Bhopal is a quaint little city unlike Mumbai which is crowded, polluted and lacks large public spaces. I am told you can reach all parts of Bhopal under half an hour, so nothing is ever that far! Bhopal has a lovely wooded patch called the Shyamla hills which hosts a major educational institute: The Regional Institute of Education (RIE).

A morning walk at RIE campus yields some nice sightings like Purple Sunbirds, Oriental White-eyes, Coppersmith Barbets, spotted doves and laughing doves.

The cackle of a group of Jungle Babblers is hard to miss. They are seen in groups comprising of even 25-30 individuals. The tiny drab coloured birds near the bushes catch your attention: Warblers, Prinias and the likes. When you are distracted, you almost bump into a group of Grey Francolins who need to cross the road and wait for you to pass. High pitched calls of the Rose-ringed Parakeets are heard, as they fly by.

The morning is cold and the chill almost gets to you, but if you break into a run for a few hundred metres, your body manages to withstand the cold. It was quiet except for the occasional honks and horns of the vehicle… but then I hear an unmistakable sound: tap tap tap on the wood. Someone was busy tapping on the bark of a tree. A little scouting in the area of the sound led me to this little fellow busy making its nest. I recommend watching this video with earphones.

Green bee eaters and Red-vented Bulbuls are plenty, and you can hear them at every road bend. A lone Shikra was seen perched on the fencing probably scouting for its prey.

A good morning it was, well spent with our feathered friends.

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