Birding with Ram Gopalakrishnan: In search of the Lesser Florican

The incessant cackle of the Large Gray Babblers was punctuated by the shrill call of the Gray Francolin. Like a submarine’s black periscope sticking out of the sea, a black head stuck out above the bajra field. Now and then, the male would jump up into the air and arch itself, this unique mating display impressing not only his female, but drawing oohs and aahs from the gaggle of watching photographers, male and female alike! We waited patiently for the bird to move into the moong cultivation, where the lower level of the crop allowed us to feast our eyes on the distinctive back, bronze and white coloration of a male Lesser Florican in full breeding plumage. All grassland birds are slowly dwindling under the relentless pressure of habitat loss and the specialists to this habitat are taking the expressway to extinction: think such enigmatic species as the Great Indian Bustard, the Bengal Florican and, the deity to whom we had undertaken our pilgrimage today, the Lesser Florican. We were at Shokhaliya, southeast of Ajmer in Rajasthan in the month of August just after the monsoons. Here the fields of bajra, alternating with moong, gave this shy, critically endangered bird the ideal habitat and cover relatively free of pesticides, grazing herbivores and dogs to breed and take the risk of being spotted by humans and predators during its spectacular courtship display. Shokhaliya's grasslands are certainly not a one trick pony. The Singing Bushlark, difficult to spot elsewhere is easily seen here, its higher and prolonged fluttering courtship display easily distinguishable from the lower and rapidly descending parachute type display of the Indian Bushlark. Indian Coursers showed off their tan brown coloration as they elegantly strutted on the flat areas. A covey of Rock Bush Quails scuttled by the roadside. Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters rested here at this time of the year during their migration between Africa and Asia. An Indian Roller tolerated the lighter colored and slimmer European Roller, a passage migrant, across the road but chased it away (to Africa?) when it approached closely. A Painted Francolin's harsh croaking call resonated over a vast area, punctuated by the two toned whistle of the Rain Quail. A rocky outcrop with a pool in between provided ideal habitat for a pair of Rock Eagle-owls and a Savannah Nightjar. Back to the floricans: a frenziedly repeated series of jumps by two males was explained by a female flying past them. Wouldn’t you jump for joy and make your best effort to get noticed if a pretty girl sashays past you? The magic of seeing a critically endangered grassland bird welcoming the monsoon with a courtship display beckons.