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Go birding!

bee-eaterUnique four-day global event invites citizen scientists to participate in a ‘spot a bird’ initiative – in their own backyard.
by Adithi Muralidhar

If you have always had a fascination for observing birds, this is a great chance for you to convert that hobby into something productive. The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is back with a bang!

GBBC is an annual four-day (February 14 to 17, 2014) event that engages bird watchers from all over the world. A citizen science initiative, this event is as simple as maintaining a sincere account of the birds you sight in your backyard. It attempts to create a real-time snapshot of the location and the birds found there. Organised jointly by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society, and Canadian partner Bird Studies Canada, GBBS is sponsored by Wild Birds Unlimited.

What is the event about?

To understand how to participate, first visit this page.

– Decide on a location where you want to bird. You could do this sitting by your window, sipping your morning coffee or on a walk to a nearby park, or visit to a national park/ bird sanctuary. The minimum time limit to do birding is 15 minutes.

– Observe the bird, note down the species, and note down how many individuals you can see of that particular species.

– Note down important aspects like time of the day, duration of birding, weather, any behavioural observations, and estimates of the number of individuals of a species.

– Register to enter your results here. Enter your results on the GBBC website by clicking on ‘Submit Observations’. Apart from entering the bird check-list, you will also be asked to map your location, mark the day and time, whether your sightings were incidental, during travel or while stationary. You will also be required to enter data like how many people contributed to the checklist, sighting of rare birds, unusual or peculiar bird behaviour. It is also important to mention if you are reporting all the species you saw or only the ones you could identify.

– If you are not familiar with identification of birds, try and check with peers, or use a field guide. Do not guess the names or enter unsure sightings.

– If you still have questions, visit this page GBBS’s FAQ section.

Why participate? 

Monitoring bird populations all over the world can tell us a lot about the status of a bird species – you can keep account of their abundance/absence in some areas, their migratory patterns, their breeding grounds, their behaviour and distribution, monitor any ill effects due to pollution and climate change, etc. This is a Herculean task and it cannot be done by a single team of scientists or nature enthusiasts. A collaborative effort like this will help put together pieces of the puzzle from all over the world, which will in turn help the scientific community to make inferences on trends in bird populations.  In 2013, 110 countries participated in GBBC and India contributed to the third highest chunk of checklists (467). Hopefully, with more participation from nature enthusiasts this year, we can do our bit and contribute to this initiative.

But remember…

While GBBC encourages participation from all age groups; beginners, amateurs and experts, one should take care that you are contributing to a global science project. This citizen science initiative asks for numerous individuals to contribute their observations of a particular subject (in this case, birds) to a central database, which in turn will be analysed by scientists. This empowers the scientific community since now they are equipped with a massive set of volunteers who contribute to enhancing their observational research. So, be sincere and responsible while doing your bit.

Adithi Muralidhar is currently an Associate Fellow with Observer Research Foundation, Mumbai. Apart from her pursuits in environment, education and sustainability, she also has a keen interest in socio-cultural issues. 

(Pictures courtesy GBBC website, Adithi Muralidhar)

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Nature in the midst of crowds: Maharashtra Nature Park

Lovely plants, awesome birds and seriously cool reptiles in close proximity to humans? It’s a jungle out there at Mahim!
by Adithi Muralidhar

Part 7 of the ‘Green Hangouts’ diaries

mnpLocated right in the middle of the city, the Maharashtra Nature Park (MNP), which was originally known as Mahim Nature Park, can be seen right behind the Dharavi Bus Depot. It is ironic that this park exists close to one of the most densely populated areas in the world!

What’s so special? The MNP has about 27 acres of functional area, most of which was a garbage dump earlier. The entire creek area behind the park was used as a dumping ground back in the 1970s. But by the 1980s, some of this area was declared as a bird sanctuary; soon enough, three decades later, MNP is one of the success stories of the city where nature has once again flourished!

