Transformation - The Magic of Monsoon

Finally !! the monsoon has arrived. After the sweltering heat of the summer months, the whole landscape and every living organism including human beings, look up at the sky and wait for the clouds to burst. The effect is magical, particularly in forests… the monsoon changes the visual sense of the forest completely and recharges the whole environment. It's a whole new scene of wildlife that takes place….

Just a few days back, when the sun was at its scorching best, the forest was set for this transformation as if anticipating the monsoon, like it has for millions of years. Life emerges from the forest floor in a myriad forms. Such is the variety and diversity, that it is just unbelievable. This breath-taking natural wonders has to be experienced to be able to believe. The forest floor is now littered with flowers, crabs, bugs, beetles, spiders, caterpillars, frogs and what not. It is amazing what the first shower does to the landscape. The monsoon proclaims the beginning of plenty, a season of new life….. a Transformation.

Take a walk in the forest and enjoy this treasure trove..you never know, how many years this magic will last !!

I have attempted to portray this “transformation” through some images that were captured around Mumbai (Tungareshwar, Sanjay Gandhi National Park, aarey colony area, Yeoor and Nagla forests) during the last few days.

(Click on the image to enlarge and to see the text)

Fruits of Schleichera oleosa also called locally as Kusum.... these are collected by tribals to eat....it tastes something like "khata meetha" lichie

At the height of summer, the forest abound with wild fruits, that are not just collected by the tribals, but also enjoyed by all the forest denizens - Here the Rodents feed on the fallen fruits

Before the rain starts, the tribal make merry - they collect forest produce like they have been doing for several centuries, this is the month of bounty - Children collecting wild fruits in Tungareshwar WLS

Camouflage - a Grasshopper camouflages itself amongst the dried leaves

A bark Scorpion ssp. hides amongst the leaf litter in wait for its prey

Baby skink slithers away amongst the forest litter...most baby skinks sport colourful tail

Male calotes fighting to gain the dominance for the approaching breeding season

A wolf Spider scans its territory from his den

Nymphs of Red-silk cotton bugs emerge from under the dried leaves

A weaver ant tends to the Aphids - Ants have been farming the Aphids for millions of years to obtain a sweet secretion

Mushroom emerge to carry out the mission that best suits them - Decompose and Recycle

A crysalis of a butterfly waits in anticipation of rains.... the caterpillars will then have a better chance of survival in the season of abundance and greenery

The reptiles in all their glory




The rains have started - the first drops collected in Bracket fungi

A velvet mite emerges from its loooonnnngggg sleep .....
It is believed that the emergence of these mites signifies good monsoon :-)

A Deccan banded Gecko is on a look-out for the baby insects..... it is the best season to encounter reptiles and amphibians

Orchids bloom - Rhynchostylis, Arides, Dendrobium, Habenarias (These are Orchid varieties).....its a season of bounty for all of them

Velvet mites tussle with each other to occupy feeding territories

Wild turmeric emerges from the parched land

Various species of Chlorophytum emerge immediately after the first showers of rain..... they would just last for about a couple of weeks, before they fruit and disperse their seeds..... such flowers / herbs are called "ephemerals"

Curculigo - Kali Musli...of the a.k.a "Musli Power" fame. Such and hundreds of medicinal herbs sprout immediately after even a little amount of rain

Scilla hyacinthina flowering

A baby brahminy skink scampers amongst the forest floor

Fungoid frogs emerge from their aestivation.....their summer sleep

It is also a colourful season of beetles

Mushrooms everywhere....they get the vital "water" to speed up the decomposition process and give the nutrients back to soil

Scilla hyacinthina in bloom

The Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher has also arrived..... they are breeding migrants to our region arriving at the onset of monsoon.

Splashes of green - The Praying Mantis looks on with its 180 degrees head turn

Myraid colours of the insect world


The rains have arrived ..... Finally !!

Amorphophallus commutatus or Wild-Yam sprouts everywhere....a favorite amongst vegetarians



Mahua seeds (Madhuca indica)germinating....proclaiming that the season of Life has arrived

Aaaaarey Aarey Aarey - The Green island (27.7.08)

The lashing heavy rains the previous night was threatening to dampen the MBC (Mumbai Birdwatchers Club) birdwalk to Aarey, Goregaon this Sunday (27^th Jul, 2008) and though the dark clouds and intermittent showers loomed over us, about 20 nature enthusiasts still managed to assemble for the trail instead of just sleeping off the morning and doing nothing in the confines of our concrete walls …… Everyone knew that the sightings would just be a bonus, but the excitement to make the most out of the wonderful whether, definitely reflected on everyone's faces ….. and it was more than what we could have expected.

