A Review of "The Life of Birds" by David Attenborough

"The Life of Birds" is a fantastic book written by the renowned naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough. It is an excellent read, even for the non-birder, and explores all the major aspects of bird life. Written in a pleasing and often witty style, accompanied by breath-taking photographs, the book is nothing short of a best-selling page-turner. It is without doubt a must-have for bird-watchers and naturalists alike.

Overall, this book is well organized as a collection of 10 chapters, each of which is devoted to a distinct aspect of bird life. Attenborough begins by explaining the evolutionary modifications that have enabled birds to fly, while at other times have also made certain birds flightless. He then expands on the different types of food that birds eat and also how they procure it. Later, he elaborates on the diverse forms of bird communication before moving on to the equally diverse methods of finding suitable mates. He then explains how different birds prepare for parenthood and finally how they perform the actual, and so often exhausting, task of raising a family. In this way, the book gives the reader a walk-through of most of the activities that are part of a bird's life with plenty of examples drawn from a wide range of species.

In fact, the sheer number of examples that have been packed into this book is amazing. To write a book that has so many examples must surely be challenging as far as continuity in reading is concerned. But Attenborough pulls it off with ease. There is a natural flow to the content and the reader is guided along all the way with dexterity. There are, however, only a few Indian birds that are part of this huge collection of examples from all over the world. But this is more than compensated by the fact that the book covers many different families of birds, so that it is easy to correlate the birds cited in the book to those found here in India.

By the time I finished reading it, I was overwhelmed and also surprised, by the amount of knowledge that has been squeezed into this masterpiece. It gave me new insights into the wonderful world of birds and also greatly increased my respect and admiration for these lovely creatures. I am glad I got this book.

A Review of 'Peterson Field Guides: Birds of Eastern and Central North America'

Toronto, Canada: I was in the Coles bookstore, looking for a good quality field-guide to Canadian birds, when I came across this superb Peterson Field Guide to the "Birds of Eastern and Central North America" on one of the shelves. Written by the renowned American naturalist and artist Roger Tory Peterson, it helps identify birds seen in almost half of the North American continent. It is by far the best field-guide I have ever used :)
A preview of this book is available on this link

Initially, on my birding trips at Brampton, near Toronto, I used to record my sightings on a notepad and then search the internet for birds that matched my notes. The birds of Canada are quite different from those found in the Indian Subcontinent, with only a few species being common to both lands. But the Canadian birds are indeed very well documented on the internet, with plenty of information on their identification, general behaviour and food being available on numerous websites. It is, however, difficult to quickly look-up an unknown bird on the net. I had to browse through the online pages until I found a bird that roughly matched my observation. After that began the tedious process of making sure that this was indeed the bird that I had seen. I soon realized that this was not a very practical way of identifying birds and it was time to buy a genuine field-guide.

Peterson's field-guides have acquired more or less a legendary status among birders in North America. I was aware of this when I went shopping for my field-guide, but my online search for field-guides had also resulted in a few other books like 'Birds of Ontario' by Andy Bezener, 'Ontario Birds' by James Kavanagh and Raymond Leung and a few of the Stokes Field Guides. These books had the advantage that they excluded those species that are never seen in the Toronto region, thus reducing the effort in identifying birds to some degree. However, I soon found out that the Peterson's field-guide, though it included many more species, was certainly much better than the rest.

The Good:
This 5th edition of the Peterson's field-guide covers birds that are seen east of the Rocky Mountains. It starts with a brief introduction to bird life and behavior which is followed by a section that helps identify different types of birds [like Wrens, Flycatchers, etc.]. The book is compact enough to be carried in one hand while on bird-watching trips. I always did so, since I knew I would have to refer to it very frequently. And I did not find it inconvenient to do so.

The Better:
There are two qualities that make this book extremely useful. The first is that each bird's illustration is enhanced by what are called as 'field marks'. These are those features or markings on a bird's plumage that help to identify the bird, while also differentiating it from other similar species. Thus, the 'field marks', which are accentuated by arrows in the illustrations, tell the birder to look for those features in a bird in the field. The second quality of this book is that next to every bird's description is a small colour-coded map showing the bird's range over the eastern half of North America. A bigger and more detailed map is available for each bird at the end of the book, but these small maps which are on the same page as the bird's description are also incredibly useful to quickly ascertain if a bird is found in a particular region or not.

The Best:
This field-guide provides illustrations for different plumages of the same bird. E.g. Those of juvenile birds, those of breeding adults, illustrations that show the bird in flight, etc. Moreover, the description for each bird also suggests how to differentiate it from other similar birds, even when the distinction is based on the bird's call. Certain illustrations are even reproduced on other pages, so that it is possible to get a side-by-side comparison of 2 similar looking birds, whenever required. As a result, it is very easy to identify even some of the tricky birds. And it is these qualities that set this field-guide apart from all the others mentioned above. The other field-guides lacked such crucial information as juvenile forms or plumages of birds in flight which is so often helpful in identification, not to mention the invaluable field-marks.

