Powai Lake, Mumbai, May 2014

Powai Lake was my outing of choice in Mumbai this week. 7kms from the airport, it was the easy option on a trip that has an inconvenient schedule. We didn't get out of the airport until nearly midday which is not a good time to brave the traffic to Borivali  and the heat of India in May is not conducive to long walks. All in all an early evening stroll along the promenade at Powai was the best prospect.

As usual, water birds featured strongly. The Ardea family was particularly well represented with egrets, herons and pond-herons easily seen.

Bronze-winged Jacanas, Purple Gallinules and White-breasted Waterhens picked through the floating weed that had piled up against the near bank.

The sky was filled with Black Kites and House Crows. A few Whiskered Terns were seen towards the west end of the lake.

For the first time in my experience, the peninsular park (Google Earth ref; 19 07 18.25N 72 54 06.58E) was open. It extends for about 100m into the lake and allows a better view and an improved light angle as the sun sets.

I have seen crocodiles in the lake before now and was concerned to see local chaps wading in the water, fishing.

List for Powai Lake;

Lesser Whistling Duck 4, Indian Spot-billed Duck 4, Little Cormorant 15, Grey Heron 1, Purple Heron 6, Great Egret 25, Intermediate Egret 4, Little Egret 30, Indian Pond-heron 8, Black-crowned Night-heron 5, Black Kite 25, White-breasted Waterhen 1, Purple Swamphen 6, Red-wattled Jacana 1, Bronze-winged Jacana 8, Whiskered Tern 8, White-throated Kingfisher 3, House Crow 250, Ashy Prinia 5, Oriental Magpie Robin 1, Common Myna 40, Asian Pied Starling 15, House Sparrow 5.

For previous posts from Powai Lake, see the links below;
http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2010/02/powai-lake-in-mumbai.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/powai-lake-mumbai-india.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/powai-gardens-mumbai-india-sept-2011.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/mugger-at-powai-lake-mumbai-march-2012.html

Visit the dedicated India page for more posts from Mumbai, including Sanjay Ghandi National Park.

Birding, Birdwatching, Mumbai, India.

Mumbai Hotel, March 2012

London will host the Olympics in 2012 and a rudderless England football team will play in the European Finals. Beyond these minor sporting sideshows there is the matter of the 10,000 Birds year lists. It is not, I repeat NOT a competition. There will be neither prize nor accolade, no winner, no garland. But…….

Rose-ringed Parakeet

We all have our own self-imposed restrictions. Greg, for example, is only counting Corvids and Clare K will only include birds that contain a capital ‘R’. My list will be restricted to birds found by public transport or my own energies. Since the flights are considered a necessary part of my employment, these will be disregarded and the game starts from the hotel. Luckily our hotel had a small garden and I was able to manage a quick minute before pick up and find a few qualifying birds as seen below.

It was such a quick flit that I missed a warbler and a sunbird, but got a good look at the Coppersmith Barbet.

Birds seen; 8

Black Kite 1, Alexandrine Parakeet 6, Rose-ringed Parakeet 2, Coppersmith Barbet 7, Red-vented Barbet 1, Oriental Magpie-robin 4, House Crow 80, Common Myna 2,

Vist the dedicated India page for posts from New Delhi, Bangalore and more posts from Mumbai, including Powai Lake and Sanjay Gandhi National Park.

Mugger at Powai Lake, Mumbai, March 2012

If ever anyone travels with me in a taxi, anywhere in the world, they quickly get a sense that my attitude to cab drivers (may they all burn in Hell) is, at best, antagonistic; at worst, it is downright rude and distrustful. I know that taxi drivers will try to rip me off and I hail them in anticipation of a confrontation, so I was pleased to meet Surendra (may he be feted at God’s table), who charged the going rate first time.

A fringe of Water Hyacinth clung to the shore at Powai Lake. It had never occurred to me before to wonder what sustains a Purple Swamphen, but if they like Water Hyacinth, they are in the right place. After a quick check, I find that they do indeed like vegetative matter and the act of holding the food item while eating it is common.

