Backyard birding at Uran and Bhandup Pumping Station,Mumbai

  

This was my first bird watching trip in Mumbai.  Even though I am not so much enthusiastic for bird watching, I didn't want to miss an opportunity to do something different from my regular travel.

Wetlands form an integral part of the ecosystem of Mumbai city. Surrounded by the sea on three sides, these amazing patches of marshy land are home to a wide variety of biodiversity.

One fine Sunday morning, our group gathered at Vashi. The plan was to bird on Uran area. We headed towards Uran,  there we managed to see quite a number of wetland birds.  We walked towards the creek which has big water reservoir on one side and  other side filled with trees and mangroves.

Lesser Flamingoes, Greater Flamingoes, Cormorants, white cheeked Bulbul, Pied starlings, Pond heron, Egrets, Painted stork, Dove, Kingfisher and Blacked winged Stilts are some of the birds we spotted from this area.

It took us few hours to explore the whole area. By the time we were ready to leave, I found that it a paradise for local and migratory birds. We halted for breakfast on the way to Panje village, Jasai grasslands and other marshy areas in the vicinity. Although our guide explained to us the name of the birds, it is difficult to remember all those names.

Finally as we reached the Bhandup Pumping Station area, which is again a huge wetland, we saw a number of wetland birds.  This is the place where the sewage from the city ends up, and finds its way into the waste water management system.

This is one of the popular among birders not just for its wetland birds but also for scrubland species and raptors that are often sighted here. We made our way through tar road, stopping every now and then to click with our cameras at the variety of birds.

Sightings included  Black Winged stilts, Black eared kite, Kite, Booted eagle, Marsh Harrier, Green bee eater, Painted Stork, Spoon bills, Black head IBIS, Glossy Ibis, Brown headed Gulls, Common terns, River terns, Little Egret, Greater Egret, Common sandpiper, Garganey, Shrike, Ashy Prinia, Plain Prinia, Rock pigeon, Barn swallow and Alpine swift.

We could manage some good shots of butterflies as well.

Soon we returned to Vashi and bid goodbye each other. I hope that this lovely piece of grasslands remains intact and throws more surprise at us in the years to come.

A day well spent!