The Peterson's field-guide truly stands well above the competition in terms of both quality and utility. It packs a great deal into a relatively compact package and is a great companion to have on all your birding trips in this part of the world.

Six Lifers and a Life

I had always wanted to visit Phansad Wild Life Sanctuary (WLS) for a birding trip. This WLS is a moderate to heavily wooded forest close to Alibag; and after almost a year of waiting, the opportunity had finally arrived. Four of us Mumbaikars: Parag, Shirish, Sameer and I, made a trip to Phansad WLS on the Good Friday weekend. Over 2 nights and 2 days, we had a very productive outing in this lovely place.

After my two previous trips (to Gorai and Sinhagad), I was less than enthusiastic about this one. On both outings, I hadn't seen many birds after 9:00 in the morning, and it was just too hot to roam in the sun after that! But Parag had provided me a cogent reason to visit Phansad in this rather hot time of the year: the breeding of Nightjars.

I'd neven seen a Nightjar before, let alone a breeding one! So I was more than happy to join!

We reached Phansad at about 20:00 hours on Friday, and after a quick visit to Murud for dinner, we were prowling about in the jungle that night. A local forest official had provided some encouraging news: just a few days back, there had been a leopard kill (an unfortunate cow) close to the main entrance of the sanctuary. So a leopard sighting was on the cards tonight...

But we never saw the leopard. All we could hear were the calls of Jerdon's Nightjars and the occasional Grey Nightjar. I must say that it is a really peculiar call (Jerdon's). It's a single note that sounds something like a hurried "qwouwl", and it keeps repeating once every 4 seconds or so!

Back at the base camp (which was a spacious tent near the sanctuary entrance), I was happy to have atleast heard a Nightjar! But it was difficult to sleep in the tent, and there were 2 big reasons for it. The first was that I didn't have a pillow, the second was that Shirish was snoring so loudly that it must have kept the whole jungle awake...

After a sluggish start the next morning, we ventured into the nearby forest outside Phansad for a quick visit. We saw a breeding male Common Iora, a lovely Golden-Fronted Chloropsis, numerous doves, a pair of Grey Junglefowl, a few highly vocal Greater Racket-Tailed Drongos, plenty of Golden Orioles, etc. An Indian Schimitar Babbler was also quite vocal, but we never actually got to see it. The birding wasn't all that great...

So we headed to Revdanda. After an appetising breakfast and a long drive through the numerous coastal villages, we finally reached Revdanda beach.

The beach was deserted. And it was hot. Somewhere in the distance a Long Tailed Shrike sat idly on the top of a bush, kept company by a few Green Bee-eaters.

We saw a Common Greenshank scurrying along the shore, and a group of Sanderlings who were feeding slowly on the sand. But the highlight of the day was a Hook-Nosed Sea Snake that we saw in a pool near the shore! About 3 feet long, this is a venomous snake, and is one of the most common sea snakes found in India. This one was quite calm, and didn't take too much notice of us. I took many pics of it, even managed to touch its tail! Ofcourse, I didn't know that it was venomous then!


This was my first face-to-face encounter with a venomous snake in the wild, and I managed to come out of it unharmed...but I won't try it again ;)

After a rather prolonged and frustratingly slow lunch at Murud (thanks to 'Hajam' waiters to put it in Parag's words), we were back at Phansad. On the way back, we spotted a group of 6 White-Rumped Vultures soaring effortlessly over the hills. This was a pleasing sight, given the drastic fall in the vulture population in recent years.

We had managed to procure the forest guesthouse today, and it was equipped with a bed and pillows....good news :). A short nap in the afternoon and a couple of pics in the neighbourhood was all we did till evening. However, we did see a pair of Scarlet Minivets in the trees adjoining the courtyard right outside the guesthouse! These are truly beautiful birds, and they make quite a colourful pair....the male is bright orange-red while the female is a vivid yellow!

That night, we again ventured into the jungle. And this time we were lucky :)

The first bird we saw was a nesting Grey Nightjar. A much awaited lifer! We also saw another one on a tree nearby. I'd no idea how to spot Nightjars in the night, so I saw how it is done on this trip! I managed to click a pic of one of these 'camouflage masters' from quite close. All I had was a compact camera with a 140 mm equivalent lens, but the result was quite satisfactory (see below)!

Nightjars rely heavily on their superb camouflage for safety. Indeed, it is next to impossible to spot them in the day time! Once spotted, they will remain still and will let you approach quite close to them! I suppose they assume that they can fool you by their excellent camouflage. But if you venture too close, they will certainly fly away. Indeed, the reason why they are called 'nightjars' is also interesting. It seems they feed at night by flying with their mouths wide open. Whichever unfortunate insects land up in their open mouth (analogous to an open 'jar') are happily devoured!

Later, we also saw a nesting Jerdon's Nightjar! And this 'hero' had his "nest" (which is nothing but the ground on which it lays eggs), right next to the kaccha-road that meanders through the forest. Quite a risky location!

