Saturday, March 17, 2012

Nagla Block


All Pictures Courtesy Saurabh Sawant
In the midst of our burgeoning, cosmopolitan, chameleon like city like lies another city, an island within an island, Sanjay Gandhi National Park is one of a kind national park, unique in the fact that it is surrounded on all sides by an extremely populated city like Mumbai, which threatens any day to break its boundaries and spill over into this one last bastion for the voiceless. 
Today we saw the indifference in the heart of man for this park whose worth is beyond money and beauty beyond words. Saurabh Sawant  and I visited the Nagla Block on 15th, for an early morning trail. Reaching by 8:00 a.m. we began birding in the pale gold of early morning sunshine.  At the very start Nagla is quite dry, teak & dalbergia trees dominate the scene, teak's dry leathery leaves cover the forest floor in a carpet of brown and yellow. As you start walking in the flora changes, green peeks out from amongst the browns and the yellows. Also to add colour to the drab one can see a splattering of red in the form of “Kusum” trees. In their newfound glory these trees are a sight for sore eyes. Their bright red leaves against the blue sky will make any artist run for his money or his brushes.
The trail was alive with bird calls and just upon entering we had wonderful views of Common Iora, Chestnut-shouldered Petronia, Sunbirds etc. A few meters of walking inside we heard the most melodious of calls of a White-rumped Shama. A pair of these beautiful birds regaled us with their nimble flying and their fresh plumage. The male kept showing off his rufescent belly and his snow white rump with just a few downy feathers peeking out from under his tail. A Banded Bay Cuckoo calling from deep within signalled the onset of summer. 

                                Fire along the trail (Pic courtesy Saurabh Sawant)
Having enjoyed the Shama to our hearts content we walked further inside when we heard a snap of dry twigs being burnt on the right side of the trail. We thought it was perhaps a fire line, a controlled fire lit by the forest department to control the spread of a wildfire or forest fire. But there were no forest officials in sight and it dawned on us that this was a forest fire, spreading fast consuming the forest floor. Smoke and ash, the scene was disturbing and we felt utterly helpless with its magnitude. Finally we gathered our wits and first and foremost called up the forest department control room and notified them about the fire. We decided that it was up to us to do something to arrest the spreading fire. Gathering a couple of twigs we started to beat the fire and also removed dried leaves from the fires path so it would have less fuel to burn. Creating a fire line, working our way upwards for more than an hour, we managed to stop the fire from spreading further to the west. At the top of the steep slope we realised that the fire had already spread down the slope on the south side, the smoke billowing upwards showed us the extent of the fire.

We could only watch as the fire kept spreading further down on the south side, showing us that the elements of nature are beyond our control. Perhaps the fire had been raging since the earlier night; around half a kilometre patch of the forest in the east side was completely burnt, the blackened forest floor smoking with hidden embers. Maybe it was a carelessly flicked stub of cigarette or the embers of a bonfire or perhaps just nature’s way of regeneration, we may never know but to watch the fire eat up the forest floor was troubling. The  few people we saw collecting firewood walked by nonchalantly, this being a scene they might see every year and so it makes no impression on them for they know that the forest will regenerate, life goes on. By the time the season changes all traces of today will be washed off and life will endure, as it should. But will we?  

                                View from Vasai bridge (Pic courtesy Saurabh Sawant)
Note: We notified the forest department around 8:30 a.m. about the fire but by 11:30 a.m. when we moved out the park the forest department officials had still not managed to reach the scene. Probably when we left they approached it from the south at the base of the hill. If you ever come across a forest fire or any illegal activity taking place in the park please help the forest department respond on time by calling the Borivali control room on 02228866449



Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Karnala Bird Sanctuary


Mumbai Biodiversity Group had arranged a trail to Karnala on 4th march, a Sunday. The 12 sq. km. Sanctuary just off the Mumbai-Goa Highway is home to 150 resident and 37 migratory birds. Karnala in the rains and in the summer are two different experiences, in rains it is filled with the noise of water, the gurgling of streams, and the footsteps of trekkers, in summer with birdsong and the rustling of leaves. It is famous for the Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher that nests here in monsoon, its nesting sites are now all dried up, the stream beds just a collection of pebbles of all sizes and shapes, smoothed by countless monsoon rains.
 Karnala is still in the grasp of a crisp and cool winter and the early morning air was invigorating. The recent sighting of Ashy Minivet drew birders and photographers from miles around like bees to honey.  We had a glimpse of the Ashy Minivet and much much more.
As we reached by 7:00 a.m., we could take full advantage of the early morning bird activity. The forest in the morning was like a grand old painting painted by one of the old masters but hidden under a layer of dust and as the sun rose higher in the sky, it started adding colour to the drab and the dull. Nothing could hide from its golden rays and every leaf, every bird shone as if freshly painted. The Black- hooded Oriole was the brightest yellow I’ve ever seen, no wonder it’s called as “Haldya” in the local language. The sunbirds true to their name were active as soon as the first rays came up, in pairs they flew around the forest, searching for the flowers of the Red Silk Cotton, Palash and Mango for nectar.
Every bird has put on a new coat of feathers, the better to attract a mate in this mating season. Many of the birds have already set up homes; we saw a Flowerpecker’s beautifully camouflaged purse like nest and also a Common Woodshrike on its cup shaped nest.
An Asian Paradise-flycatcher with his ribbon like tail flew among the branches with acrobatic finesse; he held our attention for a long time as he put on a display fit for Cirque du soleil. The Black-naped Blue Monarch with a little black cap on his head and his azure wings gave us a fantastic sighting, as did a Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, while a pair of Red Spurfowl ran for cover. Along the Mortakka trail we walked in search of more feathered beauties and were rewarded with a lone Pompadour Pigeon, through a Swarowski spotting scope we could see its bright blue eyes, in complete contrast with its yellow green body and maroon wings. Just like our last visit to Tungareshwar, here we could see lots of Ashy Drongos flocking together, in preparation of their journey northward.
Near mid-day the birdsong had not subsided but the sun had made us forget the cool of the morning, we sat and had a delicious breakfast of Pulao, bread-omlette and shira, as Crested Serpent Eagles circled above our head piercing the air with their loud calls. After our very satisfying and much needed break we walked towards the tar road leading out and suddenly saw a small bird fly into the dry grasses near our feet, we searched in vain, as the wily bird kept quiet and before we knew it had flown out a little distance away and into more dry grass. Saurabh, Ameya, Rujuta, Pradnyawant and I led a small search party while Dr. Vaibhav and his friend Mr. Pravin Kawale watched from above. We dug in the grass to flush out the little guy but he was wily, he was stubborn, but we were not willing to give up and continued our efforts. Finally as we were about to give up, he rose out of the grass, sat on a stalk for a split second and then flew off, but not a good enough look for an ID. During the course of this search we came also across a Bltyh’s Reed and a Sulphur-bellied Warbler.
As it continued to get hotter we decided to head out home and near the cages we had a good sighting of the Blue-capped Rock Thrush. And thus we ended the day and headed back to Mumbai having a day well spent.
Note:  As a recent initiative the forest department has started charging Rs. 200 as deposit against every plastic bottle that you carry inside, which you can get back once you exit the sanctuary. They have also put up a board with names of people who have broken park rules and the fines they have incurred, littering can attract a fine of up to Rs. 1200, feeding monkeys has a fine of Rs. 5000 and drinking inside the sanctuary Rs. 1200. I hope that this practice continues strictly, the results of which can be seen in the sanctuary in the form of much cleaner surroundings.  
Here’s a complete list of the birds seen
1)      Cattle Egret
2)      Oriental Honey-buzzard
3)      Shikra
4)      White-eyed Buzzard
5)      Crested Serpent Eagle
6)      Red Spurfowl
7)      Pompadour Green Pigeon
8)      Plum-headed Parakeet
9)      Rose-ringed Parakeet
10)   Jungle Owlet (Heard)
11)   Green Bee-eater
12)   Brown-headed Barbet
13)   Coppersmith Barbet
14)   Rufous Woodpecker
15)   White-naped Woodpecker (Heard)
16)   Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpecker
17)   Common Iora
18)   Golden-fronted Leafbird
19)   Black-naped Oriole
20)   Black-hooded Oriole
21)   Black Drongo
22)   Greater Racket-tailed Drongo
23)   Ashy Drongo
24)   Common Woodshrike
25)   Common Myna
26)   Rufous Treepie
27)   House Crow
28)   Large-billed Crow
29)   Large Cuckooshrike
30)   Small Minivet
31)   Ashy Minivet
32)   Red-vented Bulbul
33)   Red-whiskered Bulbul
34)   Puff-throated Babbler
35)   Yellow-eyed Babbler
36)   Red-throated Flycatcher
37)   Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher
38)   Asian Paradise-flycatcher
39)   Black-naped Blue Monarch
40)   Ashy Prinia
41)   Blyth’s Reed Warbler
42)   Common Tailorbird
43)   Sulphur-bellied Warbler
44)   Greenish Warbler
45)   Green Warbler (P. nitidus)
46)   Magpie Robin
47)   White-rumped  Shama (Heard)
48)   Indian Robin
49)   Blue-capped Rock Thrush
50)   Small Sunbird
51)   Purple Sunbird
52)   Crimson Sunbird
53)   Thick-billed Flowerpecker
54)   Pale-billed Flowerpecker
55)   White-rumped Munia
56)   Chestnut-shouldered Petronia

