Jacana

Uran is a small town located off the Mumbai-Pune highway. As you proceed along the Palm-beach road, notorious for its high number of accidents, you notice that large parts of its surroundings comprise of wetlands, marshes and creeks. The traffic encountered is mostly large container trucks on their way towards the Nhava-Sheva port or oil tankers carrying fuel from public-sector oil companies in Uran.

Off the main road, several small roads connect the interior region of Uran; many small industries and housing colonies can be seen in this region, quite a few of these lie abandoned. We were surprised to note that a railway line connects the port to the main land.  

As the winter approaches, migratory birds wing their way to these wetlands and several species can be easily spotted during this period. 

Indian Roller

Yellow-throated sparrow

Common Coot

Spot-billed Duck

 Bronze-winged Jacana 

Name	Bronze-winged Jacana
Alternate name(s)	Not known
Size	Common crow
Occurrence	Wetlands and ponds, singly or in pairs
Status	Uncommon
Distinct features	Black head and neck; bronze wings and body parts with black short tail. Extremely large toes, convenient for movement over thickly covered wetland
Sexes	Alike

Purple Moorhen

Open-billed Stork

Over the years, there has been much destruction of the bird habitat and human encroachment in the form of reclamation of marshes and small water bodies. Also, clearing of large tracts of mangroves and forest land for unauthorized construction has been overlooked by the local authorities. This problem is common throughout India, chiefly due to lack of proper records in the revenue department. Until land ownership details are computerized and easily available for inspection, it will be impossible for the government to trace such activities and prevent further destruction of the environment.

Save water, save life