After a seemingly anticlimax experience at Nalsarovar, I was hoping to have some good time with reasonably good variety of winged visitors at Wadhwana.This time I took Dad along. He too is a birding enthusiast.
Wadhwana is a small hamlet located about 50 kms. from Vadodara. The route goes from Vadodara through Dabhoi to Wadhwana. It has a huge lake with about 2km radius. There are watchtowers placed at 1 km intervals on the periphery of the lake. Forest dept. has deputed personnel with fairly good knowledge about the local flora & fauna. Surprisingly, they even have a good quality Celestron telescope for the visitors (human) to gaze through.
A narrow motorable path leads from the village of Wadhwana to the lake. The newer versions of low bottom sedan cars would find it difficult to negotiate this path as there are many rocks which may hit the bottom of the vehicle. However, a new road is being paved to make the access smoother, more so because now this destination is catching the eye of many a visitors lately, especially the 'city dwellers'. The narrow road takes a winding path with water filled canals and lush green fields on either side.
When passing on this path, we noticed a lone stork standing "guard" in the adjoining field. As we took a closer look, we realized it to be an open billed stork. Grey plumage and a very noticeably big beak with almost an inch of space in-between, due to which it gets its name. Standing on one leg, it seemed like it was in deep trance. According to Indian mythology, one who stands on one leg, is considered a great believer and highly religious.
Asian Open Bill Stork - Resident breeder. Mandibles do not meet and hence the name. Feeds on frogs, large insects and molluscs.
As we proceeded, I noticed a small sparrow like bird prancing about in the bushes by the road side. Immediately stopped the car and got down and stood there motionless to allow the bird to settle on a bush, so that I can "shoot" it. At first sight, it seemed like the common sparrow.
However, after careful inspection, I still could not conclusively recognize it. From whatever references I have referred to, I very strongly believe it to be the Rufous Sibia. Sorry, I still need to ascertain the exact identity of this specimen.The surprising fact is that Rufous Sibia is generally found in the northern parts of the country.
We reached the parking space shortly.
The lake has a high ramp surrounding it. This ramp is wide enough to let a car pass. We load ourselves with our handycam, binoculars and other tit-bits in our back pack and go up the ramp. At the first instance, I could not believe my eyes. The lake seemed practically empty. Just a couple of common coots sprinkled here & there.Though, to avoid any further frustration, I tried scanning the far side of the lake in anticipation of spotting some "late latiffs" who may have decided to stay back and grant us audience. To my great relief, we did spotted the presence of some geese and duck at the far end.
This time, to avoid unnecessary exhaustion by walking right to the far end to get a closer look at the winged visitors, which is more than 1 km walk, we decided to take our car right to the next watch tower. Against strong opposition from my father, I drove my car up the ramp proceeded to the watch tower. It is imperative that no other vehicle comes from the opposite direction, because there is enough space for just one vehicle to pass.
When we reached the tower, we were in for a very pleasant surprise. We saw good number and variety of birds to make this trip worthwhile. As usual, swarms of common coot swam all across the lake, hundreds of them interspersed with some pairs of Black ducks. It is very easy to mistake the Black ducks for Common coot, however, the ducks are a little smaller in size and contrary to the Common coot, they do not have a white spot on their forehead.
Common coots, Cormorants, Ibis, Herons, Egrets and swallows were amongst the most common species seen not only at this place but across the geography.
This pair of small ducks with Black & white plumage was the most surprising. That's a pair of Tufted Ducks. They were not plenty, probably not more than 3-4 pairs, but they were beautiful.
Pied Kingfisher - Common throughout sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia from Turkey to India to China. Dives bill first in the water and lives off small fish.
Wire tailed Swallow - is a resident species. Populations in Pakistan and northern India migrate further south in winter. Found in open country and near human habitation. Feeds on insects. Makes a half bowl shaped nest of mud.
As we proceeded, we were nearing the area were there were large flock of birds of various shapes and sizes. There were geese, ducks, storks and lot more. A small islet seemed like the by-lane of an old bazaar, what with every one jostling around to claiming their space. One such similar islet was filled with Cormorants (both Indian Cormorant and Great Cormorant), Herons, Ibis, Comb Ducks.
As we were
strolling along the ramp walkway, I suddenly spotted a small sparrow like bird, albeit a little bigger and the flight/movement pattern was totally different from a common house sparrow. It was the Ashy-Crowned Sparrow Lark.
Ashy-crowned Sparrow Lark - Resident species. Found throughout Southern Asia down to Sri Lanka. Found in dry scub, vegetation.
Along the far stretch of the lake, we can see a pair of Black-necked crane. The rest of the flock consists of the Grey lag geese in the foreground, a mix of Cotton Pygmy geese, Comb duck, Black winged Stilts and some Brahminy ducks. The group of birds taking wing are Black winged stilts.
Comb duck - Also know as Knob-billed duck. Found in the lower part of the globe. A largely resident species.
A "family" of Comb ducks going for a liesure swim. The ever-present black coloured Common coots (foreground) and the brown coloured Gadwall with a pair of Red-Headed Pochard will give you an idea of the numbers and variety you can expect in peak season.
