Unwind in a Real Way

The true way to unwind is to get rid of the technology around you. Even when you are at the best resorts you are surrounded by technology. You are either busy looking into your emails or waiting for your client to call and so on. While technology can help us in many ways it works like an invisible chain that never let you go.

Exploring nature during monsoon allows you to unwind in a real way. The quietness and serenity of the wilderness allow you to break free from the urban chaos. You can listen to the sound of birds, insects and the rustling of leaves and the sound of raindrops.

Clear Your Mind

Confused about what to do next? Just pack your bags and start exploring nature during monsoon season. We work extra hard to make our ends meet, to sustain our lifestyle and to please our seniors. This can lead to stress and frustration that can ruin your way of thinking.

Often we end up making wrong choices because we’re not thinking straight. There’s too much going on in our minds which leads to sleepless nights. Being in nature allows you to clear your mind. When you are exploring nature during monsoon you have the time to yourself.

You can sit on the patio of your hotel and contemplate in peace, or you can go hiking. Involving in other activities connected with nature allows you to think clearly and know where you stand.

Connect with the Universe

Negative feelings and emotions can make you feel like you don’t belong here. When you are close to nature you feel more connected with the universe. The greenery and the landscape around you allow you to get rid of your negativity. You can explore various monsoon creatures in India that can help you feel better.

You can focus on so many things that can make you feel better and one with the universe. Hence, it is always a great idea to take some time out for exploring nature during monsoon season.

Discover Something New

When you step into the woods you’ll always come out knowing something more. If you have a keen eye you can discover something that you don’t know until that point in time. Exploring nature during monsoon season allows you to discover new insects, birds, and plants. You can find many aquatic birds and forest and grassland birds that you can find here.

The mountain range of the Western Ghats is one of the top eight biodiversity spots in the world. It is home to seven unique vegetation types. The Western Ghats is home to 7,402 flowering plants, 1,814 non-flowering plants, 6000 insects’ species and 508 bird species. If you’re lucky you might even find many undiscovered species here. Hence, nature allows you to learn and discover more about the world and you as well.

Enhance Your Creativity

A better way to kill boredom and loneliness is by enhancing your creative skills. Being in the lap of nature allows you to get creative and boost your imagination. If you are into photography you won’t find a better time to take some breathtaking shots. While you are exploring nature during monsoon you can take your camera along for those great shots.

You can also head to some quiet place where you can enhance your writing skills or do sketching and painting. This will provide you with the perfect break that you need from your routine life. It allows you to divert your attention and live in the moment. Nature is also a source of inspiration and therefore you can get inspired to do more things.

Conclusion

Nature has always been an important part of my life. Hence, I always look for trips that I can make during the rainy season. Yes, there are situations that you need to be careful about and for that, you need better planning. You can always look for tips on how to travel during monsoon season.

Other few benefits of exploring nature during monsoon in India are that you get fewer crowds. If you don’t like being in a congested place, the monsoon is the time you should travel and explore new places.

You can also enjoy low accommodation prices because most hotels and resorts offer discounts during this season. It is likely you get a better friendly service because the hotel staff is not busy with too many guests. On the other hand, you can talk to them to know local places that you can explore to enhance your experiences.

India is a hot country but the temperature drops during the monsoon season. If you don’t like to venture in the heat, you can explore nature during monsoon when the weather is pleasant.

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For many Indians, these creatures are not new or maybe new because most of us haven’t paid enough attention. During the dry summer season, these creatures are almost invisible but they appear after a few spells of rain. These monsoon creatures in India are shy, tiny and they blend into their surroundings with ease. Hence, you need the patience to wait silently as they continue with their activities. It is always advisable to explore nature in monsoon to get the best experience.

While there is a huge list of insects and reptiles that come out during the rainy season here are some that we have put together for the blog.

Oriental Garden Lizard

Even if you are not a nature person you must have come across oriental garden lizard. They are virtually everywhere from gardens to grassland. Often people think of them as chameleons because they change colour to some extent.

