My very first bird race (couldnt participate in earlier races due to various reasons related to studies) n even this time, it was a narrow escape as my exams ended just 2 days before the pune bird race `08........Thus, filled vid enthusiasm n amidst changes till last minute, our team was formed - the Imperial Eagles*!!!
Kawdi: We started off at around 0615 hrs from Swargate towards Kawdi in order to make the most of early morning and giving a head start to our count.....many waterfowl were sighted including Ruddy Shelducks, Northern Shovelers, Common Teals etc. Waders seen were mostly sandpipers- common, green and wood......then red-throated flycatcher female, blyth's reed warbler, calls of greenish warbler were heard and wagtais- white-browed, grey and yellow
Bapdevghat: after around 2 hrs of birding and walking through the marshes (n getting r shoes wet n dirty) we headed for our next destination- bapdevghat...the locals told us to go via fursungi, the road to which is exactly opposite to where you turn left on solapur road for kawdi...we reached fursungi then headed for saswad where we passed through diveghat without stopping and finally reached saswad........we then proceeded for bapdeoghat which is on the road to kondhwa from saswad.......on the way we saw indian rollers and common kestrels.
At Bapdeoghat we saw 2 raptors- one of which was a white-rumped vulture n second one could be bonnelli's eagle--though not yet confirmed.
