Return to Killa Gaothan (July 2008)

Kalpana gave Rajashree and me the opportunity for a wonderful, wonderful half day of birdwatching. Thanks, K, it was one of the best times I've had.

First we went to Killa Gaothan where we had been with Rajesh and Ramesh last sunday. It began to drizzle as we got out of the car, but soon the rain stopped and we had absolutely fantastic weather thereafter. We stood at the entrance to the CIDCO guesthouse road and waited. Kalpana has always said that we should stick to one place for a while, instead of running about anxiously looking for birds! She was right.

As we lingered there, we first saw the red munias or avadavats, and prinias - both ashy and plain - feeding in the grass. Then a lifer for R! The crimson sunbird came out and sat on the self same branch it had on the previous Sunday! It was there for quite a while enabling us to get a good look at it. R was over the moon. A wonderful bronze winged, ruby-eyed coucal flew into a bush nearby and feasted on caterpillars for about 15 minutes. The bush literally shook with its activity.

Then we saw a laughing dove sitting on the fence. 4-5 purple herons performed a flypast, which was quite a rare thing. There were cormorants everywhere too, and R commented that they were becoming as ubiquitous as crows!

As we walked ahead, we saw Indian robins and a tailorbird. We tried hard to spot the sunbird nest and the tailorbird nest but no luck! We need Adesh's eyes for that I think! Halfway down the road, we spotted some yellow-brown male weaver birds and scaly breasted munias! Wow, what a sight! The weavers were busy eating some seeds in a flock of some 5-6 birds and so were the munias. We spotted some bulbuls too, the red vented and red whiskered. We watched these birds for quite a while. We also spotted the 'did you do it bird' the red wattled lapwing.

Time for breakfast and out came R's egg sandwiches and my aloo poha. A good tuck in later, we were on the road again. We walked right up to the Institute gates, went in and around. I thought that there were some birds in the sea, but they turned out to be some thermocol pieces!!

We enjoyed the cool breeze for a while in the company of some stray dogs, then walked around the building and out again. We again saw the weavers and munias and a magpie robin. As we came out at the entrance, we saw a strange yellow bird! It was a bald myna!! I believe this is an aberrant form - its head was devoid of feathers and completely yellow - it looked a lot like a mini vulture.

Now we drove down to Uran. A white breasted waterhen flew over the car! None of us had ever seen one flying! On the way near the road, were great patches of water. Here we saw a large egret, some little egrets and a pond heron. As also coots with their brilliant white little caps!On the pipe, a wire tailed swallow, pretty close by! A few pheasant tailed jacanas flew restlessly over the water. This was the first time I saw them so close and glimpsed the glowing golden neck feathers! Woweee!!

Saw some grebes, coots as well as purple moorhens near the police station. And the icing on the cake: some weaver birds busy building nests on a tree very close to the road! No cameras with any of us or we'd have had a breathtaking photo op. We wished Rohan had been there to capture the sight with the lens. On the other side, a few black winged stilts and common redshanks. The water was filthy and yet these birds were there...lucky for us, I'd say. There was the loud report of a gun(?) or some explosive going off twice, which quite disturbed the birds and us. Was it someone shooting the birds or was it someone dynamiting the fish?? Someone has to investigate this...hope it's not like the flamingo shooting some time ago.

Another eat break - this time K's theplas with pickle...yummy! Further ahead, we parked the car and walked up the turning, but nothing much to see, except a prinia and a brief glimpse of a white breasted waterhen. A raptor(?) and a gull billed tern (?) in the sky. There was some speculation as to whether it was a black kite or something else. So in all the count was 33 species, K and R! I have actually written this down!! An achievement for me...

Time to return for it was almost 12.30 and our stomachs were growling all over again. At Chembur K treated us to some cold sweet delicious lassi at Vig's.

Back to sooty, noisy Mumbai and the daily grind...but our hearts were still in the tranquil green of the forest with only the chirping of the birds. Sigh...! Yeh dil maange more...and more....:)

Killa Gaothan (July 2008)

Kalpana, Rajesh, Palvi, Ramesh and I joined the walk organised by the Mumbai Bird Club at Killa Gaothan, Belapur, led by our inimitable duo - Adesh Shivkar and Julius Rego.

