Nalsarovar (February 2022) - The Goose finally cooked

Most birds are pleasant, friendly souls, mostly willing to indulge the birdwatcher (or fast-trigger paparazzi). And then there are others that refuse to make an appearance, almost as a matter of principle, and that I respect. But the ones that get my goat are those I call my nemesis birds - who happily show themselves to all and sundry but refuse to humour me; my legendary (losing) battles with the Black-faced Laughingthrush are a case in point. And when it happens with rare migrant visitors, it really hurts the ego - as a Red-breasted Goose threatened to do over the last year or so.

Early February 2021 and the Indian birdwatcher circuit was set afire by the Alvani brothers (Latif and Kamruddin - naturalists extraordinaire) with the news of a super-rare vagrant a Red-breasted Goose being spotted with a flock of Bar-headed Geese. A rare bird is always a welcome addition and so we made a quick dash last year but in vain (more on that here) Said Goose then promptly legged it and there was no guarantee that it would return. And Latif had confidently told me that he would show me the bird in Nalsarovar the following season. I was less confident, but amazingly the bird did return.

Early in December, it was sighted again, but this time in the Little Rann of Kutch, about 70kms from Nalsarovar. We decided to wait and watch for a couple of weeks, but that extended to 7 weeks because of travel, family commitments and then Covid. I was champing at the bit for my Covid quarantine to end and just drive out not just for the Goose but also a rare Marbled Duck that had arrived. And so, Sriram and I set off one Friday evening, driving overnight to rendezvous with Latif over a steaming cup of tea from the now familiar tea stall at the place they all call 'chokdi' (crossroads)

The plan was for first course to be Duck, followed by Goose for afternoon tea. We took a rowboat to a small island in the middle of the lake where the duck was usually sighted. Nalsarovar only has rowboats steered with bamboo poles (not conventional oars) - because it is really shallow, (only 5 feet deep in most places) and the bed is full of thick weeds. Huge respect for these boatmen who work really hard to not just pull heavy boats over long distances but also expertly manoeuvre the unwieldy boat (with just a bamboo pole) to get their birder guests into good photo-worthy positions.We stepped onto the island and ambled about while Latif and Kamruddin set out to find the Duck, keeping well clear of a herd of resting buffalos. And then our eyes fell on some movement in the thorny bush just ahead - it was a Delicate Prinia. 

We spent a few pleasant minutes getting photos of this bird till Latif called and said the duck had been spotted. We hurried along to the spot, only to find that it had vanished. It played hide and seek for an hour till it finally settled at its usual spot, alongside some Common Teals. We all lay prone on the ground, slowly crawling forward to get closer, stopping to take pictures from time to time. Just when it looked like the birds would allow us to get within a good distance, they suddenly all took flight. We looked around, bemused, and realised that someone from Kamruddin's party had decided to sit up. Just like that. No wonder the poor birds got spooked! Anyways, that was the end of the morning.

The afternoon was reserved for 'The' Goose in the Little Rann. So after a lovely (as always) lunch at Khodiyar Dhaba, we headed with Latif, to meet with Sadik, the local guide there. Only f to hear that the Goose hadn't been seen for a couple of days. Spirits down, but still hopeful, we launched a hunt in all the Goose's favourite territories, with no luck. Latif deduced that the Goose would have headed to Thol Lake, another waterbody about 40kms away and we decided to check that out the next morning.

Our evening was salvaged by a Greater White-fronted Goose and a couple of eagles. As we drove along, on the far side of a stream, we saw an amazing sight. Two eagles, of different species, sitting side by side. One was a huge Imperial Eagle and the other was a much smaller Indian Spotted Eagle. Curious, we stopped to watch this strange camaraderie. It turned out that the friendship was an uneasy one - the smaller eagle had made a Lapwing kill and was sitting on it when the Imperial descended to make a steal. And that's how they both were sitting so close, one leg each on the prize.

