Valley Park (Feb 2021) - Rush for the Thrush

Every so often, the bird gods smile on the city of Mumbai, usually on its more verdant satellite cities. And the township of Navi Mumbai almost always throws up a delicious surprise or two every season. And this year, it was the turn of Green Valley Park, a beautiful city-forest tucked away in the well planned and leafy suburb of Belapur. The forest itself is no stranger to birds, hosting a staggering number of 50+ species in its half a square kilometre expanse. For me, the target here was the Tickell's Thrush a regular winter visitor. And one more of those who eluded me despite offering sightings to practically everyone else that I know!

And this year too, a couple of trips in January were lovely, but yielded no Thrush sightings; no Tickell's Thrush to be precise, we did see its Orange-headed relative. And I continued to marvel (and chafe in equal measure) at others' photos of the Tickell's, one particular social media post caught the whole city (and beyond) by storm. Mayuresh Khatavkar, a resident expert and very well regarded birder, posted a photo of an Eyebrowed Thrush from Valley Park. And the city's birders, lulled into inertia by lingering lockdowns, suddenly reacquainted themselves with their respective mojos. It was almost as if Mayuresh's discovery had re-opened the floodgates of birding optimism for this part of the country.

And here, unlike other un-cooperative birders mentioned in earlier posts, the people who first sighted the bird had given clear, explicit instructions on where to find it. The true, generous spirit of community birding! And so, Sriram and I found ourselves, early one morning, in the company of nearly 30 other, masked birders in Valley Park. The location - a couple of water troughs kept alongside the walking track. We all sat down there with our cameras even as bemused morning walkers trotted along at regular intervals.

We saw the Eyebrowed almost as soon as we sat down, it was in poor light and within the leaf litter. But hey, we'd seen it! We then waited for a couple of hours but it didn't make an appearance. The Orange-headed Thrush came by a couple of times to keep us interested. And then we had to leave. Later, we heard that the bird had come out about half an hour after we left. And so, we decided to come back again the following day. And this time, we came with more time in our pockets. And this time we waited. And before the Eyebrowed came along, guess what I got? A Tickell's Thrush! A male and a female came in turn, trotted about around the water trough and gave me my first sightings!

And a female Indian Blackbird joined in the retinue as well as the Orange-headed Thrushes. Spirits lifted, the wait for the Eyebrowed Thrush became infinitely more tolerable. And when it did come to the water, a hush fell upon the assembled throng, followed by the machine-gun like firing of camera shutters. So what's so special about this bird? Nothing really apart from the fact that it is a winter visitor to the North East of India from its breeding grounds in the taiga and dense coniferous much further north (Siberia, Mongolia and Japan) Even in its wintering grounds, it is not a very easy bird to get so to get one as far our as Mumbai was an unbelievable event!

Post the first sighting, a significant proportion of the throng evacuated, no doubt for more productive pursuits. But, being a weekend morning, we stayed put. And were rewarded with a lovely sighting around half an hour later. Not just around the water, this time, the bird posed on a branch, then on the ground in the open, and finally around the water trough. Less than a week in front of the cameras and he'd already become a model!! Finally sated, we wrapped up and had a pleasant drive back home. It was not just this bird, it was three really good species for all of us; Sriram, me and my daughter. Her first thrush was an Eyebrowed Thrush - beat that if you can!!

Over the next week, I went again, this time with dear friend Nissim Kanekar who made the trip up from Pune. Happily, he too got some great photos and left with his memory card quite full!

And here's to Valley Park, the wonderful people who look after it, the local birders there who are always welcoming and to the extended birder community in our part of the country, always happy to share their find with the larger group. May their tribe increase!

Valley Park Trip Guide

Green Valley Park straddles the Navi Mumbai suburbs of Belapur and Khargar, and is just off the Mumbai Pune highway, less than 50kms from South Mumbai.

It is a beautiful city forest, well maintained and a source of pride for the locals, their green lung and walking paradise.

It has an amazing variety of birds, from the aforementioned Thrushes and Blackbirds (winter visitors) to other resident species of Flycatcher, Spurfowl, Sunbirds and so many more. A must-visit especially during the winter.

How to get there:

Green Valley Park is just off the Mumbai Pune Highway, turn left at the CBD Belapur exit, left again and then drive straight down till you hit the beautiful, leafy lane which houses the Park

Mumbai is the closest Airport and Major Rail Head. Belapur Railway Station (2.2km) is the closest suburban train station

Other tips

Carry water and some snacks - while there are shops and restaurants, they're about a kilometre or so away, so you do need something to munch while you're waiting for the birds.

Within the park, there are many places to spot birds, in the bushes or leaf litter on either side of the road, or alongside a dried up stream further into the park. Either way, you'll know where the birds are from the birdwatchers who regularly visit, Thrush or no Thrush!