Pench Tiger(/Bird) Reserve, MP

Pench Tiger Reserve, MP 13th - 15th May 2016

Day 1 - Evening, route 1

• Bird list
• Mammal List

Day 2 - Morning, route 1

• Bird list
• Mammal List

Day 2 - Evening, route 1

• Bird list
• Mammal List

Day 3 - Morning, route 1

• Bird list
• Mammal List

Total birds Count (whole group) 100+
Indian Pitta, Black-rumped & White-naped Flameback, Yellow- 
crowned & Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpeckers; Mottled Wood Owl; Painted & Red Spuffowl; Asian Paradise Flycatcher; Brown-headed & Coppersmith Barbet; 
Indian Grey Hornbill; Jungle Nightjar; Common Hoopoe; Indian Peafowl; Indian Roller; White-eyed & Oriental Honey Buzzard; Crested Hawk Eagle, Crested Serpent 
Eagle; Grey-headed Fish Eagle; Common Hawk Cuckoo (Brainfever bird); Indian Golden & Black-hooded Oriole; Indian Scops Owl; Jungle Owlet; Black Ibis; Large 
& Black-headed Cuckooshrike; Golden-fronted & Jerdon's Leafbird; Small & Orange Minivet; Greater Racket-tailed, Black, Ashy & White-bellied Drongo; Black-naped 
Blue Monarch; Tickell's Blue & Asian Brown Flycatcher; Emerald, Spotted, Eurasian Collard & Oriental Turtle Dove; Yellow-footed Green Pigeon; Eurasian Thick- 
knee; Yellow & Red-wattled Lapwing; Shikra; Common Kestrel; Large, Cattle & Little Egret; Little Grebe; Oriental Darter; Little Cormorant; Asian Openbill, Painted & 
Woolly-necked Stodg Common lora; Red-Whiskered & Red-vented Bulbul; House Sparrow; Chestnut-shouldered Petronia; Jungle & House Crow; Red Junglefowl; 
Orange-headed Ground Thrush; White-breasted Waterhen; Jungle Bushquail; White-browed Wagtail; Purple, Grey & Pond Heron; Chestnut-tailed, Brahminy & Asian 
Pied Starling; House Swift; Great Tit; Red-rumped Swallow, Zitting Cisticola; Jungle, Ashy, Plain & Grey-breasted Prinia; White-throated & Common Kingfisher; Pale- 
billed Flowerpecker; Purple Sunbird; Rufous Treepie; Paddyfield Pipit; White-breasted Waterhen; Rose-ringed, Plum-headed & Aexandrian Parakeet; Asian Koel, 

Greater Coucal; Jungle Babbler; Oriental Magpie Robin; Indian Robin, Green Bee-eater; Common Tailorbird etc... 

Total Mammal Count (whole group) 10+
Royal Bengal Tiger, Indian Wild Dog (Dhole), Indian Gaur, Jackal, Spotted Deer, Sambar Deer, Wild Boar, Black-faced Hanuman Langur, Rhesus Ma- 

caque, Palm Squirrel etc....also Forest Calotes, Garden Lizard, Cicada etc. 

Team members: 
Dr. R. V. Solanki, Jaysing Morey, Shashank Phadke, Chandrashekhar Modak, Mohit Unny, Mandar Kadam, Mandar Khadilkar, Adwait MArathe, Sujata Babre-Phadke, Uttara Modak, Aparna Iyer, Sweedle Cerejo-Shivkar, Adesh Shivkar, Girish Chonkar