Eventually, the Indian Spotted eagle was no match for its larger adversary and it abandoned its hard earned kill. The Imperial polished it off in a few minutes, stared at us, as if to gloat and then flew off, no doubt to spend a pleasant hour or so digesting its meal. Our wait to catch the Goose would endure because we had to head back to Mumbai that evening, since Sriram had a sudden meeting come up the following day. So no Goose once again. And to make it worse, Latif told us the next day that it was indeed seen in Thol! And then he vanished for a couple of days. Only to surface at Nalsarovar this time! If ever this was a moment to use the eye-roll emoji, it was this one.

But I wasn't going to give up. I had to cook this goose. And so the next weekend, I set out again. This time with birder friend and ace photographer Dipen in tow.  We drove again through the night and like the last time, began the morning with some decent images of the Marbled Duck. And as we set off to another part of the lake for the Goose, we got a call that a Barbary Falcon was seen in its usual spot. And we made a U-turn, made it just in time to get a few photos and then went back to main course.  We got on to a boat at the far side of the lake (35kms away) and rowed to where there was a flock of Bar-headed Geese. And to my immense relief, a Red-breasted fellow amongst them. They were far and the light was harsh, but it was good enough just to sight this rare vagrant. With no chance of them getting closer, we headed to get lunch.

Post lunch, we came back for another go at better photos of the goose. we didn't manage to get any closer and so we just let it be in peace. And headed to check out one more local rarity - the Namaqua Dove. Another of those that just turned up to be discovered by Latif and Co. No one still knows where they came from, though there are some murmurs of them being escapees from a private 'zoo'. Whatever their origin, they have bred and now there are six that inhabit a small portion of the vast scrub around the lake. We got one handsome male feeding on the ground and loosed off a few photos in good light.

And that ended a frantic couple of weekends. What I gave up in terms of sleep, I more than got back in the form of a couple of super lifers. But hey, that's a birders life, right?

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 'rare' 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.

Guides

Look no further than Latif Alvani or his brother Kamruddin, fantastic guides and lovely human beings. Latif
and his family pretty much cover off the guiding in that area. You can reach him on +91 91065 21394

Where to stay

There are a few places to stay in Nalsarovar and a couple of new ones coming up. Om Sanctuary is one where we stayed in and it was very comfortable. Latif can help you with your stay arrangements.

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. For a meal Khodiyar is 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.

Red-naped Shaheen (Barbary Falcon)

Imperial Eagle with kill

Slender-billed Gull

Ruddy Shelduck

Brown-headed Gull

Saswad (December 2021) - The many moods of a Pallid Harrier

It was the second weekend of a pleasant December, normally a birding trip nearby would happen without a second thought. But this time it was fraught with doubt - should we risk it? After all Covid was still around (this was before the third wave) And then we decided to just do it, and so, early one Saturday morning, Sriram and I set off to the welcoming scrublands of Saswad near Pune. Joining us was the ever-enthusiastic Vishal Mane, good friend and resident expert of the area.

We picked up Vishal from his Pune home and crossed over the Dive Ghat into Saswad. And as we hit the open scrub, Vishal expertly led us through some of his favourite paths. We were just happy to be there, any birds would be a real bonus. But it was to be a bonus day... sitting at the edge of a slope, staring into the valley beneath was a beautiful male Pallid Harrier. A stunning bird if ever there was one and I was keen to get a good photo, having had only average long-distance frames of this bird. So we stayed far away and let him get on with his morning reflection. And slowly got the vehicle close enough to get a decent photo, still at a respectful distance.

If we'd worried about him flying off, we were well off the mark. For our friend chose that morning to display the full gamut of Pallid Harrier emotions over the next 20 minutes or so. He went from meditative to poser, from hunt mode to navel gazing... all figurative of course. 

So what follows is a little compilation of the many moods of a Pallid Harrier.

Should I go for my morning walk?

Naah... I think I'll just pose for you

Still in alert mode, mind you!

Look at my duck impersonation!

Need to do some introspection, find who I really am

How do you like my angelic face?

OK, hold on, don't publish the last one.
I have a reputation to protect.

Go away! I can't believe I was suckered into this photoshoot

And by the way we also saw a beautiful Chinkara and a stunning Long-billed pipit to make it a very fine day indeed. Shows that while birds are always welcome, just being in the open is often enough to refresh the soul. Here's to many more such trips.

