MANGALAGODI - A MECCA FOR BIRD LOVERS

Mangalajodi, a fishing hamlet near Tangi in the Khurda district of Odisha, famous for the huge congregations of winter migrants on its wetlands, was until a few years ago a nondescript location in the map. Only a closed circle of bird-watchers knew about this location, passing on the information by word of mouth. The marshlands that envelop Mangalajodi are the destination for hundreds of species of migratory birds, primarily waterfowl, waders, and other wetland birds, which start arriving in the winter months and reach a peak of 1.5 lac birds in the month of January.

The wetland is under the care of the Shree Shree Mahavir Pakshi Surakha Samiti (SSMPSS) constituted by Wildlife Orissa In 2002, which provides entry permits and guides for boat rides into the wetland. You will be surprised to know that these benevolent field-guides armed with a pair of binoculars and copies of Salim Ali's The Book of Indian Birds' are formerh ardcore Shikaris (Poachers). This humble operation is the brain child of Mr. Nanda Kishore Bhujbal, of Wild Life Orrisa whom the locals revere as their Local Guru. The local fisherman used to find it hard to subside on finishing alone and therefore used to resort to poaching Migratory birds. Mr. Bhujbal realised the the eco-tourism potential of the place and persuaded the Shikaris to give up the rampant killing of the birds and  instead apply their keen instincts towards the protection of these birds and their wetland habitat. Under his erudite counsel the locals mindset has undergone a gradual transformation. Now this small hamlet is reaping the benefits of tourism generated by Photographers, Wildlife Enthusiasts, Naturalists who throng to Mangalajodi, every year to witness this spectacular migratory assemblage. Its this magical experience that has made these wetlands a "Mecca for Bird-lovers". 

Mr. Bhujbal, the man for this turn-around stood out as a simple and modest person, when we met him in person and shrugged off all the credit to the locals who have supported him and are diligently trying to protect this fragile ecosystem

Black Winged Stilts Along with Godwits, and Purple Swamp Hens form a massive chunk of the Lakhs of birds enumerated during yearly Waterfowl Census .

Black-tailed Godwit

It is very difficult to spot the blink-and-miss bend off the NH-5 leading into a remote road that winds its way through the rural landscape of paddy fields to Mangalajodi Village. Soon after reaching the Visitor Center, we were asked to pay for permits and were instantly provided with a trained guide. It was a short distance from there to the Mangalajodi watch tower.  The final lap of the dirt road that leads to it is an elevated mud embankment that cuts through the wetlands. As a result, the sighting starts from the point you enter this final stretch. We started spotting birds in a frenzy: Purple Swamp-hens here, Glossy Ibises there, whiskered terns hovering one above the other, Open-billed Storks, Black-winged Stilts, and of course Godwits! The Flagship species of Mangalajodi in lakhs!!

As our vehicle sped by, we were desperately trying to spot and remember as many birds as we could. Wearing a gleeful expression, we were both thinking the same thing - we were spotting more lifers than we could count. The guide, however, seemed unaffected, hardly making an attempt to identify some of the birds that we were pointing out. We soon found out why. As we mounted the watch tower and took a look around, we were dumbstruck by the sheer numbers of each species dotting the vast land space spread as far as we could see.



We were soon bundled up into the hand-rowed boats and were wading our way through the murky channels that intersperse the entire marshland. It was from this point that our guide's sharp spotting skills proved invaluable. The enthusiasm with which he was pointing out the birds and comparing them to the illustrations in Salim Ali's book for an immediate correlation made it a very interesting trip indeed.

To prevent over exploitation and disturbance of birds, "Designated streams or channels" have been Assigned for boat trips.

We had missed the early morning trip, so we took two trips: one between 10am -1 pm and the other from 2 pm-4:00 PM. Most of the bird sightings were in the morning trip, when the sun was not so hot. By the time it was noon, most of the birds had taken shelter along the tall grasses so visibility was a bit less. The sunset, though, was breathtaking with swarms of Godwits and Stilts taking flight in a cloud-like formation. These swarms attract prey birds like Marsh Harriers and Brahminy Kites that cut through this medley of birds trying to catch an easy prey. This twilight feeding frenzy is a sight to behold!!

This was a landmark trip for us. 25 of the 79 birds observed were lifers! Phenomenal! Mangalajodi offers an extraordinary experience that you can't live without at least once a year.