Indian Pond Herons show a lot of white in flight, but as soon as they settle, the brown coverts allow them to disappear very quickly.

On previous visits to Powai Lake I have watched fishermen wading through the shallows or floating in an inner tube through the deeper parts, but today I noticed, for the first time, signs warning of crocodiles.

I had been trying to get a scenic picture of a single palm on a tiny island when I noticed a strange corrugated pattern at water level. Closer inspection revealed it to be a Mugger Crocodile. A biggun.

It remained absolutely still and I began to wonder if it was a dummy. A dredger working along the shoreline, pulling out the choking weeds, approached very close to the island before it eventually slipped into the water.

House Crows and Black Kites were of course plentiful, chasing each other around as soon as one found a morsel of food.

A small island out in the lake held Black-winged Stilt, Lesser Whistling Duck, and a Grey Heron. Great Egrets and Little Egrets stalked through the water hyacinth with the density of the weeds holding their weight provided that they kept moving. A Cattle Egret prefereed a more reliable perch considering what may be lurking beneath.

Birds seen; 14

Grey Heron 1, Great Egret 3, Little Egret 6, Cattle Egret 40, Indian Pond Heron 20, Black Kite 25, Lesser Whistling Duck 5, Purple Swamphen 10, Bronze-winged Jacana 5, Black-winged Stilt 8, Asian Palm Swift 4, House Crow 500, Common Myna 8, Asian Pied Starling 2

There are more posts from Powai Lake at the links below;
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/02/powai-lake-in-mumbai.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/09/powai-lake-mumbai-india.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2011/09/powai-gardens-mumbai-india-sept-2011.html

Visit the dedicated India page for posts from Bangalore, New Delhi and more from Mumbai, including Sanjay Gandhi National Park.

Powai Lake, Mumbai, Bombay, Mugger Crocodile,

Maharashtra Nature Centre, Mumbai, March 2012

If you should ever, like me, explore the world through the wonders of Google Earth and like me, your eye comes to rest around Google Earth ref; 19 03 08N 72 51 46E where you find a small green oasis in the middle of Mumbai called the Maharashtra Nature Centre, don’t, like me, leave your visit until the afternoon because you may find it shut. One gate was padlocked and 3 guards at another refused me entry. It was 15.30 and a big sign on the gate clearly stated that 15.30 was closing time. Various websites give differing opening times with 18.00 being a popular closing time. Is there another gate somewhere that I missed? The websites such as this one give a good write up so I am still keen to visit one day. If anyone can give me the definitive opening times, I would be grateful.

The Powai River runs past the nature centre and through the mangroves into Mahim Bay. The return taxi ride took us over the bridge and we stopped for a few moments to walk along the bank at Google Earth ref 19 03 08N 72 50 50E. Upstream from here is Asia’s largest slum and the river is best described as ‘organic’.

I was surprised to see an Osprey fly over. Black-headed Gulls flew close to the mangroves on the far side and Gull-billed Terns mixed with them looking for floating matter on the river. There are a couple of small ponds here that held Indian Pond Heron, Common Sandpiper and Wood Sandpiper.

Towards downtown Bombay, beyond the mangroves, large soaring birds could be seen. I am sure that they were vultures, but the atmosphere along the riverbank was not conducive to lingering and I could not get an adequate ID for them after the event. Four men came to watch what I was doing. Indians are seldom intimidating, but they find unusual behaviour fascinating and their close scrutiny was off-putting. House Crows and Black Kites were, of course, easy to find. Perhaps Powai Lake would have more to offer. With just a little afternoon light left, I headed there.

Birds seen; 8

Indian Pond Heron 5, Osprey 1, Black Kite 12, Wood Sandpiper 3 Common Sandpiper 5, Black-headed Gull 15, House Crow 400, Common Myna 8.

Visit the dedicated India page for more sites in Mumbai, including, Powai Lake and Sanjay Gandhi National Park.