Thoroughly satisfied with both sightings, we headed back. As there were two rooms in the guesthouse, I was spared the snoring and got a nice long nap.

The next morning was the best of all.

We ventured into an area called 'Chikhal-gaal' inside Phansad. This place was literally brimming with bird activity! In a short period of time, we managed to see an Imperial Green Pigeon, a Yellow-Footed Green Pigeon (the State Bird of Maharashtra, shown above), a Pompadour Green Pigeon, an Emerald Dove, a Black-Rumped Flameback Woodpecker, Greater Racket-tailed Drongos, a Large Cuckooshrike, and many others. At one point of time, an Imperial Green Pigeon, a male and female Scarlet Minivet, a male Small Minivet, 2 Jungle Mynas, 2 Black-Hooded Orioles were all sitting on one leafless tree at the same time!!! If you're not familiar with these birds, click on their names to see how colourful they are! To see all of them on a tall, white, leafless tree is really something! A Malabar Whistling Thrush and a Greater Racket-Tailed Drongo enthusiastically provided background music for this spectacle!

Soon, we also saw a nesting Bronzed Drongo! And a little later we saw it chasing away a Shikra (a type of hawk) which came and perched on a tree near its nest with gusto! Drongos, though small in size, are very agressive birds. It is amazing to see how they shoo away even big predatory birds! Indeed, this was not the first time I saw this behaviour. I'd seen a couple of drongos attacking a majestic Eurasian Eagle Owl on my Nannaj trip in November 2008.

As though this was not enough, we even saw a Giant Squirrel nearby! This big mammal, measuring about a meter in length, is also known as 'Shekroo' (pronounced as Shake-roo) in Marathi and is the State Animal of Maharashtra. It is an endemic species to Peninsular India. So we had managed to the see the State Bird and Animal too at the same time!

The birding (+ Shekroo sighting) this morning was simply too good! The cherry on the cake was a Crested Serpent Eagle perched on a leafless tree on the way back....

On the way back to Mumbai, we stopped at Kankeshwar to seea few larks. Sure enough, we saw Ashy-Crowned and Malabar Crested Larks on the rocks at the base of a hill.

On the whole, this was a very nice trip. I managed to add 6 species to my bird count, which is not bad at all!

Here is a list of birds seen on this trip:
Phansad WLS: Bird-List

1. Grey Junglefowl

2. Heart-Spotted Woodpecker [heard]

3. Black-Rumped Flameback

4. Brown-Headed Barbet

5. Coppersmith Barbet [heard]

6. Indian Grey Hornbill

7. Common Hoopoe

8. White-Breasted Kingfisher

9. Greater Coucal [heard]

10. Asian Koel

11. Plum-Headed Parakeet [female]

12. Grey Nightjar

13. Jerdon’s Nightjar

14. Rock Pigeon

15. Green Imperial Pigeon

16. Spotted Dove

17. Emerald Dove

18. Pompadour Green Pigeon

19. Yellow-Footed Green Pigeon

20. Red-Wattled Lapwing

21. Brahmini Kite

22. White-Rumped Vulture

23. Crested Serpent Eagle [soaring and perched]

24. Shikra

25. Golden-Fronted Chloropsis

26. Golden Oriole

27. Black-Hooded Oriole

28. Large Cuckooshrike

29. Small Minivet [pair]

30. Scarlet Minivet [pair]

31. Ashy Drongo

32. Bronzed Drongo [nesting]

33. Greater Racket-Tailed Drongo

34. Asian-paradise Flycatcher [female]

35. Common Iora [breeding male]

36. Malabar Whistling Thrush

37. White-Rumped Shama [heard]

38. Rosy Starling

39. Jungle Myna

40. Red-Whiskered Bulbul

41. Red-Vented Bulbul

42. Blyth’s Reed Warbler

43. Indian Scimitar Babbler [heard]

44. Jungle Babblers

45. Brown-Cheeked Fulvetta [heard]

46. Green Bee-eater

47. Large-Billed Crow

48. Paddy field warbler

49. Oriental Honey Buzzard

50. Chestnut Tailed Starling

Revdanda Beach: Bird-List

1. Sanderling

2. Gull-Billed Tern

3. Whiskered Tern

4. Great Egret

5. Little Egret

6. Cattle Egret

7. Long-Tailed Shrike

8. Common Green Shank

Kankeshwar: Bird-List

1. Pied Bushchat [male]

2. Ashy-Crowned Sparrow Lark [male, female nesting]

3. Malabar Crested Lark

4. Rufous-Tailed Lark [glimpse…it was probably this one]

On the way: Bird-List

1. Black Kite

2. Black-Winged Kite

3. Montagu’s Harrier [female]

4. Little Cormorant

5. House Sparrow

6. Magpie Robin

7. Common Myna

8. Barn Swallow

9. Purple Sunbird [mating]

10. Purple Rumped Sunbird

11. Laughing dove

12. Rose ringed Parakeet

13. Asian Palm Swift

14. House Crow

Other Highlights

1. Giant Squirrel

2. Hook-nosed Sea Snake

A little about Phansad WLS:
Phansad lies about 150 km from Mumbai, and is close to the West Coast. It is a moderate to heavily wooded area and spans an area of nearly 50 sq. km. You can reach it by vehicle by travelling along the Mumbai-Goa highway and then taking the road that goes to Alibag. Phansad is about 40 km. south of Alibag. Another way is by a S.T. bus heading towards Roha. I have heard that this bus goes via Phansad.

