NASHIK :
COVID-19 lockdown provider an opportunity for bird watching, a hobby if mine which had faded in time.
It was around June 3 that we that is my two sons Kanaad and Kabir and myself, found a beautiful bird species, not easily seen in Nashik.
We have been bird watching since the lockdown as the time availed gave me the chance to draw the attention of my boys to the most enchanting world ir birds. Our residence behind HPT college surrounded with tall thick trees provided the right habitat as well.
I got out my gear of binoculars, cameras and my boys too took to it. We happily saw lot of greenery and birds chirping. There are sparrows, kingfishers, babblers, Mynas, warblers, sunbirds, tits, doves, drongos, coucals, Robins, squirrels, mongoose and many others.
On 2nd June on a late cloudy afternoon, we heard a different bird call and we so went out and started searching for a bird. We found this beautiful bird on a Ramphal tree at a low level, wagging its short tail, with bluish-green feathers, crimson abdomen and reddish under tail, with black beak, long light yellow feet. It did not take me long to recognise the Indian Pitta.
It went down on the ground when no movement was seen with long hopping, searching for insects on the ground, once it noticed human movement it went on a tree on a low-level branch. This bird is known to be a very shy bird, prefers to stay away from human beings or any movement and we observed it that day.
After referrals and discussions with bird and nature lover friends confirmed it to be rare sighting around Nashik..as it is mostly seen in south India. My friends Hemant Agashe and Rambhau Sarda confirmed after looking at snaps the same bird which they had spotted in Kerala.
Indeed it was a treat to watch such a beautiful bird in my yard in Nashik.
As quoted by Pakshi Mitra
Kiran Purandare:
चालत चालत बघायचे नाही बघत बघत चालायचे
फांदीवरच्या पक्ष्यासाठी अवघं झाडच राखायचे
– Shrikant Patil