The MNP has recorded close to 300 varieties of plants, 115 species of birds and quite a large number of insects. It is like a little green haven in the middle of the choked, polluted city. The forested area pretty much cuts down the vehicular sound that comes from the Bandra-Sion link road, right adjacent to one side of the park. You will find yourself in a tranquil state once you enter the park.

What to look for: If plants, birds or insects are not your thing, you can even sight some really cool reptiles here like the Common Cobra, Green Vine snake, Checkered Keelback, Rat snake, a few lizards and skinks, and an occasional rare sighting of the Indian Star Tortoise. Unfortunately, the serious habitat damage to the adjoining areas doesn’t support any mammal life. Apart from the intermittent sightings of the striped squirrel and a few species of bats, you are unlikely to come across any other mammal.

Currently the MNP also has an Education Centre, nursery, medicinal plant section and vermicomposting demonstration project, apart from the usual birding and butterfly trails. So if you are looking to get some information while you are the park, you can stop by these places! The park is often visited by loads of children who are part of various environment awareness groups.

Whether you want to go for a nice walk in the forest or do a nature-trail or just relax, MNP is one of the best places to go to…it’s an immediate get-away from the polluted city and it is quite accessible by road and rail.

Getting there: The nearest railway station to MNP is Sion station (Central line), and the nearest bus stop is Dharavi bus depot. The Park is open on all days from 9 am to 5 pm (except on Government holidays).

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This concludes our ‘Green Hangouts of Mumbai’ diaries. Apart from the seven places I mentioned earlier in the series, there are some more green spots to check out in and around the city. These are:

– Pherozshah Mehta Garden aka Kamla Nehru Park aka Hanging Gardens

– IIT Bombay campus, Powai

– Aarey milk colony, Goregaon

– Kharghar hills, Navi Mumbai (Note: It is better to go in large groups here, I hear it is a little unsafe, particularly for women)

– Bhandup petrol pump

– Palm Beach road mangrove stretch, Navi Mumbai (Note: Again, go in large groups.)

– Godrej Mangrove patch owned and maintained by Godrej and Soonabai Pirojsha Godrej marine ecology centre (SPGMEC) at Vikhroli. But here, you would need permission of the concerned authorities and plan a visit in advance.

– Wetlands of Uran

– Anushakti Nagar colony, where you can witness a small lake at the foothills (of Trombay hill chain) and where sightings of numerous birds and snakes is the norm. Usually, unless you are visiting someone who lives there, you are not likely to get entry into the colony as they have strict security set-ups in place.

– Karnala bird sanctuary, around 40 km from Panvel. One can hike/trek or go for nature trails here.

– Yeeor hills, ThaneTungareshwar, Virar

Adithi Muralidhar currently works in the field of science education research, in Mumbai. She is associated with Hypnale Research Station where she assists with various environment, wildlife conservation, education and community-related projects. She is a strong advocate of nature education.

This conclues ‘Green hangouts’, a series of stories celebrating Mumbai’s place in the green scheme of things, to coincide with Wildlife Week, which is celebrated from October 1 to 7 every year. 

(Pictures courtesy Vishal Rasal and Adithi Muralidhar. Reference: Sunjoy Monga (2005). Maharashtra Nature Park: Back to Nature. Naturecolours: Mumbai and MMRDA,  http://202.54.119.40/projects_mnp.htm)

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The garden of our collective childhood: Rani baug

Most of us are familiar with this garden since our childhood. It still holds a special place in our hearts.
by Adithi Muralidhar

Part 6 of the ‘Green Hangouts’ diaries

I remember going to Victoria Gardens as part of one of my primary class school picnic destinations. All that we did was – go there in a bus, sit down under a large tree, eat our packed dabbas, and come back home! I remember the place being quite deserted, but quite green. During my more recent trips there, I realised the place was still green (phew!) but it was no longer deserted – I still don’t know whether it’s a good or a bad thing!

ranibaugOne of the main things that I vividly remember were the two huge baobab trees at the entrance of the garden. Often known as the Tree of Life, the Baobabs have origins in Africa and are trees that can live for almost 3,000 years. Those two trees might have witnessed the phenomenal changes that have taken place over the years in that area of Mumbai.

