Rare owl spotted in Little Rann(Gujarat, India), bird watchers thrilled

Sighting of rare species of owl here, for the fifth year in a row, has left avian aficionados thrilled. Bird watchers in the city claim that the Pallid Scops Owl (Otus Brucie) which has been spotted at Zainabad(Gujarat, India), about 95 km from the city, during this time of the year for past five years is the same bird. Dhanraj Malik, the owner of Desert Courses who first spotted the bird and posted its pictures, said, "When the bird was again spotted in 2009, we weren't sure weather it was the same bird. I took pictures of the bird from every angle and posted it on internet. Bird watchers from across the world confirmed that it was the same bird which had visited the spot the previous year."

This is the fifth year when the bird has been spotted in Zainabad(Gujarat, India). Malik said, "The bird has arrived a tab bit late than its usual schedule. But that is normal considering the changes in climate. To ensure that the bird feels at 'home', we ensure no pesticides are ever used near the spot that it usually occupies. The owl also has a favorite tree here, so we ensure that not a single branch of the tree is chopped.

The owl makes nest on the tree till end of February. Malik said that birds have an in built GPS(Global Positioning System) system that helps them find their way back to the same place, like this Pallid Scops Owl.

Wildlife photographer from Banglore Shreeram MV has visited Zainabad(Gujarat, India) thrice in the past four years just to photograh this rare owl. Shreeram said, "The first time I saw it, I was in awe. Since then I have returned every year to spot the owl. This is a very rare bird and I don't want to miss the opportunity to photograph it. This year too, I will be visiting with a team of photographers at the end of the winter to click photographs of the owl".
Birders from across the world are already booking their dates to see the bird. Malik said," There was a researcher from New York who had done her PhD on Pallid Scops Owl but had never seen it. This year she saw the bird for the first time."

Manisha Rajput, a bird lover and a wildlife tour operator, said, "The migratory pattern of the bird is that of a passage migrant which means that it takes more or less the same channel every year. This is an endangered species and spotting it is a big moment for the bird watchers. So many foreign tourists have booked tours because they want to catch a glimpse of this owl".
Says Manish Vaidya, a Wildlife activist, " Not only does the bird follow the same route, it also choses the same spot to make a nest and migrates at the same time every year".

Courtesy:- Times Of India

Randarda Lake(Rajkot, Gujarat, India) gets wings

Sunset At Randarda Lake, Rajkot, Gujarat, India.

Randarda Lake has turned into a bird watchers paradise with a large number of migratory birds arriving at the water body. The 100 year old lake is home to many indigenous birds also.

The natural lake with shallow water is located near Rajkot Municipal Corporation’s (RMC’s) Pradhyuman Park Zoo. According to ardent bird watcher Ashol Mashru, “This Lake is home to about 167 bird species which include 15 species of ducks and eight of eight of fly catcher. As many as 60 species of migratory birds can be spotted here”.
 

Purple Moorhen at Randarda Lake, Rajkot, Gujarat, India

He said that Randarda Lake has supporting natural eco – system with shallow water which provide suitable environment for birds. Moreover, there is a nursery managed by forest department adjoining the lake that provides good tree cover where birds can roost. Some of the bird species that can be seen there include black tailed god-wit, rosy pastor, pheasant tailed jacana, purple moor hen, pigeon, common teal, pelican and spoon bill.

Canary Bird at Randarda Lake, Rajkot, Gujarat, India

Common Teal at Randarda Lake, Rajkot, Gujarat, India

Courtesy:- Times of India

Chill out for Bird Watchers

Dasada Wild Ass Sanctuary, Dist. Surendranagar, Gujarat, India 

Distance: - 95kms

How to get there: - take Sarkhej – Sanand road and drive up to Zehnabad road

About the place: - the sanctuary is one of the last places on the earth where the endangered wild ass sub species Indian Wild ass Lives.

What to do there: -

Drive around along the open highway and you could spot several herds of the endangered wild ass. They are excellent runners.

Blackbuck Sanctuary, Velavadar, Gujarat, India

Distance: - 144 kms

How to get there: -Take Ahmadabad – Bhavnagar highway, turn left from Pipli-Fedara link Road.

