Off beaten track

The Skyline on the banks of Airoli Creek Located in the suburbs of Mumbai, Airoli Creek is a wide tidal creek, flanked by mangroves teeming with life, but the concrete march threatens to annihilate the mangroves and with them all that is attracted to these mangroves.    Sunrise at Bhandup Pumping Station BPS is a perennial waterbody surrounded by scrub, bushes and mangroves, thus one sees a wide variety of birds. There is a small waterway that leads from here to the main Airoli Creek which is flanked by mangroves. An inquisitive cormorant There are waterbirds and scrubland birds, particularly in winter when migratory birds come in, passing through or destination. On one morning recently we saw 46 types of birds, some resident and many migratory. A Pair of White Cheeked Bulbuls Residents here, there are many bulbuls around BPS.  The marshes around are always wet, being tidally fed and a walk through them is messy and difficult but always interesting. The high humidity here is evident in

The vibrant colours of Kutch A land of colours, craftspeople, history, birds, wildlife and unspoilt scenery. A visit to Kutch enables one to see this and much more, there is something for everyone. The people dress colourfully, and decorate colourfully, thus the craftspeople are skilled and the work everywhere is fine. The course work of cheap commercialism is not yet widespread, but beginning to. This area has, arguably, one of the largest migratory bird populations in the country, this was evident on our trip. The old buildings are redolent in history, but alas like most ancient monuments in the country, it is heartbreaking to see magnificent structures decaying from lack of concern. Epicentre at Lodhai Village. This is a wonderful homestay run by Bharat Kapdi, located near a lake at one end of the Banni Grasslands, it has a beautiful view of the surrounding countryside. Named after the devastating earthquake of 2001, one can still see the ravages in the buildings here and elsewhere