Like any other lizard, they love eating insects and small vertebraes. Oriental garden lizards have teeth but they use that only to grip their prey. They don’t tear their prey and instead swallow it. These lizards also eat vegetable matter if they don’t find enough insects. Hence, they are found in all types of weather conditions.

They are fast runners and they also jump from one plant to another to escape threat. While they are lizards, they do not drop their tails. They are not scared of human beings, if you don’t make quick movements to threaten them. Oriental garden lizards breed during the month of May and June.

During the breeding season, the males are highly territorial and their head and shoulder area turn crimson or bright orange. They also change this colour after they have won a fight with another male.

Black Hairy Caterpillar

My first encounter with the black hairy caterpillar was quite unpleasant. These caterpillars are on the leaves and branches of the tree during the rainy season. While they are easy to spot on a bright green leaf, they are hard to see on the branches.

During my teens, I accidentally touched a branch that had a black hairy caterpillar. This caterpillar has tiny black spikes all around it which acts as a defence mechanism.

It is advisable not to touch this caterpillar because the spikes can put you in a lot of pain. Although these caterpillars are not poisonous, the pain stays for around 15 to 30 minutes before it subsides. These monsoon creatures in India are on the ground level as well. Hence, make sure you don’t step on it if you’re walking without footwear.

Common Garden Skink Lizard

Unlike the oriental garden lizard, skink lizard is very shy and will quickly retreat behind the rocks. It is hard to find them during the hot months of May, but with the arrival of the monsoon season, they appear once again.

The males are brown-black in colour with a greyish tinge and the females have a yellowish-orange tinge to the underside. The females are bigger in size compared to males. They usually hide and wait for their prey to come to them.

However, if they are hungry they will hunt the prey. Skinks are expert ambush hunters. They usually hide under the rock to surprise their prey and also to save themselves from large predators like garden birds. They are cold-blooded and therefore they usually relax on top of the rocks to warm their blood.

Skinks love all types of insects, worms, and small vertebrates. They love eating cockroaches, spiders, ants, crickets and moths and therefore some people prefer to have skinks in their garden. They also eat bananas and strawberries and other non-citrus fruits. You can find them all over Maharashtra as you take monsoon road trip in Maharashtra.

Indian Bullfrog

If you have ever seen a frog in India, it is likely you saw an Indian bullfrog. This is one of the commonest frog species that you can find all over the country. They are also quite popular in other Asian countries like Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Myanmar.

These monsoon creatures in India appear as soon as the grassland area is flooded with fresh water. Indian bullfrogs generally live a solitary life, but their breeding season starts with the arrival of the fresh monsoon season. Surprisingly, these frogs turn yellow to impress females during the breeding season.

Aak Grasshopper

If you love colour you can’t find a better grasshopper than Aak grasshopper. It is one of the most colourful grasshoppers that you can find in India. The young grasshoppers usually have greenish yellow markings with crimson spots. A mature grasshopper will have yellow and turquoise stripes on the body along with green tegmina with yellow spots.

The tegmina is a leathery front wing that allows the insect to fold and protect its hind wings. Aak Grasshopper usually feeds on the Crown Flower plant and breed on the same plant. They are visible clearly during the month of September. They eject a sudden jet of pale milky secretion when they feel threatened. Hence, it is advisable that you don’t touch them in curiosity.

Below is an interesting video shot by Sarah that shows close up of Aak grasshopper eating the crown flower.

Wolf Spider

What’s Spiderman without his web shooting capabilities, right? We normally associated spiders with their web-weaving skills and how they trap their prey in it. Wolf spider is one of the rare spiders that do not spin webs. Yes, you heard it right. No web business.

The name wolf spider comes from the hunting tactics that the spider employs to hunt the prey. Unlike other spiders, wolf spiders pounce on their prey and inject venom at a lightning speed. They are an expert, agile and robust hunters in their own world.

Wolf spiders have the third best eyesight of all spider groups in the world after jumping spiders and huntsman spiders. They have eight eyes arranged in a set of three rows that help them to hunt in the dark. These monsoon creatures in India prefer to live in grassland, wet coastal forest and suburban gardens.

