There is great excitement among Bangalore birders because several have spotted the Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) soaring over the Hoskote lake. As large as a mid-sized gull, the Caspian Tern is the largest tern in the world. It has a prominent, bright red beak and a grating, harsh call which helps birders recognise it, as it scouts for fish flying above the water. This large tern weighs about 660 grams and measures about 21 inches in length, with an impressive wingspan of 50 inches. Both sexes are similar to look at, with a heavy, grayish-white body, black cap of feathers, shallowly forked tail, and black legs.
“We sighted the Caspian tern while birding at Hoskote lake,” says Bopanna Patada, who is a full-time professional birding guide and runs a website called >BangaloreBirding.com . “One bird was seen flying over the Hoskote lake in the evening, close to the temple on the tank bund. This sighting was a first for me at Hoskote Lake and was very exciting since these birds are rarely seen this far inland. It just goes to show that the Hoskote Lake is emerging as one of the best birding destinations near Bangalore,” he said.
Bopanna also conducts birding trips into the Western Ghats and around Bangalore and also teaches bird photography. The bird’s call is a loud heron like croak and they feed mainly on fish, which they dive for, hovering high over the water and then plunging into the water. The global population is about 50,000 pairs but numbers are declining and are of conservation concern. Breeding is in spring and summer, with one to three pale blue green eggs being laid, with heavy brown spotting. The nest is on the ground among gravel and sand, or sometimes on vegetation and fledging occurs after 35–45 days.
V. Vinodh another avid birder was birding around Hoskote lake with his Nikon D5100 Lens - Nikon 300mm f4 with Nikon 1.4 Teleconverter. “At around 8 a.m. I found a huge white bird, which flew from a tree, close to water and then flew away. It was huge, and I was confused as it looked like a Tern, but really quite huge.”
The lake according to him teems with lots of Coots, Glossy Ibis, Spot billed Ducks, Spot billed Pelicans, Sandpipers, Cormorants and Brahminy kites fishing besides Eurasian Marsh Harriers. Then to his excitement he saw the beautiful Caspian Tern flying over the lake. “I thought it could be a Gull-billed Tern, but the beak was red. Later, after checking the field guides and getting an experts’ confirmation, I could confirm that it was a Caspian Tern. I was so excited and thrilled to see a Caspian Tern in Bangalore. I think this could be the first photo record for a Caspian Tern in Bangalore lakes.”
The Caspian tern is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. So it is a protected species, a point to be noted with those of us lucky enough to see it.