Phansad was earlier the private hunting ground of the Nawab of the Janjira State. It is now home to close to 150 species of birds, 27 species of snakes, and numerous interesting mammals and insects, not to mention butterflies and plants. It is truly a fantastic place.

Tents are available for free at the entrance of the sanctuary. But there are no places to eat nearby, so you have to travel to one of the nearby coastal villages like Murud.

A new hunting ground: Gorai

A nice, long weekend in Mumbai is surely incomplete without a birding trip! But options for short birding trips around Mumbai are rather limited to places such as SGNP, Sewri, or let's say Nagla Block. So Shirish and I ventured into 'new territory' today. We visited Gorai.

The Gorai area is a mixed habitat. While there are marshes near the creek, there are fields and lightly wooded areas near the coast. So it was worth checking out this place. Ofcourse, Essel World isn't too far away from here, but that wasn't on the itenirary!

We saw our first birds while crossing over the creek. These included Gull-Billed Terns, a Common Kingfisher and a few herons and egrets. That was after we managed to haul Shirish's bike on the fairy....no easy task!

After crossing over to the other side, we saw many Rosy Starlings and Chestnut-Shouldered Petronias on the road-sides, not to mention the ubiquitous White-Cheeked and Red-Vented Bulbuls. We even ventured near a small hillock, where we saw numerous ashy Drongos and a lone female Baya Weaver...

It was getting hot pretty quickly, so we decided to head for the beach, assuming that we could perhaps get sightings of a Flameback or two...So off we went!

The beach itself was crowded to say the least. One hero was driving his Santro along the water's edge at good speed. We parked near the beach, and began exploring the nearby woods. But most of this area belonged to 'rooms' and hostile 'room-keepers', so we decided to head back home.

But just as we got to the road that goes to Bhayander, there was hope! We could see open fields and in the distance, some trees. This looked like a place where we could do some peaceful birding..! The place is near a board that says somethign like 'This property belongs to Morzella and others'. Also in the vicinity is a board that reads 'White Castle'....!

Undaunted by the amusing signs, we headed into one of the fields where some farmers were toiling away in the sun. We saw a group of Paddyfield Pipits (or were they Tawny?!), fluttering about in one of the small fields. Later, we also saw an Oriental Honey-Buzzard soaring with its well rounded wings and distinctive underwing pattern. But the highlight of the day was the sighting of a pair of White-Browed Bulbuls, at the edge of one of the fields, sitting quietly in a tree. This was a lifer for me!

Further into the area, we got some nice views of many male breeding Common Ioras in the nearby trees. I also saw, for the first time, a Coppersmith Barbet, while it actually made its distinctive call! It was amusing to see this little bird bow in a bobbling manner as it voiced out each note. On the way back we saw a Spotted Owlet too!

Having finished our birding for the day, we stopped at a close-by restaurant on the Bhayander road. The Aquafina bottle (overpriced at Rs. 20) I purchased here, had a peculiarly bitter aftertaste! I happily emptied it at the base of a tree. Conclusion: Don't buy mineral water here.....carry your own!

This last place we visited looks promising. In the winter I'm sure there will be many more birds here..

How to get to Gorai:

1. Reach Borivli station. From here, take an auto or BEST bus to the Gorai Jetty. There are boats that take you over the other side, and the crossing is not very big. Although you can take bikes in the boat, bewarned that it is tricky to handle the bike in the early morning when fish-mongers are merrily littering the place with all kinds of slippery liquids...
2. Travel by road from Bhayander. BEST buses are available too. It's a fairly long route, so it does take a lot of time.

Where Eagles Dare

"Don't fear change, embrace it", they say. Quite true! Having dropped my plan to visit Mumbai literally at the last minute (or last 'Asiad' for that matter), I had a welcome opportunity to visit Sinhagad Valley for some birding today.

For those who don't know about this area, here's a quick sketch:

Sinhagad Fort lies about 25 km.to the South-West of Pune. You can see it on Google Maps here. At the base of the fort is a moderately wooded region, alongside a few fields, also known as the Sinhagad Valley. The Valley is famous for sightings of sundry flycatchers and raptors. One of them worth mentioning is the Ultramarine Flycatcher, which I have yet to see :(

The Valley was alive with bird calls in the early morning! Many of the trees have shed their leaves by now, making it easy to spot the birds. For starters, we saw Jungle Mynas, Jungle Babblers, a solitary Indian Robin and also a Magpie Robin. A few doves were also seen in the area. Nothing spectacular as such...