The mother wolf spider will carry all her spiderlings on her back for several weeks until they can fend for themselves. Currently, wolf spider is the only spider in the world that carries their spiderlings on their back.

Wolf spiders are not really big and flashy that helps them blend in their habitat. They can stay still for quite some time to ambush their prey. Well, the mother wolf spider in the picture tried to fool me pretending to be dead until she felt threatened and ran into the shrubs.

Conclusion

With the arrival of the Southwest Monsoon, the landscape of India changes considerably. Migratory and aquatic birds move in for the breeding season and various insects and reptiles come up from the underground. For many people in India, monsoon can lead to more trouble like the flood. However, this annual cycle of the rainy season ensures that nature provides something to everyone.

Please share your valuable feedback in the comment section. Also, do let me know if you would like me to do another blog post similar to this.

The post Amazing Monsoon Creatures in India appeared first on Travel India Destinations.

Ashy Prinia

Also known as Ashy Wren Warbler, Ashy Prinia is a tiny warbler that you can find across the paddy fields of Vasai. They are among the cutest garden birds in Vasai-Virar. These birds are tiny and quick and therefore it requires some patience and great eyesight to spot them within those micro-moments when they take a flight to hop from one grass to the other.

They usually pick insects that fly around the grassland, shrubs and home gardens. They build the nest which is close to the ground and breed from June to September.

Indian Prinia

Also known as Plain Prinia or White Browed Wren-Warbler this is another tiny warbler that one can find in Vasai. Unlike Ashy Prinia which you can find almost everywhere, Indian Prinia is not very common to see around. This skulking bird usually is found in wet grasslands and open fields and the wheatish color of the bird allows it to camouflage with the surroundings and grass.

Like Ashy Prinia, this one too feeds on insects that are found readily in grasslands and farms and open fields. Indian Prinia is very identical to Ashy Prinia and you might not spot the difference right away, but Ashy Prinia definitely looks charming with its darker shade. It is certainly one of the hardest to find garden birds in Vasai-Virar .

Oriental Magpie Robin

For Oriental Magpie Robin, I and Sarah luckily did not have to venture too far. We first discovered them in the backyard of the church compound which we can see directly from our bedroom balcony. Oriental Magpie Robin (male) has this majestic black and white color that looks even beautiful when they fly around.

The female has a grayish appearance and she looks equally charming. I later discovered that they are the national birds of Bangladesh. I love their upright tail and their sweet voice. They talk a lot, but since they have a sweet voice I won’t mind them whistling for hours.

Oriental Magpie Robin is insectivorous, but they also won’t mind roaches, geckos, leeches, and centipedes. They certainly make it to the list of the sweetest garden birds in Vasai-Virar due to their sweet voice.

Check out the beautiful Oriental Magpie Robin in the video.

Common Myna

In Mumbai, you usually get to see house crows, rock pigeons, and house sparrows. So when I moved to Vasai Common Myna was the first bird that excited me because it’s hard to find Common Myna in the city. Also known as the Indian Myna these birds are related to the starling family and they have strong territorial instincts. Over here they have adapted themselves well to the human habitat and they are always around looking around for leftovers and other rotten food and insects.

While I was reading about them on Wikipedia, I found that they are the world’s most invasive bird species declared by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Many bird organizations also claim them as a serious threat to the ecosystem, but I still love them like I love any other species.

They have this brown body, black hooded head and yellow patch on the eye. They also have yellow bill and legs. You will usually find them in pair or groups and I love the way they bob their heads and fluff feathers. It makes me feel as if they are enjoying heavy metal music deep inside their mind. Like I said above, they are very territorial and therefore they screech when they feel the presence of a predator or any other birds. They are insectivorous, but they also eat the food leftovers and seeds and grains.

Red-Vented Bulbul

Red-vented bulbul is another common resident garden birds in Vasai-Virar that you will find in urban localities of Vasai-Virar. These birds are not too scared of humans and therefore you will find them close to residential buildings.

