I found this small bird quite unexpectedly, when it suddenly landed on this mango tree. It was smaller than almost any leaf found in my back yard. I realised I have never seen this bird before. Its greenish brown upper part, small size and the pattern on wings and chest enabled it to merge with the background. I agree its not a good picture, but it helped me to identify this bird as a Forest Wagtail when I posted it on a flickr bird group.
Unlike other Wagtail species, a Forest wagtail sways its tail from side to side. This bird also differs in preferring forest clearings and wooded area, just as its name suggests. It was quite unbelievable to know that this small bird was a winter visitor to my garden from central India or even from far north.
A couple of years later I got a chance to spend considerable time in my village. I knew, finding a bird like this in the shadows of a broad-leaved woodland is not easy. But fortunately, like all other Wagtails, it rarely stops wagging its tail. And if I could concentrate more on movement rather than looking for the bird, it would be possible to find this bird foraging among the dry leaves on the floor.
I was fortunate to spot this one well before it spotted me. I lay down and watched closely as it started hunting insects. It swayed its beak quickly to either side of the body, scratching the floor in search of hidden food.
Here, I could see the sand grains flying.
A small insect tried to escape, but this bird's reflex was incomparable.
It seemed very hungry, the swallowing was even quicker.
100-300mm lens at 300mm, f5.6 for 1/200 sec., ISO 800
It moved on looking for another one.
Searching among the fallen dry leaves, it slowly drifted away...
...and dissolved into the dappled shadows.
100-300mm lens at 300mm, f5.6 for 1/320 sec., ISO 1600
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