What’s so special? Often cited as the city’s largest ‘open-green-public’ space, the Rani Baug spreads over an area that is close to 50 acres (give or take a few). Since the time the park was open to the public in 1862, the Rani Baug has faced several pressures from the city’s ever increasing urbanisation. Negligence, poor maintenance, pending infrastructure projects, financial aspects and deforestation are some of the major challenges faced by the park even today. This fairly large garden is home to over 3,000 trees (276 species and around 500+ species of plants, shrubs and climbers) besides serving as the habitat for a large number of birds and insects. Some of the rare and endangered trees found here are the Pride of Burma, Alligator apple tree, Brazilian Ironwood and Colville’s Glory, to name a few.

One part of the garden was transformed into a zoo and efforts have been made to revamp the current status of the zoo infrastructure. But this has posed a serious threat to the existing ranibaug-2-vishalbotanical garden. In fact, to counter the multi-crore proposed project of BMC to revamp the zoo, an (all-Mumbaikar-woman) action committee ‘Save Rani Bagh Botanical Garden Action Committee’ was formed. They were successful in their efforts, as the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) overruled the civic body’s ambitious plan to revamp the Byculla zoo (See these articles for more information on the subject here)

Conferred with Grade II-B status in the Schedule of Heritage Regulations for Greater Bombay, 1995, Rani Baug is Mumbai’s one and only heritage botanical garden. This place is also a delight for students of architecture, as the garden layout is typical of the Renaissance axial planning. To most Mumbaikars, however, this is a garden that occupies a special place in our hearts, like childhood memories tend to do. That this space is green and rich in terms of nature and history also helps!

Getting there: The nearest railway station is Byculla station (Central line). The park is open six days a week from 10 am to 6 pm.

Adithi Muralidhar currently works in the field of science education research, in Mumbai. She is associated with Hypnale Research Station where she assists with various environment, wildlife conservation, education and community-related projects. She is a strong advocate of nature education.

‘Green hangouts’ is a series of stories celebrating Mumbai’s place in the green scheme of things, to coincide with Wildlife Week, which is celebrated from October 1 to 7 every year. 

(Pictures courtesy Vishal Rasal. For more reading on Rani Baug, see http://www.saveranibagh.org/frontlineArticle.php. References: Bombay Natural History Society (2012). Rani Baug 150 years: Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan and Zoo, Oxford University Press)

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A haven for butterflies – Ovalekarwadi butterfly garden

Imagine a spot of green that has the most beautiful butterflies flitting in and out constantly – and in Mumbai!
by Adithi Muralidhar

Part 5 of the ‘Green Hangouts’ diaries

I had only heard of this place… and not very long ago, I was ‘invited’ to join the Fovalekarwadiacebook page of this unique garden (https://www.facebook.com/ovalekarwadi). Soon I could hear more discussions and praises for this garden and then I got curious! Obviously these were not just rumours… they were not the momentary excitement people have, that lasts as long as fizz in an open soda bottle. There was definitely something to the buzz about this mystery garden located off Ghodbunder road, a road known to be lined with skyscrapers and industries!

Why a butterfly garden? Ovalekarwadi butterfly garden was the brainchild of Rajendra Ovalekar, a physical education teacher by profession. Rajendra had a strong inclination for being close to nature. Particularly intrigued by butterflies, he decided to set up a garden that would exclusively be home to these fluttering beauties.

With help from friends and family, he created the Ovalekarwadi in his two-and-half-acre farmland located close to Owalagaon. Sheltering over 120 species of butterflies, the Ovalekarwadi has now become a famous hotspot for nature lovers from all over the city.

I had the opportunity to see Rajendra give a small presentation about his garden during a recent seminar held at CEC in Goregaon (September 2013). In his 15-minute interaction with all of us, his love and commitment to the garden really stood out. He explained how this garden came about and the effort it took for him to make this place “attractive and welcoming” to these 100 species of butterflies. Maintaining the place was not a simple task.