They are found on almost every continent from Hawaii and New Zealand and are voted in the world’s most invasive bird species. It has this tiny crest over its head with a dark brown body that gets darker near the head. It has a red vent and a black tail tipped in white.

These birds feed on fruits, petals and even insects and geckos. If you pay enough attention you can find bulbul’s nest in some of the bushes around. Red-vented bulbul is one of Sarah’s favorite birds because she had it once as a pet.

Rock Pigeon

Rock pigeons don’t really excite me much because they are virtually everywhere. In India, we call them “pigeon” and they have this dull gray color with two black bars on each wing.

It is hard to distinguish male from female because of the colors are the same, even the size is identical. However, you can see that males have more iridescence on the neck while it is a bit duller on females.

While they seem like timid and shy birds, but they are territorial by nature and they are willing to fight for their place. In India, people usually offer them grains as “gesture of good deeds” and that makes things easier for them to some extent.

Pigeons usually flock together and they roost in residential buildings, walls, statues and almost every man-made structure you can imagine.

House Sparrow

Like pigeons, house sparrows are found commonly across India. From urban areas to rural corners of the country you can see them chirping and flying around casually. These tiny pale brown and gray birds are very social and they can make a lot of noise when they are together. It is very easy to differentiate the males from females because of their color and size.

Males are slightly larger than females and they have these dark brown and black colors to their feathers while the females have dull brown and gray shades. Males also have this dark black mark near their bill which indicates their social ranking within their group. Male juveniles don’t have this dark marking. House sparrows have managed to live with humans and adapt to a wide range of conditions.

They love dust bathing and social singing together and they also hunt for food together. They prefer grains and weeds, but I would say they are opportunistic and therefore they are not shy to pick whatever they find from dumping area and even leftovers thrown around. I and Sarah once found a house sparrow egg laid carefully between the clothes line on our balcony.

Crow

Crows are almost everywhere. In Vasai, you can find Indian jungle crows and house crows. The only difference between the two is that the house crow has a lighter gray shade to its neck and breast area while the Indian jungle crow is entirely black.

House crows are highly opportunistic and unbelievably intelligent and they are among the first birds I interacted with. Crows can recognize your behavior and face from far away and they are watching us when we are busy in our own world.

My mother used to feed a morsel of food to a particular crow every afternoon. He realized that we were not going to harm him so he wouldn’t fly off when we go closer to put some food for him on the ledge. He would eat the same meals that we ate. The most unbelievable thing about him was that he was always on the apartment window a few minutes before my mother would reach home from work. He would spot my mother walking home and realizes that he will get food. So he would fly and come to our home window and would signal me with his caws that my mother is coming home and that he wants food. 

Crows are scavengers and therefore they look out for any food items that they would find. They usually prefer eggs, nestlings, small reptiles and mammals, but they can eat almost anything from milk biscuits to chicken curry mixed with rice.

Crows are social birds. We usually see parents working hard to feed their babies, but crows work differently. They work in large groups and therefore all adult crows work together to feed all the babies in the group. Crows is that they can share their experiences and memories with their babies. Crows not just learn foraging skills from their parents, but also know who was kind to their parents and who wasn’t.

You would be surprise to know that crows can share their experiences and memories with their babies. Crows not just learn foraging skills from their parents, but also learn who was kind to their parents and who wasn’t.

Also, since crows are social animals they feel sad when someone in their group dies. You can see a group of crows sitting quietly on rooftops and trees close to the body of the crow for few minutes before they all fly off. This is very much like a funeral in the human world where we stand in silence for few minutes. Crows also build fake nests to confuse their predators and they have the potential to mob an eagle or hawk when they’re in a group.

Common Tailorbird

Shy and tiny by nature, Tailorbirds can give you a tough time if you don’t have a good camera that can zoom in and take pictures quickly. Tailorbirds are almost the size of hummingbirds and belong to the warbler family. They have green upperparts and white underparts and they are always hoping and flying around from one bush to another making it difficult for you to capture them on your camera. They usually hold their tail upright like a wren and you can find them in open grassland and gardens. Probably the tiniest in the list of garden birds in Vasai-Virar.