A little ahead, we saw a group of Chestnut-Shouldered Petronias (formerly known as Yellow-Throated Sparrows) moving busily in a nearby tree. As a matter of fact, this is actually the species that inspired Salim Ali to become a birder :)

In the early morning sun, the yellow throats of these sparrows made them look even more impressive! Accompanying them was a group of Grey-Breasted Prinias, that flitted energetically through the bushes and trees. A lone Rufous Treepie was also seen on one of the trees, but we never got a really good view of it, as it continuously moved about, and was generally far away.

We were soon joined by two other birding enthusiasts, and the six of us together ventured into one of the adjoining fields. After sighting other common birds such as Oriental White-eyes and Common Ioras, we got an excellent view of a handsome Golden-Fronted Leafbird (a.k.a. G. F. Chloropsis).

Later, two other birders in the area joined us. Soon, A Tree Pipit was seen in one of the fields. It was quite close to us, and given the heavy streaking on its chest, it was really a matter of two choices for identifying it: either it was a Tree Pipit or an Olive-Backed Pipit. But the absence of any black and white spot behind the eye confirmed it as a Tree Pipit...so much for Pipit identification!

Then came our first raptor! It was a big eagle, lacking any particular under-wing pattern. As it soared on its mighty wings, we tried our best to ID it, but to no avail. One of our new joinees [;)], Mr. Gokhale, managed to get a photo of it using his 500mm Sigma. After coming home and scanning the Grimmett field guide again, I managed to identify it as a Tawny Eagle :)

At only 0930 hrs, it was blisteringly hot! The bird activity had seemed to die off and we couldn't see anything other than the common resident species. A few worth mentioning are Plum-Headed Parakeets and White-Bellied Drongos, but even those were few and far between... We decided to head back.

On our way, we heard a Crested Serpent Eagle calling and I was only able to catch a glimpse of it as it flew against the hill-side far away. The other new joinee was a boy named Rohan. He showed us the nest of a Crested-Hawk Eagle (a.k.a. Changeable Hawk Eagle), which can be seen from the last bus-stop at the base of Sinhagad Fort!

Sure enough, a CHE was sitting right on the nest! As we sat down for refreshments at the nearby cafe, another CHE came soaring towards us. We were in awe as it flew in circles over the fields in front of us, showing its distinct under-wing pattern! Mr. Gokhale got a decent, if not cracking shot of it in flight. To see this eagle soar was I guess consolation for not seeing the Ultramarine Flycatcher!

Overall, the trip was very good. The total species-count was not impressive, but the sightings of the two eagles were certainly memorable. Overall, we had only seen one migrant species, and that was a Long-Tailed Shrike! Rohan tells me Indian Schimitar Babblers (residents) can be seen in the Valley! Hmmm...... :)

Here is a list of birds we saw on this trip:

1. Brown-Headed Barbet [heard]
2. Coppersmith Barbet [heard]
3. White-Throated Kingfisher
4. Green Bee-eater
5. Plum-Headed Parakeet [male, female]
6. Rock Pigeon
7. Spotted Dove
8. Little Brown Dove
9. Black-Winged Kite
10. Crested-Serpent Eagle [heard]
11. Shikra
12. Tawny Eagle
13. Crested Hawk Eagle [on nest and soaring]
14. Golden-Fronted Leafbird
15. Bay-Backed Shrike
16. Long-Tailed Shrike
17. Rufous Treepie
18. Small Minivet [male and female]
19. White-Throated Fantail Flycatcher
20. Black Drongo
21. White-Bellied Drongo
22. Common Iora [breeding male and female]
23. Asian Paradise-Flycatcher [rufous male, female]
24. Indian Robin [male]
25. Magpie Robin
26. Pied Bushchat [female]
27. Brahmini Starling
28. Jungle Myna
29. Common Myna
30. Red-Vented Bulbul
31. Red-Whiskered Bulbul
32. Grey-Breasted Prinia
33. Ashy Prinia
34. Oriental White-eye
35. Common Tailorbird
36. Jungle Babbler
37. Purple Sunbird
38. Chestnut-Shouldered Petronia
39. Tree Pipit

How to get to Sinhagad:

If you bring your own vehicle, you can reach the base of Sinhagad Fort by travelling along Sinhagad Road for about 20 km. Parking is available for charges of around 5/- at the base of the fort. Another option is to take the local PMT buses. These buses start at Swargate and reach Sinhagad Fort in a matter of about 40 minutes, early morning. Once at Sinhagad Fort, a timetable of return buses is put up at the cafe adjacent to the last bus-stop, so you can plan your return time accordingly. Return buses are at a frequency of about every 45 minutes.

The Land of the GIB

Situated about 22 kms North of Solapur lies the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) Sanctuary at Nannaj. Comprising extensive grasslands, it is home to a small population of 15-20 Great Indian Bustards. These majestic grassland birds, once common in India, are now on the brink of extinction with less than 400 birds remaining in the wild.

