I am so angry and frustrated even. The only way that I can express it is through words and that I will do.
The big news in birding in Maharashtra is the arrival of a few Amur Falcons (Falco amurensis) in Lonavla Lake which is in the private hands of Tata Power. They are passage migrants (They breed in the plains of Siberia and China but during winters, when the cold is harsh, they migrate to Southern Africa, primarily stopping over in North-east India while passing through. A few vagrants get reported in many parts of India as is the case in point here.)
Well, this in itself is a wonderful news, that a few Amur Falcons decided to take this route and rest near us. As you are aware of the kind of fate (Large scale hunting of the beautiful birds) they have had in the past and their story of survival and revival due to woke individuals and their efforts at conservation, it is disheartening and disillusioning to see how birders and photographers have acted on this wonderful opportunity to seek and photograph them.
So, if the birds allow you to come close enough as they go about their business, I am sure your big lenses give you sufficient reach and you can maintain a respectable distance. But this is just part of my concern. The primary concern is that you bring big vehicles and small alike, into the lake area (which has transformed into a wonderful grassland during the dry season). It is this wonderful habitat that is spawning and supporting life, creating food for visiting birds. So much so that besides, the Amur Falcons, there are hundreds of Wagtails and Plovers, a few Bar-headed Geese (they fly over the mighty Himalayas to visit India during winters), Storks, Terns, Herons and Cormorants besides other waders and many other raptors.
You drive around nasty, ruining the habitat, disturbing the life around and causing ruckus. All this to get that perfect shot, that close-up of the nostrils, finding the male, getting that feeding shot, that kill shot and whatnot. Well, I too have been there, I got my captures, equally good ones, but I chose not to bring my vehicle into the lake.
I urge you to be good in your behaviour and respect the habitat and to all those wonderful instagrammers and page hosts who have been blowing the bugle, praising the lot, kindly promote best practices as well.
Anyways, the resultant outcome of this vehicular chaos and the jamboree is that Tata Power has stepped in, throwing out everyone, even if only for a few minutes, as they cannot patrol all the time, and may soon block the entrances and put a stop altogether. So, unless we correct ourselves, we may win today but will lose access to this wonderful habitat altogether in years to come. So today you might get that winning shot but tomorrow, when another vagrant comes along, no one will be there to welcome it, and it may go unreported altogether.
Hope at least a few will hear, read, share my thoughts and take corrective action.
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