Nalsarovar (Jan 2020) - This place keeps on giving!

The area around Nalsarovar in Gujarat is as unlikely a birding hotspot is is possible to be. It is not the classical rich habitat like the Himalayan foothills or the Western Ghats. Neither is it a classical aquatic paradise like some of the other places. It is one large waterbody (which yields all the usual migrant species) and a lot of scrub and cultivation around. And in these environs, the skill and industry of Latif Alvani and his fellow naturalists throws up some unbelievable birds. Almost every few months, they conjure up a rare bird or three. After the Little Bittern, this time it was a Red-naped Shaheen or Barbary Falcon that he dug out.

After hemming and hawing for a few days, we set out for Ahmedabad on our usual red-eye special. This time, we would have more company; friends and ace photographers Aravind and Ram from Chennai. What was going to be a trip to Mumbai for the Forest Owlet was hijacked into a trip to Ahmedabad. And we all headed to rendezvous with Latif early in the morning, but not before filling up on some awesome jalebi-fafda at our usual spot. Early morning fortification always makes for a great day's birding! With Latif in tow, we headed to the spot to wait for the Falcon. And, being a Saturday, there were a fair number of people with the same idea, birders from far and wide wished to make their acquaintance with this sibling of the Peregrine Falcon. The only problem? A big bank of clouds that appeared from nowhere to mess this up completely.

Red-headed Bunting

Nevertheless, we birders are made of sterner(?) stuff and a few clouds would not deter us or dampen our spirits. As long as it didn't rain of course! And so we waited till the star of the show made an appearance, but he was in a skittish mood and led us a bit of a merry dance. He then disappeared for a bit before returning with a lark kill. He proceeded to polish it off and then pushed off himself, for a  well-earned post breakfast rest no doubt. We'd got some average photos in poor light, but to see this beauty itself was a treat in itself. There were other specialities in store that day, so we moved on to them. And there was some frantic activity in the bushes near the falcon spot, right next to the road. A closer look confirmed that they were Red and Black Headed Buntings. Always a treat to get these beauties. We snapped a few quick ones and headed on because we had some other specialities waiting.

Black-headed Bunting

Common Ringed Plover

We tried for the Sociable Lapwings, a bit half-heartedly, I must admit because our focus was on something else. We were en route to get the rare Common Ringed Plover, a true oxymoron if ever there was one. On the way, Aravind and the others went to get some pictures of the resident Saruses while I rested my poor aching foot. And then we headed 35 kms away to the fringes of Nalsarovar Lake, where Latif and Co had spotted the Plovers. We got into a rather fragile looking contraption that masqueraded as a boat, but Latif was confident and that was good enough for us. We passed by a rather co-operative Small Pratincole who gave us good pictures, followed by a White-tailed Lapwing. And then we saw a couple of little birds flitting about at the edge of the water; they were a bit far and the mid-day haze made the sighting not ideal, but it was the plovers! We took a long and circuitous route around that little island and disembarked. And then it was all of us on all fours and then on our stomachs as we crawled to get closer to the birds without spooking them. And we did manage some decent photos, given the really tricky light. Once we'd had our fill of bird, we realised that we still needed to eat! Stomachs growling in protest, we hastened back to land and then onwards to the delightful little dhaba where we pigged to our hearts content.

Job done, we drove around trying to look for a couple of the other local interest items, Black-breasted Weavers, Sandgrouse and a couple of other Warblers. We got the Weaver and then decided it was time to mount another (photographic) assault on our friend the Falcon. We went back to the spot and waited. And waited. And waited some more. And then he came, with another kill. The light wasn't perfect, so we slowly tried to move into position, when another vehicle got just that little trigger happy and our friend didn't seem to like it. He legged it and we waited again. The light started to fade and so did our hopes. And then, on a whim, I asked Latif to check in the trees a little further down. And lo! there was our friend, without a victim this time. Light was a challenge yet again (a recurring theme that day) but we exited Nalsarovar with a memorable sighting of a couple of really rare 'uns.

And for that I shall remain eternally grateful. To this wonderful place that keeps throwing up these special birds and also to Latif, ever-smiling and ever-willing to help.

Can't wait for this situation to blow over and get that next call from him. Till then we wait in hope.

Nalsarovar Lake Trip Guide

Nalsarovar Lake is a 120 sq. km. lake that sits between Central Gujarat and Saurashtra. Declared a Ramsar site in 2012, it is one of the finest wetland habitats in Western India and home to thousands of migratory birds in the winter. 
However, a lot of the birding happens outside the waterbody itself. And a superb guide like Latif knows all the spots.