He explained how he uses old discarded fruit as a source of food for these butterflies – he stuffs the fruit pulp in small metallic cages (to keep away birds from feeding on it) and places these nectar houses all over the garden to attract the insects.

One can also learn more about the life-cycle of butterflies at the garden by direct observation. For example, you will come across all the stages of the butterfly’s life cycle here – the egg, pupa, cocoon and final adult. You can spend the whole day just watching, observing and recording butterfly behaviour. Photographers are another group of people who love to frequent this place. It is so difficult to capture these wavering beauties, it takes you hours to get a great shot. But at the Ovalekarwadi, you have better chances of photographing butterflies, because they are just all over the place!

Even though this cannot qualify as a complete weekend ‘get-away’ spot, it definitely is worth the visit!

Getting there: The nearest railway station to Ovalekarwadi is Thane station (Central line). The nearest bus stop is Owala village bus stop. The garden is open only on Sundays from 7.30 am to 1.30 pm.

Adithi Muralidhar currently works in the field of science education research, in Mumbai. She is associated with Hypnale Research Station where she assists with various environment, wildlife conservation, education and community-related projects. She is a strong advocate of nature education.

Green hangouts is a series of stories celebrating Mumbai’s place in the green scheme of things, to coincide with Wildlife Week, which is celebrated from October 1 to 7 every year. 

(Featured image by Bandana Thakur. Image shows a male Gaudy Baron butterfly)

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An office in the middle of a forest: CEC

This might be one of the coolest office spaces in Mumbai – CEC in Goregaon is located in the wilderness!
by Adithi Muralidhar

Part 4 of the ‘Green Hangouts’ diaries

The education wing of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) is located in the wilderness that lies between Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Film city, Goregaon. The Conservation Education Center (CEC) is situated in a 33-acre spread of forest which also includes some nature trails. If you live in the western suburbs, particularly close to Goregaon, CEC could become your regular weekend retreat.

CEC-2-AdithiWhat’s so special? When one makes their way into Film City, you will come across the sets of various saas-bahu serials, and you might think, where the hell is this CEC? Thanks to the film crew, a fair amount of rubbish can be seen strewn on the roads. But once you go past the last cluster of film sets that appear after the signboard that says ‘BNHS 450 m’, you see some beautiful forests and hear some amazing bird calls. And right there, in the midst of the forest lies this somewhat old building hidden well in the thickets of the canopy. A gate that says BNHS-CEC, Beware of Leopards, welcomes you.

Staffed with just a handful of people, CEC might be one of the coolest offices (in terms of the location) in Mumbai. During one of my recent visits to CEC, a friend of mine who works there showed me a carcass of dog on a tree that was right outside the CEC office building. The neighbourhood friendly leopard had made her way this side of the forest with a happy meal (of the dog) but then left it halfway for reasons unknown. And yes, leopards are common to this area, with sightings restricted usually to dawn, dusk and night times. They tend to steer clear of human beings and are not sighted very often.

Lots to see and hear. But the summer season apparently yields wonderful sightings of spotted deer, barking deer and wild boars who visit the water bodies near CEC to quench their thirst.  And it is during this season that the ever-elusive thirsty leopards let down their guard and come to the water hole.

It is a wonderful place to learn about butterflies and birds. Apart from this, the forests that surround CEC are a treasure trove of insects!  During the monsoons, there is a crisscross of streams that run through the forests which is an absolute delight!

Since the Centre’s main aim is to spread awareness among the masses, they have a wide range of programmes that cater to children, youngsters and families. If you also are very cecparticular about going green in your respective offices, CEC has customised programmes and workshops for corporates, too. On some occasions, CEC also organize night camps at their base, and the opportunities to witness “nightlife” in the jungle, whilst in the city is a rare thing! I would definitely recommend that everybody visits this beautiful forest.

