It can be said with a high level of confidence that we have a new neighbour at Ibaadat!
This beautiful Shikra is being sighted often!
What a blessing!
Wikipedia tells me some interesting facts and lore about the Shikra -
"The shikra was a favourite among falconers in India and Pakistan due to the ease with it could be trained and was frequently used to procure food for the more prized falcons. They were noted for their pluck and ability to take much larger birds including partridges, crows and even young peafowl.
The word shikra or shikara means hunter in the Hindi language (the male was called chipak or chipka based on call).
The word Shikra is borrowed from an Urdu word which is derived from the word shikari meaning hunter. Hunting in Persian and Turkish is referred to as shikar and in Arabic the hunt master in the Mamlook Era was known as Ameer Shikar.
The word Shikari may also be used in English in the sense of "hunter". In "The return of Sherlock Holmes" by Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes says: "I wonder that my very simple stratagem could deceive so old a shikari" (The Penguin complete Sherlock Holmes, 1981, pp. 492, 494).
The word is also used in the French name Le Chicquera which was however given to the red-necked falcon by Levaillant in 1799.
An Indian Navy helicopter base was named INS Shikra in 2009.
The shikra is also the mascot for the 149 Squadron of the Republic of Singapore Air Force, which operates the F5S/T Tiger IIs fighter jets."
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