Not that I share about every tiny trip that I take, but this one was something very different. Hence thought of sharing it with you all. My very first birding weekend. It was a very casual conversation between me and one of my close friends, Vaibhavi, about going out for dinner. And she happened to mention about going out for a birding activity on one of the weekends. I was like, ok, sounds different. And so I decided to join her. Professionally as well as her own natural inclination, drives her toward treks, birding safaris and wildlife safaris. And her trips are usually offbeat from the regular tours . And hence they are unique. I was just a last minute addition in her group and pretty much an amateur enthu- cutlet. She actually mentioned this to me, "Seema, you are so excited, are you gonna sleep tonight ? ".
18th Dec - The place was Bhigwan, located on the Pune-Solapur Highway around 105 km from Pune on the backwaters of Ujani dam. It is one of lesser known wetlands in Maharashtra. It is popular for bird sightings. However still not officially registered under India's list of bird sanctuaries. Just 2 years back, it received the recognition under Ramsar Convention towards conservation of wetlands.
We were a small group of 11 people, all from different age groups. The tour was organized by Gauri Gurav, very knowledgeable on different bird species. We started off from Mumbai at 6:30 AM in the morning. After a long journey of almost 8 hours, we reached Bhigwan by 2:30 PM; amidst all the traffic conditions. If you are imagining the place to be some tourist spot with big 4 and 5-star properties; then you would be in for a complete surprise. You cannot even call it a village. It was too tiny a place with just 8 to 10 houses near the wetlands and a small temple. Our arrangements were very simple. We had put up in one of the houses of our local guide with very authentic, home cooked Maharashtrian food. But inspite of being in a village, the house was very clean, neat & tidy with all basic amenities taken care of.
We all grabbed a quick lunch and headed for our boat safari at 3:45 PM. With binoculars and cameras, we were all set. And when I say, "boat", it was the small "naav" typically shown in the old hindi movies. Right from the start, the entire group had started calling out the names of different bird species and I was staring at everyone's faces. By now you all know, I was the only clueless soul wondering what the hell is going on. "Which, what and where is this bird ", were my facial expressions. :D But people were kind and patient enough to educate me on each one. The safari was a nice 3 hour ride. With all the experts and the photographers, it was an absolute delight to spot the nuances between different species and learn some tips and tricks of good photography.
Weather was fantastic. I managed to get some good sunset clicks and some random clicks/videos.
After our return at around 7:15 PM, had our "garma garam" chai (tea) and sat down to make a list of species we spotted along with reference pictures taken by the group members. Post dinner, we all headed for our night trail. This one was a bit risky and adventurous. You are in the middle of the mountains and walking in pitch dark. However our guide was quite adept at spotting the birds in that darkness and guiding us our our path. We spotted Robin in the woods, sleeping in a tiny hole. We spotted green bee-eaters tightly coupled together like a bunch. After a good 1.5 hours of trail, we returned back to our rooms.
Our next 3-hour boat safari was scheduled for early morning at 6:30 AM followed by another short trail around another water body. By the end of the trip, I too had become super confident in naming the birds. In our busy work schedules, we often forget to enjoy these little things in our lives. The beautiful sunset, the crispness of the air, beautiful birds chirping all around. Not to forget, there was actually a hen outside the house who woke us up early in the morning with her favourite "kukdu ku" sound. :D.
They say nature heals you. And I second that opinion.
India has around 1200 bird species and we spotted around 70 of them. When you focus on the fine details in any species, you will be amazed at the sheer beauty. Such beautiful colours intertwined in one another. I absolutely enjoyed myself.
Our trip concluded with my dessert treat to all since I managed to click some good pictures using my iPhone. :D and we all returned home by around 11 PM on Sunday night.
With beautifully photographed moments in my mind, I will sign off for now and let the pictures/videos do the talking.
Flamingoes
From today my new and fav word is "enthu-cutlet" :P Loved this blog with a dash of humour. It reminded me of my birding activity in Bhagwan Mahavir wild life sanctuary. I would love to read more of your travel blogs Seema :) More power to you!!!