Even before we started the walk, many Alexandrian & Roseringed parakeets that have a good population here and a Black hooded Oriole kept calling near the New Zealand hostel junction. Sunjoy briefed us all with the history and current status of this piece of green expanse which is now eyed upon by the land developers (mafias actually)….Once a flourishing centre, the governments apathy towards reviving this area for dairy development was evident with the pathetic conditions of Cattle sheds of which only few remain. With the current pressures from all corners, even this beautiful place would be someday lost under the artificial world of humans…..

Sunjoy also briefed us about the myriad life forms that abound this place in the form of birds, mammals, insects and plants and also on the leopard-human conflict that has kept this place in hot news in not so distant past.

There is a small pond clothed with water lilies and vegetation, which once harbored numerous water birds including Moorhens and Jacanas and used as a playground in summers, only produced a pair of Common Kingfishers and Little Grebe this time, infact I could locate an architecturally perfect yet a camouflaging "floating Nest" of the Little Grebe… one parent was seen incubating & the other feeding. A couple of Munias (probably Scaly-breasted) took off from a nearby bush even as we kept hearing the continuous calls of Ashy prinias and Coucals all over. A small flock of some Gulls were seen flying high up moving from west to east indicating that the season of bounty is not far. Further ahead a female Cuckoo with a really hoarse and exotic call kept the people confused for a while and the agile palm swifts continued their feeding in mid-air mindless of the water showers. The tailor birds were particularly vocal and active as well as the White-spotted Fantail flycatchers, one of which circled us for a few moments before it resumed its pursuits after the winged morsels. The Black Kites decided to shelter themselves on the many palm trees that dot this landscape.

I always feel that monsoon gives birders a reason to look around and appreciate other aspects of nature when the birds take refuge in the thick foliage ….. So, as the rains started pouring, we naturally diverted our attention around us surely to find many interesting small lives, each struggling for its survival. Stinging nettle caterpillars had devoured many plants yet were difficult to spot due to their amazing camouflage. A Signature spider here and a Lynx's spider there, a stink bug here and a katydid there, a looper caterpillar here and a Jewel beetle there kept, especially the newcomers amused. The green carpets of vegetation were looking very promising for the days to come and wild flowers had already started to peep in.

As we retraced, someone saw Black objects on the palm trees which looked slightly odd like stones placed high up , on having a closer view, these turned out to be 6 White-rumped Vultures resting lazily. These birds have become so rare these days that undoubtedly, they were voted by all of us as the "Bird (s) of the Day" and was a very heartening sight indeed. Everyone looked elated and rounds of discussion flowed, the reasons for their declines were discussed and how this particular small population has remained alive and sighted was shared.

We car-pooled and went to another site –the Nakshatra garden, where we saw some more birds. The spotted dove pair flirted with each other and the Common Ioras whistled to their mates from behind the leaves as if the lovers enjoying the mystical atmosphere. The Common Mynas and Asian Pied Starlings continued with their daily chores and a couple of Juv. Tailor birds played around. The White-breasted water hens, White-throated kingfishers and Yellow-eyed babblers were calling from far, while a grey-breasted prinia was announcing its mate that he is healthy and ready.

The Lush green carpets of vegetation were sprinkled with various colorful shades of wild flowers like the Indian Boraj, Balsam, Commelina, Bahunia, Tridax and Vinca.

With such a spiritual weather which can neither be bought even for a million dollars. nor one could get in any malls, the group was reluctant to leave the place, and we all decided to celebrate the heavenly atmosphere with atleast a cu-pa chai, with some garma garam wada and missal pav in the nearby "Tapri" …..It was nice to see joy on Little Ashok's face (Mrs.Nita Deb's Nestling :-), who was quick to remember many things that were seen....

Sunjoy and Kiran (Shrivastava) wanted to photograph some flowers, so some of us again went back while the rain stopped briefly and were rewarded with sightings of a couple of Common Mongoose. I was also fortunate to sight a lone Chestnut tailed Starling, a male Baya weaver in breeding plumage, a black drongo mobbing a Shikra and an Ashy Prinia with some nesting material frantically building her abode.