Bhimashankar, Pune - Family birding trip

Bhimashankar - Pune, Maharashatra

Day 1 (Evening) - Vanaspati point

Simple trek alognwith the family, 

Bhimashankar Vanaspati Point

Day 2 (Morning) - Kondhval Phata Trail

Birding trail with Aman,

Day 2 (Evening) -  Old MTDC/Hotel Nisarg Point Trail

Birding trail on this new less explored way,

Bhimashankar MACHAN / Hotel Nisarg Point Trail

Day 3 (Morning) - Kondhval Phata Trail

Birding trail with the family and local guide Raama,

Day 3 (Morning) - Ratwa Resort

Birding in and around the Ratwa resort with choldren, 

Bhimashankar - Ratwa Resort

Day 4 (Morning) - Gupt Bhimashankar trail

Birding trail with the local guide Akshay,

Gupt Bhimashankar trail - Images

Winter season local birding in Vasai Nov 2015 - Mar 2016

2016 March 24, 

Tungareshwar WLS, Vasai, morning 2 hour with Kalpesh, Vaibhav & Amit, new birders, an introduction to forest birding

Click here for detailed birdlist on eBird Website

1. Common Myna
2. Small Minivet
3. Ashy Drongo
4. Black Drongo
5. Racket-tailed Drongo
6. White bellied Drongo
7. Oriental Magpie Robin
8. Oriental Honey Buzzard
9. Indian Golden oriole
10. Black naped Blue Monarch
11. Black hooded Oriole
12. Paradise Flycatcher Female
13. Rufous Woodpecker
14. Purple-rumped Sunbird
15. Purple Sunbird
16. Vigors Sunbird
17. Red Vented Bulbul
18. Red Whiskered Bulbul
19. Golden Fronted Leafbird
20. Little Cormorant
21. Kestrel
22. Large-Billed Crow
23. Chestnut Petronia
24. Asian Koel
25. Copper Smith Barbet
26. Brown Headed Barbet
27. Cattle Egret

2016 March 19, 

Tungareshwar WLS, Vasai, morning 2 hour with Rajneesh, Mangesh, M. V. Bhakta

1. Indian Pond-Heron
2. Oriental Honey-buzzard
3. Shikra
4. Green Bee-eater
5. Brown-headed Barbet
6. Rufous Woodpecker
7. Small Minivet
8. Indian Golden Oriole
9. Black Drongo
10. Ashy Drongo
11. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo
12. Black-naped Monarch
13. Indian Paradise-Flycatcher female
14. Large-billed Crow
15. Red-vented Bulbul
16. Red-whiskered Bulbul
17. Verditer Flycatcher
18. Ultramarine Flycatcher
19. Golden-fronted Leafbird
20. Vigors's Sunbird 
21. Gray Wagtail

Click here for detailed birdlist on eBird website 

2016 March 12, 

Vasai Fort, morning 2 hour, Mangesh, Rajneesh, Ramesh

Click here for detailed bird list on eBird website

1. Indian Pond-Heron 
2. Shikra
3. Rock Pigeon
4. Spotted Dove 
5. Asian Koel 
6. Greater Coucal 
7. White-throated Kingfisher 
8. Coppersmith Barbet 
9. Rose-ringed Parakeet 
10. Common Iora 
11. Ashy Drongo
12. White-browed Fantail 
13. Indian Paradise-Flycatcher 
14. House Crow 
15. Large-billed Crow 
16. Red-vented Bulbul 
17. Common Tailorbird 
18. Ashy Prinia 
19. Oriental Magpie-Robin 
20. Tickell's Blue-Flycatcher 
21. Brahminy Starling 
22. Chestnut-tailed Starling
23. Common Myna 
24. Purple-rumped Sunbird 
25. House Sparrow 
26. Indian Pond-Heron 
27. Oriental Honey-buzzard 
28. Short-toed Snake-Eagle 
29. Spotted Dove 
30. Greater Coucal 
31. White-throated Kingfisher
32. Coppersmith Barbet 
33. Brown-headed Barbet 
34. Brown-capped Woodpecker 
35. Black-hooded Oriole 
36. Ashy Drongo 
37. Black-naped Monarch 
38. Large-billed Crow 
39. Red-whiskered Bulbul
40. Prinia 
41. Golden-fronted Leafbird 
42. Purple Sunbird 
43. Chestnut-shouldered Petronia  