About the place: - the sanctuary is populated by blackbucks, Blue Bull, antelope, wolves, jacket, Hyena, Wild Boars, jungle cat and a variety of birds as well. It has saline lands, high tidal mudflats and prosopis juliflora shrub land along with simple dense and sparse grasslands.

What to do there: - The roosting of harrier hawks at dusk is an incredible sight. More than 1,500 can be seen gathering at a single site. Meet the Kathi community members. Who like the Bishnoi community have protected the blackbuck.

Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary, Dist. Surendranagar, Gujarat, India

Distance: - 54 kms

How to get there: -  Take Ahmadabad - Sanand Road and turn left from Sanand Crossroads. 

About the place: - the sanctuary is a Ramsar site and mainly comprises a huge lake of about 100 sq km and ambient marshes where you can see flamingoes, pelicans, geese, cranes, storks, ibises, spoonbills, wading birds, swallows, fishing eagles, osprey and harriers in great numbers during this season.

What to do there: - You can hire country boasts on the lake for bird viewing. For picnickers there are shacks on the islands. There are also two water parks nearby where children can have fun.

Thol bird Sanctuary, Ahmadabad, Gujarat, India

Distance: - 26 kms

How to get there: - Hop on the SP Ring Road, turn left from Shilaj crossroads and head straight.

About the place: - the sanctuary is a shallow freshwater body, surrounded by marshes on the edge and scrubby forest flanking its sides. This place is home to more than 100 species of birds. Cranes, geese, flamingoes, pelicans, egrets, herons, spoonbills, ducks, whistling teals and many other migratory birds can be seen here.

What to do there: - while driving to the lake, keep a watch for the variety of birds which populate the pools and canals on the way.

Polo – Vijaynagar Forests

Distance 148 kms

How to get there: - Take Himmatnagar Highway, enter Idar – Ambaji road and turn right from Mathasur Tri-junction.

About the place: - the Ancient Polo city was built around the river Harnav, an ancient water body spoken of in the Puranas.

What to do there: - It’s a picnickers’ paradise. The view from the old palace and a royal tank is breathtaking. Remnants of Jain shrines are know the world over.

Courtesy:- Times of India. 

Diclofenac ban ups vulture count for first time in 20 years

The country’s vulture population has increased for the first time in two decades, after a catastrophic decline in their numbers by over 99%.

A research paper by scientists from Bombay Natural History Society (BHNS) shows that the number of vultures, once found across the country, increased marginally between 2011 and 2012.

The vulture population in India started to fall dramatically in the early 90’s. Around 95% of the scavenging birds were wiped out by 2003 and over 99% by 2008, and their numbers plunged from four crore in the early 80’s to under a lakh in 2011.

The study also warned that while the stabilization in numbers is encouraging, only a small number of vultures remain and they are still extremely vulnerable.

Diclofenac, a painkilling drug administered to cattle, was the culprit. Vultures which have a digestive system robust enough to even digest disease causing pathogens found in rotting meat of the dead – do not have a critical enzyme that breaks down diclofenac. They die of renal failure after eating carcasses of cattle administered the drug.

“It’s lethal for vultures if they eat an animal within 72 hours of it being given diclofenac,” said Vibhu Prakesh, lead researcher and deputy director, BNHS. A ban on diclofenac use across South Asia in 2006 led to a drop off, between 2007 and 2011, in the numbers of birds being killed by the used of the drug on livestock.

Environmentalists said the findings offered signs of hope for the critically endangered species once believed to be close extinction.

The three most common vulture species found in India are the long-billed vulture (Gyps indicus), also known as Indian vulture, the white-backed vulture (Gyps africanus) and the slender billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostris).

Prakesh said getting affix on the actual numbers was not immediately possible but the numbers are slightly higher than in 2011, when there were only 1,000 slender billed vultures (Gyps tenuirostris), 11,000 white backed vultures and 44,000 long billed vultures remaining in the country. The decline prompted the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to put vultures on its list of ‘critically endangered’ species.  