All in all a wonderful morning spent amidst a heavenly weather with quite a few wonderful sightings including the now rare Vultures…..

Pity for those who decided to spend their Sunday confined in the artificial walls :-)

Happy Birding!!

Warm Regards,

Adesh Shivkar

(Co-ordinator-MBC)

Indian Pitta in Karnala WLS

What an incredible birding it was this weekend (1.6.2008) …….Karnala Bird Sanctuary reverberated with the natures symphony lead by our target bird, the Indian Pitta several of which were accompanied by White-Rumped Shamas and myriad of other resident species. However, an unusual highlight was that of singing Grey Headed Canary Flycatchers (probably c2)…..

The Enthusiasm to attend any MBC bird walk was evident as almost 18 people joined for the early morning birding even at a very short notice……it was also nice to see a couple of friends (Mr.Ajey Kelkar & Mr.Makarand Karkare) joining us all the way from Pune. A testimony on how popular the MBC walks are and this trip was no exception.

About 10 persons had already arrived in Karnala, a small bird sanctuary on the Mumbai-Goa highway and were seeing the Pompadour Green Pigeons, Grey breasted prinia, Crimson-backed Sunbirds, White-Rumped Shamas and some other birds when we joined at about 7.00 am. The open space near the newly built nature interpretation centre, just as you enter the gate is always very productive and I often spend considerable time here to see the birds showing up one by one…..and as expected, it was here that the drama unfolded.

Amongst the many species that were actively feeding on the trees, included the Golden fronted Chloropsis, Brown headed Barbets, Crimson and Purple Rumped Sunbirds,

White-Rumped Shamas, Thick-billed flowerpeckers, Common Iora, Small & Orange Minivets, Bronze drongos etc. The hot summer ensured that the birds were up early and were in a feeding frenzy……Just when I thought about the absence of any signs of Indian Pitta, I heard his distant but unmistakable 2 note whistle ”Wheet-whiyou”…..a very loud call for a bird of Myna size…..I challenged him with a similar call…..the Pitta responded to the challenge and started coming closer and closer and closer……finally he came and sat very near to us on a tree of medium height….our calling continued and he was in no mood to quit, he was out there to prove that he is healthy and furious……As I moved forward calling…..he followed :-)

The Indian Pittas or "Navrang" as it is often called in Marathi / Hindi, because of its rainbow colours, are passage migrants to our region during mid may to mid June, with sporadic breeding records from Mumbai region and regular breeding records from South Maharashtra (Sindhudurg, Chiplun, Ratnagiri etc)…… they, then proceed towards Central and North India to nest. It is far easier to locate them on passage during summer when they are very vocal….and equally difficult to get noticed (and hence few records) when they are returning back to South during October, as they are silent by then…..they probably stop on passage for few days to rest, feed and then continue their journey.

While this was happening a male White rumped Shama that had a nest nearby was getting annoyed and he too joined in the chorus…….The quality of Shama call is rivaled by none, and it was not surprising why our great old man considered this bird as our best songster……it was an amazing experience to see this wonderful songster, singing full throttle, so close to us ….. nearby, more Indian Pittas were calling now (atleast 3) ……. and the forest was now full of bird calls….all (people and birds) were so excited; it was evident on their faces ;) ….the female Shama was seen carrying nest material in a tree hole with the male keeping a vigil for any alarm………..the heat was killing us, so we decided to move towards Hariyal trail.

The Hariyal trail (Hariyal = Marathi Name for Green Pigeon, the state bird of Maharashtra) added few more birds to the list, including Brown cheeked Fulvettas, Racket tailed Drongos, Chestnut shouldered Petronias, Baya weaver (all females feeding on a tree), Black napped Monarch, Bulbuls, Tailor bird etc…..further ahead near the stream we heard calls of Changeable hawk eagle and Crested Serpent eagles.

