Kombadbhuja village - birding experience

There are small villages Kombadbhuja and Ganeshpuri on the way to Panvel as we cross the panvel creek after the killa gaothan at the end of Palm Beach Road, Navi Mumbai. I remember, 3-4 years before Jacob from navi mumbai once took all the birders to introduce to the places on this road.


We tried to bird around these villages as they appeared promising as the rains have filled the water bodies around them. During early September we visited the place and it was raining for some time and we waited in the car. Even though, we could see many birds in the vast water body and the mix of shrub and mangroves. This weekend visits to nearby are had been tremendously fruitful and has stimulated this report to share with all.


Major highlights were "Eurasian Wryneck" and "Pied Cuckko". Migrant species were also seen including "Long tailed Shrikes", "Marsh Harriers", "Citrine Wagtail", waders including "Redshanks" "Little Stints". Majority of birds included ashy and plain prinias, red and spotted munias.


The list of birds which were seen is as following.

1.Barred button quail
2.Lesser whistling duck
3.Spot billed duck
4.Eurasian Wryneck
5.Common Kingfisher
6.White throated kingfisher
7.Green Bee eater
8.Pied Cuckoo
9.Rose ringed parakeets
10.Wire tailed swallow
11.Blue rock pigeon
12.Laughing Dove
13.Spotted Dove
14.Common Sandpiper
15.Green Sandpiper
16.Little Stint
17.Black Winged stilt
18.Red-wattled lapwing
19.Gull-billed tern
20.Black Kite
21.Brahminey Kite
22.Eurasian Marsh Harrier
23.Little Cormorant
24.Little Egret
25.Intermediate Egret
26.Great Egret
27.Little green heron
28.Black crowned night heron
29.Grey Heron
30.Indian Pond heron
31.Painted stork
32.Glossy ibis
33.Eurasian Spoonbill
34.Long tailed shrike
35.House crow
36.Jungle crow
37.Eurasian Golden Oriole
38.Black Drongo
39.Indian Robin
40.Oriental Magpie Robin
41.Common Stonechat
42.Asian pied starling
43.Common Myna
44.Red vented bulbul
45.Red Whiskered bulbul
46.White eared bulbul
47.Ashy Prinia
48.Plain Prinia
49.Booted Warbler (call)
50.Jungle babbler
51.Yellow Eyed Babbler
52.Crested lark
53.Purple sunbird
54.House sparrow
55.Citrine wagtail
56.Baya Weaverbird
57.Red avadavat
58.Spotted Munia


58 number is encouraging, its more than half of the Uran list.


It shows there is huge potential to explore the new areas, for the selfish purpose of joy of birding. :)


Few photos to follow.....

Ashy Prinia

PlainPrinia

 

Spotted Munia

Barred Button Quail female - calling from grass line.

Cheers and Happy Birding ....!!!

----- Ritesh Bagul, Viju Chirayil

Kaas 2011

Kass plateau, has become tremendously famous in the recent few years, and there is huge influx of visitors which created problems last year and forest department took its note to initiate putting restrictions on the movements of visitors. However, it still attracts the huge attention from the all sort people, may it be botanists, photographers or families with curiosity to view the spectacle. The spectacle of blooming of millions of small colorful, short lived flowers, is still happening every year and next generations could too view this if proper measures are taken. It is to be noted that there are many educated and enlightened people, youngsters from the Satara city working to the safeguard this wonder of nature. As the influx of people increases, the potential of tourism in the form of resorts and sports is posing a serious threat. Majority of private land over the plateau is being developed into hotels, resorts. This is easily to be noticed as I myself visit this place almost every year since 2006. Eventually this land will fall prey to this and huge task of conservation and education to the the locals as well as common visitors about the ethics of protecting the mother nature's wealth will be/is needed. I wish these efforts to acquire more and more strength.

In this modern age of communications over the internet, via facebook, emails, the words are spreading fast, so people get encouraged to visit, but let everybody understand that it is critical to follow the guidelines laid by FD and NGOs , let us respect the Mother Nature's offering.


