From vivek@EE.Princeton.EDU Mon Dec 11 15:39:19 2000
Date: Mon, 4 Dec 2000 22:51:53 -0800
From: Vivek Tiwari 
To: Natural History of South Asia - General discussion and research
    
Subject: FW: [birdsofbombay] Andheri Bird Sanctuary!!!

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Nice piece.

Vivek
vivek@ee.princeton.edu

-----Original Message-----
From: Kedar Gore [mailto:wwfbom@bom5.vsnl.net.in]
Sent: Monday, December 04, 2000 9:40 PM
To: birdsofbombay@egroups.com
Subject: [birdsofbombay] Andheri Bird Sanctuary!!!

Recently I wrote an article in the Bombay Times on birds in Andheri and
nearby areas. Maybe this will be of interest to you.

Happy birding.

Kedar Gore

The Concrete Jungle . . .

The readers will probably laugh at me, if I say I watch birds in Andheri!
But ever since my college days, I have been watching birds at various
locations in Andheri (W) like Four Bungalows, Lokhandwala Complex and
Versova. For anyone who is familiar to these places, it will be hard to
believe that bird life actually exist in such crowded areas, overflowing
with people and vehicles. Though I agree that over the years, the number of
bird species have gone down, still a walk on a Sunday morning from December
to February will give you a fair idea of the potential of these places as
birding areas.

Just next to the Four Bungalows signal is a vast stretch of open land almost
3/4th the size of the Oval Maidan. The area is completely covered with reeds
and grasses, with pockets of small water bodies. The rain water accumulates
here, July onwards. Close observation reveals the presence of Purple
Moorhen, Indian Moorhen and White breasted Waterhen. All these are typical
water birds around the size of a domestic hen. Purple Moorhen is not a
common bird in the city limits. Both the species of Jacana - Pheasant tailed
and Bronze winged, are commonly seen in fairly large numbers walking among
the reeds. Jacanas are brilliantly coloured birds and are also called
Lily-trotters as they nest on the leaves of the water lilies. The shrubs and
the trees nearby provide an excellent resting place for the Little
Cormorants, which are large black birds occasionally swimming underwater to
catch fish. They are commonly seen drying their outstretched wings in the
sun. Cormorants lack the oil glands present in other water birds and hence
cannot give a coat of oil on their wings to make them waterproof. Among the
tall grasses, lies hidden the Pond Heron. This grey coloured heron waits
patiently for a fish to come near and then with great speed and accuracy
catches it with its long beak. Couple of occasions, I have managed to sight
a pair of Chestnut Bitterns. These birds are great skulkers and are rarely
seen in the open. By November end, migratory sandpipers start ,making their
appearance. Most commonly seen are the Common Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper and
Redshank. I remember one afternoon about 8 years back. When I was returning
from the college, a sight of some unusual birds caught my attention. I
returned to the spot with my binoculars for investigation and almost fainted
with joy! What attracted me, was none other than a  male Mallard (migratory
wild duck). The Mallard stayed with us in Andheri for a week and then
disappeared. I didn't have good camera then for documenting the beautiful
birds I saw. The same year, almost 7 pairs of Lesser Whistling Teals (wild
ducks), which bred in this miniature wetland. Flocks of Shovellers, Gadwals
and Common Teals spent some days in the water body near in the land
belonging to the Airport Authority of India, near D N Nagar. Marsh Harriers
used to frequently soar above the marsh to catch one of the ducklings.

Apart from these, Redvented Bulbuls, Magpie Robins, Rose ringed Parakeets,
Pied Mynas, White breasted Kingfishers are resident and common. The Indian
Coral Trees (Erythrina indica) and Silk Cotton Trees (Bombax ceiba) attract
Rosy Pastors and Greyheaded Mynas in the migratory season. Common Swallows
are the most abundant and occupy each and every telephone cable passing
overhead. Their twittering calls and zigzag flight to catch the mosquitoes
and gnats in the evening, is what one remembers the most. Come twilight and
one hears the kwaak call of the Night Heron proceeding towards its hunting
grounds.

Lokhandwala Complex is situated entirely on the reclaimed land. Just outside
its concrete walls, one can explore the beautiful Mangrove ecosystem. Yes,
the same plants growing along the creek water and normally referred to as
'wasteland'. These are the same mangroves, which have been protecting the
city of Mumbai for ages from tidal waves and rough weather, acting as
breeding grounds for a variety of fishes, prawns and other estuarine species
and preventing coastal erosion in Mumbai and elsewhere in the world. Such an
important and unique ecosystem is being destroyed in the name of
'development' in Andheri, Goregaon, Malad and right upto Gorai. Much of this
area still needs to be explored to understand its biodiversity. Hundreds of
Common sandpipers, Wood sandpipers, Redshanks, Greenshanks, Marsh sandpipers
and Little Stints are seen feeding on the mudflats. The Black winged Stilts
with their long red legs wade into the creek water. Little ringed Plovers,
Kentish Plovers, Sand Plovers and Golden Plovers are seen alongwith the
sandpipers. The mangroves provide excellent hiding place for thousands of
Great Indian Reed Warblers feeding on insects and smaller invertebrates. The
Fantail Flycatchers song gives you sweet company as you move further inside.
Bluethroats and Wagtails are seen feeding on the ground. White cheeked
Bulbuls replace the Redvented Bulbul as we enter the Mangrove ecosystem. It
can be easily identified with a white cheek patch and yellow colour on the
vent. Lesser Black headed and Brown headed Gulls are seen swimming in flocks
in the small water bodies. Though we are talking of birds, sightings of
Jackal and Common Mongoose is not very uncommon. The dumping of garbage
attract a number of jackals.

Versova and the shores of Madh island too attract large number of our
feathered friends. Last year, when WWF-India members and NSS volunteers were
cleaning the beach at Seven Bungalows after the Ganesh immersion, a group of
around 30 Greater Flamingoes were seen flying towards the Madh island!

The list of species is far more but by now it is quite obvious that, one
does not always have to travel to Bharatpur or Corbett to see birds, which
are anyway common in our own backyard. Just a keen eye for observation and a
little patience, will bless you with some of the best sightings of your
life.

Kedar Gore
Education Officer, WWF-India
wwfbombay@vsnl.com