Uran wetland to Panje-Dongri- An Obituary?

In September 2018 the cause of excitement were two Red necked Phalaropes (one a tagged bird) that were seen for a period of a few days. Birdwatchers traveled from far reaches of the country to see them. Indian Skimmer have been regularly sighted now for the past four seasons at least.

It was about the year 2000 that I was introduced to the Uran wetlands, I remember reaching a quiet town about 30 odd Kilometres from Chembur in the middle of the afternoon. The sun was harsh but we had heard so much about the wetlands here, species like Black breasted weavers, bevy's of ducks, waders, gulls, terns and the raptors that followed any such congregation. Our trip then was a mixed bag, but we were hooked by Uran. Then on I have made numerous trips to the area and have seen it shrink from a thriving vibrant place to a few patches such as Panje-Dongri that in those days were difficult to access. Don't get me wrong Panje-Dongri on its own is still a thriving place and begs for good sense to prevail along with the full protection of the law.All our grandiose talks of climate change and biodiversity collapse is reduced to indulgences by a few pedagogues if we cannot perform the basic task of protecting what we have left.

Panje village sits atop a hillock from where it looks down on a vast shallow pan of water that is replenished by the tides.The pan is split by a narrow road that connects to Dongri at the other end. The pans have mangroves that are more prolific as one moves towards the sea. Somewhere between all this are grasslands in which hide Rain Quails, Larks, Pipits, Owls and snakes.

This area is under cloud too as I write, a dam had been erected to choke the flow of water and starve the area of its life giving force. I am told we are not allowed to bird-watch in the area as of now, no binoculars, no spotting-scope, no camera!

Mumbai is a rich place for bird life even though vast swathes are now under concrete. Wetlands in the form of beaches, inter tidal ponds, creeks lined by mangroves are never far. But until even the year 2000, the moment we turned off Palm Beach Road towards Ulwe the pressure of human habitation relented and bird life increased exponentially. As we approached the village of Jassai, which boasted large swathes of wetland on both sides of the road, raptors like harriers, falcons, buzzards, hawks and eagles could be seen riding the wind currants seeking prey.Unfortunately Jassai and its surrounds have been buried under the burden of human “development” that seems to care about nothing else.

Jassai in its heydays

Jassai under "development"

I have always visited Uran between the months of September and March, a time when all the migrants, passage or the ones staying make their appearance. Somehow a visit in Summer or during the monsoon period has eluded us, a time when the native species are nesting. It was in 2019 that the monsoon extended till November and we found the Panje grasslands green and full of wildflowers, this is when we could hear the double noted piping calls of the Rain Quails but only managed glimpses of the birds as they got flushed.

September is a time to catch the blue cheeked and blue tailed Bee-eaters that make their appearance on passage. These much bigger Bee-eaters with a distinct call occupy the wires during this time taking off time and again, hawking insects. Then there are other migrants like the Broad billed sandpipers that too seem to use this area as passage feeding ground.Its during their inward and outward migration that they are very easy to tell apart as they sport the Double split supercillium of their breeding plumage. Also sightings of European( Kashmir) Roller are a distinct possibility.

Another species that has always been in abundance here is the Ruff and Reeve (the lady). These are large though dull coloured waders during the winters that they spend here. If one is lucky to catch Ruff as he arrives from or when he is about to depart to his breeding grounds one maybe flummoxed by a striking looking bird dressed in dandy white plumes that make him stand apart from the crowd.

I remember an early morning in January of 2017 as I reached the point where we make a U turn down towards the pans, we looked look up and the electric wires were full of roosting Rosy pastors.Their chatter to welcome the sunrise as they prepared for the day is still etched in memory. The day had begun with the exciting sightings of two Mallard drakes on the Jassai stretch though in the backdrop of bulldozers and destruction.

I remember 2016 a year when large congregation of Painted storks worked the pans. The specific abundance of particular species of migrants differs each year, there are times when ducks rule, the skies being full of flights of Pintails, Shovellers, Common Teal, the numbers are so great that you can hear the air whoosh beneath their wings as they fly overhead.

Once so often a exotic visitor arrives sending waves of excitement in the birding community.

So it was in the December of 2003 as White Storks were sighted, we immediately made a trip and were rewarded, not only by the white Storks as the Jassai stretch meets Uran, but also a Black Stork atop a tree where Ulwe township has come up now.December of 2014 brought with it a sighting of two Lesser Kestral's soaring high above a decimated pan. There have been reports of sightings of Pied Harrier. Another species that attracted attention that I was unable to catch was a grasshopper warbler.

In September 2018 the cause of excitement were two Red necked Phalaropes (one a tagged bird) that were seen for a period of a few days. Birdwatchers travelled from far reaches of the country to see them. Indian Skimmer have been regularly sighted now for the past four seasons at least.

Amongst the waders that are regular and in good numbers are Little stint, curlew sandpiper, Black tailed Godwit, Marsh Sandpiper, Spotted sandpiper, Sand plovers ( Greater/ Lesser), Common Redshank, Eurasian Curlew, Black Winged Stilt, Redshanks, Greenshank. Ever so often there are Pied Avocets, Temminks Stint, Little Ringed plover, Golden Plover, grey Plovers also in good numbers. Often we come across Green Sandpipers that are more solitary. Another species that is seen here is Spotted Redshank but one must make doubly sure while identifying it.

The gulls and terns are represented by Slender billed gull , Brown Headed Gull, Black Headed Gull, Caspian Tern, Gull billed Tern and whiskered terns. It was in December 2016 I found more than 50 Caspian terns lined up in shallow water after a good days fishing.

Another memory I have linked with Gulls and terns happened in November 2017, we sat at the edge with our scope focused on the Skimmers when suddenly birds from all over the pan took to flight, this would generally be the response to a predator. Within seconds the skies were full of ducks, waders, gull and terns. Scanning the skies we saw a Peregrine falcon winging its way checking out the commotion casually for an opportunity.

It was in mid March of 2016 that I noted of being witness to reverse migration, this is when the birds are leaving us for their breeding grounds, they collect in large numbers preparing for the journey, that morning was special for we saw three Ospreys at completely different locations!

The lists and excitements can go on with Short-eared owls that we have seen behind the Panje pan and chats and birds from other Genera but that we shall keep for another time. Before I end, I must add that for butterfly watchers and for botanically inclined too there is a lifetime of excitement here.

I hope I have been able to convey the importance of these wetlands and instigated you enough to want to keep it alive.

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