Tailorbird gets their name from the kind of nest they make.

They usually make a nest in plants that have large leaves. They bend the leaf like a cone and sew it together with a plant fibre or spider web. The leaf is stitched in such a way that large birds might not be able to see it from the top of the tree.

With their tiny size, they can quickly disappear within the bushes and shrubs, but they make loud calls to give away their presence. Tailorbirds prefer insects and they breed from June to August.

Hoopoe

You won’t find Hoopoe all over Vasai very easily, but if you look carefully they are found in gardens and bushes. We had been looking for hoopoe for quite some time, but we couldn’t. Luckily, one fine evening we had our camera and the hoopoe was right in front of us picking on insects in the garden. The best way to spot them is to look for that distinctive crown that can help you to differentiate from other brown birds.

Hoopoe is here all round the year and therefore you don’t have to worry about clicking them in certain months. I love their partial brown and black and white colour combination. They make the oop-oop-oop sound which can be confused with a cuckoo sound. They usually prefer to eat insects in the urban gardens, but they also pick up tiny frogs, berries, and other small plant matter.

European Stonechat

The funny thing about photography is that sometimes you don’t have any clue what your camera captured accidentally. While I and Sarah were busy looking for Pheasant-tailed Jacana, we saw this tiny sparrow-like bird hopping around in the grassland. We immediately took few shots and assumed that it would be Ashy Prinia, but when we saw it on our desktop we knew it was not Ashy Prinia. We looked for its name and we finally found it – European Stonechat.

This one belongs to the thrush family and has this dark black-brown shade with an orange throat/breast area. They are quick in the air with their light small body and they can be mistaken as house sparrow if you don’t pay attention.

Parrots

Vasai has plenty of parrots and you can hear them as they fly by the trees and buildings screaming around. However, they are not everywhere. There are certain neighbourhoods where parrots have a stronghold and you can find them there. If you are in Vasai and if you head to Vasant Nagri neighbourhood you’ll find plenty of parrots in groups.

Parrots in Vasai are usually the regular green colour ones who keep flying around for seeds, fruit, nectar, and buds. You will find them settling in slots and pipe holes of residential buildings.

Tickell’s Flowerpecker

Like European Stonechat, Tickell’s Flowerpecker got shot accidentally as we were clicking other birds around. We were so excited that we found it hiding within the plants. This one feeds on nectars and berries and probably they are among the smallest birds found on the Indian subcontinent.

Yellow-Eye Babbler

With its small bill, long tail and cinnamon-brown colour body yellow-eyed babbler is quite a treat to watch. You can find them close to grassland and urban gardens where they move around in groups. They are among the noisiest garden birds in Vasai-Virar region.

They prefer berries and small insects that crawl on the garden grass. Juveniles don’t have the long tail and therefore they might seem a bit different from adults.

Night Heron

If you are looking for night herons you need to venture out almost around sunset. These birds are nocturnal and they are usually very quiet and don’t move much around, so spotting them can be a challenge. They have short neck and legs and they usually stand quietly near water bodies like small ponds and lakes for fish, frogs, aquatic insects and small mammals. Herons are among the quietest garden birds in Vasai-Virar that you can find.

Greater Coucal

At first glance, Greater Coucal seems like a cross between a crow and a pheasant. Hence, it is also named as Crow Pheasant. While it does have a crow-like appearance it does not belong to the crow family, but instead belongs to the cuckoo family. However, it does not display the signs of brood parasitism which is common with most cuckoos. This means that they take care of their young ones unlike cuckoos that lay eggs in other bird nests.

Greater Coucal is shy nature bird and there are many superstitions associated with its presence and whoop whoop call. They generally feed on fruits and insects and are found in marshes, grasslands and even gardens.