Bhigwan (Dec 2021) - 'Bean' there, done that!

The word 'vagrant' holds a very special place in the heart of every birdwatcher. For, quite unlike the dictionary definition of homeless wanderers, a vagrant in birdwatcher parlance means a rare visitor who is gracing a new part of the world with his/her presence. And the news of a vagrant sends birdwatching communities into a flutter. And that's exactly what happened when the birding hotspot of Bhigwan near Pune reported sightings of a Taiga Bean Goose. Flocks of birders descended on the said waterbody, sometimes outnumbering the birds in the lake itself!!

Not to be left out, yours truly and keen birdwatcher friends (Sriram, Dipen and Nissim) set out early one morning for Bhigwan, to rendezvous with Umesh Salle, a resident bird expert and naturalist. After a lovely breakfast of hot poha and tea, we clambered on to one of Umesh's boats and set out to find the Goose. And a pair of parked boats soon told us where it was, on a nearby shore in a field, with a flock of Bar-headed Geese. We manoeuvred our boat into position against a bund and watched the geese feed, with special focus on the rare visitor.

The Bean Goose itself seemed to be quite at home, far away from its Northern home. It probably flew in with the Bar-headed flock, maybe getting on the wrong airwaves as a mixed flock of Bean + Bar-headed Geese exited their Taiga breeding sites for warmer winter locations. The change in climate and diet seemed to do it no harm at all, as it busily fed on all that Bhigwan had to offer. It also seemed to be at ease with its Bar-headed companions, and even dominate them, as evidenced by a couple of spats, no doubt over a particularly delicious item on the menu. We took our time observing this communal feeding behaviour for a bit and then turned our attention to some of the other birds on offer.

A White-browed Wagtail competed for attention, perching right in front of us on the bund, demanding attention. A Common Hawk-cuckoo perched on an overhead wire and a smallish (unidentifiable) raptor on another wire quite far away. All this without moving an inch from our spot. With the Goose moving further away, most likely to explore more succulent items on the buffet, we decided to take a little spin around Bhigwan lake. 

Grey Heron

One of the most defining features of Bhigwan are the Grey Herons. They preen and pose and are always a wonderful sight. This time too, we had some lovely sightings of multiple birds. Added to that was a juvenile Brahminy Kite sunning itself, a bush full of Little and Indian Cormorants, some Eurasian Coots gently lazing about in the water and a couple of Whiskered Terns taking a break on some floating debris in the water. All this made for an idyllic half hour and the cool breeze, coupled with pretty much no sleep, gently lulled us into a few minutes of shut-eye. Only until we spotted a Brown-headed Gull catching (and making a meal of) breakfast. 

That was followed by a Eurasian Spoonbill busily walking this way and that, probably contemplating his breakfast menu. A distant sighting of an Osprey added to the morning as we headed back for one final dekko at the Goose. We found it in the water this time, swimming with some others in the flock. After walking and then swimming, it showed us that it could also fly, returning to finish an unfinished breakfast in the field. We let it (and the other Geese) feed in peace, said hello to a resting Black-eared kite and made our way back to Umesh's place. Further fortified with more tea and fruit, we bade goodbye to him and Bhigwan, with a prayer for more vagrants to visit, preferably all the time!

Bhigwan trip Guide

About Bhigwan

Located just off the Pune-Solapur highway (NH9), Bhigwan is  around 250 Kms from Mumbai and 100kms from Pune, the nearest Airport and Metro. It's a spectacular spot for waders in winter; it has many special winter migrants but the visitors mainly come there for its flamingos. 

Lately it also started reporting good sightings of Indian Grey Wolf and Striped Hyenas in some seasons.

Naturalists/Guides

Sandip Nagare is one of the early experts and bird guides based in Kumbhargaon village. He arranges boats, stay, food and guides. You can reach him on +91 9960610615. 

Umesh Salle is an excellent guide, also based around Kumbhargaon. You can reach him on +91 9960879356

Brown Headed Gull

Eurasian Spoonbill

Grey Heron

Juvenile Brahminy Kite

Bar Headed Goose

Taiga Bean Goose

Black-eared Kite

Taiga Bean Goose