Visit to Basai

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Somesh Goyal

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Oct 15, 2012, 4:01:39 AM10/15/12
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Visit to Basai Wetlands

Drive in and out of Delhi early on a Sunday morning is full of surprises. The roads look wider. The air is clean and crisp. Even animals seem to avoid the roads at that hour. In 30 min flat we reached Basai wetlands from our South Delhi residence to join KB in the mission to see Grey Headed Lapwing, at best a vagrant in this part of the geography.


As we took to the dirt track through the fields, a pair of Crested Larks gave us a noisy fly past welcoming to the party. Some 200 yards away we could see KB adjusting his scope in anticipation of the rare sighting of the GH Lapwing. He was quick to remind me that these could be seen in good numbers in Guwahati.


Hunting parties of Streaked weavers busied themselves in the tall weeds while Scaly Breasted Munias, Paddyfield Warblers, Common Stonechats, Pipits – Paddyfield and Tawny(latter being a winter visitor), Yellow, White and Citrine Wagtails, and other residents found their contentment  in the grass and low bushes. An occasional rivalry made a bird to escape to a momentary safe haven on a tree twig. That is what the lensman in me rejoiced the most. Mynas –Common, Pied and Bank - outnumbered all other species. The Mynas and waders were continuously frightened by a swooping predator. Kites and Common Kestrels maintained their vigil and patrol quite rigorously for the comfort of the migrants.


The flooded fields played host to lots of waders. Ruffs, Common & Spotted Redshanks, Wood Sandpipers, Black-tailed Godwits and Black-winged Stilts dominated with regular sprinkling of Temminck’s & Little Stints, Common Snipes and Marsh Sandpipers. The highlight of the visit was spotting of three individuals of Pacific Golden plovers who seemed to enjoy the soft morning sun..


All the three Ibis, Black, Black-necked and Glossy, also marked their presence. A lone Sarus Crane guarded its privacy jealously and foraged at a distance from rest of the birds.


The innocent and mirthful chirp of the birds gave us pure happiness. But the monstrous billboards looming ominously over the verdant fields next to the proposed expressway connecting Dwarka to Gurgaon posed many a harsh question. The stark reality is that this paradise of Basai Wetland will be lost by next winter. Housing projects and development of infrastructure will surely cause loss of habitat for all these winged visitors and residents. Several “green” and “eco-friendly” projects will occupy the puddles and pools of bounty for the avian guests. Pumps will mercilessly dry the womb of the earth to quench the insatiable thirst of the dwellers. Communication towers will dot the skyline and some of us who will live in these apartments will then fret over loss of habitat and degradation of environment!


My list of birds after amendment by KB :

1.      Crested Lark
2.      Oriental Skylark
3.      Paddyfield Pipit
4.      Tawny Pipit
5.      Rufous-tailed Shrike(Isabelline)
6.      Long-tailed Shrike
7.      Paddyfield Warbler
8.      Scaly Breated Munia
9.      Common Crow
10.  Collared Dove
11.  Green Sandpiper
12.  Wood Sandpiper
13.  Black-winged Stilt
14.  Pacific Golden Sandpiper
15.  Wire-tailed Swallow
16.  Bank Myna
17.  Pied Myna
18.  Common Myna
19.  Blue-tailed Bee eater
20.  Eurasian Curlew (in flight)
21.  Kite
22.  Common Kestrel
23.  Red wattled Lapwing
24.  Cattle Egret
25.  Intermediate Egret
26.  Great Egret
27.  Pond Heron
28.  Purple Heron
29.  Glossy Ibis
30.  Black Ibis
31.  Black-headed Ibis
 

32.  Sarus Crane
33.  Painted Stork
34.  Black-tailed Godwit(in flight)
35.  Streaked Weaver
36.  Temminck's Stint
37.  Long-tailed Shrike
38.  Marsh Harrier
39.  Blue Throat
40.  Black Drongo
41.   Common Stonechat
42.   Pied Bushchat
43.   Zitting Cisticola
44.   Laughing Dove
45.   Grey Francolin
46.   Yellow Wagtail
47.   Citrine Wagtail
48.   White Wagtail
49.   Little Stint
50.   Marsh Sandpiper
51.   Spotbilled Duck
52.   Comb Duck
53.   Northern Shoveler
54.   Norther Pintail, few in eclipse plumage in water
55.   Intermediate Egret
56.   Common Moorhen
57.   Black-necked Stork
58.   Barn Swallow
59.   Common Redshank
60.   Spotted Redshank
61.   Ruff
62.   Common Snipe

 

 


--
Somesh Goyal, IPS
+91 9435492404
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www.himachalbirds.org
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