2016 February 13, 

Tungareshwar WLS, Vasai, morning 2 hour with Roozbeh, Hema

1. Shikra 
2. Black Kite 
3. Brown-headed Barbet 
4. Common Iora 
5. Orange Minivet 
6. Black-hooded Oriole 
7. Ashy Drongo 
8. White-bellied Drongo 
9. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo 
10. Spot-breasted Fantail 
11. Black-naped Monarch 
12. Indian Paradise-Flycatcher 
13. Large-billed Crow 
14. Sulphur-bellied Warbler 
15. Greenish Warbler 
16. Common Tailorbird 
17. Gray-breasted Prinia 
18. Asian Brown Flycatcher 
19. Verditer Flycatcher 
20. Blue-capped Rock-Thrush 
21. Tickell's Thrush 
22. Jerdon's Leafbird 
23. Golden-fronted Leafbird 
24. Pale-billed Flowerpecker 
25. Purple-rumped Sunbird 
26. Purple Sunbird 
27. Vigors's Sunbird 
28. Chestnut-shouldered Petronia 

2016 February 20, 

Tungareshwar WLS, Vasai, morning 2 hour with Roozbeh

Click here for detailed bird list on eBird website

Click here for detailed bird list on eBird website

2016 January 09, 
Yashwant Smart City, Vasai, morning 1 hour, single person

     At the entrance

1. Purple Moorhen 1
2. Sandpiper 12
3. Reed warbler 2
4. Little Egret 4
5. Wooly necked Stork 7 in flight
6. Prinia  (Ashy & Plain)
7. Little ringed plover 7
8. Shikra pair (2)
9. Common Myna
10. Black shouldered kite
11. Ruddy crake/
12. Bluethroat (M&F)
13. Asian pied starling
14. Eurasian Spoonbill 4
15. Wagtail - (W,G,Y & C)
16. Marsh Harrier (M&F) 2
17. Red Avadavat 25 in flight

     Near pond area

1. Painted Stork 10
2. Wooly Necked Stork 8
3. Open Billed Stork 4
4. Eurasian Spoonbill 6
5. Little Terns 25
6. Little Egrets 37
7. Intermediate Egrets 2
8. Grey Heron 2
9. Purple Heron 1
10. Western reef Egret 1
11. Cormorants 82 (2 big flocks of around 35 & 47)
12. White throated Kingfisher 1
13. Drongo (Ashy/Indian)
14. Paragrine Falcon in flight 1
15. Baya weavers 25
16. Overs
17. Sandpipers
18. Wagtails 
19. Ashy Wood Swallow
20. Red Avadavat 2

2015 December 29, 
Yashwant Smart City, Vasai, morning 1 hour, single person

1. Sandpiper 45
2. Siberian stonrchat 2
3. House crow 20
4. Rock pigeon 52
5. Yellow/Cytrene Wagtail 3
6. Glossy Ibis 8 on flight
7. Water hen 4
8. Purple swamphen/moorhen 2
9. Rosy starling 60-70
10. Marsh Harrier 3
11. Purple heron 1
12. Wooly necked Stork 23
13. Open bill stork 10
14. Grey heron 2
15. Little egret 55
16. Cormorant 200
17. Little tern 20

2015 December 15, 
Yashwant Smart City, Vasai, morning 1 hour, single person

1. Painted Storck 7 in flight
2. Ruddy shelduck 12
3. Coots
4. Little tern
5. Cormorant
6. Little egret
7. Open bill stork 4
8. Grey heron 1
9. Purple heron 1

2015 December 12, 
Yashwant Smart City, Vasai, morning 2 hour, single person

1. Ruddy shelduck 17
2. Cormorant 32
3. Little Terns 20
4. Water hen 2
5. Wagtail (y/w/c)
6. Amol - Wooly necked Storck, paragrine falcon
7. Warbler
8. Black Ibis in flight 5
9. Kingfisher - Little, WT
10. Spot billed duck, ducklings
11. Pond heron 25
12. Little egret
13. Cattle egret
14. Eurasion Coot
15. Little grebbe
16. Red avadavat 6
17. Scaly breasted munia 2

