I always wanted a clean shot of this tiny bird which is no bigger than a newborn's palm. They are quite agile birds always looking for food - insects, spiders and other small invertebrates mostly. The area we visited had them in 100's everywhere, but they have a habit of sitting inside the roadside bushes or on high overhead wires. This is the breeding time and hence they were very active. This country road had some of the overhead wires at eye level which made this shot possible.

Just attended an online "Ear Birding course" and I had one question for long that was answered. Why are birds so vocal in the mornings? The expert - from Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) - had this to say. "In the mornings, calls propagate 20 times more distance than during the day. Further, as few insects are active most birds are near their base / roosting locations and hence any mating or territorial calls can be heard by birds in the area. This could improve their success chances at finding their partners as well while sending the message about territory. Moreover, smaller birds practice singing as well before they start searching for food."

I could correlate this answer to the calls we heard in the field. While a good number of these Grey Breasted Prinias could be seen throughout the day, the number of calls were significantly lesser as the day progressed.

Thanks in advance for your views and feedback. Much appreciated.