers
3. In columns - Bird species, No. seen, Any other info    
e.g. Pied Bushchat, 2 (1male,1female), Female sat on a tree stump for several minutes before flying into the bush, Male made a brief appearance and sat on a wire.  
e.g. Common Myna/Jungle Myna, several (maybe more than 30), Flying all over the place
Mail to pnlitonline@gmail.com. PNLIT will upload such observations received.

Any questions? Please mail.  Happy birding and birdwatch logging!

Birds captured after the rains

Thanks to the rain and the treated water, the level has gone up at the lake. Unfortunately though, the notoriously difficult to control alligator weed is also growing lushly. We hope when the level increases even more, the weeds will be submerged and rot. Well, we may be unhappy about the weed spreading but the birds are very happy about it. The number of birds frequently the lake has increased. 

For the past few months, Madhurima Das, a "resident birder" from the neighbourhood has been regularly doing a weekend census of the birds at the lake, and taking pictures as well. Today she was happy to have captured a few candid moments. Pictures below.

Pheasant-tailed Jacana in breeding plumage

Little Cormorant 

Great Cormorants that flew past for a recce perhaps!

White-throated Kingfisher with catch

Spot the two Purple Herons? 

Pheasant-tailed Jacanas in a mating dance perhaps .... 

Little Grebes - they had laid three eggs but lost two to predators. Way of the wild!

A first time visitor to our lake - Jacobin Cuckoo, considered to be a harbinger of the monsoon!  

Pics: Madhurima Das
Captions: Usha Rajagopalan

Bird Watch at the Lake - Spotted Dove

So far  we'd only seen Rock Pigeons at our lake but yesterday, at about 5.15 p.m., we saw a Spotted Dove! It was sitting on the dead tree our volunteers had planted in the lake bed. 

Though a common bird, we were seeing it for the first time and were quite excited about its presence. Its soft cooing was what attracted our attention to the bird. Delightful!

The dead tree is such a favourite with birds that we have planted a few more at various points in the lake bed. It is great to see different kinds of birds sitting on some branch or the other!

Usha

Spotted Dove

Myna and Little Cormorant 

Pics: Usha Rajagopalan

PNLIT Calendar 2014

PNLIT is delighted to inform you that the PNLIT Calendar for 2014 is ready for printing. A sample page and snapshot of the 12 months are given below.

As you can see, each of these birds is a beauty, shot in high resolution by PNLIT Shutterbugs making the calendar itself a collector's delight not just for the new year but for all time to come. What makes the PNLIT calendar even more special is that these birds are seen in our own little neighbourhood lake, the result of PNLIT's effort to make Puttenahalli Lake an avian paradise!

The desk top calendar will be printed on A5 size quality art paper, 8 sheets, back to back, with durable wiro binding. The cost per piece is only Rs. 200. Postage extra. Sale proceeds will be used for the upkeep of the lake.

Buy a PNLIT Calendar for yourself! Gift it to your near and dear!
To book your copies in advance email <puttenahalli.lake@gmail.com>. Corporate enquiries for bulk orders welcome. Please share this information with your contacts.

Nupur