Chupi Char

About 120 Kms from Howrah is a village called Purbasthali. On the Howrah-Katwa line, there is Nabadwip, then Bishnupriya and then comes Purbasthali. It takes about 3 hours, including delay, from Howrah. A portion of the meandering Ganga got cut off here and formed a huge oxbow lake. This place has become a haven for birds-migratory and resident-alike. You get down at Purbasthali station and take a Toto for 20 Rupees per head and ask him to take you to Kashashali Picnic Spot (15 minutes). The local administration has done a rather good job with the place. There is a website with all the particulars and you have to book ahead if you are staying overnight. Staying overnight is recommended. That way you can get both the late afternoon and early morning views.There are four little cottages in a lovely garden, just next to the lake. The 10 am train from Howrah reaches Purbasthali at around 1 pm and it takes another 15 minutes ride in a Toto to reach the spot. Have lunch, take a little rest and then hire a boat. there are boats galore, charging 150 rupees per hour. It is a lovely lovely view from the boat. There's this never ending expanse of clear water- clear enough so that you can see the green weeds and plants beneath, and flocks of birds all around. November to February is the time for migratory birds, especially the Red Pochard. There are the egrets-great and little, and herons-purple and pond, the bronze winged jacana, pheasant tailed jacana, kingfishers-white breasted, common and pied, the ducks- red crested ochard and cotton pygmy goose, long tailed shrike, drongo, stork, purple swamphen, black headed Ibis,little cormorants, red wattled lapwing, sand plover, citrine wagtail, greater coucal, grebes, coots and hordes of barn swallows. They fly all around you at such terrific speed that you get frustrated at being unable to capture them on camera. By the time you are through with two and a half to three hours boat ride, the light falls and you have to return. We did spot an overenthusiastic group though, with a guy using flash to shoot birds in the failing light :D. Coming back to the cottages, there's tea and hot pakoras waiting. There's nothing much to do in the evening, except have an early dinner and fall asleep quickly to wake up early the next morning. Between 6:30 and 7, hire a boat again and set off down the lake. This is the best time for bird watching. The birds are still sleepy and you can spot them resting. The downside of sitting cross legged on the boat planks for hours on end is that your leg might start paining. Remove a couple of planks and put your feet down into the hold of the boat if you want to avoid cramps later. Since Nabadwip is so close, there's the 24 hour Naam-sankirtan going on- Hare Krishna- in a loop. You fall into the rhythm and start chanting unawares, though you keep wishing that they employed people with better vocals, if they are at it all day and night. The checkout time officially being 11 am, we were forced to return back before reaching the island here. Still we had clocked in 4 hours of boating. A late breakfast awaits you at the cottage. Then take a tour of the mustard fields in the countryside if you so wish, for the next train is at 1:30 pm. We took longer and took the 3:19 train. It is important to book a Toto ahead, as there aren't any waiting at the spot. The cottages, newly built, are good. Nothing fancy, just neat and clean and comfortable, with good bathrooms (so important, that it makes all the difference between a good stay and a bad one). The property is well maintained and the locals take a pride in it. Week ends can be extremely difficult to book, so either book ahead or take a couple of days off during the week and come down here. If you are looking for birds to watch or photograph, in a village retreat, with fresh hot home cooked food and a leisurely stroll thrown in, Purbasthali won't disappoint you.
Caretaker: Abhijit 7908061487
Our boatman- Bashir Biswas
website: http://purbasthali.com/

Birds of IIT Bombay

It was the winter of 2016, when, severely down with illness and unable to work, I decided to photo-chronicle the birds inhabiting the campus at IIT Bombay. It was a journey I was glad I undertook, for the peace it brought about in me. Over the next 3 months, I spent all my time in the lakeside or on the hillside, throughout morning and late afternoon, trying to spot birds. It resulted in 105 different species, not all identified though.

1)

2)

Common Kingfisher'

3)

Grey heron

4)

Goose

5)

House sparrow(male)

House sparrow(female)

6)

Crow

7)

White breasted kingfisher

8)

Coppersmith barbet

9)

Owl

10)

Purple sunbird

11)Unknown

12)

Jungle babbler

13)

Black drongo

14)

Pond heron

15)

Pond heron closeup

16)

Rock thrush(female)

17)

Green bee eater

18)

Asian koel(male)

19)

Rose ringed parakeet

20)

Red whiskered bulbul

21) Unknown

22)

Grey headed shrike

23)

Indian robin(female)

24)

Ashy Drongo

25)

Cattle egret

26)

Blue tailed bee eater

27)

Red breasted flycatcher in non-breeding plumage?

28)

Indian silverbill

29)

Scaly breasted munia

30)

Spotted dove

31)

Shrike

Shrike

32)

33)

34)

35)

Eurasian marsh harrier

White breasted kingfisher

Cattle egret

36)

Spot billed duck

37)

Purple heron

38)

Osprey

39)

Yellow footed green pigeon

40)

Little egret

41)

Purple swamphen

42)

Plain Prinia

43)

Tailor bird

Purple heron juvenile

White breasted kingfisher

44)

45)

Blue fronted redstart (male)

Asian koel(female)

46)

Citrine wagtail

47)

Eurasian marsh harrier

48)

White breasted waterhen

49)

Night heron

50)

51)

Red vented bulbul

52)

Black naped monarch

Purple swamphen

53)

Coot

54)

55)

56)

Red wattled lapwing and black winged stilt

57)

Cormorant

58)

Bronze winged Jacana

59)

Rock pigeon

60)

61)

Asian Paradise flycatcher

62)

Chestnut tailed starling

63)

Wagtail

64)

65)

Common Iora

66)

Great egret and little egret

67)

Ashy prinia

68)

69)

Black kite

70)

Purple rumped sunbird

71)

72)

73)

Common myna

74)

Oriental magpie robin(female)

75)

76) and 77)

78)

Paddyfield pipit

Shrike

Three species of ducks

79)

Asian Pied Starling

80)

81)

82)

83)

Grebe

84)

Gulls

85)

Oriental magpie robin(male)

86)

Glossy Ibis

87)

For all 105 species, check
https://www.facebook.com/amrita.mukherjee.562/media_set?set=a.10154366616766492.1073741861.537411491&type=3