The Shady cemented parapet close to the forest rest houses, provided us the much needed rest…..This is traditionally a good place to see Shama, and not only did we see more Shamas, but also witnessed an amazing experience of how even Shamas, mimic calls of other birds to perfection (calls of drongos, Serpent eagles were executed to perfection) infact it even tried to mimic me when I was trying to imitate Brown cheeked Fulvetta, its call had a human whistle like quality…….some Puff-throated Babblers were also seen rummaging in the undergrowth …… an Indian Pitta landed on a branch close to us…..I thought, lets see if it responds to the imitation……I gave a ”Wheet-whiyou” and…..ttthhhherrre he responds with a puffed breast ”Wheet-whiyou”…..Wow ;)…..The Pittas are usually encountered rummaging on ground for worms and grubs, but when singing, they prefer high branch, from where they puff their breast, face the gods and deliver this 2 note whistle…..

While all this orchestra of sorts was going on, we heard yet another bird singing not very far…..it was a very familiar and unmistakable song of Grey headed Canary flycatcher. Now this was something unusual, because this species is supposed to have gone to breed in the Himalayas long back. We even checked, whether a drongo or Shama were mimicking (a strong possibility), but the calls / song were consistent and repeated continuously for a long period….”te… te…tu..twiet” . There were infact 2 birds calling, though we did not see, I was sure of its presence. These might be the late migrants still moving from far south (probably Srilanka) to their northern breeding grounds.

All of us had already started walking back by 9.30 am, amazed and satisfied, carrying back a memorable mornings experience provided by the birds with their melodious symphony …. The call of Indian Pitta still rings in my ear.

Though we did not see the Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher or any Cuckoos, we hope that the coming monsoon will bring a new leash of life, hope and Joy…..

Till then……”Wheet-whiyou”

Regards,

Adesh Shivkar

Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary - Fact File

Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary

About Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary

The beauty of the Western Ghats, the majesty of Maharashtra, and the blessings of nature make this place a real treat for the nature lovers. The Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the most beautiful wildlife sanctuaries in India.

The Bhimashankar wildlife Sanctuary was declared by the govt. of Maharashtra on 10th Oct 1985 as a reserve forest for the Malabar Giant Squirrel and a huge number of other animals and birds. It covers 130.78 sq. km of forest. The Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary is positioned at an altitude of 2100 feet to 3800 feet, and is located in the Ambegaon taluka of Pune District, Maharashtra, infact; it is spread over the districts of Pune, Raigad and Thane districts of the north-western part of Maharashtra. There is a shrine in the forest of the wildlife sanctuary, which has one of the 12 Jyotiralinga temples of Lord Shiva. The valley found beyond this temple is a wonderful combination of shrubs, magical herbs and plant life and serve as the catchments area for the Bhima, Ghod and Arala rivers, which empty into the Krishna. It receives heavy monsoon rainfall of approx. 6000 mm annually.

However, this forest has also seen some turmoil in recent years from tribals who have felt unjustly burdened with the declaration of a wildlife sanctuary in their ancestral environment. The undulating Bhimashankar plateau straddles the main ridge of Western Ghats with its peaks and flat ridge tops.

The easiest way to reach the Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary is to drive down from the city of Mumbai, which generally takes around 7 hours (approx. 250 kms). The best time to visit the wildlife sanctuary is from the months of October to May. The tourists are suggested to carry camping gear, dry snacks, binoculars, woolen clothes and mosquito repellents. One can also trek from Karjat side, from the foothill village of Khandas (36 kms from Karjat station). There are 2 paths – Ganesh ghat (Easy) and Shidi Ghat (Tough), but both paths traverse through amazing forest with rich bio-diversity.

This is one of the best habitats in the Western Ghats for the giant squirrel and there are confirmed sightings of tigers. However, tourism projects which seek to build in the heart of the forest threaten the arboreal ecology of these creatures. Proposed roads also threaten the forest, as do development projects designed to cater to the needs of pilgrims who visit the nearby temple complex.

Trails:

There are several trails in the sanctuary; some of the well defined trails are as follows:

1) Gupt Bhimashankar Trails (1.5 kms long straight walk): This trails traverses from the south of Bhimashankar Temple through a magnificently dense forest with high canopy trees. One of the best trails to see the Malabar Giant squirrels along with scorpions, and reptiles that rest under the rocks and crevices. Also a good trail to see the Western Ghats endemic birds like White-bellied blue flycatchers, Nilgiri wood pigeon, Yellow-browed bulbuls etc. There is a temple “Sakshi Vinayak” at the end, from where the trail drops down towards a stream. Here there is a Shiv lingam which is called “Gupt Bhimashankar”… there are small perennial water puddles that attract many species of birds and butterflies and has plenty of Water boatman and water skatters (insects)…..This trails futher leads to Bhorgiri caves down the valley.

