The Thol Experience

A surprising assignment to get some documents signed from our official client, quite unexpected, set me flying off to Ahmedabad on April 6th, and being a weekend, and my brother stationed in Gandhinagar, I extended my return to Mumbai till Sunday evening.

The Friday went off in a flurry of activity at the clients’ place and I returned home tired that evening, and with the mercury soaring at nearly 40 deg cent. it was a hard time keeping up one’s energies.

While chatting casually with my brother that night, he just remarked, why don’t we go to Thol tomorrow for a visit. The name Thol rang lots of bells in my head and an immediate SMS to Adesh followed. Promptly came the reply, if the migrants have not gone, its worth a visit and checkout…….and we planned that trip that night.

My brother, though used to trekking, is not a birder and has not been to these birding trips. He called up one of his colleagues who agreed to accompany us and show us the way to Thol. Early morning 5.00 am all of us were up, myself, my brother, his wife and two kiddo with a basket of eatables to his friends place… picked him up and whizzed past to Thol, landing there as early as 7.30 am…wouldn’t say it was early but pretty good time made.



The entry to Thol was itself spectacular with both sides of the road filled with water and lots of ducks and waders vying for attention. The huge flock of Comb duck welcomed us with a flypast and not once by thrice going round and giving us an encore.

The dirt road goes right in along the lake bank and is a wonderful birding route. The road itself was scattered with grey francolin, which would run for cover as the vehicle approached and yes the ring dove would be screaming their presence from every alternate tree.










The common and purple moorhen were posing for photographs and the more shy Gargneys and coots will swim off fast when approached.













The lapwings had their areas demarcated, the fields near the waterbodies and would scream “did u do it” when flushed out. The fields revealed yet another treasure trove with two adult Sarus Cranes with a juvenile, foraging for grains and worms near the water.



The flock of peafowls which were sunning themselves or foraging for grains and worms would run away and hide in the underbrush……so would the shrikes and bulbuls and doves. The drongos and shikra however, were bold enough to stare at your from quite close quarters and wonder what I was doing with that long black thing pointed at them and making the sound “click, click, click” when the shutters fell continuously on a rapidfire mode. A flypast of glossy ibis and painted storks was also quite a view.

The return was more spectacular with some lovely show by the Purple Sunbird, some close quarter views of the juvenile Black Headed Ibis, the Hoopoe, the Black Redstart and yes the Purple Heron, the Grey Heron and the Glossy Ibis, the Jungle Babbler, Baya, etc….

The couple of hours yielded a treasure trove of birds and first sightings and another visit in December / January is already in the Calendars. The trip was an eye opening experience indeed.

Notable sightings and lifers for me were :

1. Common Moorhen (L)
2. Purple Moorhen
3. Gargney (L)
4. Common Coots, pair
5. Comb Duck (L)
6. Black Headed Ibis
7. Sarus Crane (L)
8. Glossy Ibis
9. Black Headed Ibis
10. Purple Heron (L)
11. Grey Heron
12. Cattle Egret
13. White Breasted Kingfisher
14. Ring Dove
15. Long Tailed Shrikes
16. Grey Francolin (L)
17. Indian Peafowl
18. Rose Ringed Parakeet
19. Black Drongo
20. Shikra Male
21. Spotted Eagle (L)
22. Tawny Eagle (L)
23. Common Kingfisher
24. Pond Heron
25. Grebe
26. Common Babbler
27. Jungle Babbler
28. Brahminy Starling
29. Large Billed Crow
30. Ashy Prinia
31.....and the list goes on.........

More bigger pics can be seen on :

http://picasaweb.google.com/ravi.vaidyanathan/TholBirdSanctuary