A Chowkdi, invigorating tea and four roads to abundance: A birding trip to Nal Sarovar.

 Nal Sarovar is a large freshwater lake of about 120 sq kms, located 64 kms west of Ahmedabad and is during winter, home to more than 250 species of birds, many of them water birds that migrate long distances from the frigid northern parts of Asia and can be viewed at close quarters in the many boats that used to ply on the lake. It was declared as a bird sanctuary in 1969 and was included as a Ramsar site in 2012.

I had been wanting to visit Nal Sarovar since long but it was only recently that I managed to do so as part of a meticulously planned trip by Nature India under the able leadership of Adesh Shivkar.

Nal Sarovar had always been a tourist hotspot as it is proximate to Ahmedabad, with delightful boating on the expansive lake and outlets that serve delectable Kathiawadi cuisine.
Serious birding has been a latter development, fuelled by the growing numbers of birders and by the proliferation of numerous professional guides who take their work most seriously.

I was a tad disappointed at the begining of our journey when Adesh declared that there would be no boating on the lake as the forest department had prohibited it since some time and our birding would be restricted to the outskirts of the lake. Also, the lodgings for our sojourn had no restaurant as the resort (known previously as The Flamingo resort) had been turned into a 'Wellness centre' with only boiled unsalted food on its menu! Being a foodie, I always look forward to trips with Nature India where the meals are always wholesome and finger lickingly delicious with an authentic dish or two that is typical of that region. Never once have I known any participant falling sick because of the food. In fact for most, the trousers feel tighter on the return journey back home.

It is astonishing how perceived disappointments are often opportunities for something much worthier and so it was with us. 

 Birding along the main highways, smaller side-roads and in the grasslands amidst rolling fields of Castor, ripening rice and tender bajra exposed us to a myriad of birds, many of which we would have missed had we gone on the routine boat rides. 

Fields of Castor.

The food too was delicious, homemade food arranged by a relation of our guide Kamruddin Bhai.

Parenthetically, most of the birding guides and drivers belong to a community who are residents of seven villages, the forefathers of whom are said to have migrated to Nal Sarovar from Kutch more than a century ago. They still speak a variant of the Kutchi language amongst themselves.

Our first meal, however, was a sumptuous breakfast arranged in a newly built wooden structure of the forest department thanks to the good offices of one of our group members. 

                                        

                                    Breakfast in the Forest Department Lodge

This was located adjacent to the view point of the lake where we got the opportunity to see the waters of the lake as well as several birds including an Osprey and an Indian shag.

                            

Indian Cormorant (Phalacrocorax fuscicollis.

The Chowkdi (junction of four roads) is a central point in Nal Sarovar and has a large Meswak tree in the centre, representing the last remnants of resistance to the pernicious 'Ganda Baval' (Prosopis juliflora, now renamed as Neltuma juliflora) a mesquite from central America that has overrun large tracts of the semi-arid grasslands of Kutch and northern Gujrat.

                                The Meswak tree in the centre of the Chowkdi.

It forms a hub where people gather to have tea, food and indulge in gossip, or hire the local colorful auto-rickshaws or even get a sporty haircut! Not only the villagers but even mynas and starlings in hundreds added to the cacophony and the hustle and bustle of the Chowkdi.

Colorfull Auto-rickshaw filled to capacity.

Barber shop awaiting custom!

                                                                                                                                                                                          

Our days began before sunrise at the Chowkdi (a short distance from our lodgings), where our guide would join us. Fortified by cups of steaming sweet tea we used to set off for our birding.

 Latif Bhai getting ready our Elixir.

                                                                                                                     

Abundance of avifauna is readily evident in Nal Sarovar and there were birds everywhere one looked, on trees, on bushes, on the electric poles and wires, or just flying around.

Not only were the birds in great numbers, they posed quite boldly in the golden light enabling photography and some gifted participants managed stunning portraits and videos of birds that are usually hard to get. The abundance of birds extended to even rare birds and we had the opportunity of beholding 6 large short eared owls that were flushed out from a single tree!
A Sirkeer Malkoha, normally a skulker in the foliage of trees posed openly on the wires, a family of Sarus cranes allowed us to get close to them in optimal light and enthralled us with a stunning display.

    

                                            Sirkeer Malkoha (Taccocua leschenau)                                            

A family of Sarus Cranes in display mode.

Another morning and we were busy photographing dozens of red headed Buntings sunning themselves at eye level on a Prosopis bush, while in another setting a blue-throat displayed vivid colors of his ventral parts.

                                                                                    

Red headed Buntings (Emberiza bruniceps)

  Blue Throat (Luscinia svecica) amidst Babool thorns.

A crake-walk by a non-challant Baillon's crake on a bed of reeds was a highlight of the day, not to forget a large family of greater painted snipes which were kept for the last by our puckish guide.

Crake walk by Baillon's crake on a reed bed. 

                                            A family of Greater painter Snipes (Rostratula benghalensis)

Apropos the North-east where birds are extremely shy and retiring, this was a revelation and a much appreciated bonanza. Off course all this would never be possible without the expertise and diligent efforts of our guide and group leader! Kudos to them. One never realized when the morning was over, so enthralling was the birding.

Three days soon came to an end and we returned to our homes carrying far more than a checklist of sightings. Nal Sarovar was not merely a bird sanctuary but a reminder of how abundance often exceeds expectations only if we know where and what to look for! At the Chowkdi, with its tea, gossip and converging roads, nature and people meet in effortless harmony.

We all were enriched by the memories of golden mornings, bold birds, delicious food and shared laughter and camaraderie, waiting no doubt for the next trip with Nature India. 

Acknowledgements:

1. Dipak Palkar for the Meswak tree photo.

2. Sagar Mehta for the Sauras Cranes video.