How to get there

Ahmedabad (approx. 65 kms, 1 1/2 hours) is the closest metro, airport and large rail-head. Sanand (now a virtual satellite of Ahmedabad) is the closest town. Cars can easily be hired at Ahmedabad for the drive to Nalsarovar.

Where to stay

Again, your best option would be to stay in Ahmedabad and maybe make a day trip to Nalsarovar. As Gujarat's commercial hub, the city has a superb variety of accommodation to suit every budget. 

There is also a resort at Nalsarovar itself now. Though we didn't stay there, we did a tour of the place and it seemed quite clean and nice.

Guides

Look no further than Latif, a fantastic guide and lovely human being. He and his family pretty much cover off the guiding in that area. You can reach him on +91 91065 21394

Food

At the wetland, the Parking lot has a small snack bar which has chips and biscuits. The village nearby has some snack stalls along the highway. Latif took us to an excellent dhaba with some delicious local food, which has now become a default on every trip.

Other tips
Nalsarovar can also be combined with a trip to the Little Rann of Kutch, barely 70kms away. The road from Ahmedabad is common up to Sanand, so those going to the Rann can easily make a day stop on the way.

Lonavala (Feb 2020) - Quest-ral?

The hill-station of Lonavala nestles within the Sahyadris, at a comfortable driving distance from both Mumbai and Pune. Usually a destination for picnics and family outings, it made its debut on the must-visit destination list for birders only in 2019. And all that was thanks to one bird - The Lesser Kestrel, a small bird of prey from the falcon family. While this bird is a regular winter visitor to the country, sightings and wintering spots are not always reliable. A small flock had apparently collected in the backwaters of a dam in Lonavala last winter, but only a select few were 'in' on the location. This year, thanks to a kindly birder friend, a lot many more people got to see this splendid bird.

One Sunday afternoon, Sriram and I drove out to record our attendance with the Kestrel. A comfortable two hour drive and we were at the dam, given precise instructions on where to find the birds by friends who'd been there earlier. We saw them at once, but hovering and flying and not anywhere close to landing on the ground. And we waited, drove around a bit trying to track different individuals, but an hour or so passed without any luck. We both had a good look at the birds through the binoculars so that was good, but the photo ops were not forthcoming.

Until a fellow birder and kindly soul, Ronit Dutta let us in on a little secret. One sub-adult bird always perches on a group of rocks at the far side of the dam at a particular time. And, thanking him profusely, we slowly headed there, and found said bird perched very kindly on a rock. He gave us some nice pictures and we waited with him for the light to get a little better. He then allowed us, crawling on our stomachs, to get reasonably close and get some decent photos. Satisfied, we left the bird in peace and drove around, trying to scout for the lone male, in the hope that he too descends for this photo session. But he proved elusive, though his cousin, a Common Kestrel proved far more amenable to having his picture taken. 

Having got our pictures, we both called it an early evening and headed back home; happy to spend some quality time with the Lesser Kestrel but awaiting the next season to come back and get the male.

Lonavala Trip Guide

Getting there

Lonavala is about 90kms from Mumbai by road and about 2 1/2 hours by train (65 kms and 1 1/2 hours by train from Pune) It's easy to reach from either city thanks to the Mumbai-Pune expressway. This particular spot is at the Tata Dam, once it dries up in winter. 

Stay

Being a hill-station, Lonavala has plenty of places to stay across budgets and forms, from large hotels to villas on hire. It's a comfortable day trip from both Mumbai and Pune so stay is a need only if you're planning to spend a weekend there.

Desert National Park (Feb 2020) - Desert. Not Deserted.

The might Thar desert in Northwestern India, is a force of nature, covering about 170,000 square kilometres. The word desert immediately conjures up images of barren and desolate terrain with scarcely any life forms. Desolate it might be, but this desert plays host to an incredible array of wildlife; bird, reptile or mammal (beyond the stereotypical-but-uncommon-in-the-wild ship of the desert) Most critically, this is the last refuge for the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard; fewer than 200 hold out within and around the 3000 square kilometre Desert National Park, somehow withstanding mankind's assault on their breeding grounds. To think this bird was in the running to be our national bird less than 60 years ago!

The challenge is compounded by the the Bustard's notoriously fussy breeding habits, unlike, say the tiger, who is a reasonably prolific reproducer, given the opportunity. Every Bustard egg and chick are priceless and all our hopes are pinned on the Forest Department's efforts to revitalise the population. More power to them!

