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| Hypocolius - male |
The Hypocoloius (or Grey Hypocolius) was one of just two bird families in the world that I had not seen, so off it was to the north-west Indian state of Gujarat with Tony Palliser and Bill Watson in search of the Holy Grail.
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| Jugal, Tony, Bill |
After hooking up with Jugal Tiwari of the Centre for the Desert and Ocean, we found ourselves at sunrise on a crisp morning last week waiting in anticipation for the birds to appear near the village of Fulay in an area of arid scrubland.
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| Hypocolius female |
After searching for about 40 minutes, a female Hypocolius showed up. A tiny population appears each winter at this site, where the birds feed on the tiny berries of the tree
Salvadoria persica. Numbers have in recent years been in decline.
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| Hypocolius female |
We eventually found a minimum of six birds, with both sexes showing well. They would flit about the tree-tops in search of berries but would frequently be out of sight.
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| Hypocolius male |
Mission accomplished, and a fine bird it is. Which means that of the 240-odd bird families in the world, I have just one left to see.