As a photographer I have derived limitless joy from the spectacles of the wild flowers at Kass uptill now and hope to continue. Many of you who are reading must have seen and experienced what kass means. I feel, its my sincere responsibility to bring out the beauty of kaas in the best possible way. I could add some more information as learned during the nature trip headed by Adesh shivkar and Mandar Khadilkar.
 

Satara city view from Kass ghat.

 

Kass Plateau has a very thin layer of sand as the heavy rains and winds wash it out. Small water puddles and streams formed at plateau supports various life forms and rare species like Satara Aponogeton. 

Flowers of "Scarlet Milkweed" (हल्दी-कुमकुम)

Ants on Lantana (Lantana camera, घाणेरी) 

 

 Verbascum Chinense (कुटकी) 

Sun-set 

Smithia bigemina (लहान कावळा)

Solanum xanthocarpum (रानवांगे) 

Glory Lilly (अग्निशिखा) 

The above flower is not pollinated yet and is in dual colors, yellow and red giving it appearance of fire flames.

Glory Lilly (अग्निशिखा) 

The above flower is pollinated and turned into complete red, and on the way to end of its purpose of existence.

Ceropegia Media (मेडी खार्चुडी) also known as "Flytrap" flower.

This flower has interesting method to pollinate, insect which enters from the top open channel have no option to move downwards into the base and pollinate, after which flower droops down vertically and insect is released. It thus keeps the insect as hostage un till it gets pollinated. This group of plants is highly sought after by researchers due its mystical ways. It's tuber is eaten by tribes and locals and is known as हनुमान बटाटा .

Drosera Burmani (Burman's sundew, दवबिंदू ) 

This is another interesting and most popular species found at kaas. As the sand layer is thin and there are very few nutrients remaining due to heavy rains washing them away, the plants have adopted and developed mechanisms to trap insects and take out nutrients. The dew drops is in fact sticky substance to trap the insects. 

Drosera Indica (Indian sundew, गवती दवबिंदू ) 

This is sub-specie of the Drosera. 

Eriocaulon Sedgewikki (Spherical pipewort, गेंद)

 Utricularia Purpurensis (Puprple bladderwart, सीतेची आसवे) 

Jungle Babbler 

Formation of pleocaulus ritchei (टोपली कारवी)

Ceropegia Vincaefolia (कंदील खार्चुडी)

Green Beetle

Commelina 

Euphorbia Laeta (Common hill spurge, दुधी )

Commelina Benghalensis (Whiskered commelina, किणा)

Paracaryopsis colestina (common hill borage, निसुर्डी) 

Ceropegia Vincaefolia (कंदील खार्चुडी)

 Ramphicarpa longifora (Tutari, तुतारी)  

मायाजाल... Network of traps by Drosera Indica

Utricularia Purpurascens (सीतेची आसवे )

Murdannia Lanuginosa (Marsh Dewflower, अबोलीमा)

Aponogeton satarensis, (वायतुरा) 

Above plant isendemic to kass and only found at kaas plateau in the world.

There are many many more beauties found at Kass other than above all images. And many of their colors and charm is not reproducible by any means of camera and lens, for example the vast expanse of the floral carpets of variety of hues can not be shown in limited space. You HAVE to EXPERIENCE it.!!  Image created in our brain with our best lenses of eyes are far more enthralling and stimulating........

Waterfall near Thoseghar.

Cheers!!!!



Photographs taken with Nikon D200, Nikon D50 + tamron 90mm macro lens and 18-55 zoom lens.


(All above images are copyright of the photographer, and can not be reproduced in any other form without proper permissions, you can email me at rkbagul@gmail.com)

Uran Road near Killa Gaothan - 18 sept 2011

It was a perfect sunday morning in mid-september to get cravings to get out of bed early morning, pick up camera to go out for to watch greenary flourishing after the constant rainfall. It is also good time for wild flowers and one can cheer to see them and overcome the boredome of rainfalls. So i set out towards the palm beach road, vashi and decided to run away from city towards Uran side. I could continue towards Uran and then stopped just after the Panvel creek to check out some water ponds formed after rains.