It was a lovely day - no rain but just cloudy enough for an invigorating breeze. Everywhere one turned, it was an absolutely marvellous lush green. As usual, I for one, was surprised that a place like this existed within the confines of the concrete jungle!

We started at around 7.15 a.m. and right in the beginning we were treated to the sight of a small flock of avadavats or red munias! On the wire overhead were scaly-breasted munias and a red-whiskered bulbul. A white-throated kingfisher posed for the click-happy members of the group on a fence nearby. According to Adesh, it probably had its nest in the vicinity. We could see a huge nest built by asian pied starlings and the birds themselves hovering around. A couple of ashy prinias were jingle-jangling away in the lush grass. A pair of laughing doves alighted on a tree and provided a fantastic view for a long time. A small blue kingfisher and little cormorants winged their way past us as we continued walking up the road towards the CIDCO guest house.

We came upon a 'mava cake mushroom' next! The mushroom looked exactly like a delicious mava cake providing a beautiful photograph but probably not a scrumptious mouthful! The nest of a crimson sunbird hung like a jumble of untidy cobwebs on a tree. In contrast was the neatly stitched home of a tailorbird - two broad leaves joined perfectly with the stuffing barely visible.

A black-capped night heron was preening itself on a tree that was a bit faraway, but it was clearly visible through the binoculars, plume and all. We could see a red-wattled lapwing on the ground and Adesh produced a remarkable imitation of its 'did you do it' call! The fantail flycatcher was whistling its merry 7-note ditty but we couldn't catch sight of it. We could also hear the grey-bellied cuckoo but again could not spot it anywhere.

Further ahead, were a bunch of jungle babblers in noisy conversation. An igloo-shaped pied starling nest high up on a tree and we reached the gates of an institute offering various courses. We wandered inside and spotted a purple-rumped sunbird rootling in some hibiscus flowers and heard the soft cheeping of a flowerpecker. At the back of the building, we got a magnificent view of the sea and the valley below. It was very pleasant there, so much so, that some people wanted to sun themselves and stretch out for a snooze! Stomachs were growling by this time, so the eats came out, sandwiches, biscuits et al. A magnificent brahminy kite hovered above our heads, taking advantage of the wind to soar effortlessly. A white-cheeked bulbul perched on a bush close to the wall. In the distance we could see many cattle egrets near some grazing cows.We could hear the calls of the water hens in a patch of water and reeds far below but no sign of the birds themselves.

The four of us decided to walk back down the road slowly. We were rewarded with the sight of the white-breasted water hen! On the road ahead were a female and male Indian robin. They were there for quite a while, pecking at something on the side of the road, till a biker roared towards them and they took flight in fright! There were many more butterflies than birds and this engrossed the photographers among us, including Rajesh who was trying out his brand-new camera!

At the end of the road, we all lingered, reluctant to leave and were rewarded with the glimpse of a glorious crimson sunbird! It sat on the edge of a branch for quite a while. I spotted a black drongo, too, but that was a lone one. A thick-billed flowerpecker alighted on the wire and the couple of ashy prinias were still sporting in the grass.

We stopped by at Talava on the way back home. Lots of cormorants, egrets in breeding plumage, a caspian tern(!) and gulls. Palvi saw a yellow bittern which didn't deign to make an appearance for the rest of us! Lots of ashy and plain prinias warbling away, red munias, scaly breasted munias and the best of all, black headed munias with gleaming chestnut wings! We walked ahead through some very slushy ground and saw weaverbirds flying about busily. We went right up to the sea, but were stopped by acres of trash which no one wanted to wade through. On our way back, Kalpana sighted a spotbill duck far off near a hut. We saw many terns/gulls flying above including a Caspian tern. Some of the birds, we were unable to identify - whether they were terns or gulls and Kalpana was wondering what they were still doing here! A snake glided past in the water just then.

Back in the car, a further feast of sandwiches awaited us,an appropriate end to a feast of birdwatching! A Sunday morning well-spent, thanks to the MBC.

And that prompts me to ask: when is the next MBC outing? :)

Bandhavgarh (June 2008)

Back from the BNHS Bandhavgarh trip and wishing I were back there already! A big thanks to Issac Kehimkar an dhis team at BNHS...may their tribe increase!