Powai River, Maharashtra Nature Centre, Bombay, Mumbai, BOM

Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Borivali, Mumbai, December 2011

Sanjay Gandhi National Park was spared my undivided attention as I was feeling under the weather and was distracted by various ailments, but being poorly in a beautiful forest beats languishing self-pityingly in a dark room. Actually, I was slightly concerned as predators often target the old, the weak and the sick; I was 3 for 3 in that respect and a good-sized portion to boot. Leopards in Sanjay Gandhi NP have gained themselves a bad reputation over recent years. During one month of 2004, 20 people lost their lives to panther attacks.

As the city of Mumbai increasingly encroaches on the park and the villages within it grow, the big cats come into conflict with people. Thankfully, official action has greatly reduced attacks on humans, but the panthers are still commonly seen in the suburbs that surround the park, hunting for stray dogs.

Crows were the big story of the day. Hundreds and hundreds of House Crows were seen on the 30 minute ride to the park this morning. They were still abundant, but began to give way to more Large-billed Crows as I pushed further into the park.

Their cawing was deafening and maddening as it overpowered any other more interesting sounds. I had stepped off the road and onto a path that led to the left. Now that I was away from the crowds and alone, thoughts of leopards filled my head and my caution was excited by an area of scrub that was attracting a lot of crows. Both species were flocking in to the trees overlooking the scrub and screaming raucously.

I began to understand how Tippi Hedren must have felt. A predator was surely close by, but the chances of it being a leopard were slim, more likely it was an owl or perhaps a snake.  I couldn’t find anything, but I couldn’t help looking back over my shoulder after moving on, just in case.

A Cheetal stag bolted from the left as I approached the tumbledown bungalows near to the river. This area had been very productive on my last visit and it was such a beautiful day that I felt sure that today would be good too. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the energy to put in too much effort and if a cursory pish did not bring forth a bird, I passed on and the bird remained unseen.

I crossed the bridge (at Google Earth ref 19 13 30N 72 53 00E) and took the left fork, signed towards the safari area. 400m along the road is a small hut and a path leading to the right. This is the Shilonda Nature Trail. A map shows some points of interest and I decided to walk as far as the marked waterhole.

I stopped to check on a Common Tailorbird and noticed a powder blue bird in the background. Focussing quickly, I was just able to confirm a Black-naped Monarch before it flew. The path runs to the east, bearing round to southeast after a while. Fork-tailed Drongo was common along the way as were Red-rumped Bulbuls. The waterhole was dry and unlikely to attract anything interesting, so I turned round and began heading back. On the return leg a faint rustling and a movement in the scrub around a large termite mound proved to be a Rufous-bellied Babbler. It was concentrating on feeding and the photo of its rear end need not trouble readers. Instead, here is a pleasant photo typical of the park.

I returned to the junction by the bridge and began walking towards Kanheri Caves, monuments and living quarters carved from the rock by monks. Shortly after, as a group of macaques fed in the trees by the road, I was approached by two young men who warned me of the “dangerous tribals” who lived in the village up ahead. Recent reports included robbery at knife-point. Sure enough, as I rested on a rock a little further up the road, a group of motorcyclists approached and passed very close to me, jeering and trying to scare me into falling of my perch. If their intentions were any worse than teasing tourists I couldn’t say, but it seemed like a good time to turn round and head back.

The sun was high and hot by now and the raptors were beginning to move. A Common Buzzard was escorted from the area by a handful of angry crows, though a Crested Serpent Eagle was left to circle lazily.

By the gate, some features of the area include a couple of lakes which appeared to be much cleaner than when I visited last. I hadn’t really intended to have a good look at the water, I just popped down on a whim, but was thrilled to see a little head, close to the far bank, followed through the water by a serpentine body.

The big disappointment was that I could not possibly identify the snake from such a distance, but then I noticed a stall that hired out pedal-powered pleasure boats. I was tempted, but by the time a boat might be ready,  with me in it, the snake would have been long gone. As luck would have it, a second snake appeared, swimming parallel to the close bank. Its features looked very similar to the first and I was able to get a record shot and identify it when I got home as a Checkered Keelback Watersnake.