A closer look at the Grey lag Goose, Red-Headed Pochard and the Cotton Pygmy Goose.
Grey lag Goose - Found throughout the Old world. Migrates towards south or west in winter. However Scottish breeders and some in Northwestern Europe are lagely resident. This species is the last to migrate and hence, "lag" portion of its name is said to derive from this lagging behind other geese.
Cotton Pygmy Goose - Perching duck. Smallesh water fowl in world. Found in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, South-East Asia and Australia. Nests in tree-holes. Feeds on seeds, vegetable and sometimes on insects and crustaceans.
Red Crested Pochard - Diving duck, found in South Europe, South & Central Asia. Migrates further South for the winter. Included in the list of birds on whom the "Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds" (AEWA) applies.
We spent about 4 hours at the lake. At the end of it, we were hungry like hell, ready to gobble up anything that comes our way. So, we decided to start back.
After safely bringing my car down from the lake ramp, we unloaded our lunch and started towards the Forest dept. rest house. There, just above where we were standing, I saw a Green Bee eater. Just as I was taking out my camera, a female Ashy-crowned Sparrow lark came over, as if telling me to take her snap too.
The forest department have set up some primary infrastructure with 3-4 rooms, a small make-shift restaurant and a small play area. In-fact, this infrastructure was set up to be an Interpretation Centre. We generally carry our lunch whenever we come here. We had our lunch, rested for some time and then headed back towards home, taking a very satisfied feel within us for having had a very successful visit.
We shall come back next year with a hope to see many more birds and much more variety.
Wadhwana is a small hamlet located about 50 kms. from Vadodara. The route goes from Vadodara through Dabhoi to Wadhwana. It has a huge lake with about 2km radius. There are watchtowers placed at 1 km intervals on the periphery of the lake. Forest dept. has deputed personnel with fairly good knowledge about the local flora & fauna. Surprisingly, they even have a good quality Celestron telescope for the visitors (human) to gaze through.
A narrow motorable path leads from the village of Wadhwana to the lake. The newer versions of low bottom sedan cars would find it difficult to negotiate this path as there are many rocks which may hit the bottom of the vehicle. However, a new road is being paved to make the access smoother, more so because now this destination is catching the eye of many a visitors lately, especially the 'city dwellers'. The narrow road takes a winding path with water filled canals and lush green fields on either side.
When passing on this path, we noticed a lone stork standing "guard" in the adjoining field. As we took a closer look, we realized it to be an open billed stork. Grey plumage and a very noticeably big beak with almost an inch of space in-between, due to which it gets its name. Standing on one leg, it seemed like it was in deep trance. According to Indian mythology, one who stands on one leg, is considered a great believer and highly religious.
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| OPEN BILLED STORK STANDING ON ONE LEG |
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| OPEN BILLED STORK |
Asian Open Bill Stork - Resident breeder. Mandibles do not meet and hence the name. Feeds on frogs, large insects and molluscs.
As we proceeded, I noticed a small sparrow like bird prancing about in the bushes by the road side. Immediately stopped the car and got down and stood there motionless to allow the bird to settle on a bush, so that I can "shoot" it. At first sight, it seemed like the common sparrow.
We reached the parking space shortly.
The lake has a high ramp surrounding it. This ramp is wide enough to let a car pass. We load ourselves with our handycam, binoculars and other tit-bits in our back pack and go up the ramp. At the first instance, I could not believe my eyes. The lake seemed practically empty. Just a couple of common coots sprinkled here & there.Though, to avoid any further frustration, I tried scanning the far side of the lake in anticipation of spotting some "late latiffs" who may have decided to stay back and grant us audience. To my great relief, we did spotted the presence of some geese and duck at the far end.
This time, to avoid unnecessary exhaustion by walking right to the far end to get a closer look at the winged visitors, which is more than 1 km walk, we decided to take our car right to the next watch tower. Against strong opposition from my father, I drove my car up the ramp proceeded to the watch tower. It is imperative that no other vehicle comes from the opposite direction, because there is enough space for just one vehicle to pass.
When we reached the tower, we were in for a very pleasant surprise. We saw good number and variety of birds to make this trip worthwhile. As usual, swarms of common coot swam all across the lake, hundreds of them interspersed with some pairs of Black ducks. It is very easy to mistake the Black ducks for Common coot, however, the ducks are a little smaller in size and contrary to the Common coot, they do not have a white spot on their forehead.
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| COMMON COOT |
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| INDIAN CORMORANT |
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| BLACK HEADED IBIS |
Common coots, Cormorants, Ibis, Herons, Egrets and swallows were amongst the most common species seen not only at this place but across the geography.
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| GREAT EGRET |
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| BLACK IBIS |
This year, surprisingly, I have noticed that Egrets are seen in unprecedentedly high numbers. I wouldn't be surprised if they are one of the reason for lesser no. of migratory species seen this year. It is very evident from the overall spectrum of species that have migrated to our region this year. Egret is a wading species like the other migratory identities expected every year.