Friday, March 2, 2012

Tungareshwar WLS

I know I've had a long hiatus, but I am back and how. A lovely early morning trail to Tungareshar WLS in the perfect sort of weather. We started birding around 8:00 a.m., the sun playing peek-a-boo from behind silvery grey clouds and in the early morning it was cool in the shadows. Black hooded oriole greeted us just at the gate of the sanctuary and with many promising bird calls inviting us to explore further we started our day. Black drongos and Racket tailed drongos were the talk of the town, they flit among the tree branches with tails made of black lace while a small Minivet and its mate gave us unstinted views.The forest is  in the midst of this great transformation, the greenery of rainy days is long gone, almost all the trees have as if prepared for the coming season in the way of fashionistas, "Oh green was so last season". Now they have put on reds, browns, orange and yellows, all the warm tones to welcome the coming summer. The Palash was up in flames and not to be outdone was the Indian Coral tree though they both would have to bow to the Kusum, her bright red leaves brightened up the drab landscape in bold splashes of color.
Most of the deciduous trees are now shedding, every old leaf fell to the forest floor with the grace of a bird flying, drawing our attention every single time. The Teak tree leaves are turned to lace and all the forest paths crackled under our feet as we walked. Though the trees were in full bloom and Sunbirds, Flowerpeckers, Ioras, and Leafbirds were seen taking full advantage of the summer bounty, there were no butterflies except for the spot tailed swordtail and a couple of striped tigers. Along a turn we gazed into the tangle of dried branches to see a dove, dark and spotted, with no way of telling for sure whether it was one the spotted or laughing until it flew straight at us and its emerald wings glimmered in the sun.
 The main way leading towards the summit was covered with a layer of fine silky dust that billowed in the wake of motorbikes and noisy rickshaws that broke the silence and like a patron at an opera I would have liked to shush them. Though it does seem as if the birds have accepted this intrusion with disdain, they flew they sang along the paths with abandon, or is it because it is the season of love? Magpie Robins were singing their hearts out and the sunbirds flew everywhere in pairs like newlyweds showing off their love. Greenish warblers are still calling but soon their song will fade as they prepare for their journey northward. A Sulphur bellied warbler vanished in the undergrowth while ahead a tickells blue flycatcher and a black naped monarch paired up probably to catch flies. Speaking of flies today a lot of tiny houseflies troubled us all day long, their twitchy movements and buzzing continued all the way, perhaps attracted to the leftover food and garbage strewn from the recent Mahashivratri.
The larger raptors were absent, but a Shikra and a sighting of a juvenile Shikra both of which gave us long views on the way up more than made up for their absence. Thus we ended the day on a high note and returned with birdsong in our hearts and eyes full of the colours of summer.
Note 1: This is probably one of the best times to visit Tungareshwar, the summer is yet to come to full force, the weather is cloudy and the mornings are still a bit cool. The trees have shed leaves and the landscape is more open, you can sight birds easily and the winter migrants are yet to leave. Below is a complete list of birds sighted today
Note 2: Also seen were flocks of Ashy drongo in huge numbers. Perhaps theyy are preparing to migrate, i did not find any reference on the net reagrding this behaviour, except for a small note on this site http://vietnambirdnews.blogspot.in/2011_02_01_archive.html, does anyone have references for same?


1)      Cattle egret
2)      Black Kite
3)      Oriental honey buzzard
4)      Shikra
5)      Crested serpent eagle (call)
6)      Emerald dove
7)      Rose ringed parakeet
8)      Plum headed parakeet
9)      Greater coucal
10)   Jungle owlet
11)   Asian palm swift
12)   White throated kingfisher
13)   Brown headed barbet
14)   Hoopoe
15)   Common iora
16)   Golden fronted leafbird
17)   Blue winged leafbird
18)   Black Hooded Oriole
19)   Black naped oriole
20)   Indian oriole
21)   Black drongo
22)   Ashy drongo
23)   Bronzed drongo
24)   Racket tailed drongo
25)   Common woodshrike
26)   Common myna
27)   Rufous treepie
28)   House crow
29)   Large billed crow
30)   Small minivet
31)   Large cuckooshrike (call)
32)   Red-vented bulbul
33)   Red-whiskered bulbul
34)   Puff throated babbler (call)
35)   Red throated flycatcher
36)   Tickell’s blue flycatcher
37)   Asian paradise flycatcher  (Female)
38)   Black naped blue monarch
39)   Grey-breasted Prinia
40)   Blyth’s reed warbler (call)
41)   Sulphur bellied warbler
42)   Common tailorbird
43)   Green warbler (P. nitidus)
44)   Greenish warbler
45)   Small sunbird
46)   Crimson sunbird
47)   Purple sunbird
48)   Thick billed flowerpecker
49)   Pale billed flowerpecker
50)   Chestnut shouldered Petronia
51)   Crested serpent eagle (call)