Vision of Life; by Sanjay: Bharatpur Birding & Our Responsibility!

“The places of quiet are going away, the Churches, the Forests, the Libraries. And it is only in silence we can hear the voice inside of us which gives us true peace.”

… James Rozoff.

Not much personal information is available about this wonderful author but the below introduction about his work in his own words speak it all, “I write escapist literature. Not the kind that helps you ignore reality, but the kind that helps you escape from the illusions and the mindsets that keep you imprisoned in a dull world, a world limited by fear and devoid of magic’! I don’t know much about quietness in churches (though as a civil engineer they fascinate me for sure) but I know or say has lived quietness in the libraries as well that of forests & that’s why when sharing is about a place named Bharatpur, I chose James Rozoff’s above words to start. Many people (wild lifers) know Bharatpur as Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary which is its official name & this name has been given from the local god in that forest yet for the masses when birding is mentioned its Bharatpur, such synonymies is the city with birds, just the way Bisleri is, with bottled water! And then, for me going to Bharatpur is not just clicking birds (I am not a serious birder) but déjà vu for me as was visiting the place more than a decade yet the chilling winter mornings & walk on the foggy trails, listening to non-stop chirping (screaming too) of many birds & quietness also, all memories came back to me even before I stepped out from home! And yes, travel from Delhi to Bharatpur (and back) is food heaven for those who love asali Dhaba food, as the route goes through States of Haryana, UP & both are eaters paradise! If Haryana Road travels means Paratha, Dal, Sabjis fresh from farms then roads in UP means sweet mart with Mathura Pedhas, Jalebi-Rabadi & many more! I am not a foodie just the way I am not a birder yet if you don’t get mesmerized by the bird show & peace of Bharatpur as well don’t admire the dishes served on road-side food outlets, then go & check yourself in some garage as in the process of being successful, you might have turned in to a machine & at least to test this, one must visit Bharatpur periodically! There were some good & some bad surprises starting from landing on Delhi airport, because if for the first time I noticed detailing on signages on airport such as “Toilet @3/4 minutes’ walk” & direction arrow, which really helps in case of urgency, (lol) then on other side traffic management outside airport was total mess & it took me 40 minutes to reach my cab to Bharatpur!

Once in cab, the new road network took us out of Delhi in real short time (good surprise) & I asked my driver friend Surinder to stop at first Dhaba (Sarpanch Dhaba ,lol) on road for food & the journey to Bharatpur has begun! To my surprise what I saw outside, was the way urbanization is swallowing farming as well wildlife (it’s very less anyways in Haryana) all along the road, even remote parts of UP & heaps of garbage on both side of the highway before entering in any village, town or city! Garbage spread along the roads is the scene which can be seen all over India now; (Hon.Modiji, Yogiji, Devendraji & Amit Shahaji, if by chance you come across this writeup, please look in this garbage aspect most unlikely though) & has become biggest threat for wildlife by polluting natural food as well habitats for animals & birds! Once in Bharatpur I checked in at Birder’s Inn, a small Kothi type planned Inn & cosy as well right just five minutes’ walk from park gate & wonderful food. On the first chilled winter morning I started for the park on foot & cycle rickshaw with cameras following me, which is another interesting aspect of this place. As when you are going to click or watch birds you can’t have the luxury of moving in gypsy or any automobile for two things, with sudden movements the birds get disturbed & noise of engine is another disturbance, but cycle rickshaw is a bliss. Though for many tourists it's a cruel thing for the rickshawala to paddle in bitter cold but that's the need of the park & it helps in running their livelihood also, don’t forget this aspect also which is important in conservation of wildlife at such places. The first thing I noticed is, the way Bharatpur city has increased in size & development touching the park boundaries in the last decade, this is dangerous as there is practically no buffer for the park on three sides & this is going (has already) to be a trouble for the birds in future! The city garbage being dumped on the open lands adjoining to the park wall & scavenger birds like kite & city crow are becoming a menace for birds in the park, as for the first time I witnessed kites (domestic scavenger birds) circling in the park main area & even attacking eagles! Oh yes, one more disappointing thing, cleanliness of public toilets in the park’s Centre Point (canteen) , such was the stink that there was python basking in the sun in the open space adjoining to the toilet but nobody could stand the foul smell of the toilet so all preferred not even to have a look at the python & from every place the water was overflowing, leaking & what not, come-on guys, it’s a world heritage site & fifty percent of the tourists were foreigners, what kind of memories they will be taking back from keoladeo park like places, please think over! Here corporate companies also must contribute, Dear Adanis & Ambanis (and others too), if you also happen to be reading this sharing (again most unlikely) then please adopt public toilets in not just keoladeo park but in every forest of this country & trust me, it will be great contribution for wildlife!