CEC celebrated its 20th birthday this year and hopes are set on it becoming a permanent attraction at Film City. Over the years, CEC has made sure that the area surrounding it has remained green and vibrant with wildlife. It is our duty as Mumbaikars to help CEC maintain this thriving habitat.

Getting there: The nearest railway station to CEC is Goregaon (Western line) and the nearest bus stop is Film City. The CEC office is open from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm, Monday through Friday. But depending on the season, there are sometimes weekend programmes at CEC. You can keep yourself updated by checking here: http://www.bnhs.org/education-mainmenu/upcoming-programs-cec.html

Adithi Muralidhar currently works in the field of science education research, in Mumbai. She is associated with Hypnale Research Station where she assists with various environment, wildlife conservation, education and community-related projects. She is a strong advocate of nature education.

Green hangouts is a series of stories celebrating Mumbai’s place in the green scheme of things, to coincide with Wildlife Week, which is celebrated from October 1 to 7 every year. 

(Pictures by Adithi Muralidhar. The author would like to thank Amandeep Kaur, education officer at CEC, for her inputs in writing this piece.)

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Seeing colours at the jetty

Sewri Jetty may not be picturesque, but the ‘flying visitors’ to the area make it a hell of a spot.
by Adithi Muralidhar

Part 3 of the ‘Green Hangouts’ diaries

Sewri-This isn’t exactly a “green” place…but the colours of nature offered here pretty much compensate for the lack of green in the area. The Sewri jetty might come across as a dirty, icky place to visit, but this area harbours a unique type of habitat called the ‘mudflats’. Mudflats are basically coastal wetlands that are formed when mud, silt, animal detritus and clay are deposited by tides or rivers. Since most of the mudflats lie within the inter-tidal zone, they are exposed twice a day based on the tide timings.

Flamingo city: The Sewri bay has become a hangout for thousands of flamingos that arrive here in the month of October and stay till the March of the next year. Commonly known as the ‘Flamingo fest’, these migrants attract thousands of nature lovers to Sewri each year. Every year, around 15,000 flamingos come to Sewri. I have personally experienced how the sky turns pink because of the flying flamingos.

Apart from these majestic pink-feathered beauties, one can even find a large number of waders in the area – close to 30 species! Around 40 per cent of all bird species recorded in Mumbai have been sighted at the Sewri Bay. The regular winter visitors include Herons, Egrets, Plovers, Curlew, Whimbrel, Godwits, Sandpipers, Gulls, Terns, Ibis, etc.

It is particularly important that this place gets ‘noticed’, since it faces several immediate threats. Apart from the fact that the area is heavily polluted with discharge from the nearby industries, imminent infrastructure projects can lead to habitat destruction. So, if not for a retreat, I would urge Mumbaikars to just go and experience the sheer joy of watching 15,000 pink birds docking at the mudflats, a few months of every year, feasting away to glory !

Getting there: The place is fairly easy to reach. It is a walking distance from Sewri station. TheNearest railway station to Sewri Jetty is Sewri Station (Harbour line)sewri

But a heads-up to all you girls – go in groups. It is not the safest of places to be going alone or in pairs. A lot of trucks are parked on the road and at times, you may come across some shady characters on that stretch of road. But I would say it is relatively safe as many people are aware that the flamingos attract thousands of visitors, so you might even find the locals there helping you find your way to the jetty. Also, make sure you have a good pair of binoculars on you when you go here. During the low tide, the flamingos can be as close as 20 feet from you…but it is better to keep a decent pair of binoculars handy in case you want to get a better look.

Adithi Muralidhar currently works in the field of science education research, in Mumbai. She is associated with Hypnale Research Station where she assists with various environment, wildlife conservation, education and community-related projects. She is a strong advocate of nature education.

Green hangouts is a series of stories celebrating Mumbai’s place in the green scheme of things, to coincide with Wildlife Week, which is celebrated from October 1 to 7 every year. 

(Pictures by Adithi Muralidhar. Reference: http://www.kolkatabirds.com/sewriclist.htm)

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