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

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

Flamingos - Mumbai bird race (HSBC)

Great birding experience!

It was a most awaited and special day for me, since for last two years I was not able to participate in HSBC bird race but amazed to hear about it. This year in Feb09 I finally made it to HSBC bird race with a great team - Flamingos.

Mr. Sunjoy Monga declared just before a couple of days of actual event about the team I'll be a part of. For my surprise I was put in a (special) team which led by a young lad named Master Sooraj Bishnoi. I heard and read about him on internet as I came to know about my team lead. I have never met him or seen him earlier, and even other members are new to me. Though I spoken to his mom Mrs. Rama Bishnoi (most helpful & cooperative), I was having double mind about how much we are going to explore with this young kid leading us in the actual filed. So I kept it guessing till the day I met him and we started our adventure.

Flamingos -

1. Master Sooraj Bishnoi
2. Mrs. Sooraj's Grandma (very active member)
3. Mr. Rajnikant Mirkar
4. Master Chinmay Mirkar
5. Mr. Jayesh T. (Pro. photographer)
6. Mr. Girish Chonkar (myself)
   

Mr. Jayesh T, who was not actually a part of the registered flamingo team but joined us for birding and photography which is his passion and profession, was also a great help in the fields, thanks for his active participation and guidance.

We planned to meet early morning (in the dark) at Bandra (E) on the day; Thanks to Mrs. Rama that she already arranged their own vehicle for transport of the team. We already decided the root and places to visit for birding at the bird race event, and most of the places were the first time experience for me and I liked all of them after this experience. All the team members agreed on not too many places to visit or over stretched root just for sake of it, but we opt for enjoying the real bird watching and spreading the awareness in new comers like me, which is the real purpose of the Bird race. The root and places we visited are as given below.

1. KBS (Karnala Bird sanctuary)
2. Uran, J.N.P.T.
3. Kharghar Hills
4. Belapur

To all our surprise Sooraj started as his name suggests (Sooraj = Sun) shining as we started from KBS, and the age barrier in the various team member vanished. I learnt a lesson here, the age is not important at all but the actual experience what is count, so I started feeling being in a right team for this event.

The list of birds we have seen, heard and noticed as a team. (Though I remembered just a few of the wonderful ones we came across am giving them below in a list format. which I remember)

• Rufous woodpecker,
• Common kestrel,
• Shikra,
• leaf birds,
• Bulbul (white whiskered, red vented...)
• Green bee eaters,
• Shrikes,
• Pied avocet,
• Mallard (male, female),
• Drongo (ashy,
• White bellied, racket tailed),
• Indian roller,
• Sunbirds (purple rumped, purple sunbird,...)
• Common stonechat
• White rumped munia
• Oriental skylark...

and the list went on and on but couldn't hit a century.

A whole day of just being with birds and with other birders in the field, It was the most memorable day of my life. Now waiting and preparing for the next year bird race.

Click the link to see some of the selected pictures of the bird race day from Jayesh's picture gallery from Picasa.

http://picasaweb.google.com/jayeshpt/Feb2009

for bird race info check this link

http://www.indiabirdraces.com/punebr.htm

Till then

enjoy birding