Nandur Madhmeshwar Bird Sanctuary - Part I

Nandur Madhmeshwar Bird Sanctuary - Location

The sanctuary is located in Niphad taluka of Nashik district at Chapadgaon village and is about 40kms from Nashik city. It is easily accessible by road, preferably using personal transport. As far as my knowledge goes, there is no direct public transportation to the sanctuary. 

How to reach the sanctuary

The easiest route to pick on Google Maps is, Nashik-Nandur-Shilapur-Chanduri naka (take a right turn here), which takes one through Saikheda, continuing onwards to Godanagar-Bhuse.  About half a kilometer from Bhuse, take the dirt road on the left towards the forest department office at Nandur Madhameshwar.

Except for the last part (around 600m), the road is in pretty good shape, lined with rolling green fields and grape orchards on both sides. The farmers appear to be doing quite well, looking at the overall surroundings.

There is city bus service (Nashik Citylinc) route 132, to Saikheda village. From here, shared auto rickshaws are available to reach the sanctuary, a distance of 12km.

Some background about the sanctuary 

The sanctuary was created in 1986 and is essentially a wetland area formed by the backwaters of Nandur Madhameshwar Dam. The International Ramsar Convention on Wetlands declared the wetland as a Ramsar Wetland on January 27, 2020, as it met certain criteria set by the Ramsar Convention. This recognition helps a site gain recognition, boost tourism and receive government funding, ultimately creating an awareness for nature / wetland conservation. 

However, the covid pandemic came along immediately after the declaration, leading to lockdown and closure of the sanctuary till late 2021. Now that it is open for visits, it is expected that the wetland will be truly preserved and improved upon.

So, after a long time during which I had only planned to visit the sanctuary, I was finally able to do so in the last week of February 2022. We drove out early on Saturday and reached around 07.45 hours. There were a few vehicles already parked in the parking lot. After paying the necessary charges (details mentioned below), we set out on the mud pathways. 

Charges
2 wheeler parking: Rs.20.00
4-wheeler parking: Rs.50.00
Entry (Adult): Rs.30.00
Entry (below 12): Rs.15.00
Camera: Rs.100.00

Best time to visit: November to March

The sun was not yet shining brightly, and the temperature was 12℃. The pathways were damp due the surrounding swampy ground and the atmosphere was extremely quiet; all we could here was bird calls around us with faint snatches of some mantras being chanted in one of the nearby villages.

The water body is not seen from the pathway as it is surrounded by an impenetrable wall of tall grasses and reeds, which normally grow on wetlands. The dense undergrowth makes it impossible for anyone to deviate from the pathways. On the other side (away from the waterbody), the forest is chiefly comprised of thorny trees (thorny acacia, gum arabica, babul) interspersed with other species. 

 

Bird watching towers

There are four towers erected for bird watching over the tall grass and provide a view of the lake formed by the backwaters of the dam. The tower furthest from the entrance is always crowded with bird watchers, many of them with tele-zoom cameras and binoculars, as it affords a good view of the lake. For the information of those who do not own binoculars, note that these can be hired from the forest department guards at the entrance for a nominal fee. The sun shone brightly when we reached the tower. In front of us stretched the lake, broken by patches of water hyacinth, reeds and small islands covered with trees and stumps of sunken trees. The tree stumps were ideal perch for the birds to preen themselves or just bask in the sun. The ducks, teals and other waders were wading majestically through the still waters in search of their feed of small fishes and aquatic creatures. In shallower areas, we observed jacanas and moorhens, their long legs and toes easily facilitating movement on the floating aquatic plants.

Small groups of birds took off and arrived constantly, splashing in the water. Frequently, large groups took off suddenly in confusion, with cries of alarm and in a flurry of wings with a whooshing sound, as a marsh harrier flew over them.  

Continued in Part II (will upload soon). Till then, stay safe.