The Bustard was of course a priority, but there were several other avian denizens that were on the wish-list here (resident and visitor) and a last minute plan somehow fell into place this February with Jay, Sriram and yours truly being led by the fantastic Musa Khan, expert on all matters avian (and otherwise) in that area. Arriving at Jaisalmer, I reflected on my last trip there a full 18 years ago, where I was pure tourist and zero birder. This time it would be just the reverse. And things just came full circle.

Arriving at Camp Banjara (our abode for the next couple of days) we quickly had a simple yet sumptuous lunch and headed out with Musa in an open gypsy. Ah, the joys of viewing (and photographing) wildlife in an open vehicle! First in focus was the Bustard (godawan in the local language) of course but before that, a lovely Black-crowned Sparrow-lark and then a false alarm. A flock of Sandgrouse settled in front of our vehicle and, noticing black on their bellies, we proclaimed them to be the rare Black-bellied species, justifiably we all thought. Musa put paid to that dream by gently point out that the more common Chestnut-bellied species also sport black bellies. Just when you thought you'd figured out birds! 


A short while later, our luck finally turned. In the middle of a lush, green, field, Musa spotted some activity. At first we could only see the neck and the head, but it was a Bustard all right. And to his right, there was another. And another. And we'd set eyes on 2% of the total global population! We waited patiently and two of them came reasonably close and gave us acceptable photos. And then we left them in peace and headed onwards, in search of more lifers. And we got a couple of Desert Larks foraging next to the road. Add in an Isabelline Shrike and another Black-crowned Sparrow Lark in good light and our first session ended very well indeed.

Common Buzzard

We had a full next day to find the rest of our targets; the only fly in the ointment was Netsi pond drying up, meaning our chances of getting Water & Buff-bellied Pipits and the much-coveted Greater Hoopoe Lark were all but over. But there was enough and more elsewhere and we set out with a lot of hope. And the desert didn't disappoint, throwing up great photo opps for Long-legged & Common Buzzards and then a beautiful Tawny Eagle who allowed us to get really close. Then we got two different vulture species (Cinereous and Griffon) having a bit of tete-a-tete. Vultures usually are not associated with good looks, but the Cinereous is an absolutely handsome bird. Don't believe me, just look at the fella on the right in the photo below...

Red-tailed Wheatear

The extended morning session continued with lovely sightings of Red-tailed Wheatears, more Desert Larks and an Asian Desert Warbler who just wanted to be photographed. But the icing on the proverbial dessert was laid on when we headed back to camp; we were feeling a bit low because the Trumpeter Finches kept eluding us, and then Musa saw something flying above the jeep and he said "Finch". And given that the only Finches in the area are of the Trumpeter variety, that word meant a lot to us. And the finches obliged by perching on a rocky outcrop for a couple of minutes. The mid-day light was harsh so the photos were mere records, but we were elated to just see this magnificent little bird. And lunch definitely tasted far better after that!

Cream Coloured Courser

The Trumpeter was the focus bird for the afternoon, and we headed to a waterhole which they frequent. Only to find it completely occupied by a herd of cattle. This bovine invasion was a serious spanner in our works; with so many large animals around, there was no way the finches would come to drink. Musa coaxed them cows to exit and no sooner had they stepped away than a couple of finches and a flock of larks came up to drink. We were just lining up a couple of good photos when a non-cooperative member of the cattle union decided to pay a visit. And said birds hastily legged it. And we had no option but to drive on and look in other places. Those other places threw up a spectacular feast, making the afternoon probably the most rewarding few hours I've spent in a long time. We started off searching for Cream-coloured Coursers, only for them to elude Musa's eagle eye. Until Jay spotted a bird right next to our jeep. And it led us to a whole flock, not more than 100 metres away. And we got some good photos of this beautiful bird. Our appetites whetted, we drove on for more.

Laggar Falcon

A cluster of jeeps indicated more good fortune. On a branch of a dead tree sat a beautiful Laggar Falcon. Eager to impress us, he flew down to perch on a mound and pose for his portfolio photos in beautiful light. And as he flew off, we caught another lifer in the background; a bunch of Punjab Ravens clustered around something. We approached them slowly and realised that they were ambushing a Spiny-tailed Lizard. The poor reptile probably stayed too far from his burrow and the Ravens immediately took their chance. It was cruel to watch, but then this is nature and we had no right to interfere with it. We left the lizard and Ravens to their fate and moved further on. And the evening would throw up another mini-lifer before we shut shop. A Variable Wheatear of the Capistrata race popped on a fence near us, leading us to fantasise about it being a super-rare Finsch's Wheatear. Alas it was still a Variable, but a beautiful bird nonetheless.