Courtesy:- Times Of India 

Spoting Wild Tigers at Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh, India

In the quiet before dawn, a pale moon still lit the sky above Kanha's (Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh) entrance gate. A group of us — 4 Canadians (including Terry and his wife Andy) and I — were en route to Kanha Meadows, a section of the park where we were most likely to see tigers. Upon my inquiry about our chances of spotting a tiger, our forest guard Sadan Yadav replied, “Every minute in the park counts—it only takes a second to see a tiger, so Positive Thinking!” Five hours later, it was almost closing time and still no sign of a tiger. All of a sudden, 3 jeeps roared past us, drivers motioning ahead, ahead! We raced after them and joined the 5 or 6 jeeps parked near a meadow of tall grass.

“There are two cubs in that grass” whispered Yadav. I squinted at the spot but could see nothing. Yadav began to make sharp "tiger" calls. After 5 minutes – a reply!

 

The grass parted magically and there it was — a 16- month old tiger cub!

 

“She thinks it's her mother calling and is replying.”

 

 

And then…another Call!! TWO tigers - the second cub still camouflaged in the grass (see if you can spot it in the left corner)

 

In a breathtaking moment, the cub (if that’s what you call an enormous 16-
month-old female tiger), walked purposefully out of the tall dry grass.

 

 

Sinews rippling gold, her sister dramatically followed her sibling.

 

 

They both vanished once more into the yellow and green grass. How an enormous cat can disappear in an instant (when common sense tells you that it’s still there), is one of nature’s great miracles. “See,” said Sadan Yadav, practically hopping with glee. “Positive Thinking.”

 

Tiger Update

Tiny cub abandoned by mother in Panna

•  The end of the summer and the beginning of the monsoon always heralds the birth of new tiger cubs. Amidst the flurry of new litters, a female tigress recently abandoned its 20-day old male cub. This tiny youngster was rescued by a highly concerned forest department and revived in an air-conditioned room. It was highly dehydrated at the time of rescue, but we are happy to report that it is now doing well! Since it is being hand reared, however, it will sadly not be able to return to the wild.

 Prominent male tiger passes away in Bandhavgarh

•  At the end of April, the dominant Bokha male was killed by his son in a ritual fight over territory in the park’s Magdhi zone. The cycle of life and death, however, is unending in the wild, and three females have had litters in the Tala zone, promising lots of action when the park re-opens in October. In June, our naturalists and guests were enchanted by sightings of the Jhurjhura female’s 2-month old cubs. It is extremely rare to see cubs this young, as tigresses tend to hide their cubs in thick undergrowth until they are older and less vulnerable.

 A handful of tigresses with cubs in Kanha

• Kanha too promises plenty of action next season as a few females have just had litters. Once cubs are older, they start venturing out & there is a good chance of spotting them.

CLICK! Pugdundee Photo Album

Karan Rana shares a few photographs he took last season in Kanha National Park Madhya Pradesh
Below Two tigers cool off in a waterhole in Kanha – Photo courtesy of Karan Rana, March 2012


News Courtesy:- Pugdundee News

Birdwatchers Eye Candy at Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh, India

Jungle Owlet. This tiny Kanha (Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh) resident bravely stands sentinel at his daytime roost in a tree hollow near Kisli Gate. Keep your eyes peeled as you pass through the gates and you might spot him swaying sleepily in the breeze. Jungle Owlets have yellow irises, are 20 cm tall and roost in tree cavities. When disturbed, they freeze & pretend to be dead tree stumps!

Black Stork (Ciconia nigra) fishing in Kanha Meadows

Little Cormorant waits patiently for a catch

– Photos courtesy of Karan Rana

Kshitij Gambhir caught a few magic moments on camera last season in Bandhavgarh

 Fast asleep – a Collared Scops Owl

Common Rose butterflies

– Photos by Kshitij Gambhir

News Courtesy:- Pugdundee News

Four Indian Species on most threatened list

They may disappear even before we get to know them. Four Indian species feature in a list of the ‘100 most threatened’ species in the world. The list consists of critically endangered animals, plants and fungi that don’t serve any obvious purpose for humans and are, therefore, not priority for government conservation efforts. Titled, “Priceless or Worthless,” the list was compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Zoological Society of London and released on Tuesday.