The first bird that crossed the path was Yellow Eyed Babbler, perching atop a thin shrub branch, and the sunrays were just out to beautify the bird. Ashy prinia came on the same shrub and proudly kept warbling it 's sharp tune. I had set out of home to photograph the flowers and bees, not birds this time. So i went ahead, and stopped at a spot to spot spotted doves spotting food from ground and there came spotted munias. :) out of them dozens were unspotted, guess why? because those were fresh generation juveniles.

often we kept on following trails to find out birds, but sometime sticking to just one place and watching whatever passes by, makes wonders...While going little ahead, I stopped at the WHITE PLUMBAGO plant, to photograph flowers which were different than the regular ones of wild seasame, wild moonge, wild lady finger and brazil jute. So i remained near the plant for next hour. I kept enjoying the scene from camera viewfinder, where the numerous perfect water spheres resting on slope of grass blade appeared like precious jewels. Many of the spider cobwebs near around were decorated with chain of several such water pearls.

Water pearls - surface tension works for droplets to form perfect sphere


flowers of WHITE PLUMBAGO

"Plumbago Zeylanica" - A rambling shrub found in shrub jungle, forest edges and fallow land. It is feed plant for caterpillars of zebra blue butterfly.

Many buttreflies were fluttering around spot, those visited the shrubs around I could identify were, the Common Rose, Common Crow, Blue tigers.

A mongoose crossed the path ahead twice and disappeared. Spooted munias settled on a small puddle on the path. Yellow eyed babbler came again, and sat and sang a while to highten the mood, and so that I can turn deaf ear to the crows perched atop a dead tree. Red whiskered bulbuls were whisking from here and there, as the pied starling warmed its vocal cords too.

Wasp's going on wasp? errrr...whats going on wasp?

A wasp was seen on the same plant, doing something, upon closer look it was devouring something, I dont know whats the type of caterpillar.

Few dartlets darted too, It was routine for every single small big lifeform, to do their best to survive, to take advantage of best season. Spiders were many with their cobwebs and were having their catch.

Dartlet ? Damslfly ? help pls.

Spider

tiny BUG

This was a very very tiny bug moving slowly on the grass blade. I was bugged so horribly by the limitations of macro lens and camera's focusing system, getting just one good frame of the bug, moved my tired legs and left the plant and the place.

Cheers!!!

(clcik on images to see larger versions, all images shot with Nikon D200 + tamron 90 mm macro lens)

Amboli Ghat

"Amboli" is situated in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra, and is 30 Kms from Sawantwadi which is well connected to Mumbai and Pune via road and rail. Amboli ghat is one of the Bio-diversity hotspot and is wetest place in Maharashtra recieving rainfall about 750 cms. It has thick pristine forest around in which conditions are perfectly attained for the sustainance of several species of lesser fauna (insects, amphibians, reptiles).

Amboli-Map from maps.google.com

I definitely have very small knowledge about the lesser fauna and thus it was a perfect time to visit amboli ghat with gurus in this field and get started knowing these crucial creepy crawlies, there place in life cycle and food chain. I joined the tour arranged by Nature India. The trip was guided by Adesh Shivkar, Mandar Khadilkar, Zeeshan Mirza and Abhishek Narvekar.

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HIGHLIGHTS

During 3 days stay (4th-6th August) we came across the several number of snakes (total 18) including

• Green Vine Snake
• Malabar Pit Viper
• Bamboo Pit Viper.
• Cat Snake
• Bronze-backed Tree Snake
• Vitekars Sand Boa
• Travancor Wolf Snake

There were good number of amphibians including

• Malabar Gliding Frog,
• Amboli Toad,
• Narrow mouthed Frog,
• Bi-colored Frog
• Fungoid Frog,
• Common Indian Toad,
• Cricket Frog,
• Tree Frog (typewriter frog)
• Bull Frog.

Among Birds we could encounter

• Cylon Frogmouth (lifer for me)
• Yellow browed Bulbul
• Red Whiskered Bulbul
• Crimson Backed Sunbird
• Orange Headed Ground Thrush
• Grey Heade Bulbul (Call)
• Lorikeet (Call)
• Indian Schimitar Babbler (Call)

Yes, birds were seldom sighted due to thick forest canopy, constant rains and heavy fog, as however the trip was exclusively for reptiles and amphibians, so birds were bonus.