This is only a tentative ID. The features appear to fit, but I do not know if similar looking snakes exist. If anyone is familiar with Checkered Keelback Watersnakes, I would be pleased to have it confirmed.

Birds seen; 23

Cattle Egret 2, Black Kite 15, Crested Serpent Eagle 1, Common Buzzard 1, Rose-ringed Parakeet 12, Asian Koel 3, Greater Coucal 1, Asian Palm Swift 15, Coppersmith Barbet 1, Red-whiskered Bulbul 2, Red-vented Bulbul, Common Iora 1, Oriental Magpie Robin 3, Grey-breasted Prinia 1,  Ashy Prinia 1, Common Tailorbird 3, Black-naped Monarch 1, Tawny-bellied Babbler 1, Black Drongo 15, House Crow 800, Large-billed Crow 400, Common Myna 12, Chestnut-shouldered Petronia 2.

Mammals seen; 3

Three-striped Squirrel 15, Cheetal 1, Short-tailed Macaque 8.

Reptiles seen; 1

Checkered Keelback Watersnake 2

This butterfly is known as a Common Leopard, Phalantha phalantha, but has not been implicated in any attacks. Other butterflies included; Blue Pansy, Lemon Pansy, Grey Pansy, Chocolate Pansy, Common Sailor.

Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Borivali, Mumbai, BOM, December 2011

DEL Jan

Powai Gardens, Mumbai, India. Sept 2011

During this first week of September, adherents across India are celebrating the festival of Ganpati, or Ganesh Chaturthi. It is a moveable feast, but is usually around this time of year. Celebrants parade idols of Lord Ganesh, accompanied by drums, dancing and nevedya offerings, to water and cast him in. Here, he will turn to sand and water before completing the circle and returning to the faithful in his deity form as the benevolent Elephant God.

So as not to distract the faithful and to avoid the crowds that would likely throng the shores of Powai Lake, I took myself to the Renaissance Hotel (Google Earth ref; 19 08 04N 72 54 05E (These co-ordinates may not be pinpoint accurate. Please check this link before you rely on them))  where I hoped that the private frontage onto the lake would afford me some peace and tranquillity, but the hotel was preparing scaffolding, launch ramps and stages for the celebrations with lots of people making lots of noise.

A few birds rose above the industry, notably a Common Tern which was quartering across the lake and made a fly-by close to shore. I was unable to access the shoreline here as an electric fence runs along the bank protecting the hotels’ frontage.

Monsoon rains must have been heavy recently as the ground was very soft and the omnipresent House Crows were easily able to pick into the squishy lawns. A couple of Red-vented Bulbuls showed well, but I quickly decided that it would be better to move on.

Walking out of the Renaissance Hotel along the ranks of tuk-tuks, taxis and buses, I came across Powai Garden which can be seen on Google Earth, described as a Deer Park, on the western shore of Powai Lake. Not knowing if it was a private garden, I popped my head in for a quick look and found a small forest with a large stream running through it. A White-breasted Kingfisher spooked from the railing of a dilapidated bridge and settled on a branch over the river further up.

I suspected that the stream must be the outflow from the lake and debris on the railings of the bridge showed that the level must have been substantially higher just very recently. The South-west Monsoon blesses the area around Mumbai from about mid June ‘til its withdrawal at the end of September. We had landed into a very vigorous shower last night and more rain had been threatening all day.

A path running alongside the river led me a couple of hundred meters upstream to a long high curtain of water cascading over the dam wall. Kids were swimming and catching tiny fish which they delighted in showing me. A path leads up to the top of the dam on either side of the wall; I chose the path to the left. A gate prevented me from walking out onto the dam and a fence was in place to keep me away from the water’s edge, but a good view could still be had out across the lake, with houseboats moored along the banks.

Back in the forest there was very little bird activity. An Ashy Prinia and a Common Tailorbird were seen, but little else apart from the crows and the Black Kites. Among the dragonflies were a Variegated Flutterer and a Green Skimmer. This exquisitely patterned butterfly showed a rich blue upperside, but always settled with its wings closed. Any suggestions will be gratefully received as ever.

