Indian Birds Vol. 1 No. 1 (January-February 2005) 13

Sighting of Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis at Gangapur Dam, Nashik District, Maharashtra, India. B. Raha1, N. Bhure, R. Sarda & I. Bob 113 Hemant Vihar, Vir Savarkar Nagar, Off Gangapur Road, Nashik, Maharashtra 422005, India.

he Black-necked Grebe Podiceps Prasad (2004) states that Black-necked KAZMIERCZAK, Krys. 2000. A field guide to T nigricollis is a rare winter visitor to Grebes are rare winter visitors to western the birds of India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, western Maharashtra (Prasad 2004). Maharashtra and very few sightings have Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and the Kazmierczak (2000) maps its distribution been recorded from this region, the last one Maldives. 1st ed. New Delhi: Om Book mainly from western India (Maharashtra, being at Mulshi, Pune district on 14.xi.1972 Service. Hbk. [14.7 x 20.9cm (illus., Gujarat, Rajasthan), Pakistan, the lower (Mahabal & Lamba 1987). covers by; John Cox)], pp. 1-352, pll. 1- Himalaya ranges, Nepal, and the north- Again on 8.i.2005 along with Mr Bob 96 (col. by; Ber van Perlo), pll. 1-96 (300+ eastern regions of India. Roberts (UK), we quickly identified 12 Black- maps), 3 pll. line drawings, 1 map (line Gangapur Dam (Nashik district, necked Grebes. The birds were near the drawing), endpapers (illus.). (ISBN 81- Maharashtra) is designated an Important mainland. We even managed to get pictures. 87107-04-9.) Bird Area (Islam & Rahmani 2004) as it This shows that these birds might winter MAHABAL, Anil, and B. S. Lamba. 1987. On attracts a large number of migratory birds. here more regularly than has been recorded the birds of Poona and vicinity. (Series Some of the important species for up till now. Ed.: DIRECTOR, Zoological Survey of conservation, sighted here, include the India. Records of the Zoological Survey ‘Vulnerable’ Lesser White-fronted Goose References of India. Miscellaneous Publication, Anser erythropus, Lesser Kestrel Falco ISLAM, Zafar-ul, and Asad R. Rahmani. (Eds.) Occasional Paper, 94.) Calcutta: naumanni and Imperial Eagle Aquila 2004. Important Bird Areas in India. Zoological Survey of India. Pbk. (16 x heliaca. Priority sites for conservation. 1st ed. 24.1cm), 3 pr. ll., pp. 1-115+3, 1 map. On 5.iii.2004 we saw four Black-necked Mumbai: Indian Bird Conservation PRASAD, Anand. 2004. Annotated checklist Grebe at Gangapur Dam. They were gently Network: Bombay Natural History of the birds of Western Maharashtra. bobbing up and down in the deep water. Society and BirdLife International (UK). Buceros 8 (2&3): i-ii, 1-174 (2003). Identification was easy as Mr Claudio, our Hbk. (20.5 x 30.0cm with illus. cover), friend from Switzerland, had a spotting- pp. i-xviii, 1-1133, innumerable tables scope. and text-figs. (ISBN 019-567333-6.)

Nidification and site fidelity of the Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax in Chilika Lake, Orissa, India. P. Sathiyaselvam Field Station, Chandraput, P.O. Barkul, District Khurda, Orissa 752030, India. Email: [email protected]

lack-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax breeding pairs recorded in April-May 2003. References Bnycticorax is a common resident bird Ali and Ripley (1983) described the Ali, S. & S. D. Ripley. 1983. Handbook of species in India. It is gregarious, crepuscular breeding season of the species as April-May the birds of India and Pakistan and nocturnal in habits (Ali and Ripley in Kashmir valley; June-July to September together with those of Bangladesh, 1983). This colonial breeding bird was in north India and December to February in Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. Compact nesting in the Kalijai area in Chilika Lake south India. Most large birds and almost all ed. Oxford University Press: New Delhi. (19028’N-19054’N and 85005’E-85038’E), non-passerines raise a single brood per Bunn, D. S., A. B. Warburton & R. D. S. Orissa, in September and October 2002. 195 season, because the incubation period and Wilson. 1982. The Barn Owl. Poyser: nests were recorded in a densely vegetated duration of parental care are generally longer Calton. area dominated by Banyan Ficus in larger birds, leaving them little time, if any, Lack, David. 1968. Ecological adaptations benghalensis, Peepal F. religiosa and Neem for a second brood (Lack 1968). Even for breeding in birds. Methuen: Azhadirachta indica. In the same area they though we have records of Barn Owls London. nested again during April-May 2003. 127 (Bunn, et al 1982), Bronze-winged Jacanas Toothe, E. E. 1903. The nidification of the nests were recorded during this season. (Toothe 1903) and Short-eared Owls Bronze-winged Jacana (Metopidius Fledglings were recorded in most of these (Witherby, et al 1952) rearing two broods, indicus). J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. XIV nests around May. Within a period of six no such information exists for Black- (4): 817-818. months, this colony of Black-crowned crowned Night-Heron. This note records Witherby, H. F., F. C. B. Jourdain & B. W. Night-Herons had successfully produced two successful broods for the species, in Tucker. 1952. The handbook of British two broods in the same heronry. It seems the months of September-October and April- birds. Witherby: London. that the species has a strong site-fidelity in May. spite of slight decrease in the number of