Last week, as I was returning from a stroll on the hills, my attention was drawn to this bird, as it moved amongst the dense foliage of this tree, covered by creepers. Focusing my binoculars, I immediately recognised it as an old friend - the Streak-throated Woodpecker.
This was one of the eight woodpeckers I had researched on, three decades ago! Here in Rishi Valley, it is an occasional visitor, having seen it two or three times for a stretch of a few days at a time, years ago.
It appears to be present in more wooded habitats and I have seen it in Mamandur near Tirupati. It is more often seen foraging on the ground in the forest edges. My good friend Suresh Jones has seen it in a Reserve Forest, near Arogyavaram.
After I managed to shoot just this one photograph, the woodpecker disappeared from sight. Later as I was descending the hill, I heard its loud single-noted "kik" calls repeated in quick succession for a couple of minutes. I hoping to renew my contact with it during the next few days before it moves away from our campus.
- Santharam, 30th December 2021