Just after 16.00 the rain began again and the biting insects were getting the better of me after I had sweated off all the repellent. Tip for next time; bring the name and address of the hotel as the keycard does not have it and my return taxi driver did not know it. Hotels have reciprocal agreements that set taxi tariffs for journeys to and from. As an example, the hotel rate was IR 350. The return journey by street cab cost IR 55.

“Ganpati bappa, Morya!

Pudhchya varshii lavkar yaa,

Ganpati gele gaavaala,

Chain pade na aamhala!

Species seen;14

Indian Cormorant 1, Little Egret 1, Black Kite 25, Common Tern 1, Asian Palm Swift 1, Dusky Crag Martin 2, Red-vented Bulbul 2, Ashy Prinia 1, Common Tailorbird 1, House Crow 200, Large-billed Crow 1, Common Myna 30, House Sparrow 20, Nutmeg Mannikin 1.

This butterfly seen in the water hyacinth at the edge of the lake also needs a name if anyone knows. If there is no looky-likey to the Grey Pansy, then that is what it is. Confirmation would be well received though.

Other posts from Mumbai may be found by following the links below;
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/02/powai-lake-in-mumbai.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/09/powai-lake-mumbai-india.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/03/sanjay-ghandi-national-park-is-obvious.html

Visit the dedicated India page for other Indian destinations

Powai garden, Mumbai, India,

Sanjay Ghandi National Park, Mumbai, BOM, Bombay

Sanjay Ghandi National Park is the obvious choice for a quick and easy bird-watching trip in Mumbai (Bombay). The entrance is near Borivali, about 25 - 30 minutes by cab from the international airport.
The area around the entrance gate is usually busy at any time of day. At 06.30 on a Saturday morning it was thronged with people taking early morning constitutional walks. There are areas for contemplation and relaxing beyond the entrance area and a lake. If you are looking for peace and quiet as a condition for your patronage of the park, you need to move immediately beyond this area. Keep to the right and you will find yourself on the road towards Kanheri Caves. Nearly 1km after passing through the entrance gate, just beyond the rail tracks, you will pass a small settlement. Beyond here the people tend to thin out and it becomes possible to focus on the birds.
I spent a little time around the entrance area this morning. I had never heard so many Asian Koels before. In one tree there were 5 birds calling hysterically with others in neighbouring trees adding to the noise. House Crows and Rose-ringed Parakeets screeched their welcome to the day. Only the Oriental Magpie Robin and the Coppersmith Barbets were able to inject a little tone and timbre to the early morning chorus.
The camera and tripod provoked too much attention and curiosity, so I struck out towards the remoter regions of the park. Just beyond the aforementioned small village, there is a path leading off the road to the left. This was much quieter and I was able to start birding at last. A fruiting tree was attracting Coppersmith Barbets, so I set up my tackle for a picture.
A long-billed Acrocephalus warbler in an adjacent tree may have been a Blythe’s Leaf Warbler and some Asian Palm Swifts called from a clear, blue sky. Eurasian Orioles were common along the path as were Oriental Magpie Robins and Chestnut-tailed Starlings. Bulbuls put in a good appearance too with Red-whiskered, Red-vented and most notably the seldom seen (by me) White-browed Bulbul.
An iora made me reach for my field guide. Mumbai is within reach of the distribution area for Marshall’s Iora, but lack of any white in the tail made me plump for Common Iora. A better look at the earlier warbler enabled me to confirm Blyth's Reed Warbler. It seemed an odd habitat for an Acrocephalus, but Grimmett and the Inskipps (Birds of India, Princeton) give it as the only one that is commonly found beyond moist environments.
I had not seen another person for 30 minutes now and I was beginning to enjoy the sense of isolation. The habitat was dry and scrubby with palms and tangles. It was almost reminiscent of African acacia scrub without the thorns. This feeling was enhanced by the roar of a lion in the distance. In fact, the path runs nearly parallel with the road and only about 200m from it and the roar came from a captive cat in the safari exhibit.
Soon enough I came upon a couple of deserted forest bungalows by a dry riverbed. This must have been an idyllic spot once upon a time, but decay and neglect had prevailed. It proved to be the hot-spot of the day. There were a few large, leafy trees in contrast to the rest of the park which was scrubby and leafless as the heat builds towards the monsoon.
An Orange-crowned Leafbird was seen briefly, but well enough, in the greener trees with orioles and a Black Drongo. On the ground and in the lower vegetation were some pipits which I was not able to identify and a Tickell’s Flycatcher which I was. A Crested Serpent-eagle flew over, mobbed by crows. The House Crow was giving a little ground to the Jungle Crow now that we were further into the forest.
In such a picturesque setting, I stopped for a while on some rocks overlooking the dry riverbed. Cotton-wool-like fibres from the Kapok trees were caught in drifts among the boulders. I was visited by something that looked like a Chiff Chaff (but what doesn’t?) and then a Pale-billed Flower-pecker that made me spill my water bottle in the excitement. Green Bee-eaters hawked from a snag above me as I contemplated returning to the hotel for a sleep.
Before I could make a decision, 2 men on motorbikes arrived and suggested a good place for bird-watching further on. Ganesh and Sanju work in the National Park as movie shooting location co-ordinators (the park is a popular Bollywood backdrop) and gave me a lift to the Nature Trail (cross the bridge, turn left and continue for 200m towards the safari enclosures)
It was 11.30 by now, over 24 hours since I last slept and it was hot. With the best will in the world, I was only able to give the trail the most cursory of glances, but I did see a beautiful Chital (Spotted Deer) stag. It looked like a very promising area and I will try to start from here on my next visit.

