Urban jungle

Egrets spotted next to Raj Mandir building in Versova

There's a building called Raj Mandir at Versova in Andheri West, that's adjacent to a tree-lined street. It's eight floors high and the tops of these trees are just below eye level from the terrace. That greenery is speckled with white migratory birds in this period of the year. A flock of them make their homes on the branches, laying eggs in makeshift nests to add to their breed. It's a complete takeover of the treetops. These birds survey the scene like they rule the roost. This writer knows that because he lives in that building. And the sight was a feast for the eyes, the one time during the lockdown that access had been given to the terrace.

These encounters with the local fauna are possible across Mumbai, so what if we are tied to the confines of our vicinity? It doesn't matter if forests like Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) are inaccessible right now. Most people don't even go there for the wildlife, says Shardul Bajikar, naturalist at SGNP. "What happens in my experience is that visitors usually just want to be out in the greenery. It's only when they talk to the guides and experts there that they fall in love with caterpillars, for example. We open up a window for them that says, 'Haan, aisa bhi hota hain,'" Bajikar says.

Shardul Bajikar

Close at hand
That same window can be opened up literally from your own house even during the lockdown. Bajikar tells us about how there are some caterpillars he's spotted in the garden in his society in Borivali, and even in his potted plants at home. "There are praying mantises and frogs that we have in our locality. And you can also see owls if you wait at night for them."

But the expert adds that it would have been even better had he been living in Malabar Hill. He's not referring to the quality of property in the tony neighbourhood. He's talking about the wealth of wildlife he'd have spotted at the expansive gardens there. "I would have got to see peacocks, mongooses and snakes, everything from russel vipers to cobras, to wolf and vine snakes. A lot of the vegetation in that area has been left intact because of the Tower of Silence. So, I would have seen a lot more birds like hornbills and flycatchers than what I see in Borivali," Bajikar tells us, adding that the same holds true for areas like Navy Nagar in Colaba; roads close to Churchgate station; areas in Matunga and near Shivaji Park in Dadar; the proximity of the Mumbai University campus in Santacruz; and even Hill Road in Bandra West. Bajikar says that he knows of a Bandra resident called Madhuri Deshmukh who has taken to photography in the recent past, and has clicked pictures of all the different birds including peregrine falcons and warblers that periodically populate a peepal tree next to her window. There are over 110 species that she's captured till date.

A tussar silk moth that Shardul Bajikar spotted in his vicinity

Which brings us back to the white birds on the treetops next to Raj Mandir. Bajikar confirms that they are migratory, after he peruses the photo of them that accompanies this article. "It's a mixed flock of egrets. I can see some cattle egrets as well as little egrets there," he texts. It means that you don't have to look too far to appreciate Mumbai's monsoon visitors during the lockdown. Is there a traffic island near you? Spend time there and you might spot over 15 different butterfly species over the course of a day. Yes, we live in an urban jungle. But if you open your eyes to the possibilities, there might be a caterpillar in your potted plant that, one day, will grow into a moth or a butterfly.

Wild tips

There are apps that you can use to locate fauna in your neighbourhood. Download Butterfly Vision for that species, and Vannya for information on all sorts of birds that you might hear. Also check out the Planet Earth series of documentaries to pique your interest.

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