Birding near Cochin airport

In morning I asked tuk-tuk driver to bring me to ponds near airport. He did it but not to the spot I saw yesterday. I didn't mind because new spot is pleasure to me. There are paddy fields bordered with coconut and banana plantations. I started from the plantations looked like forest for me. Firstly I recorded small group of Jungle Babblers and two Larger Racket-ailed Drongo, then two Greater Coucal perched in banana tree. I later heard sounds and moved to another part of grove where I found crying Shikra and Black-hooded Oriole. First one is common bird of my country, but the second one is lifer for me. So day is good! Then I noticed couple of Common Mynas, birds look same to our Mynas but with some more yellow around the eyes, in my opinion. The large raptor was visible between tree branches, I tried to take photo of them. It was Oriental Crested Buzzard well identified by dark eyes and necklace. I later watched it was chased by House Crows. In addition to birds I took photos of butterflies too. It's impossible to be calm when the adult man palm-sized or even large butterfly of really tropical colours are flying above you. Some of this flying flowers were shot by me. And of course they catch much of my time. But it was nice time.

Then I moved to the paddy fields where some dozens of Cattle Egrets and some Indian Pond Herons were feeding. In the company of these commonest to India birds I found one Black-headed Ibis too. It is not hard because it was very close. Also I recorded White-breasted Waterhen, but unfortunately couldn't take photo. Black Drongos were common near cattle, like a models perching in the backs of cows. The weather was cloudy, therefore I couldn't make good photos of flying birds, in which I recorded Bee-eaters and Swallows, and one high soaring Brahminy Kite, one more lifer to me. Totally I was birding during three hours, though I planned only two.

After the noon time the rain started and continued until the night.

1. Greater Coucal (Centropus sinensis)

2. Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis)

3. Jungle Babbler (Turdoides striata)

4. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus paradiseus)

5. Oriental Honey-buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus)

6. Indian Pond-Heron (Ardeola grayii)

7. Black-headed Ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus)

8. Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus)

9. Shikra (Accipiter badius)

10. Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)

11. Black Drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus)

12. House Crows (Corvus splendens) are waiting food

13. Oriolus xanthornus (Linnaeus, 1758)

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15. Junonia atlites

16. Junonia almana

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