Flocks of Ducks, Stilts, Egrets, Cormorants, Godwits, Sandpipers and Ruffs congregating at a single site are commonplace throughout the marshes.

(In the pic: Flocks of Northern Pintail Males and Females, Egret, Black-winged Stilt.)

Blue Throat

The birds observed are as follows:

1.     Greylag Geese (L)

2.     Ruddy Shelduck (L)

3.     Gadwal

4.     Garganey (L)

5.     Northern Shoveler (L)

6. Northern Pintail

7.     Asian Openbill Stork

8. Black-headed Ibis

9.     Glossy Ibis (L)

10. Black-tailed Godwit (L)

11. Black-winged Stilt. (L)

12. Ruff (L)

13. Little Ringed Plover (L)

14. Pacific Golden Plover. (L)

Baillons Crake

15. Little Stint. (L)

River Tern

Garganey

Grey Heron

Glossy Ibis

16. Common Redshank (L)

17. Common Sandpiper

18. Marsh Sandpiper

19. Wood Sandpiper

20. Common Snipe

21. Brown Headed Gull (L)

22. River Tern (L)

23. Whiskered Tern (L)

24. Oriental Pratincole (L)

25. Baillon's Crake (L)

26. Slaty-breasted Rail (L)

27. Ruddy-breasted Crake (L)

28. Brown Crake

29. Common Coot

30. Watercock (L)

31. White-breasted Waterhen

32. Purple Swamphen

33. Bronze-winged Jacana

34. Pheasant-tailed Jacana (juvenile)(L)

35. Yellow Bittern(L)

36. Indian Pond Heron

37. Grey Heron

38. Purple Heron

39. Cattle Egret

40. Intermediate Egret

41. Greater Egret

42. Indian Cormorant

43. Greater Cormorant

44. White Wagtail

45. Citrine Wagtail

46. Red-Wattled Lapwing

47. Grey Lapwing(L)

48. Common Kingfisher

49. White-breasted Kingfisher

50. Pied Kingfisher

51. Eurasian Marsh Harrier

52. Black Kite

53. Booted Eagle

54. Oriental Skylark(L)

55. Bengal Bushlark(L)

56. Paddyfield Pipit

57. Clamorous Reed Warbler

58. Asian Palm Swift

59. Barn Swallow

60. Baya Weaver

61. Black Drongo

62. Blue Throat

63. Rufous Tree-pie

64. Greater Coucal

65. Green Bee-Eater

66. Indian Silverbill

67. Lineated Barbet

68. Red-vented Bulbul

69. Red Whiskered Bulbul

70. Common Myna

71. Jungle myna

72. Chestnut Headed Starling

73. Pied Starling

74. Common Crow

75. Common House Sparrow
76. Hoopoe
77. Wire-tailed Swallow (L)
78. Ashy Crowned Sparrow Lark(L)
79. Common Tailor Bird

Pacific Golden Plover

 

A Ruddy Shelduck enjoys a lazy swim while it's still cold, while a Northern Shoveler (male) takes Flight.

 

Wood Sandpiper

Up: A wire-tailed Swallow

Right: A Watercock Female with a Purple Swamphen.

A pair of Ruddy Shelducks

Left: A lone Purple Heron Stands guard on the embankment.   Right:  Oriental Pratincoles (top)  : Citrine Wagtail (Bottom)

Asian Openbill

Booted Eagle


Common Kingfisher

Yellow Bittern

Whiskered Tern

Ruff

Little Ringed Plover

Clamorous Reed Warbler

Baya Weaver

The Clash of the Godwits!!

The Stand Off!!

 Rivals sizing each other or rather each other beaks

The Territorial Male makes the first move ..... Unsettling Intruder

The Persuer Gets Persued

The Intruder Marks His Aim...The Persuer Has no Idea of  whats coming

The Rivals Takes the final Plunge....The Persuer still unaware

It's just a Matter of seconds now......

The Underdog stalls the attack at the last minute...a close call!!!

The Attacker is subdued Our Champion Triumps!! 

Just Having Fun Guys!!

References:

http://www.wildorissa.org/manglajodi.htm

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/bhubaneswar/mangalajodi-poachers-turn-conservationists.html

http://www.kolkatabirds.com/mangalajodi.htm