So, these were some of the commonly found garden birds in Vasai-Virar . The entire region has more than 250 bird species while I have managed to cover only 30 of them in my Birds in Vasai-Virar series. I will continue to keep photographing more birds and continue adding to the series as and when possible.

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Baya Weaver

Baya Weavers in Vasai

While most birds are hard to find, Baya Weavers luckily is easy to spot in my neighborhood. This means I get more time to research on these forest and grassland Vasai birds. They are very chirpy, playful and social in nature. These birds usually weave their nest close to a pond or a lake. Baya Weavers weave these unique bottle-shaped hanging nests made from fresh grass. The most interesting thing I love about these sparrow-sized birds is how they choose their mate.

Baya Weavers

The male baya weaver starts weaving the nest and when he is done halfway through he makes a high-intensity chee-chee sound to let females inspect his half-done nest. The female baya weaver inspects the nest thoroughly. If she likes it, she stays and the male bird will complete the remaining portion of the nest. If she doesn’t like it, she flies away, and the male bird re-builds it again from the scratch.

Baya Weaver Building a Nest

I did further research on Baya Weaver’s nest and found that typically it takes around 18-20 days for the bird to build a nest. This includes almost 500 trips from the grassland to the nest, picking up the right grass and weaving it carefully to impress the female.

On an average, there are 3500 grass strands woven intricately to support the eggs and the birds themselves.

Look out for the Acacia or palm trees as Baya Weavers usually build their nest high up to protect themselves from predators like snakes and rodents. Once they are gone after the monsoon season, these abandoned nests become home to other smaller birds looking for ready-made shelter.

Black Drongo

Black Drongo

The first time I saw Black Drongo I thought it was a swallow because of its dual-shape tail. Eventually, I found out that Black Drongo is quite different from a swallow. This guy is small in size but has a serious reputation of a fighter. I usually find black drongos during the early morning and evening time when they are sitting still observing patiently from high strung electric wires. It is hard to find them during the afternoon time when they probably return to their nest.

Black Drongo

Black Drongo Vasai

Black drongo feeds on insects and they usually stay close to birds like common myna, pied myna and egrets as they share common habitat and diet. You will also find Black Drongo usually sitting near electric poles because they feed on the insects that attract to artificial lights. Since Black Drongos has an aggressive behaviour, other birds like doves, orioles, pigeons, babblers and bulbuls make their nest in the vicinity. Black drongos can even mob birds twice their size if threatened and hence are the fiercest forest and grassland Vasai birds.

Golden Oriole

A Shy Golden Oriole

If I ever get to vote for the sweetest bird call it would be the Golden Oriole. This bright yellow-black bird has certainly made a place in my heart and I can occasionally hear its call during early morning hours. In this list, Golden Oriole is certainly the hardest to find and it can test your patience to the limits.

Golden Oriole in Vasai

This shy bird never sits out in the open; at least, I haven’t seen it in all these years of observing. The female is green in colour and this makes it even harder for us to spot her on the tree. I still haven’t been able to see her clearly because of her perfect leaf-green plumage. Golden Oriole usually feeds on insects and fruits and certainly is a top favourite of all forest and grassland Vasai birds.

Pied Myna

Pied Myna Scanning the Perimeter

While common mynas are everywhere in Vasai Pied Myna or Asian Pied Starling still nest in limited areas. Compared to the common myna, these birds are not very bold and aggressive to hunt for their food. They look different from the common myna because of their black and white plumage and reddish bill. I usually see them close to areas where they can have access to open water and close to human settlements because they can pick up the leftovers rather than go hunting for food. They usually make their nest in man-made settlements or over electric poles and even in mango trees.

Pied Myna with Juveniles

Spotted Munia

Spice Finch

Spotted Munia looks identical to a common house sparrow because of its size and color. However, when you take a second look you realize that it certainly is different in many ways. Its distinctive scale-type feather marks on the breast and belly quickly allow you to identify this tiny bird. Very quick in the air, Spotted Munia is also known as Scaly-Breasted Munia or Spice Finch.