I am sorry guys, if you were expecting only beauty & birding experiences about Bharatpur from my writeup but has got offended or bored with the sharing till now, then let me tell you this is reality, the place still holds some of the best birds sighting yet the threat on its very existence looming right on the top & I can’t help but to notice that threat & share with you as then there is some hope to change the course of that threat! This year’s heavy rains were another danger as keoladeo is low land & water from canals is directed here from ages to fill it up which became a birding habitat over the years. But this year the water flow was too much & seems the concerned authorities didn’t understand the rain factor & even in February because of deep water at many places the birds such as cranes & pelicans have moved outside the park in the farms for their food & breeding! There were still many resident birds like storks, darters & cormorant & ducks but migrations have been less, is what even the guides told! So has moved the deer & even prey mammals such as jackals, hyenas & on top of it some road net-work (wide roads) I saw in progress right in the park to a water body, destructing habitat of these mammals (is what the guides told me) making sightings of hyenas very rare! I don’t understand the authorities' (read as forest dept or govt) way of working especially at places such as Bharatpur, where one small mistake can change the balance of the entire life cycle of the species because it’s a small park hardly some 25 sq. km & damage spread can be fast. Just, why can’t they take in confidence the people which are a daily part of the system & their inputs can make a positive difference! But it’s always a tussle between the people in the govt that they think they only are the system while the system when its wildlife includes every entity which is some way connected to the habitat of the wildlife & even the rickshawalas here also understand the basic threat to the habitat by such infra works or wrong water management, so no harm in at least taking their opinions, which forest dept doesn’t ever! One good surprise was battery operated golf carts those who think manual rickshaws are too slow to move but I feel the best option is to walk in the park as then you can be part of that winter mist filled trails (many of them have gone sadly) of keoladeo. As you walk on those trails, you can see the silhouette of a deer looking curiously at you long ahead & the frame gets permanently engraved on the memory card of your brain & along with it is the sound of a flock of ducks taking flight! These are some things Bharatpur hasn’t lost & that made me forget the bad aspects of the system or threats to the park though we can’t ignore these things!

To my surprise, near the main water body at Centre Point fruit bats have made their colony & to click them or even to watch their nonstop action in the daylight as an amazing experience. Best part of the trip was darter fishing, means you have to sit at the edge of small lake & keep watching darters diving down & coming on the surface of water with its catch i.e., a fish & you have to click right moment of the darter gulping the fish by tossing it in air! Trust me, this looks so easy putting in words but it can take a day also to to get you one right shot, such fast & unpredictable is the entire action! First, there are five to six darters swimming at a time in the water; second thing is, darter dives at one place & comes on the surface anywhere 20 to 30 feet away from the place it has dived & third, it’s just slender neck of the bird which is above water & on the background of water’s blue-grey colour to focus it in a flash is not at all easy thing! But fun is, you get so much engrossed in this entire process that people don’t mind spending whole day here doing it!

Another lucky part of the trip was sighting of Saras Crain pair as imagine in 25 sq. km there was only one pair & it can fly from one place to another while you have to paddle & Saras Crain’s call can be very deceiving as its sharp shriek can be heard from long distance but it appears as its very near! And the best part was on one evening we listened to alarm calls (a peculiar sound deer raises when sensing danger) of cheetals & I was wondering what can make them feel so threatened & way back on gate there was a notice about sighting of leopard in the park! It’s a good sign for wildlifers as well bad sign for tourist’s movements & safety in the park. Though leopard is a shy animal & is afraid of humans yet it can be a nuisance for birding as well smaller predators like jackals & hyenas which already are under threat of urbanization! At a place like Bharatpur you can get bored in a day (check yourself then) or you can just do nothing & spend all the days getting part of the surroundings in the park! I did later & forgot the negative aspects of the situation over there, got lost in the mist, cold, birds & trails & yes back at the hotel the Rajasthani food too! When in a place like Bharatpur, do ask as many questions about birds, their living which is way different than mammals & the variety you find is amazing. Unless you don’t ask questions chances are you won’t be able to distinguish one bird from another & will get bored soon thinking what’s big deal all are the birds only & that’s all! Actually, bird sighting & observation is a lot more difficult & interesting too than sighting a tiger; all one has to learn is, to understand how wonderful the entire process is & have some patience in doing so!

On the way back from the park I remembered the wall in the park on which from the year 1932, figures of duck hunting are engraved every year as this was a game (hunting) site of local Maharaj & the figures are in thousands. Today, fortunately official hunting not just of ducks but of any animal or bird is a crime yet by ignoring proper protection of such places we will be killing a lot more ducks than earlier hunters did because they just killed the birds but what we will be killing is their homes in itself, with this note in mind, I left Bharatpur, with a promise to come back soon & making people aware about our responsibility towards this wonderful natural treasure!

You can experience more birding as well park moments on the flicker link below..

https://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/albums/72177720306116852

Sanjay Deshpande

Sanjeevani Dev.

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