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