We didn't have too much time on the last morning so we were at a loose end on what to do. Musa suggested we visit a nearby waterhole and take a chance with the Trumpeters. Meanwhile, we got a lifer at the camp itself; a Plain Leaf Warbler busily flitted from bush to tree in an early morning frenzy of activity. Though photography was not really possible, we got some records of this little bird, one more to the list. And then we drove to the waterhole, only to find it completely dry. He suggested (with less conviction) another waterhole by the main road and that's where we found ourselves a short while later, with only pigeons for company.

Trumpeter Finch

A few minutes later, I saw a couple of birds land on a rocky outcrop a little ahead of us. And I pointed them out to Musa, who uttered the magic word "Trumpeter". And this time, there were no cows to keep them away from their portfolio shoot. We waited for the birds to come closer and one of them came to a lovely perch not too far from us and gave us some good photos in beautiful morning light. I'm absolutely in love with these gorgeous little birds, and they were kind enough to give me some photographic mementos that I can preserve and treasure. Job done, we headed back for breakfast and then onwards to Jodhpur for our flights.

Spectacular though this trip was, there's still unfinished business in the Desert. The Hoopoe Lark continues to elude, and that, along with the Black-bellied Sandgrouse, beckons. Here's to next time.

Desert National Park Trip Guide

Getting there

The Desert National Park, located in Western Rajasthan is accessed by the historical city of Jaisalmer, a tourist hotspot in itself. Jaisalmer is connected via air from Mumbai, Delhi and Jaipur. The other airport to access Jaisalmer is Jodhpur (280 kms, 5 hours) where we took our return flight from.

The other option is the train, with trains from Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur and Jodhpur.

Stay

Being a tourist hotspot, Jaisalmer and the area around Sam have several stay options, ranging from the comfortable to the super-luxury. We stayed about 25 kms from Sam, at the comfortable Camp Banjara; decent rooms and good, simple vegetarian food.

Naturalists

Musa Khan is one of the best there is. His knowledge of the area and birds is nothing short of astonishing, especially given he's only been doing this for a few years. He's got an open Gypsy as well, making photography even more rewarding. You can reach him on +91 9929663413

Bird List

1. Great Indian Bustard
2. Black-crowned Sparrow Lark
3. Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse
4. Collared Dove
5. Laughing Dove
6. Asian Desert Warbler
7. Lesser Whitethroat
8. Isabelline Shrike
9. Desert Wheatear
10. Variable Wheatear (Picata, Capistrata and Opistholeuca sub-species)
11. Isabelline Wheatear
12. Great Grey Shrike
13. Greater Short-toed Lark
14. Desert Lark
15. Lesser Short-toed Lark
16. Egyptian Vulture
17. Common Buzzard
18. Common Kestrel
19. Red-vented Bulbul
20. White-eared Bulbul
21. House Crow
22. Common House Sparrow
23. Green Bee-eater
24. Long-legged Buzzard
25. Common Buzzard
26. Tawny Eagle
27. Steppe Eagle
28. Cinereous Vulture
29. Griffon Vulture
30. Red-tailed Wheatear
31. Trumpeter Finch
32. Tawny Pipit
33. Black Drongo
34. Indian Silverbill
35. Desert Whitethroat
36. Cream Coloured Courser
37. Laggar Falcon
38. Punjab Raven
39. Plain Leaf Warbler
40. Spotted Redshank

Hampi (October 2019) Birding in Ruins

The magnificent ruins of Hampi in Northern Karnataka house the remnants of the legendary Vijayanagara empire. And that is the sole reason why most tourists from far and wide throng the ruined palaces and temples. And then there are others like me who have one more reason to visit. Birds. For there is a bird species found amidst Hampi's rocky outcrops that is seldom found elsewhere; the enigmatic Yellow-throated Bulbul. And when a family and friends trip was planned post Diwali, the double lure of ruins plus birds was too good to pass up. There's also bears around Hampi, but that would have to happen another time.

And so one balmy October morning saw a busload of people descend on the Shiv Vilas palace, about 40 kms from Hampi, our abode for the next few days. After a couple of good ones followed by an excellent meal, we turned in for the night, ready for the ruins the next day. But I had a date much earlier in the morning. With Pompayya Malemath, Hampi's legendary bird-man. He's been making things happen for birders for as long back as I can remember and it was a privilege to make his acquaintance. 

