Barred buttonquail
Kamalapur, Hampi, Karnataka
Once again, another beautiful quail. It was incredibly small in size but absolutely stunning in its plumage. I remember when I was in Bengal, I used to search for this bird in the Barshul Damodar riverbed, as it is mostly found there in Bengal, but I never came across it. So, the search always continued. I never thought I would find it during my trip to Hampi, even though the habitat seemed favorable. It was when we were returning from the Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary, and on the way, it crossed in front of our camper. I didn’t see it at first, but our driver did and pointed it out. When I saw it, it was running behind a bush, and I noticed how small it was and how unreal its camouflage was. I knew that this quail responds well to calls, so I started playing the call from my mobile, hoping to see the bird up close. That's when it started moving out of the bush, heading toward our car. We sat still, holding our breath, fearing it would run away again. But because of the call I played, it kept searching for its partner. By the way, this was an adult male that appeared.
Then it kept moving around our car and started responding to the call. I saw it beside our car, fluffing its feathers, roaming, and searching for its partner, thinking she was in trouble. This incident lasted for 2 minutes, and I kept taking pictures while watching the tiny beauty.
At last, we saw the third call was coming from nearby. Then we understood that the female responded to the call and appeared in front of the male. The male realized that the female was safe and that someone else was mimicking their call. So, immediately both of them ran away, feeling reassured that they were safe. Oh boy, it was a great experience to watch them!
Byatarayana Doddi Kere, Karnataka
We all know that the Barred-button quail is very shy when it detects human presence from a distance. However, I noticed that none of the quails are as shy if you stay inside the car. At that time, you can approach them from nearby. At Byatarayana Doddi Kere, I never expected to see this quail, even though the habitat is suitable for them. Due to their size, behavior, or camouflage, we often miss the opportunity to take pictures. That day, it was almost 11 a.m., and we were about to return. All of a sudden, I noticed something moving on the ground in the distance. From its walk, I realized it was a BBQ. I then tried to approach it a little closer, hoping to take at least one photo. You wouldn't believe how hard it was to spot it as I moved closer. Due to its size and camouflage, I almost lost hope of getting a shot with my point-and-shoot camera. The closer I got, the more it disappeared, and I started to lose faith. Later, I realized that it was watching me openly and hadn't moved at all. But I couldn't see it. Once I shifted my position a bit, it must have thought it was its chance to run away, and it started to do so. Luckily, I managed to capture two record shots and felt a bit happy when I saw them on my laptop after returning home. Can you imagine how difficult it was to spot it in the pictures?
Bannerghatta Hilltop, Karnataka