The ‘Great Indian Bustard’, one of the heaviest flying birds, ‘Gooty tarantula’, a poisonous spider known for its vibrant blue color, ‘Batagur buska’, an endangered turtle and the ‘White Bellied Heron’ are all on the brink of extinction, according to the list, released at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in South Korea. ‘Priceless or Worthless,’ highlights the plight of species that have been endangered but haven’t received adequate attention from governments. Conservationists fear the neglect will continue as none of them provide humans with obvious ‘benefits’. For the first time, more than 8,000 scientists from the IUCN Species Survival Commission (IUCN SSC) came together to prepare such a list.

The four species lack the charisma of bigger endangered animals like tigers. But the disappearance of the four species is of concern as all four they once occurred in great abundance in India. The Gooty Tarantula (also metallic tarantula or peacock tarantula), was plentiful in Ooty, Tamil Nadu.

According to the list, there are just 50 to 249 adult birds left of the Great Indian Bustard that was very common in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Karnataka.

Birds of A Feather

A week end hangout at Thol lake, roughly 40 km from Ahemdabad(connected to all major Indian Cities equipped with International Aiport daily flights from Delhi and Mumbai), always rejuvenating. Recently water levels in this lake spread over 700 hectares have risen to 6.9 feet due to release of Narmada waters. As a result, nearly 150 flamingos have moved away to distance where water are shallow. However, two pairs of Sarus Crane make a treat for the eyes as they stand tall amid lush green grass. They have also laid eggs there. At present, there are 100 spoon bills, 1,000 coots, 1500 cormorants besides other waders. TOI(Times of India) lensman Amrit Mewada captured some winged beauties.

Here are some Photos

Courtesy:- Times of India

Lions pressured by fodder shortage

Gujarat foresters are dealing with a new threat to the Gir wildlife Sanctuary. Scarcity of fodder on the periphery of the sanctuary is forcing politicians to pressure the forest department to permit Maldharis to bring their cattle inside the sanctuary for grazing.

Forest officials said that MLAs from the ruling party were trying to ensure that the Maldhari community around the sanctuary was allowed into Gir, Girnar, and Mitiyala sanctuaries. Sources said the pressure was constant.

This being an election year, officers are in a fix as members of the two main political parties want local inhabitants to illegally enter the area.

Bhagvan Bharwad, the MLA from Talala, said: “We will wait till Sunday and if there is no rain, we will make representations to the state government and even write to chief minister to permit grazing in the forest.” Bharwad said grass was not available and one could not let animal’s ir for want of food. “If the forest department or the state government refuses to give us permission, we will enter the forest without permission” he said. “Let them take action”.

A forest official said that in the recent past, a couple of attempts were made to enter the forest but guards prevented people from venturing deep into the sanctuary.

The sanctuary is closed for public for four months during monsoon, from June 15. Forest officials said that during this period the danger of lion attack was high. If Maldharis were permitted to enter the forest with cattle, risk to their lives would be immense.

Forest officials said that Maldharis were illegally allowing their cattle to graze in areas near the boundary of the sanctuary. “This is the park season for breeding for not just big cats, but even for the herbivores,” a forest official said. “The newborn of the herbivores learn to walk. At such a time, if cattle are permitted to graze in the sanctuary, they could be a nuisance to the newborn.

Birding in Bhutan

Bhutan is enormously rich in bird diversity. Of the 675 species recorded, 78% are resident and breeding, 7% are passage migrant, 8% are winter visitor, 6% are uncertain and 1% fall in the data deficient category; 27% show elevational migrations.

 Bhutan has two critically endangered (white-bellied heron Ardea insignis is white rumped vulture), one endangered, 12 vulnerable (black-necked crane Grus nigricollis, rufous-necked hornbill Aceros nipalensis, chestnut-breasted partridge Arborophila mandellii, Pallas’s fish eagle Haliaeetus leucoryphus, beautiful nuthatch Sitta Formosa, wood snipe Gallinago nemoricola, Blyth’s tragopan Tragopan blythii, greater spotted eagle Aquila clanga, Imperial eagle Aquila heliaca, Baer’s pochard Aythya baeri, Hodgson’s bushcat Saxicola insignis, dark-rumped swift Apus acuticauda, and grey-crowned prinia Prinia cinereocapilla), 11 near-threatened, and 11 restricted range bird species (Blyth’s tragopan Tragopan blythii, chestnut-breasted partridge Arborophila mandellii, dark-rumped swift Apus acuticauda, ward’s trogon Harpactes wardi, rufous-throated wren babbler Spelaeornis caudatus, hoary-throated barwing Actinodura nipalensis, brown-throated fulvetta Alcippe ludlowi, white-naped yuhina Yuhina bakeri, yellow-vented warbler Phylloscopus cantator, and broad-billed warbler Tickellia hodgsoni) as per IUCN 2003.

