A BIRDER’S HAVEN

Jammu and Kashmir make birding look easy, writes Saurabh Sawant, ace birder and wildlife photographer, whose love for the Union Territory is a never-ending affair

- Saurabh Sawant

I was a drizzly wet afternoon in July 2008 when I saw my first Ibisbill. It was a surprisingly easy sighting with little effort on my part. A bird so unique that it is the only one in its family, Ibidorhynchidae! I had just gotten off the bus in Pahalgam and fortuitously decided to take a stroll by the river across a road.

The bird walked boldly, amidst garbage, allowing close approach. I stood watching and photographing it for a long time, despite the dim light of the cloudy day. Most birders only dream of catching a glimpse of this species, known to frequent high-altitude inaccessible Himalayan riverine habitats. It was a special moment and I considered myself blessed. Little did I realise then that this was only the first of many magical moments Kashmir would manifest for me.

Anyone who knows me knows that on my solo trips, I rarely choose to visit the usual areas popular with tourists. But this trip was different. I was on a tour of Jammu and Kashmir... a pilgrimage to Vaishnodevi with my family. However, I did manage to grab time off for birding. And I found avians everywhere. Watching a Monal, Bushtit, or Leaf Warbler while trekking up the temple route as the sun dawned took my mind off the monotony of walking the paved path for hours as part of a crowd.

Visiting tourist sites such as Dal Lake, Nishat, Nigeen, the Botanical Garden, Patni Top, Sonamarg, Gulmarg glacier and others suddenly became even more attractive as I managed to tick off birds I had always wanted to see. Not surprisingly, some of these popular haunts are actually great birding sites for a fair number of target species.