The landscape in this part of our country immediately reminds you of scenes from the African Savanna, so often shown on Discovery or Nat Geo. Vast stretches of flat terrain, covered in short grass swaying gently in the wind, with the occasional thorny bush or tree sticking out in the distance. But don't be fooled. The diversity of wildlife in this region is simply amazing. While there are mammals like Blackbucks, Chinkaras, Indian Wolves, etc. there are also birds like Quails, Floricans, Larks, Pipits that are well adapted to this kind of habitat. And of course, there are snakes, scorpions, .....the like! The star attraction, though, is the elusive GIB.

The GIB sanctuary has an area of 8500 sq. km., which includes whole towns like Solapur itself. Rather than having a namesake area of this high magnitude, the government has recently decided to declare only a 300 sq. km. area as the sanctuary, and protect that area properly. Out of this area, about 100 hectares of land lies near a small village called Nannaj, where the GIBs are seen more often than in the other areas, especially while breeding. Adesh Shivkar had organised a trip to this place as part of his NatureIndiaTours programmes, and I was only too happy to join.

The Siddheshwar Express that leaves CST at about 10:20 p.m. brought us (9 of us including Adesh) to Solapur early on Saturday morning. We checked in at the Ritesh Hotel, and after a quick breakfast, left for Nannaj by a hired Trax and hit the highway.

Soon after crossing the toll naka, we stopped by the roadside for a quick look at the birds on the nearby wires. There was an Indian Roller, a Laughing Dove, a Brahmini Starling troubled by some Black Drongos, some Indian Robins and also an Oriental Honey Buzzard which was in 'Pandharpur' (Adesh's expression for really far away birds!).

Back in the Trax, we drove on for some 20 minutes till we reached an area called 'dreamland', which is quite close to the Nannaj village. We had reached Africa! There were birds all around. A couple of Eurasian Collared Doves sat on a nearby bush, while a Rufous-Tailed Lark darted about in the rocks. A Montagu's Harrier haunted the area, scaring away some doves in the distance. A Southern Grey Shrike posed nicely for a picture. Some Indian Silverbills showed up on a thorny bush. Large flocks of Greater Short-Toed Larks were on the move. A few Chestnut-Bellied Sandgrouse came flying searching for water, and instead found us. A few anachronic Grey Francolins cheered for Kapil Dev with their typical calls (sounding like they were calling out Kapil Dev's name with an accented 'i'). Thankfully, it was cloudy and a steady breeze had set in. Perfect birding.

Quite satisfied, we moved on and reached a small village close to Nannaj and took a walk through it. While on our way we saw Ashy-Crowned Sparrow Larks, Large-Grey Babblers, a Shikra, Rosy Starlings, a Lesser Whitethroat, several Rose-Ringed Parakeets, and a handsome male Asian Koel. The village children had started following us, and Adesh obliged by letting them see through the spotting scope and chatting them up.

We boarded the Trax again and soon reached the '100 hectares' area of the Nannaj sanctuary. This is the place where the chances of seeing a GIB are high. We entered the main gate and began walking on the narrow path that leads to a small hut.


The hut here is as far as anyone is allowed to venture into this area. It provides cover and shelter, so birders can safely see the birds unnoticed. As we approached the hut, a Bay-Backed Shrike greeted us by perching on a nearby tree.

As it was cloudy, we preferred not to use the hut, and instead stand outside it. And as we scanned the area with our binocs, a Common Kestrel was spotted hovering in the air. Some Blackbucks were giving us enquiring looks and had stopped moving completely. The air seemed to freeze. There was hardly any movement. Flocks of Greater Short-Toed Larks were seen.

Then, a lone GIB was spotted far away with its clean white neck sticking out from the grass!! Surely, it was in 'Pandharpur'. These birds have become so shy that they never venture close to humans, and most of the GIB sightings are, well, in 'Pandharpur'. Sure, the bird was far away, but the spotting scope Adesh had brought along managed to bridge that gap pretty well.

The grace of this bird is simply unmatched. With its neck upright and head tilted up slightly, it has an aura of nobility. Like a ship in slow motion, it glides smoothly across the grasses. The body does not wobble an inch! It feels almost unreal to imagine a bird of this size to walk so steadily and slowly. Floored!

This one was a male, with the clean white neck being the identifying characteristic. It sailed at its gentle pace for a long time after which it was just too far away. We headed back, and decided to visit another area on the opposite side of the sanctuary gate. Now that the GIB had been seen, we could focus more on the other bird species too.

On our way, we were crossed by a couple of healthy looking Indian Wolves. We got down for a pic and some snacks too!
As expected, the landscape had not changed at all. We had reached some private land in the vicinity and decided to spend some time birding in this area. It was nearly 1:00 p.m., but thankfully it was still cloudy.

