Birding with Ram Gopalakrishnan: Morning mist at Mangalajodi

Pin drop silence interrupted only by the clucking of birds all around. The glint of the rising sun burning off the morning mist. And of course the oohs and aahs when a particularly rare bird was sighted or photographed. That's the magic of Mangalajodi.

When I realised that I would be transiting through Bhubaneshwar while returning to Chennai after a wedding, I decided to spend a day at Mangalajodi, on the northwest end of Lake Chilika. An hour and a half from Bhubaneshwar, we checked in at the lodge run by the Mangalajodi Ecotourism Trust, a rustic couple of cottages that provided clean and comfortable lodging and is run by the locals.

This Ramsar site and Important Bird Area is fast gaining a reputation for being a must do reputation in the birdwatching community. It's location on the edge of Lake Chilika ensures that a large variety of migratory birds use it either as a residence or as a fuel stop on their way further south. The shallow 1-2 feet depth of the marshland makes it ideal for a variety of waders and dabbling ducks. The water here is freshwater and gradually gives way to the salt water as one goes further out into the main lake.

A non-motorized boat is the best way to get close to the birdlife and cover a larger area, and that's what we did. Fishermen were all around the pier, the whiskered terns hovering all around for discarded catch. Whether you're a beginner or expert birder, there's something for everyone. As we ventured out, all around us were hundreds of Northern pintails, bronze winged and pheasant tailed jacanas, purple swamphens and black winged stilts. Our guide insisted a pipit we saw was Blyth's pipit, not its ubiquitous paddyfield cousin. The Asian openbill storks and the solitary purple heron were the big guys here, but the Marsh harrier is supposedly the big boss. This local Raja lords it over the others, being the main shikar and nemesis of the smaller birds: a cloud would fly off whenever the harrier approached. Interestingly, we watched a Brahminy kite divest a harrier of its fish catch!

Bitterns are secretive skulkers that are difficult to see or photograph, and it therefore gave me immense pleasure to see my first lifer in this family: the cinnamon bittern cutely hanging on to tow different reed beds with its two feet. A Jacksnipe, another beauty from the Snipe family whose trademark is to freeze when disturbed, so as to avoid being seen, was the next lifer!

Our Ecotourism Trust has certainly done a good job providing employment to locals but Mangalajodi could do with some assistance from the bird tourism perspective. An interpretation center, binoculars hiring facility and trained guides could both help more people out of poverty and help sustain the environment.

So next time you go to Bhubaneshwar, take a day off for Mangalajodi!