How long are you there for? Work related?
Birding in Navi Mumbai.
Navi Mumbai is an area of massive new development on the Maharastran cost opposite Mumbai Island, once a few smallish settlements in an area of coastal marsh and mangrove at the foot of the hills of the Western Ghats. Nowadays due to the rapid expansion of both population and economy new cities and industrial areas are springing up at an unprecedented rate and in a few years one suspects that most of the original habitat will be buried under concrete and tarmac. At present however there remains a patchwork of relatively unspoiled areas, a number of which it turns out are within a few miles of the apartment I occupy during my regular business trips to the area. Of course, being a (relatively new) UK birder, many of the commoner species here are pretty exiting to me: The Black Kite for example is abundant but I have yet to tire of its aerial skill and seeing flocks comprising several dozen is a regular experience. Indian House Crows, Common Mynahs, Black Drongos, Asian Koel, Indian Robin, Oriental Magpie Robin, Bee Eaters, Sunbirds ,Bay Backed and Long Tailed Shrikes are all common as well as large number of smaller birds such as Ashey Prinias, Common Taylorbirds, Greenish Warblers, Red Vented and Red Whiskered Bulbuls. There are many others around as well but it’s a question of getting your eye in, learning new jizz and studying the field guides. Of course, there is a quicker way to get acquainted with the local avifuna and that is to tap into the local scene. Thanks to assistance from the local enthusiasts, contacted through the excellent birdsofbombay yahoo group and the Navi Mumbai chapter of the Bombay Natural History Society I am rapidly adding to my ‘India list’. At this time of year, the climate makes life as a birder slightly difficult due to the heat. Early mornings are easiest when the temperature is ‘only’ in the high twenties or low thirties, by early afternoon however, the temperature is up in the low forties and this coupled with the humidity makes doing anything outside unpleasant or even impossible. Nevertheless, a few hours spent locally in the company of some local birders has extended my India list by around 80%!
I have to say that the raptors present some of the biggest thrills as well as some of the biggest ID difficulties: Locally we have Black, Brahminy and Black Shouldered Kites, Peregrin Falcon, Marsh and Pallid Harrier, Osprey, Shikra ( a sort of mini sparrowhawk ) White Tailed Fish Eagle as well as assorted Aquila Eagles that are generally seen soaring high above. The salt, fresh and brackish lagoons have ducks such as Garganey, Lesser Whistling Duck, Spot Billed Duck and Shovellers, Terns and Gulls in a bewildering variety, Herons, Egrets, Bitterns, Ibis, Flamingos, Jacanas, Rails and Crakes as well as a mouthwatering variety of waders: I’ve seen Little and Temmincks Stint, Black Winged Stilts, Common and Pintailed Snipe, Redshank, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, Wood Sandpiper, and Curlew and I’ve hardly scratched the surface. Then there are the Kingfishers, Common, White Throated and Black Capped. Clamorous Reed Wablers are common in the reed beds as well as Blue Throats and Black Breasted Weavers.
Traveling a little further a field, just a few miles up into the hills, brings a whole new assortment, Serpent Eagles, Junglefowl, and a dizzying assortment of Parakeets, Cuckoos, Hornbills, Barbets, Woodpeckers, Orioles, Treepies, Woodshrikes, Cuckooshrikes, Bablers and Thrushes. A signature bird for the area has to be the Asian Paradise Flycatcher, with its crest and foot long tail streamers it certainly does not present any ID difficulties, however, although supposedly common, it takes some hunting out in the dense secondary growth it seems to favour. A local lark enthusiast was able to show me in just a few minutes, Oriental Skylark, Rufous Tailed Lark, Malabar Crested Lark and Ashy Crowned Sparrow Lark.
After the UK, it’s the sheer numbers of species which gets me, like 90 odd species of warblers, almost 40 flycatchers and 30 thrushes. I must say that from my limited experience the local birders are a friendly and rabidly enthusiastic lot, nevertheless, apart from a few notable exceptions, birding is a relatively new if fast growing pastime here. This means that the density of birders is nothing like we have in the UK and yet the area and the number of species vastly greater so the potential for new records is just about untapped. Earlier this year Mumbai held it’s first bird race with the top team getting 170 species and a grand total of 276 seen on that one day in the Mumbai area! Make you think……
