Birds of Galápagos

539. Lava or Galápagos Heron (Butorides sundevalli)

540.  Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

541. Large Ground Finch (Geospiza magnirostris)

542. Galápagos Mockingbird (Mimus parvulus)

543. Galápagos Flycatcher (Myiarchus magnirostris)

544. Smooth-billed Ani (Crotophaga ani)

545. Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)

546. Vegetarian Finch (Platyspiza crassirostris)

547. Lava or Dusky Gull (Leucophaeus fuliginosus)

548. Magnificient Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens)

549. American or Caribbean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber)

550. Blue-footed Booby (Sula nebouxii)

551. Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)

552. Brown Noddy (Anous stolidus) 

Odisha - Feb 2018

On this trip to Odisha we got to visit some under-explored parts of the Chilika lake. While I didn't manage to photograph many, got to view some spectacular flocks of birds.

499. Eurasian Wigeon (Mareca penelope)

We are now just one bird away from the 500!

Mumbai - Feb 2018

Mumbai, for me, continues to be one of the most fascinating birding places in the world. You would think that wildlife watching would be hard in one of the most crowded cities in the world, but the fauna here is just as tenacious as the humans. In every corner of Mumbai you find rich ecosystems that defy all logic. Enormous credit should go to institutions that have made this preservation possible. It's not to say that we can take the bounty for granted. The concrete is creeping up on the mangroves and the forests, the industrial grime is taking over the waters, and polythene bags are squatting on every inch of the land. And yet, birds come in their thousands. Here's the pickings from Airoli creek; all members of the Laridae family, coincidentally.
495. Caspian Gull (Larus cachinnans)

-->496. Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)

497. Little Tern (Sternula albifrons)

498. Slender-billed Gull (Chroicocephalus genei)

Galibore - Jan 2018

494. Puff-throated Babbler (Pellorneum ruficeps)

...and on this trip I finally got to click a high-quality picture of one of my favourite birds

Karnala - Dec 2017

492. Crimson-backed Sunbird (Leptocoma minima)

493. Black-naped Monarch (Hypothymis azurea)

Sikkim - Oct 2017

This was my first trip to Sikkim, and no surprises that I ended up with two dozen lifers.

466. Grey-crested Tit (Lophophanes dichrous)

The Grey-crested Tit was present at all the camps, and didn't seem to mind the presence of humans at all. Wasn't beyond scavenging from the waste we had left behind.

Here's a video of one of them scavenging, shot from my GoPro.

467. Coal Tit (Periparus ater) 

Seemed even more numerous than the Grey-crested Tit. Also, seemed to favour scavenging. 

468. Oriental Turtle Dove (Streptopelia orientalis)

Spotted this one in Yuksom town.

469. White-tailed Nuthatch (Sitta himalayensis) 

470. Red-headed Bullfinch (Pyrrhula erythrocephala) 

471. Black-faced Laughingthrush (Trochalopteron affine) 

472. White-browed Fulvetta (Fulvetta vinipectus) 

473. Blood Pheasant (Ithaginis cruentus) 

Lucky to spot this group of blood pheasants near the Phethang camp. Was really hard to photograph them.

Here's the female of the species

474. Greenish Warbler (Phylloscopus trochiloides) 

I'm never really sure about Warblers. This one, too, needs confirmation from an expert.

475. Olive-backed Pipit (Anthus hodgsoni) 

Paid a brief visit at Dzongri on our morning hike.

476. Snow Pigeon (Columba leuconota) 

We spotted Snow Pigeons at almost every high altitude camp. A flock would land, forage around our tents, and fly off in some neat formations. 

477. Tickell's leaf Warbler (Phylloscopus affinis) 

Once again, I'm a little doubtful about the ID of this warbler.

478. Large-billed Crow (Corvus macrorhynchos macrorhynchos) 

479. Winter Wren (Troglodytes hiemalis) 

Spotted one of these at nearly 5000m. Seemed completely unafraid of human beings.

480. Bar-tailed or Himalayan Treecreeper (Certhia himalayana) 

The tail is not visible in this picture, but I'm reasonably sure about the ID from my notes and other record shots.

481. Yellow-billed blue, or gold-billed Magpie (Urocissa flavirostris) 

This one's the adult.

...and this one's the juvenile (notice the coloration of the bill).

482. Rufous Sibia (Heterophasia capistrata) 

483. Ashy-throated Warbler (Phylloscopus maculipennis) 

484. Yellow-bellied Fantail (Chelidorhynx hypoxantha) 

485. Whistler's Warbler (Seicercus whistleri) 

486. Green-tailed Sunbird (Aethopyga nipalensis) 

The female

487. Snowy-browed Flycatcher (Ficedula hyperythra) 

488. Fire-tailed Myzornis (Myzornis pyrrhoura)

489. Darjeeling Woodpecker (Dendrocopos darjellensis) 

490. Hodgson's Redstart (Phoenicurus hodgsoni)
Doubtful about the ID, but I'm basing this one on having spotted the male in around the same place.

491. Rufous winged Fulvetta (Alcippe castaneceps)

And finally

279. Common Kestrel in flight