Nature Note From Malwa: Bird Watching Camp At Sirpur Lake Indore
Mar 15 2008 | Views 1208 |
Comments (80)
"I once had a sparrow alight upon my shoulder for a moment, while I was hoeing in a village g...
Expand
"I once had a sparrow alight upon my shoulder for a moment, while I was hoeing in a village garden, and I felt that I was more distinguished by that circumstance than I should have been by any epaulet I could have worn" - Henry David Thoreau
Location: Sirpur Lake, Indore Dhar Road, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India
Sunday 17 February 2008
Bird Watching Camp Conducted by The Nature Volunteers of Indore
Sirpur Lake is on the outskirts of Indore. It is about a 100 years old and was created by the Holkars who ruled the erstwhile Indore state. It covers an area of roughly 1 square kilometer and is a rain fed lake. The villages of Rangwasa and Ahirkhedi are near this lake. The Holkars had transferred around 550 acres of the submergence area of the lake to the government of that era.
The Nature Volunteers of Indore is a small group of volunteers who are trying to save Sirpur Lake which attracts migratory birds from as far as Europe. Among the foremost in this group are Bhalu Mondhe the famous photographer and sculptor from Indore and journalist Abhilash Khandekar among others. They, along with Dilip Phadke, Sudhir Sone and Salil Tambe founded The Nature Volunteers in 1994. The condition of this lake has deteriorated over the years and this has caused much concern among nature lovers in and around Indore.
According to a booklet brought out by TNV the Bombay Natural History Society had conducted a survey in 1996 at the behest of TNV and it was discovered that over 110 species of local and migrant bird species were present in this area.
The bird watching camp which was conducted on Sunday, February 17, 2008 had a dual purpose. Its aim was to show the splendours of nature through sightings of local and migratory birds as well as to arouse public consciousness towards preservation of this water body which is under threat due to dumping of garbage and also due to the rampant colonisation of rural and countryside land around Indore thanks to the economic boom. The TNV booklet says, "The beautiful water body has now been reduced to a pathetic site calling for urgent steps to save it."
When I rang up the contact person Kaustubh after seeing his name and telephone number in a local paper he turned out to be a student I had once taught. It was a pleasure to know that an ex-student of mine was involved in conservation activities. I left Mhow about 5 am. The car was being driven by Iqbal whose cab I hire regularly. On the way we picked up Ameya, a young Mumbaikar who was visiting his maternal grandparents in Mhow.
Ameya's grandfather is a retired Lieutenant Colonel who had served in the 15th battalion of the Kumaon Regiment of the Indian Army. This battalion was part of the Holkar (Indore) State Forces in the pre-independence era. It will be interesting to check with him if he had visited this lake with the Holkar Maharaja whose aide-de-camp (ADC) he had been at one time.
Mr. Sathya Murthy the Chief Conservator of Forests (an officer of the Indian Forest Service) had arrived with a small team from Bhopal and he was the chief resource person for this one day camp. He took an introductory lecture on the basics of bird watching. It was an interesting and informative talk as he kept the audience spell bound with his knowledge, down to earth approach, simplicity and sense of humour.
After the introductory talk we broke up into small groups. Each group was assigned to an expert who took his group to one corner of the lake to observe the birds in the water and to also see the local birds. The birds we saw that day included the Common Coot, the Eurasian Wigeon, the Purple Moorhen, the Pintail, and many local birds like the Pond Heron, the Cattle Egret, the Kingfisher, Rose Ringed Parakeets, Cormorants, the Large Billed (Jungle) Crow, the Drongo, the Grey Hornbill.... I also remember seeing a dead bat, some naughty squirrels and a bee hive!!!
Picture below: Mr. Sathya Murthy explaining the basics of bird watching to the participants of the camp. At extreme left is journalist Abhilash Khandekar who is one of the driving forces behind the campaign to save Sirpur Lake. One can also see nature and trekking enthusiast Dilip Phadke (in a light green jacket) who, as mentioned earlier, is one of the founding members of The Nature Volunteers.
