KHANDYA ALA........ANOTHER BIRD IN PARLE

White- breasted Kingfisher or Khandya

Like all Parlekar mothers, I was up at 5am cooking for my son's lunch-box.....and I could not believe my ears- a Khandya was calling. Although I could hear the call loud and clear- I dismissed it as being very unlikely and got on with my task.

Next day I heard the call again. This time I decided to investigate and there it was- a beautiful specimen sitting on the wire opposite Pethe building on Chittaranjan road. Calling loudly. I showed it to my husband and the sighting was confirmed. Actually I had spotted this bird at same site many years ago.....since forgotten. 

So Parlekars- we can one more species to our family.

But now I am curious as well as worried. Where does this individual live? Is it alone? How can we ensure its safety? Folks, this is surely PARLE's endangered individual- and I dont know what we should do next.

Stray dogs in Parle East

About 15 years ago, I observed that Parle had 2-3 packs of stray dogs. These had increased dramatically around 2003-2004. Subsequently Parle has seen a decrease in number of dogs following enforcement of door-to-door garbage collection. I doubt if any formal dog census has been done; none of the dogs wear collars- which suggests that they are not under any kind of regular surveillance. 

About 5 years ago a young school-girl was attacked by a pack of dogs as she waited for her school bus in Tejpal Scheme. A horrifying incident, but had a short-lived impact. A few dogs were caught, then within weeks the matter died down. No further attention has ever been drawn to the subject thereafter. 

Now street dogs continue to be a common sight. Stray dogs are scary when they try to come close and sniff at you; never know what they are thinking. Any passer- by has a fair chance of injury when a dog- fight is in progress- which is quite often. Stray dogs do their toilet and copulation in full public view, which is a nuisance and health hazard. And there is ever present danger of getting Rabies.

Every lane in Parle East has a 'kind person' feeding the dogs- milk, biscuits, left-over food, chapattis and very occasionally ‘dog food’. The food is left at street corners, footpaths- most of the food left out for dogs is rejected by them and continues to lie there, creating nuisance to everyone. In addition to forming a stinking ugly heap, it attracts all manner of flies, crows and rats- and all in all the mess is really unbearable. My sympathies are for Parlekars who are forced to use the walkways claimed by these social workers as feeding spots.

Biscuits on footpath

Just doing the part-time service of feeding left-overs or inappropriate food (like PARLE G biscuits) is not enough. The dogs need affection, protection, medical care also.  I have been witness to the shabby treatment received by stray dogs- because no one is in- charge of them. People generally throw stones, kick them when they are sleeping peacefully, put water on them, etc. I have even witnessed a small dog being sexually abused by a drunk person- he was handling its genitals as well as his own- in full public view in the centre of PARLA Market.  It’s horrible.

 This stray dog problem is created and maintained by Parlekars only. Parlekars cannot expect MCGM to solve the problem by catching and culling the dogs or by sterilisation. After removing the dogs, if our habits don’t change, dogs will migrate from other areas- to eat the rubbish left around- and problem will recur immediately. Sterilisation will also not serve the purpose- the rule of nature is to increase population to consume available resources. So if dogs cannot re-produce, some will migrate from elsewhere. The problem needs to be sorted out- in a humane, sensible and scientifically- informed manner.

 Parlekars should stop throwing food and garbage everywhere. If one has so much sympathy for stray dogs, adoption is a good option. ‘Kind’ people should take full responsibility of the dogs-not only to feed them but to take proper care of them. If it is not feasible to keep dogs with them at home- a few Parlekars can come together to start a dog shelter- MCGM is bound to support such initiative. Or these Parlekars should rescue the dogs and admit them in shelters elsewhere. Dogs, too, are citizens and deserve a safe and dignified life.

BIRDS IN VILE PARLE EAST

THIS POST HAS LOT OF PHOTOS. NONE OF THE PHOTOS ARE TAKEN BY ME. I GIVE FULL CREDIT TO ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHERS.


Parlekars are lucky to have a fair number of bird species residing and visiting them regularly.

1. House Sparrow- spread all over Parle
   
2. Red vented Bulbul- in wooded areas
   
3. Magpie Robin- seen singing blissfully from tops of buildings or tall trees. Now is the time they have started. Sometimes it is difficult for me to do consultations as I am distracted by their lovely voices and perfect melodies
   
4. Rose ringed Parakeet- rumbuctious groups making a racket in the early mornings 
   
5. Kite- Unsually nest on tall coconut trees.
   
6. House Crow- Well we know they are everywhere
7. Rock Pigeons-
   
8. Barn Owl- Flat faced, beige coloured- usually live under flyover- visit residential areas at night

9. 

   Barn Owl

10. 
    
11. Purple rumped sunbird- The forenoon visitor to all balconies with blooms. Commonly mistaken for 'hummingbird' by Parlekars

    

    male sunbird
    
    

    1. 

       female subird
       

12. Greater Coucal- Some lucky buildings with old trees surrounded by bushes and quiet shaded areas. Thought to be 'lucky' to spot them
    
13. White breasted King fisher- Near some old wells. I have only heard calls, never seen one
14. White spotted/ browed fan tail flycatcher- Pretty little active bird- chirping- hopping from branch to branch with tail spread out like a fan. Spotted at height of about 1st-2nd floor of buildings on leafy trees
15. Scaly breasted munia- I dontknow whether they live here. But I have seen them frequently swinging on high wires or thin branches
    
16. Cuckoo- Both male and female. Parlekars find them irksome because of their habit of singing loudly starting at 4 am at the peak of summer holidays. It is notable that I did not hear any call in market area, and the calls have perceptibly decreased from near my home. In fact last season I did not hear a single 'jugalbandi' between competing Cuckoos though I spent almost the whole 4 months in Parle only
17. Copper smith barbet- This absolutely ravishing beauty with a red spot above the beak and a helmet-like design on head is out now- eating the plentiful fruits of Banyan trees. 3 days ago I counted a dozen of them on the Banyan tree outside my balcony. Their tuk-tuk has not yet started that much
18. Common Myna- I am observing these birds more often now
19. Tailorbird- Usually found in bushes- Parle does not have much bush. I have always noted these birds on high branches outside my window on 5th floor or even higher- and my husband was really surprised that a 'bush-bird' had come so high. I also wonder where it nests

Migrant species

1. Golden Oriole- winter migrant . Described earlier
2. Pied crested cuckoo- heralding monsoon. I have seen only once- 8 years ago. Incidentally it was the time I was expecting my son

More images will be added later

MIGRANT IN PARLE

Most people in Parle know him as 'Taxi Bird' because of the bright yellow and black colours.

The Golden Oriole is an annual visitor and arrives every Winter to Vile Parle East between November and December. The male is very bright coloured and calls out loudly in a somewhat 'Laadwal' or nasal tone. His call is heard mostly in the mornings- upon which one can get up and spot him on some nearby tree. The bird is impossible to miss- because of thebright colours as well as that it does not move so often. The female bird is somewhat dull and better camouflaged; more difficult to spot.

Male bird- from flickriver.com

Female bird from Wikimedia

This beautiful bird flies back to the North in Spring or early Summer. Its diet consists of different small fruits of the fig, champa, etc and also small insects.

Please do enjoy this beautiful sight from your balconies and windows!