2) Nagphani Trail (2 kms long with steep, but easy climb): This is the highest point trail and stands at 3696 feet. Once at the summit, you are left breathless not so much from the climb, but from the vista that opens in front of your eyes. You can see a brilliant sunset from the peak. The ground looks like a black and green patchwork quilt with little clusters of villages thrown in for a touch of red. A number of tiny lakes glisten like rubies in the translucent reddish glow of the setting sun. Serpentine rivers meander gracefully around sleepy villages like skeins of raw silk. The skycap is dominated by forts and neighboring hill stations, like Matheran that jut out proudly into the sky. This trail is very good for watching raptors (Birds of Prey) with regular sightings of Common Kestrel, Shaheen falcon, Oriental Honey Buzzard, Crested Serpent eagle, Black eagle etc. The “Padar gad” , Tungi and Peth fort is just below on the plateau towards Karjat and A Hanuman temple is situated at the base of the summit. The top is also famous for the carpets of wildflowers just after the monsoon.

3) Machaan Trail (1 km from adjacent to MTDC resort and straight, easy walk): This trail traverses from near the MTDC resort and the terrain is more or less open with good visibility. There is a tiny machaan(watch post) erected by the Forest Department near a small Dam (Which is usually dry in Summer, but always has water on the other side of the wall) and a small temple dedicated to “Bhagadevi”, the forest Goddess of Bhimashankar. Extremely productive trail for mammals like Mouse deer, Barking deer, Sambhar, Hare and good place to see Nightjars in the evening. I have seen Leopard Pugmarks on this trail, almost on all occasions that I have been.

4) Forest Rest House (1 km from opp. MTDC with steep, but easy climb): This walk traverses thro’ a good number of tall trees, especially Ficus species and a very good trail to see bird species like White-cheeked Barbets, Chloropsis, Black Bulbuls, Flycatchers, Brown cheeked fulvetas etc. At the end of this trail, there are settlements for Forest staff and offers a very nice panoramic view of the surrounding forest.

5) Koli Village (3 Kms steep trek down towards Karjat side): If you are trekking from Karjat side, then you will have to pass through this village, before reaching Bhimashankar. Otherwise one can climb down from Bhimashankar to reach here, which is situated on a plateau. Tough a steep trail, this traverses through a nice forest rich in Biodiversity with plenty of insects and birds including Shamas, Orange headed and Malabar Whistling thrush, Orange Minivets, Flycatchers etc. The Villagers sell nice and refreshing “Butter milk” for the trekkers climbing from Karjat side. There are plenty of open habitat birds near this village where Rice and Nachni are cultivated in the fields.

6) Ahupe Forest (19 Kms from temple, with 7 kms of good road and then a walk of about 11 kms): As you near Bhimashankar, approx. 4 kms before, there is a small tar road towards your right, which travels through one of the few remaining primary forest patch, extremely dense and pristine. The tar road ends up till the Kondhwal village (approx. 5 kms from the main road). This is an amazing place, very quite and cool. From here, one can descend down to “Siddheshwar fort” and further down towards “Naneghat”. The first few kms where one can go by road is very very rich in birdlife with sure sightings of Crimson-backed Sunbirds, Orange headed Thrush, Black Bulbuls etc. Near the Kondhval village the cultivated fields offers Bee-eaters, Malabar and Syke’s Crested larks in plenty

Though these are well defined trails, any jungle path is very productive in Bhimashankar and the surrounding countryside...

Fact File:

Location: Western Ghats Of Maharashtra

Coverage Area:130.78-sq-km

Main Attraction: The Home Of Malabar Giant Squirrels, Birds, Insects, reptiles and Medicinal herbs

Accommodation: Small restaurants cum basic rooms for the devotees near the temple (ranging from Rs.300/- onwards, Dormitories ranging from Rs.100/person onwards)

Blue Mormon resort (about 9 kms before the Temple), price ranging from Rs.900 / room onwards- Excellent

Hyde Park (about 7 kms before the temple), price ranging from Rs.450/- onwards – Basic

Electricity: The Temple area is now connected with electricity and telephone. However the mobile range is only limited to BSNL as of now, but one can get range of other mobile services from the various high points.