Picture below: My group with Mr. Sathyamurthy. A few visitors had also joined it briefly as they found Mr. Sathyamurthy's observations very interesting. The seniormost participant in the camp that day was a seventy plus gentleman. You can see him in the green beret. There were plenty of representatives from the local press too. They were going around taking photographs and taking sound bytes from the participants. Which, I feel, was a good thing because hundreds of thousands of people all over the state must have read the reports the next morning.
Large Billed (Jungle) Crow
I saw another one of these naughty little fellows later.
A pair of rose ringed parakeets were among the many local birds we saw.
This is my group. Photo taken just before we found a secluded spot and sat down to observe the birds.
You can see a drongo sitting on the top of the decapitated date palm.
Jab shikari shikar ban gaya (When the hunter became the hunted)
Bhalu Mondhe and Abhilash Khandekar walking around. I wonder how the great photographer feels about being photographed.
I saw these beautiful wild flowers near my feet as I sat on the ground to observe the birds.
This poor bat was unlucky. It had touched both the wires and electrocuted itself.
The bee hive (below). I wouldn't like to mess around with these little ones. Together, they can fell an elephant.
A large group of migratory water birds. The vast majority of this lot seems to be the common coot.
The Purple Moorhen among the reeds somewhere inside the lake.
A Pond Heron near the bank. It is so well camouflaged if it were to stand still one would find it difficult to see it.
A Cattle Egret stepping gingerly in the stagnant water near the bank of the lake.
A Kingfisher looking pensively towards the water. Kuch milega ki nahin?
(Will I get something or not?)
(Will I get something or not?)
The Eurasian Wigeon which is one of the migratory birds which comes from as far away as Europe.
Two young school girls in my group had borrowed my note book and pen and scribbled extensive notes on the birds our group saw that day. At the end of the camp I tore the pages and gave it to them as a remembrance of the hard work they put in. But I did take a photograph of the pages to remember the names of the birds we saw and also as a memento of that day.
Photographer and sculptor Bhalu Mondhe in a pensive mood. I pray for the success of the mission that he and his friends have set out on. Let us hope that this lake continues to attract birds so that future generations can also see this wonder of nature.
A beautiful sculpure of a bird made by Bhalu Mondhe which was presented as a token of thanks to the forest officers who had come that day to conduct the camp.
It was a most beautiful day and my heart goes out to all those volunteers in Indore and Bhopal who are trying to save this beautiful lake.
When I reached home after lunch time my army boots had their own story to tell.
Contact address for The Nature Volunteers:
Indore
c/o Mondhe Studio
Sutar Gali, off MG Road,
Topkhana
Indore 452007
Telephone 0731 - 4067557
Bhopal
Abhilash Khandekar
E 6/4, Char Imli
Bhopal 462 016
Telephone 0755- 2430300
Update received on 17 March 2008 a month after the camp.
Feedback received from Kaustubh Rishi of The Nature Volunteers:
Nice writeup, description and Photographs. i will also send you some phtographs i took yesterday. The highlight was we got a chance to spot all 3 resident species of Kingfishers (White Brested, Small blue and PIED kingfishers). All birds were singing loud to attract females as this is their mating season. Kite Chasing a coot was another highlighted sighting.
I will forward this fantastic trip report of yours to all the names including Murty sir, Bhalu sir and Abhilash sir, you mentioned in the article so that they also can read your experiences. We got fantastic response from all participants and govt. officials that were present in that camp.
The birds are leaving day by day. I am not an expert but i think the scene will last for few more days as the heat is growing day by day.
There are still few birds (i was there yesterday)
Coots : 2000
Coots : 2000
Spotbill ducks ; 100
pochards : 0
Redcrested pochard : 0
Brahmany shellduck : 0
Eurasion wigeon : 25 odd pairs
most birds from mongolia are already gone
We are already doing lot's of activities for betterment of SIRPUR. Recent updations are "FAL BAGH" updated with 3000 new fruit producing trees (mango, guava, Imli, Bargad and kathal). This in turn will attract many fruite eating species of birds.
Along with 2 new Water Pumps to water these plants we have started making a jogging track on the right trail (there are 3 trail) Left from entry, Straight *where we walked that day) and right to entry. We have already appointed 8 guards in 3 shifts to stop fishing and ppl throwing polythenes.
