If you are interested in watching birds, specially the elegant Flamingos, then Bhigwan Bird Sanctuary is the place you must visit. The Greater Flamingos are seen here in abundance and its a real delight to watch them in the water, fly past you and as they walk away in a group. That's not all, there are many other varieties of migratory birds that are seen here as well.
About Bhigwan
Bhigwan is a small town off the Pune Solapur highway, about 100 kms from Pune. Its located on the backwaters of the Bhima River which is the reservoir of the Ujani Dam. The area is known as Bhigwan Bird Sanctuary.
Best time to Visit
The best time to visit the Sanctuary is during the winter months when the migratory birds are here in abundance. For watching the birds, the best time is early mornings although one can watch them all through the day too.
Reaching Bhigwan
One can reach by car/cab from Pune in about 2 hrs and 30 minutes or more depending on the time at which the journey begins. Leaving Pune and its suburbs can take considerable time, depending upon the time of the day. The road is excellent with just one toll gate (Rs 90/-) till Bhigwan. To reach the site of the Bird Sanctuary, one has to take a road trip of about 2 kms, where the road is partially black topped. Make sure that you carry your cameras for recording the memories.
Boat Rides
On weekends, there's quite a bit of rush at the Sanctuary, hence its advisable to book a boat ride in advance. On week days also its advisable although there wasn't a crowd on the two occasions I have been there.
The boat rides are for an hour which is adequate for bird watching. The Boats are wooden and take up to 4 passengers, life jackets are mandatory, with that, it can get quite warm and uncomfortable on a sunny day, late in the day.
The boat is powered by a motor but as the boat approaches the birds, the motor is switched off and the guide uses oars to go nearer.
On both the occasions, found the guide very well informed about the birds in the area, as he explained, both in Marathi and Hindi, may be English too.
Facilities
While the area provides a great Bird watching experience, the logistics is just about rudimentary. Could do with a great push towards making the basic facilities like rest rooms and roads better.
I know of 2 persons who run these boat rides, there may be more:
- Mr Dattatray Nagre Mobile No 8087767691
- Mr Swapnil Mobile No 8308383050