Walking back towards the entrance, I noticed a flock of Jungle Babblers. These approachable birds are often referred to as "the seven sisters", and this flock contained, yes you've guessed it, three.
There is a lot of contradiction and confusion about the park and it’s policies. In my experience today I can state that the park is open to pedestrians before 06.30, but large gates prevent any vehicle access. I am told that taxis and private vehicles are not allowed in the park, yet I saw quite a few. To reach Kanheri caves from the entrance is about 10 – 12 kms. A bus runs there, but I did not see an official bus stop nor any schedules (nor any buses now that I think about it). Walking towards the caves is towards the rising sun. Try if possible to get as far into the park as possible and then return slowly towards the entrance with the sun behind you. Depending upon your outlook, you may be lucky enough to find evidence of leopards that frequent the park.
There are no facilities beyond the entrance. Toilets are just inside the gates and street stalls sell water just outside. Taxis are easy to hire from the gates for the return. The fare should cost around IR150 for a black and yellow. People are plentiful and cheerful. On the road, I would venture that the park is safe enough. I did not feel threatened at any point, but there are isolated places off the road where your own judgement should be the best guide.

Bird species; 32

Indian Pond Heron 8, Black Kite 6 Crested Serpent Eagle 1, Rose-ringed Parakeet 50, Asian Koel 30, Greater Coucal 4, Asian Palm Swift 40, Coppersmith Barbet 60, Black-rumped Flameback 1, White-throated Kingfisher 2, Green Bee-eater 3, Red-whiskered Bulbul 12, Red-vented Bulbul 8,White-browed Bulbul 2, Golden-fronted Leafbird 1, Common Iora 1, Oriental Magpie Robin 20, Yellow-bellied Prinia 3, Blyth’s Reed Warbler 2, Common Tailorbird 2, Chiff Chaff 1, Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher 1, Jungle Babbler 3, Purple Sunbird 6, Pale-billed Flowerpecker 1, Eurasian Golden Oriole 6, Black Drongo 4, House Crow 500, Jungle Crow 150, Common Myna 15, Chestnut-tailed Starling 30, Chestnut-shouldered Petronia 1.

