Shivpuri (Madhya Pradesh), Jan 4 (IANS) From across the country and beyond, a wide variety of birds, some of them exotic, have descended on one of India’s oldest national parks here.
The Madhav National Park, spread over around 158 km, is located about 110 km from Gwalior.
Although less frequented by tourists as it does not have tigers, the park boasts of a tropical dry deciduous mixed forest with a range of animal and plant life. It has a diverse range of resident birds, spotted deer, nilgai, black buck, four-horned antelope, sambar, chinkara (Indian gazelle) – as well as crocodiles in hundreds.
Come winter, the park gets migratory birds aplenty. It offers a nice viewing of birds on the move as the span of the lake is widely spread out.
As the sun rose during a recent chilly winter morning, the park came alive with thousands of birds — of all sizes and in eye-catching colours.
Flying high over the waters and trees of the park were hundreds of Bar headed geese — grey brown with distinctive broad black marks across the nape. Many rested on a corner of the lake.
At one section of the park there were flocks of gregarious cormorants, darters or snake birds, redshank, gadwall, and flocks of lesser whistling ducks flapping over water and flying with whistling notes.
Oriental White Ibis, a large marsh bird with black head, neck and striking long stout bill which is bent downwards, was visible from a distance.
It is migratory and is seen in winters here.
Pairs of Brahminy shelduck, an orange-brown beautiful duck, had taken over one corner of the lake.
In addition to the influx of birds, Shivpuri also has many resident birds like lapwings, Asian paradise-flycatcher (Dudhraj), Madhya Pradesh’s state bird, and black winged stilts (a wading bird).
There were also egrets, grey heron, kingfishers, northern pintails, golden oriole, treepie, woodpeckers and peacocks.
The park is also home to eagles and vultures. If you love birds, you must head to Shivpuri — now.
(Anil Gulati can be contacted at anilgulati5@gmail.com)