Food: Small Dhabas and Restuarants serve basic Vegetarian food, however, due to shortage of drinking water (supplied by water tankers daily), bottled mineral water is recommended.

Travel:

By Rail: The nearest railway station is at Pune

By Air : The nearest airport is at Pune.

By Road: The road distance from Mumbai is approx. 255 km via Malshej Ghat

Nearby Excursions: Temple of Lord Shiva, Dimbhe dam, Nagphani point for a superb view of the plains below and the surrounding Western Ghats, Bhorgiri caves and other nature trails as given above.

Medical Facilities: The nearest hospital is approx. 47 kms in the town of Ghodegaon.

Ideal Road routes from Mumbai:

Via Malshej Ghat: Mumbai – Thane – Kalyan – Murbad – Malshej Ghat – Junnar – Ghodegaon – Dhimbhe Dam town – Bhimashankar (approx. 252 kms from Sion, Mumbai)

Via Lonavala : Mumbai – Vashi – Panvel – Khandala – Lonavla – Chakan – Rajgurunagar – Manchar – Dimbhe Dam town – Bhimashankar (approx. 240 kms from Sion, Mumbai)

Personally, I would prefer the Malshej Ghat road, because of good road, thin traffic and scenic beauty ;)

Flora:

It contains relic forest with a high diversity of endangered evergreen tree species many of which are endemic to the Western Ghats. The main forest of this sanctuary is the southern tropical semi evergreen forest. Tourists can find wide range of plant life, magical herbs, and shrubs. The major flora found in Bhimashankar wildlife sanctuary includes Bamboo, Palas, Babul, Bija, Salaia, Tendu, Dhawda, Zizphus Helicteres, Khair, Sal, Terminenalia species, Casia Auriculata, Bel, Hiwar, Teak, Hirda, Behada, Jamun, Ficus ssp., Anjan etc. The commonly found shrubs include varieties of Isora, Vitex Nigundo, Solanium Giganteum, Lantana etc. and many species of herbs, climbers, grass and ferns.

In the monsoon season, one can spot a bioluminous fungi growing on some trees. The fungus gives out a faint glow that makes the tree trunks shimmer gently in the darkness of the night.

Fauna:

The area is rich in fauna since there is variety of forest types in the sanctuary. The wild life found here includes Malabar Giant Squirrel (of the ssp. Ratufa indica elphinstonii), Leopards, Barking Deer, Sambar, Wild Boar, Langur, Hares, Pangolin, civet cats, and occasionally Hyena. More than 150 species of birds are found in Bhimashankar WLS and the surrounding areas (Checklist at the end). Among the birds one will be able to find are White-Bellied Blue flycatcher, Puff-throated babbler, Malabar Grey Hornbill, Brown cheeked Fulvetta, Malabar Whistling Thrush, Nilgiri Wood Pigeon, Black Bulbul, Indian Black Bird, Black Eagle, Bonelli’s eagle, Yellow-browed Bulbul, Emeral Doves, Oriental turtle dove, Grey Jungle Fowl and many, many more. One might get to see the great butterfly and moth brigade including several species. The Insect life is tremendous here and the reptiles are in plenty.

Best Time to Visit: For Birds October to May, For Insects and Reptiles, July to Dec, For Wildflowers Aug to Nov.

Permissions: There is an active forest dept. office very near to the start of the temple steps. Though not many restrictions to roam around on the trails inside the sanctuary, you are not allowed to venture inside the forest after dusk.

About Malabar Giant Squirrel (Shekru in Marathi)

The sanctuary is famous as the home of a highly endangered subspecies of the Malabar Giant Squirrel - Shekaru ( Ratufa indica elphistoni), which is also the state animal of Maharashtra ! The animal is extremely shy and almost never comes down from the trees where it stays. The giant squirrel is mainly arboreal and so needs a thick canopy of trees to move around in, look for food. The giant squirrel has a distinctive rust-coloured fur and shrill cry. It lives either on its own or in pairs, making nests at the high ends of branches, well away from the reach of predators. It lives all its life on the trees, leaping upto 20 feet between branches and trees. It could make upto six nests on trees so as to take shelter in the nearest one during a crisis. Its breeding season extends from March to April and again from September to October.

