The Elephanta Island which is famous for the Elephanta Caves (designated as UNESCO World Heritage Site) is also a good spot for bird watching. Discovered this, thanks to BNHS, which organized a day trip there.
We assembled at the Hornbill House and registered ourselves for the trek. We then proceeded to Gateway of India to catch the ferry to Elephanta Island. Inspite of the summers, the ferry trip to Elephanta Island was made peaceful by a continuous cool breeze.
Once at the island, we started on the steps leading up to the caves. After you go past the rows of shops, there is a sign board by the archaeological department declaring that the site is protected. If you continue climbing straight up, you reach the caves. We turned left and started our trek through nature, away from the crowds that had come to see the caves.
Spotting of birds was really easy... even to untrained eyes like mine. Iora, Magpie Robin, Brahminy Kite, Coppersmith Barbet, Golden Oriole, etc were some of the birds that we spotted as we walked along the trail. There is a small lake that you come across, along the trail. Here, we spotted some Eagles, Spot Billed Ducks, Red Wattled Lapwings and Little Grebes.
From here, we started our return journey. On the return journey we were lucky to spot a Kingfisher.
Overall, this is a very nice trail and makes for a good walk in nature. For me, spotting the birds was a bonus