A Siberian Stonechat, Paddyfield Pipit, Long Billed Pipit and a Tawny Pipit were seen scurrying about. Some Eurasian Collard Doves fidgeted in a tree nearby. Common Kestrels were busy flying about. There were birds everywhere. But the best one was the Isabelline Wheatear (a winter migrant) which perched right in the open on some rocks. As Adesh explained how to distinguish it from the Desert Wheatear (by looking at its lore, which is the area between the eye and the base of the beak), I managed to get a pic by digiscoping my camera with the spotting scope. This result was quite satisfying!

Then, on our way back, we also saw a Richard's Pipit and a Lesser Whitethroat. And just as we were about to board the Trax, we even saw a juvenile Pallid Harrier perched on a thorny bush. Right on the opposite side, but a little far off, an adult male Montagu's Harrier had perched on a small mound on the ground. Both sightings were amazing, with Adesh explaining how to distinguish a juvenile Pallid Harrier from a juvenile Montagu's (by looking at the white neck collar on the Pallid). And then Adesh spotted the GIB we'd seen earlier, except that it was much closer to the sanctuary gate now. For us, on the other side, it was still in 'Pandharpur'.

It was time for lunch. We headed for the 'Nisarga' restaurant somewhere outside Solapur, and managed to catch a small nap on the way in the Trax. Arriving at nearly 3:00 p.m. at the restaurant, Adesh prompty ordered the local delicacies, viz. the sweet Shenga Poli with loads of ghee, not-so-pungent Shenga Chatni, a fiery Thecha, a few curious sounding 'Dhapaate' (which are like Theplaas), Bhakris, Zhunkaa and Shrikhanda-Basundi. This vivid combination of dishes made for a sizzling lunch which left us with rather protruding bellies, and we wondered how we'd continue birding!

The next place to visit was a small village called Kegav, where the magnificent Eurasian Eagle Owls are seen in what appears to be a canal of some sort. The canal lies on both sides of the road leading to Kegav, and we soon ventured into the right hand side.

These owls, though huge in size, are excellently camouflaged against the rocky outcrops. It was almost like a game, finding the owls that are in the area, but are so difficult to spot. After seeing a Grey Necked Bunting and a Long Billed Pipit on the way, no one had yet seen the elusive and much anticipated owl. We managed a glimpse of a Blue Rock Thrush and a female Black Redstart hopping on the rocks below while a Eurasian Spoonbill flew past in the air.

Sameer finally spotted the owl, but even with binocs, I wasn't able to locate it in the direction he pointed. Adesh soon trained his scope on the Owl so we could all have a better look. And what a look it was (from the Owl)! The Owl was sitting behind a small bush, and its big orange eyes were staring us down! It was in fact quite scary! But the Owl soon got self-conscious and flew off. Although a big bird, its flight is completely noiseless! Not a whisper!

Since no more owls could be seen, we decided to move over to the other side of the road, and try our luck there. Here, again, it was Sameer who spotted another Owl, while all of us had coolly walked past it. This one too was impressive. We also saw some Spotted Owlets, many Grey Necked Buntings, a few Small Minivets and Streak-Throated Swallows in the area.

We were just heading back, when the Owl was seen again, this time sitting in the open, but far away. As it sat there, gazing at us even from that great distance, some Black Drongos were obviously offended and tried to drive it away. Interestingly, the Owl was looking exactly like a cat! I managed to get a record-shot of the Owl, again, by digiscoping. As the light was really low, the pic didn't come off exactly as planned!

After a much satisfying view of the Owl, we decided to head back to the hotel. It had been a tiring day of non-stop birding, and the trip so far had been simply too good. I knew I had seen many lifers (first time sightings) today, including the GIB and the Eurasian Eagle Owl. Tomorrow we'd come back to Nannaj and then also go to Hiparga Lake to see ducks and waders.

Dinner was at the Ritesh Hotel itself, and after a rather blatant "None" in reply to our query "What sweet dishes do you have?", everyone got a good night's sleep. Actually Ranjeet had tried rephrasing the question too by asking "Gulab jamun hai kya?", but the waiter seemed to have his wits about him and said there were no sweet dishes to offer!

Early on Sunday morning, we set off for Nannaj again. The task for today was to get a good look at the Bustard and some of the other species too. On the way, all of us kept a watch for any birds on the road-sides, and soon we halted to see some Red-Collared Doves, Black-Headed Buntings, a Common Hawk Cuckoo which looks quite like a Shikra, a flying male Pallid Harrier and also a White-Eyed Buzzard perched on one of the poles.

Once at Nannaj, Adesh went up a small lookout tower, to see if there were any Bustards around, but unfortunately there were none. Since we'd already had our fill the earlier day, we decided to move on and look at the other species in the surrounding area, particularly a small lake nearby. Back in the Trax.

As we approached the lake, we saw a couple of Grey Francolins running about on the road. We also saw an Indian Bushlark on some rocks as it posed nicely for a photo. I managed to get a pic of it using even the mere 4x zoom lens on my camera! While about it, a Black-Winged Kite crossed the road in front of us.

