Bhigwan | |
---|---|
Village | |
![]() Flamingo bird | |
Coordinates: 18°17′58″N074°45′16″E / 18.29944°N 74.75444°E | |
Country | ![]() |
State | Maharashtra |
District | Pune |
Taluka | Indapur |
Government | |
• Body | Village panchayat |
Languages | |
• Official | Marathi |
Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
Website | www.birdsofbhigwan.com |
Bhigwan is a town on the border of the Ahmednagar, Pune and Solapur districts in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Bhigwan is famous for birdwatching, especially flamingos and wildlife photography. [1] [2] It is also famous for its fishes and the authentic Maharashtrian 'Machhi Thali'.
It is located on the Pune-Solapur Highway around 100km from Pune on the backwaters of the Ujani Dam. The distance between Solapur and Bhigwan is 151 km. It is also known as mini Bharatpur. [3]
The Ujani Dam is constructed on the Bhima River. The water of the dam has created a shallow wetland and hosts many birds, which serves as an important hotspot for amateur and avid birders.
At Bhigwan, ducks, herons, egrets, raptors and waders along with flocks of hundreds of flamingos are present. At times, 1,000–1,200 flamingos [4] are seen. [5] Low rainfall and low water levels have reduced the birds' numbers. More than 230 species of migratory birds are found here, including painted storks, bar-headed geese and demoiselle cranes. These birds are present in the winter season between December and March. The birds generally migrate via marine routes and adult females depart from the breeding grounds. [6] [7]
The backwaters of Ujjani Dam host the greater flamingo, Eurasian spoonbill, bar-headed goose, collared pratincole and osprey. Bhigwan hosts the fastest bird of the animal kingdom, the peregrine falcon.
The dry grasslands, woodlands, swamps, wetlands and backwaters of Bhigwan are the habitat for many species of fish, amphibians, lizards and snakes.
Visitors can either travel to Bhigwan by the State Transport Buses bound for Solapur and onwards from Pune, which takes approximately 3.5 hours or can travel in their own vehicles. The main birding spots are as far away as 5 to 10 km from Bhigwan's main town.
One can also travel via train from Pune. There is a list of trains stop at Bhigwan such as Chennai Mail (11027), Pune Sur Demu, Hyderabad Express (17031) and Shidheshwar Express (12115). The fastest way to reach Solapur from Bhigwan is via taxi, which takes approximately 2.5 hours.
Bhigwan is approximately 25 km away from Baramati.
The best time to visit Bhigwan is between the months of December and March. Flamingos prefer the winter season as they require water-bodies of shallow depths for fishing. There are several village home-stays for tourists.
Solapur is a city located in the south-western region of the Indian state of Maharashtra, close to its border with Karnataka. Solapur is located on major highway, rail routes between Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad, with a branch line to the cities of Kalaburagi and Vijayapura in the neighbouring state of Karnataka. Solapur International Airport is under construction. It is classified as A1 Tier and B-1 class city by House Rent Allowance (HRA) classification by the Government of India. It is the seventh biggest Metropolis Urban Agglomeration and 11th most populated city in Maharashtra as well as 43rd largest urban agglomeration and 49th most populous city in India.
The Kerala backwaters are a network of brackish lagoons and canals lying parallel to the Arabian Sea of the Malabar coast of Kerala state in south-western India. It also includes interconnected lakes, rivers, and inlets, a labyrinthine system formed by more than 900 km (560 mi) of waterways, and sometimes compared to bayous. The network includes five large lakes linked by canals, both man made and natural, fed by 38 rivers, and extending virtually half the length of Kerala state. The backwaters were formed by the action of waves and shore currents creating low barrier islands across the mouths of the many rivers flowing down from the Western Ghats range. In the midst of this landscape there are a number of towns and cities, which serve as the starting and end points of backwater cruises. There are 34 backwaters in Kerala. Out of it, 27 are located either closer to Arabian Sea or parallel to the sea. The remaining 7 are inland navigation routes.
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Baramati ([baːɾamət̪iː]) is a city, a tehsil and a municipal council in Pune district in the state of Maharashtra, India. The city is about 100 km southeast of the city of Pune and about 250 km from Mumbai.
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