On a global scale, the country is recognized as forming a part of several globally important bird regions. It is a part of the Sino-Himalayan mountain forests, Indo-Burmese forests, Indo-Gangetic grasslands, South Asian arid habitats, and Tibetan plateau wetlands – all categorized as globally important bird regions by BirdLife International.’

For Birding Trips Contact:- 00-91-281-246523

500 Artificial Ponds to be filled for thirsty Lions

Junagadh district has received only 10 per cent of the rain it normally gets, forcing the forest department to put in place its contingency plan to ensure that lions’ thirst is quenched.

The forest department has to keep replenishing more than 500 artificial waterholes in the Gir National Park and its periphery. However, the department is worried because there are no such arrangements for lion zones in Amreli, Bhavnagar and coastal areas.

Foresters said that due to deficient rainfall this year, water levels in rivers, ponds, and wells are plunging. The Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, also known as Sasan Gir, is the only abode of the Asiatic lions- their current population is 411. Other animals in the sanctuary include Leopards, Spotted Deer, Nilgais, Wild Boars, and thousands of bird species and various reptiles.

In the normal course, forest authorities stop filling the artificial waterholes in and around Gir by June 15 every year- unless it is required in summer. But nearly after a decade, the authorities are being forced to fill these ponds in August. The water holes are filled twice a day.

Chief Conservator of forests R.L. Meena said that the main worry is that the waterholes filled using wind and solar power will be rendered useless because the water level is falling drastically. The department may have to provide supply to these waterholes too. “A water tanker of the forest department is making eight to ten trips a day,” he said.

Senior officials said that with natural water getting exhausted, the forest department will have to get water from distant places. The department may have to call in more tankers to meet the demand. 

The water situation deteriorated when seven rivers – Hiran, Saraswati, Machhundri, Ghodavdi, and Raval- passing through the sanctuary started drying up.

Principal secretary S.K. Nanda had visited the sanctuary earlier this month to assess the situation.

Gujarat is India’s Lesser Florican Capital

Gujarat has the highest number of Lesser Floricans in the country. A recently published study of the Wildlife Institute of India reveals that Lesser Floricans in the northwestern region of the country were sighted only in Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh. And Gujarat recorded the most sightings, 54; in Rajasthan, 18 were sighted; and 12 in Madhya Pradesh.

During the study— carried out by G.S. Bhardwaj, K Sivakumar and Dr Y V Jhala —84 Lesser Floricans in all were sighted during the breeding season of 2010. However, the number was 65% lower than the figure reported in 1999.

The team surveyed 91 grasslands, which included the grasslands studied in 1999. Lesser Floricans were found in only 24 grasslands as against 37 in 1999.

Indeed, all is not well with the Lesser Florican population there has been a fall of about 62 per cent in sightings in Gujarat since 1999. That year, according to the report, there were 141 Lesser Floricans in Gujarat, 63 in Madhya Pradesh, and 34 in Rajasthan.

The population and habitat of Lesser Floricans in western India have been continuously declining at an alarming rate. The study states that most of the grasslands belonging to state forest departments in that part of the country were either pure grasslands or mosaic grasslands. The latter are saline patches. The study revealed that over 68 per cent of the birds were seen in the grasslands 35 per cent in pure grasslands and the rest in the mosaic grasslands.

Several grasslands have degraded due to grazing, or been planted with trees that make them unfit for Lesser Floricans.

Recommendations

Avoidance of tree plantation
It is important to have a National Policy on Grasslands Management in India. The practice of tree plantation by the forest department or by other agencies in grasslands should be avoided. Moreover, current practice of taking grasslands as source of only fodder for cattle needs to be reconsidered.

