Smriti Van, Jaipur.
Location of my 'serious birding', and setting for many memorable moments which are etched indelibly in my memory. Described by my father during a short visit many months ago as a 'birding paradise'.
" And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills,
Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;
And here were forests ancient as the hills,
Enfolding sunny spots of greenery. "
Okay, Smriti Van being equated with Kubla Khan's Xanadu may be stretching the poetic metaphor a little too far, but I'm sure you get my drift. A little over 15 months ago there were indeed 'sinuous rills' running with water; and today sweet-smelling shrubs and flowering trees still abound; extensive natural forests cover the valleys and hills; and busy sprinklers and irrigation pipes help keep the vegetation verdant.
Smriti Van is not old. It was opened to the public in the middle of 2008. I happened to be one of the early lucky few to visit, and since the Park's delights had not yet unfolded to the hordes, I often found myself wandering about alone for hours. 'Van' is an appropriate description for this place. Much effort has gone into amalgamating the natural forests, stony hills, and dry scrubby undulations with the 'introduced' shrubs, creepers, trees and plantations. There is also a fairly large waterbody with reedy banks providing sufficient cover to many waders and ducks. All of these natural features provide for a wide bio-diversity and different habitats for birds.
Smriti Van allowed me to spend many hours in the field getting myself up to speed as a birder. Not that I am any kind of expert today, but lessons learned here have helped make me a patient observer, and taught me the virtue of trying to learn something new (even about familiar birds) and keeping careful notes.
I have always had an interest in birds since I was kid. For instance, I was happy enough to ID a brilliantly-plumaged pheasant as a monal, on a school trek to Roop Kund (Uttaranchal), yet remained clueless about the 'partridge-sized, all-white birds' shooting downhill from a snow-covered slope, at a higher elevation on the same trip. Or, years later smugly pretending to know the 'fishing eagle' swooping down to grab a 'spurfowl' on the banks of the Cauvery river on a fishing expedition. Thinking back, for me the trigger to get the bird ID's correct was probably a few years ago on a family trip to Shoja (Himachal). I had gamely maintained a list of all the birds we saw on the trip. But there were so many that we couldn't ID, and some that we got egregiously wrong, the latter illustrated vividly by a common bird that I insisted on calling a 'blackbird' which was pointed out by a birder later on in the trip as a Blue Whistling Thrush !
Then H presented me one of the new bird guides. Having only referred to Salim Ali's books and the Collins Handguide over so many years, now the new names for familiar birds and all of this scientific jargon was a bit of a shock. Indeed the venerable doctor and savant of birding in India - Salim Ali, had once stayed with my parents in Bhutan, and even though I was unable to meet him being away at boarding school, I thought having his autographed books to refer to was the last word in birding.
And so we inch closer to the present, trying to get to grips with ID terms like 'supercilium'. Here is my first visit to Smriti Van dutifully noted in the birding diary for October 2008. Almost immediately I am among wonderful birds, some with whom I would be renewing acquaintance after many years, and others I would be observing for the first time. The next few weekends and early mornings (as the weather gets crisp and invigorating), I start to comb the hillsides, valleys and twisting tree-canopied walkways, with an absolute profusion of birdlife to identfy, study and enjoy.
Soon we are hoping to spot the rare White-bellied Minivet after already getting sated with common views of the colourful Small Minivets. Or hoping that one of the Black-rumped Flamebacks actually has a white 'v' on his back and so could be the White-naped Woodpecker. Or else, that one of the Great Tits hanging upside down to feed on a difficult to reach morsel, could be the White-naped Tit. Inevitably, I get started on my Jaipur Checklist. This soon starts to fill with the names of some impressive species. Since I am not a photographer, my observations are often questioned by fellow birders. And that is natural.
It is those special days when almost everywhere you look you see new and interesting birds that makes it all worthwhile. One such day last year threw up not one, but three new birds (for me) at Smriti Van. I was staking out the old 'Birding Point' - here a natural amphitheater is formed by steep slopes on three sides overlooking a natural hollow through which a narrow brook flows draining water from the lake. Overhead tall trees form an almost unbroken canopy. Bushes and reeds choke the ground. This was one of my favourite spots here. Just days earlier I had succeeded in being able to tell the difference between two of the common Pipits seen in the Park. The Tree Pipits found at this spot, often in pairs, darker streaked and walking along the grass and scrub covered slopes - as compared to the Tawny Pipit occasionally seen in the dry, open areas.