Apart from other known places across the states, Nalsarovar and Pipli (near Bhavnagar), traditionally are regular destinations for wading species like Flamingos, Pelicans, Common crane, Painted storks, Adjutant Storks and likewise many more. Neither of these locations have seen any of these so far. The only species seen at Nalsarovar is the Common crane (if it can give any consolation, whatsoever). Everywhere across the state, in fields, road side, lakes, ponds and practically every place with some moisture around, Egrets are present. They have always been there and are a very crucial link in the eco-system, however, I still don't see any consolation to my surprise.
Back to where we are standing, we spotted an Osprey, a regular feature here every year.The surprising part is, it is seen perched at the same spot year after year. Almost like the Comic character "Phantom" known as the Man Who Never Dies. This can be termed as the Osprey Who Never Dies.
Osprey - Also known as the Sea Hawk or Fish Eagle. Fish eating bird of prey. Found in all continents except Antartica and South America (only as non-breeding migrant).
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| OSPREY |
Osprey - Also known as the Sea Hawk or Fish Eagle. Fish eating bird of prey. Found in all continents except Antartica and South America (only as non-breeding migrant).
This pair of small ducks with Black & white plumage was the most surprising. That's a pair of Tufted Ducks. They were not plenty, probably not more than 3-4 pairs, but they were beautiful.
Tufted Duck - Medium sized diving duck. Visitor from Europe (mainly in UK, however seen in other parts of Europe also). Spends the winter in the milder Southern Asia or Western Europe.
Near the bank, there was a broken piece of iron girder, protruding out of the water. A Pied Kingfisher perched on top of this girder intently scanning the waterbed and ready to dive down on an unsuspecting fish. It was as if the various birds were having a relay race. Just as the Kingfisher took off, a Wire tailed Swallow came over, They repeated this routine several times.
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| PIED KINGFISHER |
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| WIRE TAILED SWALLOW |
Pied Kingfisher - Common throughout sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia from Turkey to India to China. Dives bill first in the water and lives off small fish.
Wire tailed Swallow - is a resident species. Populations in Pakistan and northern India migrate further south in winter. Found in open country and near human habitation. Feeds on insects. Makes a half bowl shaped nest of mud.
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As we proceeded, we were nearing the area were there were large flock of birds of various shapes and sizes. There were geese, ducks, storks and lot more. A small islet seemed like the by-lane of an old bazaar, what with every one jostling around to claiming their space. One such similar islet was filled with Cormorants (both Indian Cormorant and Great Cormorant), Herons, Ibis, Comb Ducks.
Here we can see 2 Great Cormorants with a distinct yellow pocket below their beaks sitting right in the middle of the rock. Other smaller ones are Indian Cormorants with some Comb ducks seen taking an afternoon siesta in the fore ground. An Ibis is seen at the far right end of the frame. There are numerous such small islets dotting the lake.
 |
| ASHY-CROWNED SPARROW LARK |
As we werestrolling along the ramp walkway, I suddenly spotted a small sparrow like bird, albeit a little bigger and the flight/movement pattern was totally different from a common house sparrow. It was the Ashy-Crowned Sparrow Lark.
Ashy-crowned Sparrow Lark - Resident species. Found throughout Southern Asia down to Sri Lanka. Found in dry scub, vegetation.
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| GREY LAG GEESE |
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| RED-CRESTED POCHARD & COTTON PYGMY GOOSE |
A "family" of Comb ducks going for a liesure swim. The ever-present black coloured Common coots (foreground) and the brown coloured Gadwall with a pair of Red-Headed Pochard will give you an idea of the numbers and variety you can expect in peak season.
A closer look at the Grey lag Goose, Red-Headed Pochard and the Cotton Pygmy Goose.
Grey lag Goose - Found throughout the Old world. Migrates towards south or west in winter. However Scottish breeders and some in Northwestern Europe are lagely resident. This species is the last to migrate and hence, "lag" portion of its name is said to derive from this lagging behind other geese.
Cotton Pygmy Goose - Perching duck. Smallesh water fowl in world. Found in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, South-East Asia and Australia. Nests in tree-holes. Feeds on seeds, vegetable and sometimes on insects and crustaceans.
Red Crested Pochard - Diving duck, found in South Europe, South & Central Asia. Migrates further South for the winter. Included in the list of birds on whom the "Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds" (AEWA) applies.
We spent about 4 hours at the lake. At the end of it, we were hungry like hell, ready to gobble up anything that comes our way. So, we decided to start back.
After safely bringing my car down from the lake ramp, we unloaded our lunch and started towards the Forest dept. rest house. There, just above where we were standing, I saw a Green Bee eater. Just as I was taking out my camera, a female Ashy-crowned Sparrow lark came over, as if telling me to take her snap too.
The forest department have set up some primary infrastructure with 3-4 rooms, a small make-shift restaurant and a small play area. In-fact, this infrastructure was set up to be an Interpretation Centre. We generally carry our lunch whenever we come here. We had our lunch, rested for some time and then headed back towards home, taking a very satisfied feel within us for having had a very successful visit.
We shall come back next year with a hope to see many more birds and much more variety.
GOOD BYE