Once at the lake, there were many birds to be seen. A few Ashy-Crowned Sparrow Larks came for a drink. A Little Ringed Plover darted across the banks while many ducks were busy swimming in the water. Most of them were Spot-Billed Ducks and Northern Pintails, but there was also a single Common Pochard and Northern Shoveler among them. There were many Little Grebes in non-breeding plumage too. As we watched them through the scope, Red-Rumped Swallows had filled the air and were gliding nicely all around the area.

A little further, Adesh spotted a Short-Toed Snake-Eagle soaring in 'Pandharpur'. As he explained how to identify it, the large eagle seemed to scan the area for prey. It even hovered in the air like a Kestrel for long durations. So much so, that Adesh was even able to locate it in his scope so we could see it better. It is amazing to see a bird of this size balancing itself in mid-air while scanning the ground for prey!

In the meanwhile, the Common Pochard was seen again and gave us a nice view. There was also a Spotted Redshank, a Yellow Wagtail and a White-Browed Wagtail in the region. Adesh captured the White-Browed Wagtail in a typical eye-level shot while Garima too took a few pictures.

As we were about to leave the area, a couple of Syke's Crested Larks too made an appearance! Leaving them behind, we set off for a nearby pond where Yellow-Wattled Lapwings are seen.
As expected, 3 Lapwings were seen at the edge of the pond, one of which appeared like a juvenile. There was also a Green Sandpiper and a Common Greenshank standing side by side in the pond! A better opportunity to compare these similar looking birds would be certainly hard to find!

It was lunch time again, and we decided to head back. This time we went to a restaurant in Solapur itself called as 'Sugran'. Here, too, the typical local dishes were ordered and were promptly served by the waiter. The food was, as expected, delicious! In fact the Basundi was probably the best that I have ever had!

Again, with bulging stomachs and a quick freshening up at the Hotel, we soon left for Hiparga Lake. This is a big lake close to Solapur and has many water birds. It was afternoon by now, and the sun had just started to come out of the clouds.

Birds like the Indian Roller, Citrine Wagtail, Chestnut Shouldered Petronias and a group of Red-Headed Buntings were busy in the area. A female Common Kestrel had perched on a small tree. About 5 Black Ibises and a Painted Stork lazily looked around on the banks of the lake. Even a Rufous-Tailed Shrike was seen as it flew about the bushes. As we headed closer to the Lake, which was full of Common Pochards, Common Coots and some Tufted Ducks, a Wooly-Necked Stork came soaring towards us.

Later, a male Eurasian Marsh Harrier came flying silently from the left. The beauty of this bird was accentuated by the surreal blue sky in the background. Exclamations of 'oohs' and 'aahs' filled the air. Seeing a male was rewarding, as usually it is the females or juveniles that are seen.

It was time to head back. The sun had peeked out from a few clouds and seemed to shower blessings upon us. Surely, it had been an exciting and eventful trip. But it wasn't over yet.

As we reached our Trax, there was some more activity around. A juvenile Brahmini Kite came to say farewell. A Clamorous Reed Warbler was seen on some bushes. A Blue Rock Thrush was hopping about the rocks nearby, accompanied by some Indian Robins. A Common Kingfisher kept watch over his part of the water.

Then we saw Red Avadavats, Silverbills and a Scaly Breasted Munia all on the same small, bare, thorny bush not too far away! In the evening sunlight, this sight was simply fascinating. It was as if the bush had acquired bright red jewels! We also saw a male and female Rose-Ringed Parakeet in the vicinity. Though very common, it was amazing to see them in the saturated yellow sunlight. A Spotted Owlet too was seen close by.

On our way back to the Hotel, we stopped by Mr. B.S. Kulkarni's place. He's over 75 years of age, and has spent most of his life studying the bustards and other birds in the region and consequently has published many books. We had a small chat with him before we left for home, again by the Siddheshwar Express that leaves Solapur at 10:40 p.m.

This had been a marvellous trip! Well planned and well managed by Adesh, it was total 'paisa vasool'. What made it even more so was Adesh's meticulous insights and tips that would improve us as birders. That's not to say that the others didn't contribute. Everyone contributed in some way or the other, and it all resulted in a memorable experience.

We had seen close to 115 species of birds, many of which were winter migrants. Moreover, 25 of these were lifers for me. We had missed the Quails and the Indian Courser, which are typical birds of this region, but after seeing so many other birds it would be unfair to demand these too. After all, on a wildlife trip, you never know what you'll see and what you won't. All you can do is visit the right places at the right time and hope for the best.

It is unfortunate that the GIB is getting extinct. It puzzles many people how such a graceful bird can be hunted down so mercilessly. It seems to be heading the same way as the Dodo, and hence will require special efforts to save its dwindling population. What was at one time a prime contender for being nominated as the National Bird of India is now well on the verge of saying goodbye.

Here are links to photos taken by Garima and Anup on this trip:
http://picasaweb.google.com/garima.bhatia/Nannaj?authkey=KM-6CvIv0QU
http://picasaweb.google.com/ranadive.anup/DropBox?authkey=RA7XDqBjTb0