Road Map from Mumbai and Pune:

The Legend of Bhimashankar

The Bhimashankara temple is a composite of old and the new structures and is built in the Nagara style of architecture. It is a modest yet graceful temple and it dates back to mid 18th century. The shikhara of the temple was built by Nana Phadnavis. The great Maratha ruler Shivaji is also said to have made endowments to this temple to facilitate the carrying out, of worship services. As with other Shiva temples in this area, the sanctum is at a lower level.

This temple is closely associated with the legend of Shiva slaying the demon Tripurasura associated with the invincible flying citadels Tripuras. Shiva is said to have taken abode in the Bhima form, upon the request of the Gods, on the crest of the Sahyadri hills, and the sweat that poured forth from his body after the battle is said to have formed the Bhimarathi River.

Bhimashankar is a beautiful black rock structure built in the Nagara style of architecture, the temple dates back to the mid 18th century. Believed to have been built during the reign of the Peshwas, the temple surprisingly displays a relic of the Portuguese time, a large bell hanging between two huge pillars in the courtyard. A small path behind this temple leads to a natural Shiv ling in the riverbed, a short distance down stream, only visible when the water level is low. Besides the temple, the two picturesque lakes, Kamalja Devi and Hanuman and the highest point,

Although the structure here is fairly new, the shrine Bhimashankaram (and the Bhimarathi river) have been referred to in literature dating back to the 13th century CE. Saint Jnaneshwar is said to have visited Tryambakeshwar and Bhimashankar.

For more on this, click here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhimashankar_Temple

http://www.jyotirlinga-tour-india.com/bhimashankar-jyotirling.html

Below Bird Checklist is compiled by me and should not be considered authentic in a sense.....I have only included the resident species in the list so far (will update it later)

