Bhigwan - Water Birds Aplenty!

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Water Birds Aplenty!

Bhigwan

For birding enthusiasts in Maharashtra and the adjoining states, Bhigwan ranks high on the list of birding destinations. Bhigwan is highly spoken of in birding circles because it is the destination of migratory water birds including the beautiful flamingoes in the winter months. If you want to sight a wide variety of water birds and that too in their plenty, Bhigwan is the place to go!!!

I made plans to visit Bhigwan in March 2014. I had confirmed online that the birds had arrived in Bhigwan and that it was indeed a good time to visit Bhigwan. During my online research I got to know about other birding spots, viz. Patas, Varwand Dam, Narayanbhet etc. around Bhigwan or enroute from Mumbai to Bhigwan. I decided to make optimum use of my time by visiting as many birding spots as possible.

The next step was to finalize the accommodation and transport arrangements. Since I planned to make it a 3 days visit, I decided to book a hotel in the nearest town or city. I finally decided to stay in Baramati, about 25 kms from Bhigwan. Baramati is home to a lot of industries and has decent hotels to cater to the business clients. I did not have a problem in finalizing a hotel for my stay.

Bhigwan is about 250 kilometers away from Mumbai by road. Since I planned to visit several birding spots during the 3 days, I decided to hire a vehicle for the trip. That would give me the flexibility to go wherever I needed to, whenever I wanted to.

Mayani Bird Sanctuary - Image Slideshow

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Trip Summary

Travel Destination – Mayani Bird Sanctuary, Maharashtra

Travel Date – 01^st Oct 2013

Animal sightings – None

Bird sightings – Red-vented Bulbul, Indian Robin, Great Tit, Purple Sunbird, Long-tailed Shrike, Ashy Prinia, Laughing Dove, Brahminy Starling, Baya Weaver, Plum-headed Parakeet, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Green Bee-eater, Rock Pigeon

Photography Equipment

Camera – Nikon D90

Lenses – Nikkor AF-S 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR

Mayani Bird Sanctuary - A Dry Spell

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Another One Bites the Dust

Mayani Bird Sanctuary

If you live in Maharashtra state, one of the frequently talked about go-to destination is Maharashtra’s Valley of Flowers. Maharashtra’s Valley of Flowers is located in Kaas Plateau of Satara district, approximately 280 kms (5 hours by road) from Mumbai. In the months of August-September hundreds of wild flowers and shrubs bloom for a total period of only four to five weeks. Kaas Valley of Flowers had become a hot-spot for nature lovers and botanists.

In September 2013, towards the end of the monsoon season, I visited Satara and finally got to see and experience the Kaas Valley of Flowers. Without doubt, it was a very beautiful and scenic place even if a bit over-hyped in my humble opinion. I also visited the beautiful Thoseghar waterfalls which was about 26 kms from Satara.

 Kaas Valley of Flowers