Pune: Vetal Tekdi buzzes with rare bird sightings, European Honey Buzzard spotted for first time in Maharashtra

Event coincides with Bird Week in Maharashtra (November 5-12), which is celebrated in honour of two great ornithologists Dr Salim Ali (birth anniversary – November 12 and Maruti Chitampalli (birthday – November 5)

Pune: In a shot in the arm for bird watchers in the city in particular and conservationists in general, a rare bird sighting was reported on Wednesday (November 6) at Vetal Tekdi in the city.

Two separate groups of birders sighted the European Honey Buzzard (EHB) or Pernis apivorus, which is the first such spotting not only in Pune but in Maharashtra. Bird watchers Aniruddha Gokhale, Mayur Arole and Pankaj Inamdar, along with young Shamik Parab and Nishad Homkar, were able to see and document the sighting on the citizen science platform for birdwatching — eBird.

This is an important record as there have been sporadic sightings of the species elsewhere in India (https://ebird.org/species/euhbuz1). This is a feather in the cap of all those citizens who have been trying to save Vetal Tekdi.

In fact, there have been more such sightings at the famous hill this season. The sightings coincide with the Vetal Tekdi Birding Marathon, an open-for-all birding event being organised by the Vetal Tekdi Bachav Kruti Samiti (VTBKS) as a part of the Pakshi Saptah (Bird Week) in Maharashtra.

The bird week is celebrated in the State to pay tributes to renowned conservationists and ornithologists Dr Salim Ali and Maruti Chitampali as the former’s birth anniversary is celebrated on November 12 while the latter has his birthday on November 5.

Shamik Parab, a young birder who sighted and documented the EHB, said, “This event is one of those in the birding world, where a bird from another major region is seen in a place where it is not spotted. The sighting of the European Honey buzzard in the city has spiced up the list of rare birds seen in the Pakshi Saptha and the Vetal Tekdi Birding Marathon. In a nutshell, the sighting is a rarest of rare occurrence. I would like to thank senior birder Adesh Shivkar, who confirmed the bird’s identity.”

A city conservationist said, “It also underscores the importance of Vetal Tekdi as an urban open space and biodiversity hotspot that needs to be recognised as a natural heritage of Pune.”

Among the other rare sightings, besides European Honey Buzzard, at Vetal Tekdi this season included Lesser cuckoo, Northern goshawk, Malabar starling and Hair-crested drongo.

Other group of interesting and uncommon birds spotted in the city last month were Eurasian Hobby, Rusty tailed FC, Blue throated blue FC, Spotted FC, Common Grasshopper Warbler, Common Buzzard, Blue-tailed bee-eater, Black-hooded oriole and Orphean warbler.