2015 November 12, 

Yashwant Smart City, Vasai, morning 1 hour with Amol, Rajneesh, Mangesh

1. Marsh Harrier - F
2. Purple Swamphen
3. Ashy crowned sparrow Lark
4. Egret Cattle & Little
5. Kingfisher White throated & Little
6. Black wing stilt
7. Little grebbe
8. Coot
9. Ruddy Shelduck
10. Black Winged/Shouldered kite
11. Indian Cormorant
12. Heron Grey & Indian Pond
13. Asian Open billed
14. Drongo black
15. Siberian chat

2015 November 10, 

Yashwant Smart City, Vasai, morning 1 hour with Aman

1. Marsh Harrier - F
2. Purple Swamphen
3. Ashy crowned sparrow Lark
4. Egret Cattle & Little
5. Kingfisher White throated & Little
6. Black wing stilt
7. Little grebbe
8. Coot
9. Ruddy Shelduck
10. Black Winged/Shouldered kite
11. Indian Cormorant
12. Heron Grey & Indian Pond
13. Asian Open billed
14. Drongo black
15. Siberian chat

Bhigwan with Wild-India

It was a perfect start of the new year 2016 with a New camera, Binocs and a trip to Bhigwan. This year as per my convenience of dates, I got one group from Thane visiting to Bhigwan. It's my first outing with this group called Wild-India. I spoke with one of the members, Mr. Bhavesh using details from the website and got my seat reserved :). The plan was to travel in night, reach early morning at Bhigwan, spending a whole day there with two boat rides, staying over night in hotel at Baramati. Second day morning visit to Veer dam and back to home. I liked this plan because I always wanted to visit Veer dam for couple of years now and couldn't make it. This time my wife supported me with this decision and children also happily accepted my 2 days and 2 nights away from home. Family happiness is always a preference.

So, we all met night in Mulund as decided but we started only at midnight as the vehicle came in late. There were couple of stops for pick up before we hit the Express highway. On the highway we stopped once for emptying ourselves. The photographer inside me was more awake than I was and I noticed one object before entering the public place. It was a cleaning stick kept out for drying but upside down. I noticed how the cleaner keep it in this way for drying and amazed to see some creative stuff. Hurriedly I reached for my mobile in the pocket and switched on the the camera, and click. Oh! That flash ruined it. Then turning off the flash, and changing the white balance I clicked it again and Voila! It was a master piece. Photographer inside me was now satisfied. It was time for me to finish the work and then back to the van, continuing our journey ahead. Due to the cold breeze sneeking through small gaps, I went into sleep mode very quickly. Though I was noticing every sharp turn and overtake by our vehicle. 

We reached at Bhigwan early morning around 5 am. It was nice and pleasing weather for me, knowing that at breaking of the day this will soon over. we had stomach full with delicious breakfast prepared at Sandip's place and even catch on some sleep till the time of boat ride. 















































In fact we had three rides on that day, early morning, afternoon, and late evening but out of all three evening one was very fruitful with Greater White Fronted Goose in group of Bar headed Geese and in the end post sunset a Big flock of Common Cranes came flying from one end of the sky and settled in the far away fields.

Bird checklist for Bhigwan - Day I

We stopped over in a hotel at Baramati for night.

Second day we visited the Veer dam, and we started with sightings of Coursers from within the vehicles, this was the first time sighting of this for me. but overall the water levels was very low and sightings were very less compared to early month as per Rudraksh. Second lifer was small Pratincoles at the edge of water, so many of them but roaming individually. Though they were not allowing close distance we chased most of them for a better picture. But then we started setteling down and allowing them to come near. Even I tried ground shots and the result is quite well pleasing for the efforts we took.

Bird checklist for Veer dam - Day II