Inclusion of more Florican habitats in existing wildlife protected area network
Less than five protected areas exist exclusively for conservation of Floricans in north western India. Less than 5% of globally endangered Lesser Florican habitat is protected by Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. It is imperative that some grassland in Naliya region is included in the protected area network. Similarly, grasslands in Rajkot district as well as in Ratlam and Dhar districts of Madhya Pradesh should also be included.

Management of invasive species
Eradication of gando baval and other invading tree species from the selected grasslands in the north-western India should be taken up on a war footing.

Dangers that threaten to clip birds’ wings

Lack of national policy on grassland management in India
Due to inadequate grassland conservation policy, people assume grasslands as wastelands or pasture. These areas have been extensively planted with trees species including ‘gando baval’ (Prosopis Juliflora). Several grasslands in the regions have been converted into either woodlands or fields.

Invasive species
Invasion of gando baval was reported in several grasslands in the north western India. Apart from gando baval, several other tree species were also observed invading the grasslands largely due to grazing. Grazing of cattle expedites the spread of invasive species.

Rampant pollution
Lesser Florican is an omnivorous species. Foods of Florican include many types of invertebrates, and various plant parts along with grass hoppers, beetles, flying ants, hairy caterpillars, centipedes, worms, frogs, small lizards, crop shoots, leaves, herbs and berries. Insects form a large part of their diet. It shows that the Floricans prefer areas near the agriculture farm largely due to better availability of food. Intensive cultivation using rampant pesticides is a challenge to remaining population of Floricans.

Courtesy:- Times Of India

Barda Dungar to have lions by December

Barda Dungar, the area which was declared a sanctuary in February 1979, will hear the roar of lions soon. After the monsoon or at latest by December this year, this part of Gujarat will get its own pride of Asiatic lions.

Chief Conservator of Forests R.L. Meena said that if everything goes to plan, lions will populate Barda in Porbandar District. Barely 15 km from the coast near Porbandar town, the hill forest of Barda stands as a bulwark against salinity ingress in the region. This area was declared a sanctuary in February 1979. It has a forest area of 192.31 sq.km, which is relatively small.

Barda has long been identified as a possible new home for lions and the forest department expects eight lions to make their new home there. Officials said that there was a delay in lions moving to Barda Dungar because of the delay in building up a sufficient prey base in the area.

The sanctuary has sizable populations of leopards, hyena, wild boar, wolf, jackal, blue bull, chital, sambhar among other species. Officials said that prey base has reached sufficient levels for the re-introduction of lions.

Officials said in the event of an out break of disease or a natural disaster, the existence of the entire Asiatic Lion population could be at risk. “We will have an alternative site in place in such an eventuality,” the officer said. Adding that the department has allowed the lions to wander out of Gir naturally. This year by October we are expecting a group of lions to move there,” said the forest officer.

Lions drive leopards away from their kills

The king of the jungle turned plunderer. Lions of the Gir chase leopards away from their kills. A recent incident bore testimony to this phenomenon. A lioness browbeat a leopard away from its kills of a chital and feasted on it along with her three cubs in Dedakdi area.

In this incident reported earlier this week, the lioness got attracted to the kill much after the leopard killed chital and started eating it. A beat guard who witnessed this incident said that as the smell of the flesh wafted, it drew the lioness and her cubs. Seeing the lioness approach, the leopard beat a retreat and climbed up a near by hill.

“The lioness and the club finished off the kill within a half-an-hour and left the area. The leopard kept staring at the remains, said Sandep Kumar, deputy conservator of Forest, Sasan.

Kumar said this was not an isolated incident. “About 25-30 per cent of the kill by leopard was snatched away by the lions. A detail study about the food habits of the lions has revealed that there were more incidents of this kind this year compared to the past,” he said.

Such incidents occur usually when lioness are roaming with their cubs in search of food. Those lions that are not in pride and are leading isolated lives also resort to such practice.

Leopards who lead solitary life easily fall prey to lions’ plundering. However, there have been also instances of role reversal when leopards tried to steal lions’ prey. But these attempts usually result in calamity recently; a leopard was killed by a pride of lions when it tried to steal their kill.

Foresters claim that there have also been some rarest of the rare instances where leopards have been successful in driving the lions away from their kills. Leopards generally target hyenas to snatch away their kills, said the forest officials.