Table Of ContentMISCELLANEOUSNOTES
References
Ali,S&S.DillonRipley(1980):HandbookoftheBirds Survey of some wetlands in southeast Asia.
ofIndiaandPakistan.Vol.2.Oxford,NewDelhi. J. Bombaynat. Hist. Soc. 87: 354-363.
Perennou, C. (1987): Two important wetlands near Subramanya, S. (1987): Occurrence ofthe Greyheaded
Pondicherry.BlackbuckVol.3(3&4):3-11. Lapwing, Vanellus cinereus Blyth in Bangalore.
Perennou,C&V.Santharam(1990):AnOrnithological J. Bombaynat. Hist. Soc. 84: 205-26.
7. RECENT SIGHTINGS OF VANELLUS GREGARIUS(PALLAS)
AT TALCHHAPARANDREVASA,RAJASTHAN
Themigratorylapwing Vanellusgregarius concealed in the hoofprints ofan unidentified
breeds semi-colonially, chiefly in transition mammal and were reluctant to move out in the
zones between Stipa and Artemisia steppes, in inclement weather.
Russia and Kazakhstan (Collar et al. 1994). It A flock of 11 birds were seen foraging at
winters in Sudan, Eritrea, Israel, Arabian TalChhaparonFebruary 1, 1998.Unfortunately,
Peninsula, Iraq, Pakistan and northwest India. some villagers disturbed the flock and it took
Though it is described as regular and fairly off,utteringaweakcall,besttranscribedasreck-
common in Pakistan andnorthwest India in the reck-reck.
handbook(AliandRipley 1980), Roberts(1991) During these three sightings at Tal
calls it rare in Pakistan. According to del Hoyo Chhapar, the ground was dry and hard with
et al. (1996), it is vulnerable and numbers short grass that was almost dry. Other species
wintering in the Indian subcontinent probably noticed in the area were the short-toed lark
do not exceed 1000. Calandrella cinerea eastern calandra lark
,
The lack of recent authentic sightings Melanocorypha bimaculata, and tawny pipit
indicates that it is rare in Rajasthan. Although Anthus campestris.
it is not recorded in the vertebrate fauna of A juvenile Vanellus gregarius was
Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur (Vijayan et recorded on January 31, 1998 at Revasa, Sikar,
al. 1987), all the recent sightings in Rajasthan Rajasthan. The bird was feeding on an
are fromthePark, Bharatpurwhere itsnumbers undulating grassland in the midst of mustard
vary greatly, even being absent in certain years fields. The ground was sandy and soft, with
(Per Undeland pers. comm.) It seems safe to tracesofsaltatsomeplaces,duetowaterlogging.
assume, therefore, that it visits Bharatpur Normal human activity was noticed in the area,
sporadically. a shepherdess was tending her flock, tractors
Fivebirds were seen foraging on October andjeeps drove down the road passing through
14, 1995 at Tal Chhapar Sanctuary, Churu, the grassland. Unlike the flock seen at Tal
Rajasthan.Thebirdswereexceptionallyobliging Chhapar on February 1, 1998, the bird was not
and allowed us a close approach. wary. Other species noticed in the patch were
ThesecondsightingofVanellusgregarius redwattled lapwing Vanellus indicus, common
atTalChhaparwasonacoldandwindymorning sandgrouse Pterocles exustus, eastern calandra
onJanuary28, 1998.Afterwhatinitiallyseemed lark Melanocorypha bimaculata, crested lark
ahopelesstask, wewereableto discoveraflock Galeridacristata anddesertwheatearOenanthe
of 15 resting birds. All the birds were well deserti.
278 JOURNAL. BOMBAYNATURAL HISTORYSOCIETY. 97(2). AUG. 2000
,
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
Acknowledgements and the unending discussions, this note would
be so muchthepoorer.
Many thanks to Harshvardhan for
travelling with me and photographing the bird, June 25, 1998 HARKIRATSINGHSANGHA
and to Per Undeland who travelled with me to B-27, Gautam Marg,
the remote areas ofSikar and Churn districts in Hanuman Nagar, Jaipur302 021
search of Vanellus gregarius. Without his help Rajasthan, India.
Refer NCES
Ali, S. &S.D. Ripley(1980): Handbookofthe Birdsof Edicions,Barcelona.
India and Pakistan, Vol. 2. 2nd Edn. Oxford Roberts,T.J.(1991):TheBirdsofPakistan,Vol. 1,Oxford
UniversityPress,Delhi. UniversityPress,Karachi.
Collar,N.J., M.J.Crosby&A.J. Stattersfield(1994): Vijayan,V.S.(Ed.)(1987):VertebrateFaunaofKeoladeo
BirdstoWatch,BirdLifeInternational,Cambridge. National Park, Bharatpur. Report of Keoladeo
del Hoyo, J., A. Elliot & J. Sargatal (eds) (1996): National Park Ecology Project, Bombay Natural
HandbookoftheBirdsoftheWorld,Vol.3.Lynx HistorySociety,Bombay.
ADDITIONAL SIGHT RECORDS OF SLENDERBILLED GULL
8.
LARUSGENETFROM GUJARAT
The slenderbilled gull Larusgenei Breme Table1
RECORDSOFSLENDERBILLEDGULLFROM
is considered to be a winter visitor to the west GUJARATCOAST
coast, west to Sindh, Gujarat and Bombay (Ali
and Ripley 1983). Except for one specimen S.No. Site No.ofbirds Date
collected by Dharmakumarsinhji (1955) near
Bhavnagar, the species was not recorded either 1. NarayanSarovar 50 26.ix.1992
2. Jakhau 5000 25.ix.1992
fromKachchh(Palin andLester 1904,Ali 1945) 3. Surajbari 4 4.x.1991
or from mainland Gujarat. However, Mundkur 4. PirotanIsland Afew 8.iii.1980
fKetaracol.hmc(h1s9eh8v8ae)rnadhlaovpleionrceeadptoitrohtnaestdisatirigsohutaincndgoomtfhmetohenGsuwpliefnctioeesrf 6578.... OCPHhoakarrhrbsaaahknalddaeDrSaaBlimtrdPaSnasnctuary 223129 2223088....ixxxviii.iiil.9..19119699999666
visitor there. 9. PorbanderBirdSanctuary 6 31.xii.1996
We too have seen this species at several 10. PorbanderSaltPans 6 27.iv.1997
11. PorbanderSaltPans 36 15.vi.1997
places in fairly good numbers around the Gulf 12. BhavnagarPort 2 31.xii.1995
ofKachchh (Table 1). We have also recorded it
repeatedly from Porbander (east coast of the ground. AtNarayan Sarovar, the birds were
Saurashtra) and Bhavnagar (GulfofKhambat), seen flying above the creek. At Charakla salt
suggestingthatitiscommonontheGujaratcoast pans, they were swimming along with
in general. This supports the views ofMundkur blacknecked grebes Podiceps nigricollis. At
et ah (1988). Porbander, the birds were seen both in the
At Jakhau, the slenderbilled gull along sanctuaryareaandsaltpans.Recordsofthisgull
withthelesserblackbackedgullLarusfuscusand during April andJune atPorbander also support
herring gull Larus argentatus was seen resting theviewofMundkuretal (1988) thatitmaybe
andoccasionally feedingonthe fishes dryingon nesting within our limits, or that the non-
JOURNAL, BOMBAYNATURAL HISTORYSOCIETY, 97(2), AUG. 2000 279
