Birding in Navimumbai has always been rewarding but recently in the name of development lot of wetlands has been lost like Uran, Kille goathan and Kombudbhuje.
And there is danger to the remaining mangroves and wetlands especially the mangroves around Nerul.
One such amazing place which I have been visiting for years is the place near T.S. Chanakya and recently visited another place for the first time nearby at Seawoods.
In fact I had visited it earlier but only birded from this side of the fence while returning from Uran most of the times.
We reached just before sunrise and as we were driving along the fence we could see lot of ducks in the water body just next to the fence.
As we entered the path leading into the mangroves with waterbody on the left we started to hear the call of greenish warbler.
There were lot of ducks in the first waterbody. Most of them were pintails but there were also spot-billed ducks and little grebe.
Camouflaged pond herons seemed to take off from nowhere and then settle little further to again disappear in their camouflage.
A pair of small blue kingfisher were calling and making sorties continuously to catch their breakfast.
There was also a lone whiskered tern flying around and diving in the water once in a while.
With the sun rising behind the pond we tried to capture some ducks in actions against light.
Also moving ahead we got the small blue kingfisher sitting near the shore.
There was also a lot of butterfly activity and we could spot a huge number of solomon arabs, common grass yellows, hedge blues and gram blues.
At one place there was net tied to trap at the mouth of the opening to drain out water.
A wire tailed swallow was perched on a bamboo giving some good views.
At the same spot later got the juvenile too.
While waiting for the common kingfisher to perch nearby clicking a few flying birds and accidentally clicked a lone common pochard.
A common kingfisher too was going to perch but at last moment it decided not to and sat on a bamboo nearby.
A little ahead on the same road we got a feast of warblers - booted, clamorous, common Chiffchaff, Tytler's, lesser white throat.
Also got plain prinia and ashy prinia.
The second pond had around 30+ greater flamingoes and later 20+ lesser flamingoes joined them.
Also we saw more than 20 painted stork flying overhead.
Here is the link to ebird list.
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S49601234
While returning from Seawoods we decided to take a quick stop at Talawe near T.S. Chanakya.
In the water body there were lot of black winged stilts, sandplovers and stints along with atleast 20+ grey plovers with one of them in breeding plumage.
There were many gull billed terns and black headed gulls too and atleast 10+ caspian terns with their bright orange beak.
And there is danger to the remaining mangroves and wetlands especially the mangroves around Nerul.
One such amazing place which I have been visiting for years is the place near T.S. Chanakya and recently visited another place for the first time nearby at Seawoods.
In fact I had visited it earlier but only birded from this side of the fence while returning from Uran most of the times.
We reached just before sunrise and as we were driving along the fence we could see lot of ducks in the water body just next to the fence.
There were lot of ducks in the first waterbody. Most of them were pintails but there were also spot-billed ducks and little grebe.
Camouflaged pond herons seemed to take off from nowhere and then settle little further to again disappear in their camouflage.
A pair of small blue kingfisher were calling and making sorties continuously to catch their breakfast.
 |  |
There was also a lone whiskered tern flying around and diving in the water once in a while.
 |
 |
With the sun rising behind the pond we tried to capture some ducks in actions against light.
Also moving ahead we got the small blue kingfisher sitting near the shore.
There was also a lot of butterfly activity and we could spot a huge number of solomon arabs, common grass yellows, hedge blues and gram blues.
At one place there was net tied to trap at the mouth of the opening to drain out water.
A wire tailed swallow was perched on a bamboo giving some good views.
 |  |
At the same spot later got the juvenile too.
While waiting for the common kingfisher to perch nearby clicking a few flying birds and accidentally clicked a lone common pochard.
 |  |
A common kingfisher too was going to perch but at last moment it decided not to and sat on a bamboo nearby.
A little ahead on the same road we got a feast of warblers - booted, clamorous, common Chiffchaff, Tytler's, lesser white throat.
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
Also got plain prinia and ashy prinia.
The second pond had around 30+ greater flamingoes and later 20+ lesser flamingoes joined them.
Also we saw more than 20 painted stork flying overhead.
Here is the link to ebird list.
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S49601234
While returning from Seawoods we decided to take a quick stop at Talawe near T.S. Chanakya.
In the water body there were lot of black winged stilts, sandplovers and stints along with atleast 20+ grey plovers with one of them in breeding plumage.
 |  |
There were many gull billed terns and black headed gulls too and atleast 10+ caspian terns with their bright orange beak.
