2011-02-13 Pune

Me, Ritesh Bagul and Dr Saurabh decided to do birding in pune this weekend.
We decided to cover Kavadi in the morning and Dive ghat and road to Bhuleshwar in the afternoon.

Route taken for the trip was as follows
Started at 6am from Kothrud
Kothrud-Swargate-Hadapsar-Kavdi
Birding on the road from Kavdi phata till the river.
Birding at the river.
Started return by 10:30am.

Took the road exactly opposite the kavdi phata going towards Phursungi
Kavdi-Phursungi-Pune Saswad Highway-Dive ghat-Saswad-Road towards bhuleshwar

Started back at 3pm
Saswad-Dive ghat-Manterwadi phata-Katraj bypass-Katraj-Banglore highway-Chandani chowk-Expressway-Mumbai
Reached Mumbai by 7pm

The start
The road leading from Kavdi phata to the river is also full of activty.
Good place to spot pied bushchat, bulbul, laughing dove, babblers, barn swallows.
Pied Bushchat (male & female)



Crimson breasted barbet


Large Grey Babbler


Bank Myna


Brahminy Myna


Jungle Myna




Ashy Prinia


Ashy Drongo


Common Rosefinch



Clamorous Reed Warbler


Warbler(?)


??


Laughing Dove


Wire Tailed Swallow


White Throated Kingfisher







Yellow Wagtail


White wagtail


Pied Wagtail

Kavdi is the best place i have ever seen to spot a snipe.
In a single frame you can spot atleast 10snipes sitting pretty in open if not in complete open and far away for a camera but very good view for a scope.
Common Snipe.


Brown Shrike




Purple Heron


Northern Shoveller


House Sparrow




From Kavdi via Phursungi we joined the pune saswad highway.

Had amazing maharashtrian lunch of bhakari, pithla, vangyacha bharit (baigan bharta), bhajanicha thalipith at this junction.

Proceed after lunch to Saswad via Dive ghat.

As we reached the top of Dive ghat we spotted a raptor and stopped the car to a side and observed the raptor. There were black kites and within them was a single steppe eagle.

Steppe Eagle

Just look at the difference in size of a black kite on the left and a steppe eagle on the right.

After reaching saswad turned left towards bhuleshwar.
Indian Roller


Rufous Tailed Lark





Common Kestrel

I was looking out for sometime for black bucks and finally saw a group of 4.

They were very far and extremely shy and immediately ran away.
Black buck

As we were returning back we saw a huge raptor sitting on a leafless tree. It was a steppe eagle.

Soon it took off and then flew right above. It was amazing experience to see such a huge raptor just above us.
Steppe Eagle