Taking the opportunity of holiday on occasion of assembly election (but after voting :-)) Me and Ritesh decided to explore some old birding spots Kombudbhuje and Jasai.
We were not expecting much as we were aware of the construction started for new airport at kombudbhuje and the Reliance SEZ at Jasai.
But the amount of destruction of habitat that was saw was simply unbelievable.
At one time where there was huge wetlands seen from atop a small hillock at kombudbhuje was now completely filled up with stones excavated probably from the flattened hills.
There was not even an crow or a sparrow seen.
Just as a bit of relief we saw a pair of small minvets at the Kombudbhuje village, a mongoose crossing the road from a vanishing pond to small area of reeds remaining on the other side.
Few green bee-eaters were fluttering around.
From there we proceeded to Jasai and there it was the same story.
It was very disturbing and saddened us a lot.
While returning we had decided to visit one the few remaining wetlands in navimumbai behind the seawoods complex.
It is an amazing place and hope it remains so for long.
There were not many birds in the pond except for a few little grebes, a coot, a few whiskered terns hunting on the surface with a pair of wire tailed swallows swooping down to the pond surface in between.
Soon our sight caught the little creatures fluttering around the sorts of marsh hawks, dartlets and butterflies.
There were plenty of Common Ceruleans, Salmon Arab and Grass yellows. As the evening came to a close we saw many evening browns too.
As we were busy photographing these Salmon Arabs and Common Ceruleans suddenly a Coromandel Marsh Dart came into view with a Green Striped slender dartlet.
It took us a time to realise that the marsh dart was actually feeding on the dartlet.
In less than 20min it was almost done with the dartlet.
It was sad to watch it die but then its the law of the nature where we can hardly have any right to interfer unless it is caused by us.
We tried to see if there were some flamingoes or flycatchers to capture but did not get any except for an ashy prinia, redwattled lapwing, pond heron, little egret and a little green heron.
Another hunt that we saw while sitting and watching the terns doing some hunting a spider feasting on a dartlet.
Got a good signature spider on the side of the path and with this we ended our day.
It ended with some good sightings at Seawoods but with a sad feeling that the complete area from Ulwe to Uran was completely gone from a birding point of view but relieved a bit for now that area around Nerul.
We were not expecting much as we were aware of the construction started for new airport at kombudbhuje and the Reliance SEZ at Jasai.
But the amount of destruction of habitat that was saw was simply unbelievable.
At one time where there was huge wetlands seen from atop a small hillock at kombudbhuje was now completely filled up with stones excavated probably from the flattened hills.
There was not even an crow or a sparrow seen.
Just as a bit of relief we saw a pair of small minvets at the Kombudbhuje village, a mongoose crossing the road from a vanishing pond to small area of reeds remaining on the other side.
Few green bee-eaters were fluttering around.
From there we proceeded to Jasai and there it was the same story.
It was very disturbing and saddened us a lot.
While returning we had decided to visit one the few remaining wetlands in navimumbai behind the seawoods complex.
It is an amazing place and hope it remains so for long.
There were not many birds in the pond except for a few little grebes, a coot, a few whiskered terns hunting on the surface with a pair of wire tailed swallows swooping down to the pond surface in between.
Soon our sight caught the little creatures fluttering around the sorts of marsh hawks, dartlets and butterflies.
There were plenty of Common Ceruleans, Salmon Arab and Grass yellows. As the evening came to a close we saw many evening browns too.
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As we were busy photographing these Salmon Arabs and Common Ceruleans suddenly a Coromandel Marsh Dart came into view with a Green Striped slender dartlet.
It took us a time to realise that the marsh dart was actually feeding on the dartlet.
In less than 20min it was almost done with the dartlet.
 |  |
It was sad to watch it die but then its the law of the nature where we can hardly have any right to interfer unless it is caused by us.
We tried to see if there were some flamingoes or flycatchers to capture but did not get any except for an ashy prinia, redwattled lapwing, pond heron, little egret and a little green heron.
Another hunt that we saw while sitting and watching the terns doing some hunting a spider feasting on a dartlet.
 |  |
Got a good signature spider on the side of the path and with this we ended our day.
 |  |
It ended with some good sightings at Seawoods but with a sad feeling that the complete area from Ulwe to Uran was completely gone from a birding point of view but relieved a bit for now that area around Nerul.
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