In fact, I was observing the Tree Pipits again when a 'hawk' glided in low overhead and perched on a branch overlooking the water. A solitary Common Sandpiper piped in alarm and dashed away. Almost at once, in overhead flight and at perch, I was quite sure this was not the common Shikra. In flight the underparts were strongly barred. As I struggled to train my binoculars on it the raptor dropped down to the shallow water. I was able to observe it for several moments. The Eurasian Sparrowhawk. Certainly a rare winter visitor for Jaipur. In my mind's eye I can still see the regal composure and stance of this little raptor.
As the raptor flew off normal activity resumed. A pair of Grey-headed canary flycatchers recommenced their twittering aerial flycatching routine. Prinias flicked their tails and flitted from one bush to another. Other common warblers went about their business. As I looked closely at a Whitethroat, I became aware of another warbler that looked quite different in this group. This individual had a markedly dark (almost black) head and was larger than the Whitethroat. Another new bird for me - the Orphean Warbler.
Just as I finished updating my notes for the hawk and the warbler a wonderful new bird flew across and perched on a tree on the slope. Thrush, I mouthed silently to myself. But which one ? The bird was calling softly, drawing attention to its yellow bill. It was almost uniformly grey all over, darker above and paler below with yellowish legs. The Tickell's Thrush. Oh the clean, sleek lines and delicate demeanour !
Later that day as I was recounting the experiences to a fellow birder, he enquired of my progress with the Jaipur Checklist. We glanced through the list and many names just jumped out at me. Sirkeer Malkoha. Common Iora. Bluethroat. Black-headed Cuckoo-Shrike. Black-winged Cuckoo-Shrike. Common Rosefinch. Barred Button-Quail. Grey-necked Bunting. Oriental Skylark. Now, as I write this blog in March 2010, I am reminded that for many of these birds I only have record of an occasional further sighting at other locations near Jaipur.
Common Rosefinches I have only seen on passage twice in two years - once in Spring and once in Autumn. On both occasions I can clearly recall that their bright pink plumage stood out in stark relief on perch against the ground and trees.
The Barred Button-Quail - both solitary individuals- were encountered on the stony hillside in Smriti Van. On one occasion I surprised one individual which suddenly found itself stranded in the open between the only available cover of rocks and bushes. I must admit its reflexes were quicker (damn the 'licker' !) and as I stood frozen, it was off in a flash.
The Bluethroat, in my opinion, is not a common visitor to Jaipur. I had seen a male at Smriti Van in the winter of 2008, close to the two water tanks in the open scrub and bushes near the expansive lawns. Having drawn a blank on this species lately - at several other likely sites, I was pleasantly surprised to see a pair this time at the exact same spot. The male (other than chasing the female at high speeds low over the ground dodging past bushes) , was an accomplished scurrier, scooting forward several paces on quick feet then cocking the tail and pecking at the ground.
The Common Iora again I have encountered only a few times in Jaipur. The first occasion was on a eucalyptus tree in Smriti Van and it was sporting a fairly drab non-breeding plumage. Only later when I observed several birds in Udaipur, did they have the more colourful yellow and black plumage, and were giving vent to their wide spectrum of calls and whistles.
I'll end this post by trying to describe a curious behaviour that I observed over several occasions at the main tank in the Park. At that time this tank held several inches of water. A Shikra was observed on three occasions waddling into the slightly deeper water. When the water level was up to its thighs it would stop and stand for minutes at a time. Occasionally ducking its head into the water, but being careful to not get its tail wet. There were some fish being reared in this tank, but I am quite sure it would not have caught one even if one swam through its legs. Could it just be cooling off ? (this was winter remember) or was it getting philosophical ??...
To misquote Ralph Waldo Emerson -
" All birds are poets at heart. They serve nature for bread, but her loveliness overcomes them sometimes."
But, why Smriti Van Redux ?
Because it was once a birding paradise. Then man arrived and the garden was spoilt. Now we are hoping that the good old birding times will return. Believe me, one good monsoon and we are back, as they say in Rajasthan!