Spice Finch on a Cable

The movements and behaviour are very similar to a sparrow or a finch and they are usually in a group. They also tend to flick their tail more than the sparrows and I found that this tail flicking movement is a kind of social indicator helping them to flock and stay together. Spice Finch usually looks for seeds, berries, and small grains. They usually pick a nice spot close to paddy fields where they can get grains and water in plenty.

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Before I proceed further let me share this with you. When I moved here a decade ago, I had no clue about the kind of biodiversity that I will get to experience here, but I must say I am so happy to be here.

The Vasai-Virar region is one of the richest biodiversity regions voted by naturists and bird enthusiasts on the outskirts of Mumbai with more than 250 rare and common species of birds found and documented.

While I haven’t found them all, I have tried my best to compile all the pictures and information to bring you this post. In this part of the post, I and Sarah have covered the aquatic Vasai birds that we found and shot in Vasai. During the monsoon season, many empty spaces transform into lively lakes and ponds and attract plenty of aquatic birds that enjoy fishing in these tiny aquatic bodies. While most of these lakes and ponds are far away from the townships it takes some amount of patience to shoot these shy Vasai birds.

Little Cormorant

A member of the cormorant family of seabirds this one is often confused with the Indian cormorant who looks identical. This one usually perches on the waterside rocks or tree stump or branches and spreads wings to dry out after taking a dive. It has a black plumage and is an expert fish catcher as he quickly dives in for his food. It is hard to spot the males from females as they both are black in color, but males are generally larger than females.

Many of my friends know that I usually have a tendency to make an “expert comment” and I give “names” to things in a funny way. When I saw this bird for the first time with the wings spread out, I instantly called it an “SRK Bird”. Now, Indians might be able to get what I’m saying, but for my international audience let me explain. Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) is a Hindi movie star who fortunately shares his name with me, but he usually does romantic movies and has a signature pose which viewers adore for all these years.

The breeding season is from July to September. You can find them across the Indian subcontinent including countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal. They usually make a nest with egrets and herons in the same area.

Egrets

When you are in Vasai you might easily spot egrets enjoying their time. When I moved to Vasai in 2005, egrets fascinated me because you don’t get to see egrets in Mumbai. Of course, you can head to the zoo and see them behind the cage. However, seeing them in the open in their natural environment flying around, picking up insects and fishes and resting on mangroves is more fun.

Egrets are the most commonly found birds around and they look so appealing with their spotless white plumage contrasting with the greenery around. There are many species in the egret family and you will end up finding Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Intermediate Egret and even Great Egret here. Consequently, you can find them in abundance in Vasai-Virar region.

Egrets feed in shallow water and on land and are very sociable birds. They usually hunt for fish, small reptiles and amphibians and even spiders, insects and worms. You can find egrets in Vasai throughout the year, except during the summer season when they cannot bear the scorching heat.

Western Reef Egret

We got to shot Western Reef Egret when we least expected it. I and Sarah were looking for other birds when we suddenly spotted this egret at a distance, so it was a lucky moment for us. Popularly known as Western Reef Heron, this is a medium-size egret that has a slate-grey plumage and is quite contrasting to the white egrets flying around. It is certainly very hard to photograph this bird because you don’t get to see him all the time. However, like egrets you see them stalking their prey in shallow waters. They also stand on rocks and try to find fishes that swim between the rocks. The breeding season in India is from April to September. Western Reef Egret occurs as a vagrant in North America, the Caribbean, and South America.

Pheasant-Tailed Jacana

Probably, the most difficult bird to shoot in this list is Pheasant-tailed Jacana. It is undoubtedly one of the shy aquatic birds and it took us more than two weeks to take a good shot. They can easily sense human presence from a certain distance and they are quick to fly off. So, I and Sarah chased it many times in an attempt to shot good pictures. Jacanas have wide feet and claws that make it easier for them to walk on shallow lakes and even on floating vegetation. It was surprising to see them walking so effortlessly on floating lotus leaves. Pheasant-tailed Jacana breeds in India, Indonesia, and Southeast Asia.