Painted Spurfowl

While the Yellow-throated Bulbul was the piece-de-resistance, he whetted my appetite with some 'hide' birding for some of the more common species first up. Ashy-crowned Sparrow Larks, Grey Francolin and some Indian Silverbills all provided some good entertainment upfront, till the star of the hide showed up - the Painted Spurfowl. This gorgeous star wasn't in the mood to indulge me that morning as he skulked about in the shadows. A mongoose's unwelcome arrival also threw a spanner in the works as said thespian quickly beat a hasty retreat, life obviously being more valuable than a portfolio. And while I assumed that was that, a lifer suddenly popped into view; a Yellow-billed Babbler. This commoner had always eluded me and to get it here, when I least expected it, was delightful to say the least. I gratefully clicked a few frames as Pompayya came to remind me about main course.

We drove to the famed ruins, and directly to the only 'live' temple there, the magnificent Virupaksha temple. I'd assumed Pompayya wanted me to see the temple before we headed to the Bulbul spot. But little did I know that the area around temple was actually where the bulbul took up residence! And so we walked the rocky area around the mighty Virupaksha hoping to sight one of the rarest of all birds found in India. And sight we did. Almost immediately. But photography was another challenge altogether.

That morning, the Yellow-throated Bulbul was in a strange mood. Sometimes, photographers call it the 'against the light' mood. Over the next hour or so, Pompayya painstakingly conjured up at least 10 different individuals. But almost all of them decided to perch at spots directly against the morning sun. Now having the bird situated between you and Lord Surya makes for the most challenging of situations for a quality photo. And so, we waited and prayed. For one co-operative bird who would come and perch in good light. In the meantime we got some sighters of other birds, including a Blue-faced Malkoha, unfortunately without any photos.

Back to the Bulbul-hunt and after many futile quests, one fine specimen of his species finally decided to oblige. He emerged from his hiding place in the thick foliage and perched on a large rocky outcrop. Not the most ideal of frames again, since I had the sky as a backdrop, but I was going to look no gift horse in the mouth. Sky in the background or not, I loosed off a few frames, grateful to have this wonderful bird out in the open and in good light. The light was turning really harsh I was running out of hope to get another shot at this bird.

That's when another of his ilk decided to also bestow a favour or two. He perched in some light on the branch of a tree and while it was no means a great perch or background, it still allowed me to get a decent shot of the bird. And those two frames pretty much made my morning. Now for the real reason why I was in Hampi, a visit to the spectacular ruins and temples. But Pompayya wasn't done with me yet; he had another surprise up his sleeve.The Indian Eagle Owl is a spectacular bird of prey; it is regal, beautiful and fierce looking, all at the same time. And it's always a joy to see one. So when Pompayya asked if I'd be interested, it took me less than a nano-second to reply in the affirmative. And we set out alongside a canal, looking at the mud-banks for signs of this bird for it usually roosts in the grasses and roots of the trees along the mud banks. One worrying sign was the evidence of the authorities concretising the sides of the canal, thus denying the Owls their roosting spots. Such is 'development' I guess.

We saw the first of our Owls quietly perched amidst some grass under the shade of a tree. He was awake and very aware of our presence. And we waited at a respectful distance and took some record pictures. And then a passing truck threw everything off gear as he decided to honk just as he passed us. And that was enough for the owl as he hastily legged (winged?) it. He went further ahead and sat in the shade of a bush as a pitstop and then found himself a much better roosting spot in the tall branches of a shady tree. We left him at peace and returned back to Hampi and the aforementioned temples and ruins. Prefaced with some delectable idlis on the idyllic banks of the Tungabhadra for breakfast.

All in all, a wonderful morning's work.

Hampi Trip Guide

Getting there

Hampi, located in Northern Karnataka is not as well connected as you'd expect it to be. The nearest airport is at Ballari (60kms away) which hosts a single flight to Bangalore every day. The other option is Hubli (164 kms - 4 hours) which also has very limited connections.

Bengaluru is the nearest metro, with the airport being a cool 350 kms away (7 hours at the least)

Hospet (13 kms) is the closest town and rail-head in case you'd like to take that route.

Stay

There are several stay options in and around Hampi, ranging from the comfortable to the super-luxury. We stayed about 40 kms away at the charming Shiv Vilas Palace Hotel in Sandur, a wonderful property with excellent service.

Naturalists

The master of the area is the incomparable Pompayya Malemath. He's a legend, knows the area better than anyone else around and is also a wonderful person. There is no argument here, if he's free and available, look no further. You can reach him on +91 9449136252.