Invited by the vice president of Birdwatchers Society of Andhra Pradesh (BSAP) I merrily tagged along to visit the Mrugavani Wildlife Sanctuary at Chilkur on the outskirts of twin cities. Spread over an area of over 900 acres this purple patch of jungle is located at a distance of only 17 kms from Hyderabad and about 25 km from Secunderabad. Many years ago this eco-region covered the arid portions of the Deccan plateau, extending across the Indian states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Now only small patches of natural habitat remain as most of the region has been cleared and flattened. The annual rainfall is less than 30 inches, all falling during the short rainy season, and the area receives no rainfall during the months of November to April. Temperatures can easily exceed 40°C during the hotter months. Yet, the flourishing arid vegetation with drought resistant plants and trees holds plenty of birdlife and wildlife. Now it is mostly zilch.
As we entered the Chilkur Sanctuary, as it is commonly called, I was somewhat pleased, as the fenced off area is quite reminiscent of the original forest I had seen when I was in my 20s. Today the remaining patches of forest are mostly of southern tropical thorn scrub type. They also include patches of the original vegetation, tropical dry deciduous forests. In this vegetation, the trees attain maximum heights of 20 to 30 feet, providing solace to many small and big wild creatures from the blistering heat. The driest, rockiest areas of the eco-region are covered with a scrub dominated by a species of Euphorbia. The soil is usually bare in these areas; however, some grassy growth may also appear during the short monsoon season. As an urban refuge for large animals like cheetal, sambar, wild boar, jungle cat, small animals like mongoose, monitor lizard, python, viper, cobra, birds like grey partridge, shikra, quail, and butterflies, the Chilkur Sanctuary is worth a visit.
As we had prior permission to explore the area unhindered, with my escort, a happy-go-lucky chap, who everybody calls “kullu” — always jovial, always smiling even when faced with adversities and ever ready to travel. Having known him for nearly 20 years I have yet to see his enthusiasm fade, like many youngsters' nowadays half his age, get fagged out within the first hour of walking in the wilderness. He not only speaks the local lingo fluently but knows every sanctuary in the radius of 200 km in and around Hyderabad like the back of his hand. So with a forest department guide in tow we went rambling and jostling in a slow vehicle along the parched dry red roads of the Chilkur Sanctuary.
White clouds
It was hot, as the monsoon's magic was yet to arrive in full force in a few days. We could see bright white clouds floating like cotton bundles against the azure sky.
Armed with cameras and binoculars we first sighted the rain bird, a beautiful black and white specimen called pied crested cuckoo with a lovely crest. It was eating berries on a stocky tree and gave us some wonderful glimpses. This cuckoo is known to migrate all the way from Africa and is acknowledged to herald the arrival of rain clouds in the Indian subcontinent. As birdwatchers, we thought this a good omen, because every bird lover in India is eager to spot the pied crested cuckoo before and after the onset of the rains. As this was one of the first sightings of the year it was a joyous moment for both of us. The clever cuckoo stealthily lays its eggs in the nest of another bird species after breeding and flies off just before winter sets in in India. The surrogate mother takes care of the young ones until they can fend for themselves.
Formally inaugurated by the then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N.T. Rama Rao in 1985, the Chilkur Sanctuary existed even five years prior by creating ample water bodies to attract wildlife. This 30-year old sanctuary has 16 seasonal and three perennial water bodies that provided for the wild denizens of the jungles. There are over 150 species of trees and shrubs and several herbs and grasses which come alive with the rains.
The sanctuary attracted around 20,000 visitors last year. It is reported that on two different occasions two leopards have been sighted in this small sanctuary. Since the place is not conducive for large cats, they have been carefully captured and successfully transported by experienced forest officials and released in Srisailam Tiger Reserve Forests, one of the biggest in the country.
Delicate nests
As we completed our hot but pleasurable journey inside we were thrilled to see weaver birds (baya birds) making a dozen of their intricate yet delicately dangling nests — some half completed and swaying in the wind and a few in the making by these small sparrow like birds in their yellow breeding plumage creating a commotion.
Nearby, a large monitor lizard slithered past in slow motion, endlessly flicking its long tongue like a snake.
At a distance was a lovely male peacock that was fretting and strutting with very large bright blue shimmering feathers to attract females. This event too heralds the rain. Our bird checklist was a healthy 47 species. Not bad for quick trip! That evening it rained heavily.
