Saswad (December 2021) - The many moods of a Pallid Harrier

It was the second weekend of a pleasant December, normally a birding trip nearby would happen without a second thought. But this time it was fraught with doubt - should we risk it? After all Covid was still around (this was before the third wave) And then we decided to just do it, and so, early one Saturday morning, Sriram and I set off to the welcoming scrublands of Saswad near Pune. Joining us was the ever-enthusiastic Vishal Mane, good friend and resident expert of the area.

We picked up Vishal from his Pune home and crossed over the Dive Ghat into Saswad. And as we hit the open scrub, Vishal expertly led us through some of his favourite paths. We were just happy to be there, any birds would be a real bonus. But it was to be a bonus day... sitting at the edge of a slope, staring into the valley beneath was a beautiful male Pallid Harrier. A stunning bird if ever there was one and I was keen to get a good photo, having had only average long-distance frames of this bird. So we stayed far away and let him get on with his morning reflection. And slowly got the vehicle close enough to get a decent photo, still at a respectful distance.

If we'd worried about him flying off, we were well off the mark. For our friend chose that morning to display the full gamut of Pallid Harrier emotions over the next 20 minutes or so. He went from meditative to poser, from hunt mode to navel gazing... all figurative of course. 

So what follows is a little compilation of the many moods of a Pallid Harrier.

Should I go for my morning walk?

Naah... I think I'll just pose for you

Still in alert mode, mind you!

Look at my duck impersonation!

Need to do some introspection, find who I really am

How do you like my angelic face?

OK, hold on, don't publish the last one.
I have a reputation to protect.

Go away! I can't believe I was suckered into this photoshoot

And by the way we also saw a beautiful Chinkara and a stunning Long-billed pipit to make it a very fine day indeed. Shows that while birds are always welcome, just being in the open is often enough to refresh the soul. Here's to many more such trips.