My Tryst with Nature

I wait!! I wait with a bated breath!! I sit like a monk, in absolute silence, ensconced in a dream world. The sound of rain surrounds me with a harmonic drumming. Pearly droplets bounce off my skin, as sparkly and effervescent as champagne bubbles. Silver trickles of water fall and run down on the shiny leaves, before lazily cascading down to mother earth. A heavenly earthen aroma fills the air, permeating deep into my senses. A surging stream gurgles joyously over the rocks before plunging into a small gorge. The lush green of the evergreen trees completes the fairy tale ambiance. The scenario is picture perfect for my long awaited rendezvous with one of the Almighty's most breathtaking creations!!!  As I pray for the heavenly out pour to show some mercy, the rain god relents and chords of soft light filters through the barely perceivable gaps in the dense canopy. A red and orange missile whizzes through the still air and drops anchor on a branch in front of me. For an in

Every birder has a wish list or a "must-see in a lifetime" list.  Crested bunting is one bird which has caught my fancy and remained  high on my list. This beautiful bird has it's famous abode at  Sinhgad Fort, which is around 30 kms from Pune. It is imperative that you go to Sinhgad on a weekday, as it is a very scenic destination and hence is crowded during the weekends. Call of the Crested Bunting Male I don’t get good sleep whenever I know I will be birding the next morning.  I’m simply too excited. With the plans in place and all gears packed, I left my place at 5 30 AM. As we sped past a sleeping Pune city, Khadakvasla dam with it’s breathtaking and scenic beauty, beckoned us. As we drove through the meandering path along this huge water body, I just couldn't help but fill myself with breaths of pure and pristine air. Soon we could see the azure hills in front of us with the tops capped with soaring clouds. As Pune had received a fair bit of monsoo

I know not where the white road runs, nor what the blue hills are; But a man can have the sun for a friend, and for his guide a star; And there's no end of voyaging when once the voice is heard, For the rivers call, and the roads call, and oh! the Call of the Bird!                                                                               G.L.Gould Yes, this very call of the birds made me decide to venture into a scrub land habitat in Pune. My birding friends came up with a suggestion to visit  Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, a little known avian paradise about 70 Kms east of Pune on the Solapur Highway.    Little did I know that this deciduous forest, interspersed with grasslands, would unveil a world of 'dream come true' with its varied biodiversity. For many years this was a barren land devoid of any vegetation. Systematic plantations were then undertaken by the forest department. Many trees and various types of grasses were sown. It has now metamorphosed