No.	Name	Status
1	Grey Francolin	UC
2	Blue Breasted Quail	UC
3	Jungle Bush quail	UC
4	Rock Bush Quail	UC
5	Barred Button Quail	UC
6	Red spur fowl	UC
7	Painted Spur fowl	UC
8	Grey jungle fowl	O
9	Indian pea fowl	O
10	Lesser whistling duck	UC
11	Spot Billed Duck	UC
12	Rufous woodpecker	O
13	Heart spotted woodpecker	O
14	Brown capped pygmy woodpecker	O
15	Yellow crowned woodpecker	UC
16	Lesser yellownape	UC
17	Streak throated woodpecker	UC
18	Black rumpedflameback	C
19	White Naped woodpecker	UC
20	Brown headed barbet	UC
21	White Cheeked barbet	VC
22	Coppersmith barbet	O
23	Malabar gray hornbill	UC
24	Indian gray hornbill	UC
25	Common hoopoe	UC
26	Malabar trogon	UC, Rare
27	Indian roller	UC
28	Common kingfisher	C
29	Oriental Dwarf kingfisher	UC
30	White throated kingfisher	VC
31	Pied kingfisher	UC
32	Green bee eater	VC
33	Pied cuckoo	O
34	Common hawk cuckoo	O
35	Eurasian cuckoo	UC
36	Lesser cuckoo	UC
37	Banded bay cuckoo	O
38	Grey bellied cuckoo	O
39	Drongo cuckoo	O
40	Asian koel	C
41	Greater coucal	VC
42	Puff-throated babbler	VC
43	Vernal hanging parrot	UC
44	Rose ringed parakeet	C
45	Plum headed parakeet	VC
46	Malabar parakeet	UC
47	Indian swiftlet	UC
48	Asian palm swift	C
49	House swift	C
50	Alpine swift	C
51	Crested treeswift	VC
52	Collared scops owl	C
53	Eurasian eagle owl	UC
54	Brown fish owl	UC
55	Brown wood owl	UC
56	Spotted owlet	O
57	Jungle Owlet	C
58	Grey nightjar	VC
59	Indian nightjar	VC
60	Savanna nightjar	UC
61	Rock pigeon	O
62	Nilgiri wood pigeon	C
63	Green imperial pigeon	UC
64	Oriental turtle dove	C
65	Laughing dove	VC
66	Spotted dove	VC
67	Red collared dove	UC
68	Eurasian collared dove	UC
69	Emerald dove	VC
70	Pompadour green pigeon	O
71	Yellow footed green pigeon	UC
72	White breasted waterhen	UC
73	Purple swamphen	UC
74	Common coot	UC
75	Eurasian thick knee	UC
76	Little ringed plover	UC
77	Yellow wattled led lapwing	UC
78	Red wattled lapwing	C
79	River tern	O
80	Black shouldered kite	C
81	Black kite	VC
82	Egyptian vulture	UC
83	White-rumped vulture	UC
84	Long billed vulture	UC
85	Short toed snake eagle	O
86	Crested serpent eagle	VC
87	Black eagle	C
88	Shikra	C
89	Oriental honey buzzard	VC
90	White eyed buzzard	C
91	Tawny eagle	UC
92	Bonelli’s eagle	C
93	Changeable hawk eagle	O
94	Common kestrel	C
95	Red necked falcon	UC
96	Amur falcon	UC, Pasg
97	Laggar falcon	UC, Rare
98	Peregrine falcon	UC
99	Little grebe	UC
100	Little cormorant	UC
101	Indian cormorant	UC
102	Little egret	UC
103	Cattle egret	VC
104	Indian pond heron	VC
105	Black crowned night heron	UC
106	Black ibis	UC
107	Woolly necked stork	UC
108	Indian pitta	UC, Pasg
109	Asian fairy bluebird	UC
110	Blue winged leafbird	O
111	Golden fronted leafbird	VC
112	Bay backed shrike	UC
113	Long tailed shrike	O
114	Southern grey shrike	UC
115	Rufous treepie	C
116	House crow	VC
117	Large billed crow	VC
118	Eurasian golden oriole	UC
119	Black hooded oriole	C
120	Large cuckooshrike	O
121	Small minivet	O
122	Orange minivet	VC
123	White throated fantail	C
124	White browed fantail	UC
125	Black drongo	C
126	White bellied drongo	O
127	Bronzed drongo	UC
128	Greater racket tailed drongo	O
129	Black naped monarch	VC
130	Asian paradise flycatcher	UC
131	Common iora	VC
132	Common woodshrike	C
133	Malabar whistling	VC
134	Indian Blackbird	VC
135	Orange headed thrush	VC
136	White bellied blue flycatcher	C
137	Blue throated flycatcher	UC
138	Tickell’s blue flycatcher	C
139	Oriental magpie robin	VC
140	White rumped shama	VC
141	Indian robin	C
142	Pied bushchat	VC
143	Chestnut tailed starling	O
144	Brahminy starling	O
145	Common myna	O
146	Jungle myna	VC
147	Black lored tit	UC
148	Eurasian crag martin	UC
149	Dusky crag martin	VC
150	Wire tailed swallow	O
151	Red rumped swallow	O
152	Streak throated swallow	O
153	Red whiskered bulbul	VC
154	Red vented bulbul	C
155	White browed bulbul	O
156	Black bulbul	VC
157	Yellow browed bulbul	VC
158	Gray breasted prinia	O
159	Jungle prinia	UC
160	Plain prinia	C
161	Ashy prinia	O
162	Zitting cistcola	UC
163	Oriental white eye	UC
164	Blyth’s reed warbler	UC
165	Common tailorbird	VC
166	Indian scimitar babbler	C
167	Tawny bellied babbler	O
168	Yellow eyed babbler	UC
169	Large gray babbler	UC
170	Jungle babbler	VC
171	Brown cheeked fulvetta	VC
172	Indian bush lark	O
173	Ashy crowned sparrow lark	C
174	Rufous tailed lark	UC
175	Malabar lark	VC
176	Sykes’s lark	VC
177	Oriental sky lark	UC
178	Thick billed flowerpecker	C
179	Pale billed flowerpecker	VC
180	Purple rumped sunbird	C
181	Crimson backed sunbird	VC
182	Purple sunbird	VC
183	Crimson sunbird	O
184	House sparrow	C
185	Chestnut shouldered petronia	C
186	White browed wagtail	O
187	Paddyfield pipit	VC
188	Tree pipit	O
189	Baya weaver	UC
190	Indian silverbill	O
191	Scaly breasted munia	O
192	Grass hopper warbler	UC
193	Richard’s pipit	UC
194	Blyth’s pipit	O
195	Jerdon’s nightjar	UC
196	Plain Flowerpecker	UC
197	Intermmediate Egret	O

VC = Very Common: Almost 100% Sighting

C= Common: Most likely to see

O= Occasional : Seen sometimes

UC= Uncommon : Least likely to see

Rare= Scarce records

Pasg= Passage Migrant : Possible in this season