They are usually black-brown in color, but the hind neck is golden. The golden color has this sort of iridescent effect which looks really great. As the name reveals, it has a pheasant-like long tail. These birds look incredibly beautiful when they fly as they have these white wings that contrast with their black-brown body. The tip of their wings and tail is black which adds to the beauty of this bird.

Initially, I and Sarah thought it was a tern, and then we thought it was a gull, but on researching further we found it is Jacana. Phew! A lot of work has gone into finding this one for sure.

Common Kingfisher

Eurasian Kingfisher a.k.a. Common Kingfisher a.k.a. River Kingfisher is a sparrow-sized aquatic Vasai birds with excellent fishing skills. Considering its tiny size they are really hard to search, plus they can quickly feel your presence and fly away, so it requires a great deal of patience and effort to photograph them. This bird has great colors that make it so adorable. It has blue wings and head and orange underparts and a long bill to catch fish.

It usually sits on the lake or pond on a branch or tree stump and waits for the right opportunity. The direct and fast flight is what makes this bird a master fisher.

One thing I noticed is that they are usually alone and highly territorial and not like other aquatic Vasai birds that usually nest and roost in groups. As a result, you will not spot them very easily close to residential buildings.

Asian Openbill

I’m really glad that I got to shot an Asian Openbill so close to my home. I rarely get to see huge birds in my neighborhood, but this year I and Sarah just got lucky. It took us around almost a week to photograph this bird as they usually settle way too far from human settlements.

A member of the stork family, Asian Openbill has a grayish and black glossy wings and tail.

They get their name from their arched-shape beak with a gap in the middle. This gap allows them to have better control over their food. While they appear like storks from far-off but are certainly smaller than the storks.

It is a broad-winged bird and can make long distance journeys searching for the right food and weather. They look spectacular when they take off and when they glide through the air so effortlessly. They are widespread across the Indian subcontinent and in Sri Lanka, Burma, and Thailand.

Red-Wattled Lapwing

After a spell of monsoon for about a week, I and Sarah wandered in the neighborhood and we came across Red-wattled Lapwing. It is hard to find a Red-Wattled Lapwing in Vasai, but if you venture into some quiet areas with water bodies around you might be lucky to spot these aquatic Vasai birds. The movements are plover-like and they breed from March to August. While they mainly feed on grains, but they also pick up insects, snails and other small invertebrates from the ground.

These Vasai birds have prominent white patches that separate the black and brown colours on them. Red Wattled Lapwings have red fleshy wattle right in front of their eyes with a black-tipped red bill from which they derive their name. They have long yellow legs and you can find them standing near lakes and ponds and even ploughed fields and grazing the land and sometimes even close to garbage dumps.

The movements are plover-like and they breed from March to August. While they mainly feed on grains, but they also pick up insects, snails and other small invertebrates from the ground.

Yellow Bittern

To begin with, Yellow Bittern is really hard to notice if it doesn’t move because of its colours. Hence, you really need to have a good eye to spot this one. This small bittern has a dull yellow and reddish-brown colour and blends with the environment.

They move very slowly. Sometimes they just sit still and that is when they camouflage with the surrounding. However, you can spot them close to shrubs or in the fields feeding on insects, fish, and amphibians.

Common Greenshank

There is no doubt that Common Greenshank is very hard to find. We spotted these birds along with egrets fishing in shallow waters far away from human civilization. Initially, I assumed them to be marsh sandpipers. However, Sarah and I noticed they have this upturn bill which sandpipers don’t have.

They have a coarse, dark and crisp breast pattern which is somewhat similar to sandpipers. Greenshanks are migratory birds and they winter in India, Africa and Australia.

There are more aquatic Vasai birds but accessibility is an issue. We hope you enjoyed the post. Do let us know which of the Vasai aquatic birds you liked most of all. Also, I should mention that Sarah shot and compiled a majority of the images. This post was her idea so the credit goes to her. She chased the birds, waited for the right opportunity to click pictures and bring them to you. She is currently working on the pictures coming up in the next posts.

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