Sanjay Ghandi National Park, Mumbai, BOM, Bombay, Borivali, India

Powai Lake in Mumbai

A trip to Mumbai would normally be the cue for a visit to Borivali (Sanjay Gandhi) N.P. But on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, it was likely to be so busy that I decided to try somewhere new instead.

A couple of birds that you would put money on to find would be the ubiquitous House Crow and the Black Kite. Both birds are widespread and abundant around habitation. Before I set out, I looked from my hotel window at the ITC Maratha, across a small garden that I had not previously known to exist. Just outside, at the top of a palm sat a Coppersmith Barbet. I missed him, but managed a shot of an Asian Koel with his vivid red eyes.
I found Vihar Lake on Google earth and liked what I saw. What I failed to see was the guarded control gate manned by a policeman who would not let me through. Vihar Lake has been closed to the general blogging community since 1993 it would appear.
Still, not to worry, I had the indomitable Dalbir Singh driving me who hastened to Powai Lake and suggested a look there.
The Renaissance Hotel overlooks Powai Lake, I had stayed there once before so knew of the lake, but not from this angle. A large road passes it at a tangent and Dalbir happily pulled over and parked. The lake-side was clogged with water hyacinth and rafts of it drifted gently further out in the lake. The rafts made good floating islands for the birds and straight away I could see communities on each one.
On the first, a Little Egret fished while a Bronze Jacana picked among the hyacinth.
Close in there were a few Indian Pond Herons and a couple of Pheasant-tailed Jacanas flushed further along the shore. The Purple Swamphen was very common too.
Indian people are inquisitive; especially with westerners whom they regard as curiosities. The sight of an Englishman out in the midday sun is bound to draw attention. I was creeping up on a dragonfly, moving very slowly and carefully moving my camera rig into position. My concentration was on the dragonfly, not what was going on behind me. Just as I had manoeuvred myself into a good position, a shadow passed across the dragonfly and scared it off. I stood up and looked behind me to see 12 men craning to watch this fascinating piece of street theatre. They would have been unable to see the dragonfly from where they were and must have been perplexed to see someone apparently stalking and taking pictures of the ground.
Don’t forget to visit www.redgannetsdragonflies.blogspot.com
As I moved on, some of the spectators followed. Others joined in and were updated on what had happened so far. Eventually they lost interest and I was left alone with Dalbir who discretely held back and allowed me room. He even carried my rucksack and passed stuff to me.
This pond heron was perched on a piece of corrugated plastic and I was able to approach quite closely. I was following a rough road that looked as if it may be a precursor to some development of the lakeside. It led around a promontory and then stopped.
From here I could see more of the hyacinth islands. One was supporting a Grey Heron, an Asian Openbill, some Black-winged Stilt, and more Bronze Jacana. Another counted a Glossy Ibis amongst it’s inhabitants. A small number of Gull-billed Terns crossed low over the water, fishing.
In conversation with an Indian colleague on the return flight, I discovered that Lake Powai has a reputation as a hot-bed for wife-swapping. I shall bring mine with me next time. I wonder what I will get for her?
Here is a tip if you are staying in an international hotel in India. A bottle of Kingfisher beer can cost up to IR500 by the time service charges and taxes are added. From a stall outside, they cost IR75. So, in buying 2 on the way back and bringing them to the lounge, I saved enough money to pay Dalbir who was asking IR700 for 3 hours.
Dalbir Singh, Damesh Cool Cab Service, 9892021794

Bird species; 22

Indian Pond Heron 20, Grey Heron 1, Purple Heron 1, Little Egret 16, Great Egret 4, Asian Openbill 1, Coppersmith Barbet 1, Asian Koel 3, Rose-ringed Parakeet 20, Asian Palm Swift 5, House Swift 30, Purple Swamphen 14, Bronze Jacana 8, Pheasant-tailed Jacana 2, Black-winged Stilt 30, Gull-billed Tern 6, Black Kite 15, House Crow 400, Asian Pied Starling 8, Common Myna 20, Barn Swallow 6, Yellow-bellied Prinia 1.

Powai Lake, Mumbai, Bombay, BOM, India