Bird Nerds

Peregrinator

Experience the wonders of birdwatching in India with the Bird Nerds podcast. Join us as we delve into the fascinating world of birds and share the joys of observing them. Our conversations cover a range of topics, including common and rare bird species, their unique features, sounds, habits, and habitats. Our host Adil, is a seasoned explorer and an avid birdwatcher, who has spotted over 950 bird species in India and was ranked among the top 3 birders in Asia in 2022. His co-host, Mariam, is an amateur birder with a passion for learning about birds. Together, they explore different habitats and fascinating birds sighted in them.

  1. Ep 11. Birds in Hills, Cliffs and Quarries

    08/10/2023

    Ep 11. Birds in Hills, Cliffs and Quarries

    It’s time to test your fitness as this week we will be exploring the bird diversity at hills and cliffs, and quarries. The birds we talk about today have a wide distribution across India, however the flora varies with region, latitude and elevation. We are exploring a habitat of the Deccan Plateau region, where the average elevation of hills is around 600 metres. The terrain is mostly arid, but plantations are common here, pockets of grasslands are rampant in these hills, and occasionally there is dense vegetation to be found. We will come across birds of grasslands, scrublands and forests as well. Join us on our trek uphill as we encounter grey-breasted prinias, little swifts, tawny bellied babblers, Bonelli’s eagle, crested buntings, the burly Rock Eagle-Owl and the swishing and swooshing Shaheen Falcon. We also have some interesting tidbits about the now endangered White-Rumped Vultures.  If you have any questions related to birds or birdwatching, you can reach out to us on our Instagram handles: @peregrinator.in and @mariamspicclicks. Credits: Intro sound citations:  Mike Catsis, XC176709. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/176709. License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0Recording by Adil Hussain AliBird sounds and calls citations: Grey-breasted Prinia - Sandeep Chakraborty, XC778992. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/778992. License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0Crested Bunting - Saswat Mishra, XC672086. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/672086.Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0Little Swift - Tony Archer, XC634767. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/634767. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Bonelli's Eagle- Peter Boesman, XC473307. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/473307.Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0Indian Eagle-Owl - Frank Lambert, XC409708. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/409708. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0Peregrine Falcon - Romuald Mikusek, XC786158. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/786158. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Outro sound citation: Guy Kirwan, XC778587. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/778587. License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0

    34 min
  2. Ep 10. Birds in Well-Wooded Areas

    06/15/2023

    Ep 10. Birds in Well-Wooded Areas

    In our tenth episode we talk you on a walk through a trail surrounded by tall trees, slightly dense undergrowth, spider webs across the path,  butterflies dancing and prancing on the side and the sound of crickets and other insects belting out their best background scores. Birds like flowerpeckers, Yellow Throated Sparrows and Indian Yellow T**s call out from tree tops. We also have encounters with the mimic - the White-bellied Drongo, the foodie- the Rufous Treepie, the drummer - the Yellow-crowned Woodpecker, beautiful flycatchers like the Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher and the heartthrob the Indian Paradise Flycatcher. Our sightings also include the Small Minivet, Common Woodshrike and the Large Cuckooshrike. Today’s episode has some great insights about woodpeckers as well as interesting aspects about behavior and characteristic features of forest birds, which will help you identify them in their natural habitat. If you have any questions related to birds or birdwatching, you can reach out to us on our Instagram handles: @peregrinator.in and @mariamspicclicks. Credits: Intro sound citations:  Mike Catsis, XC176709. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/176709. License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0Recording by Adil Hussain AliBird sounds and calls citations: Pale-billed Flowerpecker - Andrew Spencer, XC547596. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/547596. License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0Indian Yellow Tit - Mandar Bhagat, XC195762. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/195762. License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 White-bellied Drongo - Jelle Scharringa, XC630374. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/630374. License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0Rufous Treepie - Jelle Scharringa, XC627898. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/627898. License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Yellow-crowned Woodpecker - Sreekumar Chirukandoth, XC643723. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/643723. License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0Tickell's Blue Flycatcher - Peter Boesman, XC369137. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/369137. License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0Common Woodshrike - Jelle Scharringa, XC624610. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/624610. License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0Large Cuckooshrike -  Sathyan Meppayur, XC741587. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/741587.  License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0Outro sound citation: Guy Kirwan, XC778587. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/778587. License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0

    30 min
  3. 05/25/2023

    Ep 9. Birds in Villages and Farmlands

    Leaving the city behind, this week we travel to the countryside with farmlands, orchards and surrounding villages. These farmlands are rich not only in food and resources, but also buzzing with bird activity. Farmlands are favorite foraging grounds for granivorous, insectivorous and frugivorous birds. Gregarious munias and avadavats, solitary pipits, melodious larks, chatty babblers, majestic peacocks, skilled hunters like black-winged kites and Indian rollers and the screechy barn owls welcome us in this habitat. Our conversation is peppered with some interesting aspects about their behaviour and characteristic features which will help you identify them in their natural habitat. If you have any questions related to birds or birdwatching, you can reach out to us on our Instagram handles: @peregrinator.in and @mariamspicclicks. Credits: Intro sound citations:  Mike Catsis, XC176709. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/176709. License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0Recording by Adil Hussain AliBird sounds and calls citations: Indian Peafowl - Manoj Karingamadathil, XC677383. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/677383. License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0Paddyfield Pipit - Andrew Spencer, XC547896. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/547896. License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0Rufous-tailed Lark - Recording by Adil Hussain AliJungle Babbler - JISHNU KIZHAKKILLAM, XC796047. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/796047.License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0Yellow-eyed Babbler - Peter Boesman, XC472640. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/472640. License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0Common Babbler - Birdcalls, XC187057. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/187057. License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0Barn Owl - Recording by Adil Hussain AliEurasian Hoopoe - Peter Boesman, XC369603. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/369603. License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0Outro sound citation: Guy Kirwan, XC778587. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/778587. License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0

    29 min

About

Experience the wonders of birdwatching in India with the Bird Nerds podcast. Join us as we delve into the fascinating world of birds and share the joys of observing them. Our conversations cover a range of topics, including common and rare bird species, their unique features, sounds, habits, and habitats. Our host Adil, is a seasoned explorer and an avid birdwatcher, who has spotted over 950 bird species in India and was ranked among the top 3 birders in Asia in 2022. His co-host, Mariam, is an amateur birder with a passion for learning about birds. Together, they explore different habitats and fascinating birds sighted in them.