I had wonderful tiger sightings including the very rare glimpse of them  mating!! Also saw more than 50 species of birds, over 70 per cent for the first time..my dreams fulfilled were: paradise flycatcher both in rufous and white, purple sunbird in all its glory and a long observation of how it fed on nectar; vultures – long billed and red headed; crested serpent eagle; greater racket tailed drongo and woodpeckers! Also sighted: tickell's blue flycatcher, black naped monarch and orange headed thrush, nuthatch, yellow wattled lapwing, woolly headed stork. Wooooh! Saw Owls - spotted, brown fish owl. Missed a mottled wood owl and jungle owl - ullu ka pattha that I am :)

Mammals: mongoose, chinkara, wild boar, sambhar, chital, nilgai, jackal, rhesus monkeys and hanuman langurs. Reptiles: forest calote in breeding colours and a marvellous rat snake!

Out of 6 trails, saw tigers in five, which is unarguably a dream trip...Also saw a tigress on elephant back (I was on elephant back you idiots!). Saw two of the biggest males in BG - B2 and Boka...The b'watching is really stupendous. Saw 40 species just near our resort - Tiger Trails. Can you believe it? The trails were mind blowing - acres and acres of open grassland and forests of sal...tearing across the rutted roads in an open jeep, with the breeze whistling through your ears...an experience not to be missed. It was very hot, but not unbearably. The trails were at 4.30 in the morning and evening. It was light by 4 am!?! One day it rained heavily - when we were watching the mating act - and we enjoyed a thorough soaking...

Guys, hop on quickly on BNHS's next trip to BG...it is a life-changing experience!

The Birdwatching Itch Begins! (April 2008)

Two consecutive days of birdwatching...and the yen just grows stronger! I visited the Mahalaxmi racecourse on Saturday morning at around 7, with Kalpana, an absolutely knowledgeable and absolutely sweet birding companion. We crossed the racetrack and walked on towards what is called the 'polo ground' a huge tract with lots of bushes and areas of open land. Kalpana is a regular visitor and soon she was pointing out the birds to me: first an ashy prinia broadcasting its low, sweet chit..chit..chit song from a bush, then a tiny tailorbird and a nonchalant rufousbacked shrike with its kohl-lined eyes...

As we strolled further into the wilderness, we saw barn swallows and swifts zooming just above us. We could see the the pintails of the swallows clearly and the curved silhouettes of the swifts. Now it was becoming warmer and we spotted groups of pariah kites sunning themselves all over the ground. There was a lighter coloured juvenile and it was sitting so low in the grass that it resembled a duck! Bunches of yellow wagtails were gorging on the seeds in the grass and didn't fly away even when we approached quite close.

Then! A bird with an exotic name that one wanted to say over and over again, that simply rolled off the tongue: the zitting cisticola! The little brown-streaked bird flew up and then swooped down into the grass, going 'zit, zit, zit...' Hmmm... A plain prinia was on the hunt close by. We crossed the ground towards the club. Kalpana excitedly gestured towards the far end. Paddy field pipits! And quite a flock...In a fenced garden near the entrance, Indian silverbills - brown, sparrowlike birds, their beaks reflecting lustrous in the light. I had seen six birds I had never set eyes on before (not forgetting the pied starling) - all thanks to a wonderful new friend called Kalpana.

And it was Kalpana again who invited me to join Rajesh and Rajshree, on a trip to the Palm Beach road in Vashi early on Sunday morning. We landed there around 6.45. There were a few waders in the patch of water near the road - little egrets, cormorants, common and little terns,brown headed gulls flying overhead and graceful long-legged stilts. In the bushes was an Indian robin in melodious song, an ashy prinia and a shrike. Red vented bulbuls, red whiskered bulbuls, some white throated kingfishers, small green bee eaters and the black drongo. Further ahead was a bird that Rajshree and Kalpana had seen on their last visit but which was new to Rajesh and me: a flock of ashy crowned sparrow larks! Then Rajesh spotted a Malabar crested lark - wow! Very near the mangroves there was a tree with baya weaver birds (females) sipping nectar or was it pollen, from the red flowers. We heard the sharp cries of the red wattled lapwing. While returning, we were quite besides ourselves with happiness to see a large flock of red munias! These looked like females because the red could only be seen near their tails. I believe the males are scarlet all over and quite wonderful to see.