Karnala- A tiny Jewel

At a distance of forty seven kilometers from the heart of Mumbai lies Karnala Bird Sanctuary. Its a tiny bit of moist deciduous forest that tries to maintain the sanity of a geography crisscrossed by highways, and is fast metamorphosing into a landscape of industrial zones, warehousing, not to mention the creep of residential complexes that are spreading towards it from its nearest city Panvel. Needless to say much has changed around the sanctuary, but the sanctuary still holds its ground amidst this chaotic world.

I must say right at the beginning that I have heard many a comment from the casual visitors that the place is empty, devoid of life! I cannot emphasise more that it takes a certain skill honed over many years to recognise the plethora of life that surrounds them and it may be a good idea to hire a guide from the gate, a system that has recently started.The best time for sightings is early morning as the first rays of the sun fills the forest with light. Each season brings with it unique experiences. For those that are not interested in watching nature always have the option to trek to the fort.

The initial walk from the gate to the rest house is a mixed bag of introduced plantation along the road side mingling with the indigenous flora. Look out for the Wakeri (Moullava spicta) a robust climber with beautiful flower spikes, listen carefully here, for as you shut your mind to the rumble of the highway, sounds of sunbirds will slowly surround you. I remember recently having a fabulous sighting of a pair of Heart Spotted woodpeckers as they drummed away in the misty predawn and then a Vernal Hanging Parrot, not to mention a Jerdons Chloropsis all in a matter of a few minutes. Such a start sends a birdwatchers heart racing, what more can the day reveal.

There are a few diversions from this main path, a new one to the left (Tadamba Nisarg Path) that moves towards the highway, a verdant lane surrounded by large trees, there is a water body here that attracts many species.

The path to the rest house has now a “playpen” that was created a few years ago, Its place in a sanctuary is a mystery to me, it has begun to showcase a “landscaped garden”.

Then there are the birdcages, this has been a feature of Karnala since I can remember, probably in the hope of introducing people and giving a sense of legitimacy to those who believe the place is devoid of birds. The area next to the guest house has a ever expanding food court. At this place the path diverts that leads to the fort. A fantastic lookout for watching raptors as they take flight.

Below the rest house is a pond created by the damming of a monsoon stream of which are plenty. The dam overflows during the monsoon as the stream makes its way down. Smaller check dams retain water post monsoon in small rocky pools that slowly dry out as summer approaches. A walk through this stream bed is something we have made habit to explore as it is a very happy hunting ground for sighting many species of butterflies. I have seen here Gaudy Barons, Daniad Eggflies, Common Nawab, Spot Swordtails, Blue Oakleaf,Black Rajah, blues of many kinds , oh the list is endless!

There are many trails like the Mortaka trail, Hariyali trail and other unnamed ones. I will not attempt to associate the different paths with sightings for this is not a zoo. Here must relate an experience from April 2016, a friend and me were at a stream bed on the mortaka trail, we noticed a dog as it came down the hill, watched us for a few seconds then took off speedily, after a moments pause another dog and then another, they looked shaken. Thereafter monkeys were giving alarm calls from a patch of forest about thirty meters in front of us, we could hear a rustle, now we were alert as just the previous week there had been a leopard sighting. Scanning with our binoculars we followed the calls of the monkeys as the calls slowly moved away towards the rest house. Life is omnipresent one has to use all their knowledge and the power of observation, excitement may be just a few bushes away.

Monsoon here is quite heavy as Karnala lies in the Konkan, I have at times walked without a binocular or a camera during this time and relied mainly on calls for identification, a fun sport. The forests is lifted in spirit with the flirty whistles of the Whistling schoolboy(Malabar Whistling thrush) along with the gurgle of water in the streams. It is the only time of the year when the cuckoos are vocalising. The resident species are nesting and the cuckoos have to take advantage now to plant their eggs into unsuspecting surrogate homes. Some of the pre-monsoon arrivals like the Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher are nesting by now, we have always been on the lookout for Indian Pitta nests too but have not been lucky yet.

Winter brings a whole range of migrants from far away lands, they come here to feed and fatten in our mild weather to get ready for their next breeding season in far away lands. Though sightings may be hard to come by before Late January as the trees are still in lush foliage. It has been in my experience to see five different species of flycatchers or warblers in one single mornings outing. Or Little, Purple, purple-rumped, Lotens and vigors sunbirds in the course of one morning. On many occasions we have been rewarded by the “swarms” of western crowned leaf warblers, or rose finches. There is an energy in the bird world, Bronzed drongos can be heard everywhere their inimitable metallic calls ringing far and wide, Racket-tailed Drongos playful mimicking of calls. If lucky one may bump into a orange minivet or a Black-naped Oriole and a few denizens of the woodpecker world. Mixed hunting parties of Iora, Orange minivet, Greenish warblers, paradise flycatchers etc or the solitary finds of Rufous woodpecker, a sulking Malkoha. During a walk this January 2020, we came across 2 flocks of Little minivets! A closer examination revealed young that were still being fed by the adults.

As winter fades the evocative and elaborate songs of Shama and the Orange Bellied thrush, Magpie Robin and the insuppressible Fan tailed flycatcher compete with each other to hold our attention. The winter migrants have left a forest that is now being painted by the orange flowers of Firmiana colorata and bright red by new leaves of Kusum (Schleichera oleosa). Bombax and Erythinia are coming into flower and the larder of nectar is open.At the end of March do look out for the dainty flowers of Diploclisia glaucescens off the main road just below the bird cages.

In the extreme heat of the summer when the morning walks tend to windup mid morning due to the oppressive heat I am amazed to find the nests of Common wood Shrikes exposed on bare limbs or those of Yellow throated Sparrow (Chestnut shouldered Petronia).They are all timing the emergence of their brood with availability of food. Sometime at the end of April and the beginning of May we start to notice the two noted calls of the Indian Pitta as they begin to arrive.

And thus will begin a full circle of life with the approaching monsoon.