We will also be planting some small bushes like roses and chameli, chandani and other small flowering plants including cactus to provide habitat for butterflies and other insects.
---------------------------
Update 02 April 2008
Note received from Saleel Tambe one of the founder members of The Nature Volunteers:
The Previous Nature Note From Mhow: Visiting a Plants Nursery
We will also be planting some small bushes like roses and chameli, chandani and other small flowering plants including cactus to provide habitat for butterflies and other insects.
---------------------------
Update 02 April 2008
Note received from Saleel Tambe one of the founder members of The Nature Volunteers:
Dear Mr Vasudevan,
I was very happy to see your name & write up in context with Sirpur bird sanctuary references.
Long time back I had started this idea first time with Bhalu Mondhe who is very well known to me for last quite some years...and good to see that this matter is being progressed further now. Thanks. I would be happy to be in touch.
Please have a look ( Recent images slideshow ) at my website - www.naturewebindia.com and my recent blog - http://saleeltambe.blogspot.com/
.... currently I'm in London for last 5 years.
Also convey my regards to Bhalu.
Cheers,
Saleel Tambe
-------------------------------------------------------------
Now this note was definitely a most pleasant surprise....
The Previous Nature Note From Mhow: Visiting a Plants Nursery
© 1998-2008 Copyright Sulekha.com Connecting Indians Worldwide, All Rights Reserved.
Hi Vasudha... Your lovely comment, many thanks for which. It was nice reading about your father's kindness. He has earned a lot of punya by releasing so many birdsafter bringing them to a healthy condition.. will definitely look at your haiku.. so much to learn from them... and last but not least please use only first names while blogging
... regards... Dev
Reply | | Report Abuse
Sir,
Sorry for the delay. A superb post and firstly I would like to convey my wishes for the mission . The photographs are simply fantastic. My father, who passed away recently was a lover of birds . But he never had the chance to set out bird watching which was a rarity before. He would bring home those tiny parakeets which were being sold in the Market kept in unhygeinic conditions. He would bring home five or six at a time, feed them with vitamin drops and once they had developed their wings and acquired those lovely hues, he would taken them to the National Park close to our home and leave them there. Few days later, another fresh bunch of parakeets would arrive. The circle would continue. The number of such birds must have crossed over a hundred . The photographs reminded me of my father , those lovely birds waking us all up with their chatter . Thanks for a lovely post . I have posted some poems of mine Sir. Please read and give your valuable coments sir.
Reply | | Report Abuse
Hi Srinath Girish.... Thanks for your visit, comment and encouragement ... The Nature Volunteers of Indore have a tough task ahead of them and your good wishes will contribute to motivating them... Regards... Dev
Reply | | Report Abuse
Excellent, Mr. Vasudevan. It is a wonderful mission that you are on. May God help you in all your efforts!
Regards,
Srinath Girish
Reply | | Report Abuse
Hi S.... thanks for the visit, the comment and the good wishes... regards... Dev
Reply | | Report Abuse
GUd write up!! ...nice snaps tooo....
No doubt. It should be saved!
Wishing Gud luck to the team!!!
Reply | | Report Abuse
Hi Patrick... You are right in that it has to be a series of efforts at local level all over the country.... Only that can make a positive change in the environmental scenario... thanks for the visit ....
Reply | | Report Abuse
it is these little efforts which go a long way. we have similar stories from all over the country, and similarly people doing their bit to right a wrong at a very micro level. one day... we shall overcome!
Reply | | Report Abuse
Hi Usha... am glad you liked the post and the pics... this blog post is dedicated to all nature loving bloggers... and I want more and more to visit this blog post...
Let us hope that man in his greed does not destroy what Nature has presented him with... thanks for the visit, the comment and the appreciation... regards... Dev
Reply | | Report Abuse
Hi geetha... What is important here is not the knowledge of names of different species... (I must admit that I am slightly better than the average lay person) ... what is needed is a heart which feels the need for conservation because we have taken this earth on loan from our next generation... many thanks for the visit, the comment and the encouragement... regards.. Dev
Reply | | Report Abuse
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- Next 7»
Displaying 1 - 10 of 80 Blog Comments