Vadodara: He had invested lakhs of rupees to offer an adventure sport to the visitors at his resort in Dabhoi. But when Bandish Shah learnt that a winged guest had made its abode right on the top of the bungee jumping platform in the resort, he took an unusual step. Shah, a nature lover, decided to shut the bungee jumping platform for all the visitors.
“An Indian pitta couple has made a nest on the corner of the platform. If I keep it open for the adventure sports lovers, the nest would have got damaged or the movement would disturb the birds. After giving it a thought, I closed it down a month ago,” Shah told TOI.
VADODARA: It is one of the rare winged guests that Vadodara has been a home to for over a decade. However, when its nest came crashing down last year, ornithologists thought that the black-necked stork couple would fly away to some other destination in search for a better place.
But much to the joy of bird lovers, the stork couple hasn’t just built a new nest in Dabhoi but also birthed a baby.
Gujarat has only 16 nests of black-necked storks and two of them are in central Gujarat, including one each in Vadodara and Anand. “The tree on which the storks had been nesting for the last 10 years behind Wadhwana Lake in Dabhoi came crashing down. We all were worried as this was their only nest in Vadodara. Black-necked storks are very choosy about picking a site for nesting,” said Kartik Upadhyay, an avid bird watcher.
A group of Indian grey hornbills at Kaalikui village located in the Jambughoda-Ratanmahal forest corridor
Vadodara: It is a jaw-dropping sight that would thrill bird lovers in the state. At the crack of the dawn, about 80 to 100 Indian grey hornbills have been congregating on some trees in Kaalikui village located in the Jambughoda-Ratanmahal forest corridor for the last couple of weeks. These birds pluck fruits of a peepul tree, relish them for an hour and fly away.
Foresters say that it is for the first time in Gujarat that the Indian grey hornbills have been spotted in such big numbers at one spot. “These birds are usually seen in a group of six to eight in the state. Even in other states, I have seen a maximum and unusual congregation of 30 grey hornbills. But a gathering of 80 to 100 grey hornbills is a record in Gujarat,” said Uday Vora, former chief conservator of forests (CCF) (wildlife).
The storks have been putting together a nest on a tree right next to Simaliya Lake behind Wadhwana
Vadodara: Bird lovers were a disappointed lot when the only nest of a black-necked stork in Vadodara fell off a tree near Wadhwana Lake and got damaged a few days ago. Foresters felt that the bird may migrate to some other location to build its new home. But the stork couple, it seems, has decided to make a new nest in the same area.
Over last few days, the storks have been putting together a nest on a tree right next to Simaliya Lake behind Wadhwana. “It will take them several days to build the nest that is located on the top of the tree. Storks always build nests at a height. That they have chosen the same area to build their nest again means that the couple will reside here for years to come,” said Baldevsinh Waghela, divisional forest officer (wildlife), Vadodara.
File photo of black-necked storks
VADODARA: It designs and makes one of the largest and safest nests among the local migratory birds in Gujarat. But that fact is relatively theoretical knowledge as abodes of black-necked storks, that are on the verge of extinction, had always been a mystery for the bird lovers.
However, one located on top of a tree next to Simaliya lake fell off few days ago. Interestingly, it was the only nest of the black-necked stork in Vadodara. Forest officials, for the first time in the state, have decided to preserve and put it on display for ornithologists and bird watchers to get a rare closer view of this famed nest.