Dr. Salim Ali Biodiversity Park - Pune

Best place in middle of Pune for bird spotting and bird walk. How to get there: Reach Gunjan Chowk Nagar Road, Go through the gates of Hindu Smashan Bhumi, Park is on the left (there is sign board too)

Hey owner , are there wild animals there? Ofcourse not but please put the wild animals in the there and also with safety to the people visiting. Keep them free but on the other side of the river and make a deep hole into the ground .

There are birds but the place is under wilful neglect , the authorities want this place to die so it can be sold of to the land mafia. Great view of Sunset amid the garbage. If you want to go there, go in a large group.Not a kid friendly place. Addicts use this place and could see syringes lying arround. There is no one at the gate and is normally deserted. You will encounter lots of wild pigs and buffalos. Not recommended to go there alone. Could have been a great place for Birding. Saw quite a birds - Brahminy Starlings, Weaver birds, Red vented bulbuls , Indian White eye and ducks.

The place is outstanding. All you get to see is birds, birds and birds. You can see storks, rose ringed parakeet, Larks, Orioles, black kites,drongo, baya weavers, house sparrows. Insects like evening brown, giant snails, green dragonfly and many more.

It definitely does not seem like a bio diversity park. It is a place for conducting last rites and has a filthy Nala nearby... which has birds. But overall experience is a sure letdown.

My other post is under Dr. Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary. It was a beautiful Forest in the city but it was hit by development. Bird species are a plenty with my personal count reaching 70 and higher. Situated along the Mula-Mutha River stretch between the Bund Garden bridge and the Kalyani Nagar bridge, there exists a fantastic ecosystem for both forest birds and water birds. The river flows gently along this stretch due to existence of natural breaks (mini dams or bunds) that may have been set by fishermen of yore thereby creating aits/ eyots which provide the right kind of landing and feeding ground for water bird species. Also along this stretch are giant rocks which too serve as additional landing for bird species. Although the River is highly polluted due to urban waste dumping, somehow life exists and resultant is a sight to sore eyes. While the Sanctuary used to be dense and well spread, there is chaos as a road is cutting through and proposal of a metro line through it or over the River is really disappointing. But, life still goes on for the birds as I witnessed yesterday. A checklist is as under. Happy to report on this wonderful place where people are now flocking before it disappears and to save it as well. 12 Ruddy Shelduck 17 Gadwall 20 Indian Spot-billed Duck 24 Green-winged Teal 1 Gray Francolin X Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 6 Laughing Dove 2 Greater Coucal (Southern) 1 Asian Koel 1 Eurasian Coot 1 Gray-headed Swamphen 1 White-breasted Waterhen 4 Red-wattled Lapwing 1 Common Sandpiper 2 Green Sandpiper 2 Wood Sandpiper 2 Tringa sp. 1 Gull-billed Tern 3 Whiskered Tern 6 River Tern 2 Woolly-necked Stork -- One killed... Unknown... Maybe human kill 12 Painted Stork 3 Little Cormorant 1 Gray Heron 1 Intermediate Egret 1 Little Egret 1 Indian Pond-Heron 2 Glossy Ibis 12 Black-headed Ibis 8 Black Kite (Black) 1 White-throated Kingfisher 9 Green Bee-eater 3 Coppersmith Barbet 3 Rose-ringed Parakeet 2 Common Iora 2 Black Drongo 1 Ashy Drongo 4 Spot-breasted Fantail 4 House Crow 8 Large-billed Crow (Indian Jungle) 3 Cinereous Tit 1 Red-vented Bulbul 1 Red-whiskered Bulbul 2 Sulphur-bellied Warbler 2 Greenish Warbler 1 Blyth's Reed Warbler 1 Clamorous Reed Warbler 1 Common Tailorbird 1 Ashy Prinia 4 Lesser Whitethroat 5 Large Gray Babbler 1 Indian Robin 1 Oriental Magpie-Robin 1 Red-breasted Flycatcher 2 Pied Bushchat 2 Common Myna 12 Jungle Myna 2 Purple-rumped Sunbird 3 Purple Sunbird 4 Western Yellow Wagtail 1 White Wagtail 2 wagtail sp. 2 House Sparrow

Not well maintained. It's polluted area. I think birds may think of not coming here. Usually u spot birds early morning 6 to 7 am. Advise do not go alone, go in groups. It's just a safety precaution to avoid any thing wrong. Carry water along with. Metro construction is in progress within sanctuary. The entrance to this sanctuary is through main road , opposite Gunjan talkies. I do not found it too interesting.

Well, the gate from Hindu smashaan has been closed now. So best way to go and explore is from the other side where metro work is being done. You can get there from the opposite of Cybage building in KP. Place is quite neat as compared to how it was before. We spotted tons of birds species including ducks, Stroks, Owls, Kites, herons, etc.