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The group reached to Amboli on 4th August 2011, in the afternoon around 1 oclock due to the delayed trains and stop at sawantwadi for breakfast. Very comfortable stay arrangement was made at the "Whistling Woods" resort of Mr. Hemant Ogale. Hemant himself is well known naturalist and photographer. He made a beautiful presentation on fauna of Amboli and Butterflies of India, the next day. It was the time for lunch and all of us headed to nearby restaurant. On the way very close to resort, Prakash saw a bird sitting quietly on a branch of tree near the road......that bird was a female of *Cylon Frogmouth*, what a lifer to start the trip.

Cylon Frogmouth (female)

After devouring the delicious konkani food, we were set out for the first trail towards Mahadevgadh. We could see the wrinkled frog's eggs deposited on the leaf of bushes hang over the flowing water streams.

The night trail was set towards the Shirgaonkar point, at the start just outside the resort, first Malabar pit viper was spotted. Also a Cat snake and Bronze backed tree snake....There were four snakes in just five minutes....at the end of trail, Adesh asked everybody to stop near a big rock and asked to switch off the torches, slowly the rock started glowing with green lights emitted by luminiferous fungii grown on the dead bush sticks. It was the most amazing experience admist a pitch dark wilderness.!

Fruits of Cobra Lily plant

Eggs of Wrinkled Frog

Next two days we covered the Parikshit point and trail towards Mahadevgad. Following are some the photographs taken during the trails.

Common Indian Toad

Green Vine Snake

Cat Snake

Cicada

Scorpian's weapon

Green Vine Snake climbing a tree

Green Vine Snake resting on the tree and its body coiled.

This spectacular sighting was made close to resort, the snake was coiled on the vertical branch and in position to attack on prey passing by, if any. It usually remains taking a position for long time, even for days and keeps on waiting till any prey passes by. This indicates how difficult is survival in the wild.

Bamboo Pit Viper - This was seen crossing a road during night trail.

Malabar Pit Viper - It is the same one on vertical branch, the next day it changed its position and was seen near to the location on a horizontal branch. These photographs have been thus taken without touching/handling the snake and hence are most rewarding for us.

Malabar Pit Viper

Malabar Pit Viper

Malabar Pit Viper

Malabar Gliding Frog

Malabar Gliding Frog

Malabar Gliding Frog

It is mating season for these frogs and they form a foam nest on leaves hanging over a calm water body. The tadpoles drop down from nest and fall into the water body below where they grow and move towards tree afterwards. The complete life stages of the Malabar Gliding Frog was explained by Mr. Hemant Ogle through his photographs and DSLR video recording of the process. We are very thankful to Hemant.

Bronze backed Tree Snake

Bronze backed Tree Snake

Mr. Zeeshan Mirza, is well known researcher, who has discovered/described several new species to science. He isn't yet sure about the exact sub-species ID of above snake. It is different from other Bronze-backed tree snakes that are found near Mumbai in respect to the color of the tongue, which is red as seen in above photograph.

Narrow Mouthed Frog

Amboli Toad

Bi-colored Frog

Wrinkled Frog

Many of the people in cities visit Amboli, to see the nearby waterfalls and enjoy the clouds and beautiful weather, we too enjoyed the rains and weather throughout our stay. The group leaders made it even much much more enjoyable through sharing their knowledge and passion about the wild creatures, which are less known.

These small creatures are Mother Nature's best creations. Take for instance a Malabar Pit Viper, which can sense 0.003 degree Celsius change of temperatures in its vicinity and thus sensing its prey. It keeps on waiting at the same place until a prey passes by. Take example of Malabar Gliding Frog, its coloration, size and sitting posture on the leaf makes it impossible to notice. The Frogs when in sufficient numbers, can consume all the mosquito larvae and there won't be a single mosquito. Yes and in fact there was not a mosquito bite in the thick, dark jungles of Amboli. Such facts overwhelms the mind and makes us to think and respect these smaller but amazingly wonderful lifeforms. We must note that only if we safeguard the wilderness, Nature will mercifully let us survive on this planet.