About Bhigwan

Bhigwan is a small town in the outskirts of Pune at Pune-Solapur highway and has lot to offer in terms of it’s bio-diversity. The Bhigwan Bird Santuary is a paradise of birds and a special sight for the migratory birds, the most flagship specie being the flamingos which arrive in bulk during the winters here. Bhigwan is also known as the ‘Bharatpur of Maharashtra’. Located near the backwaters of Ujjani dam, this little town, with an economy totally based on backwater fishing, is the best getaway for all the bird lovers. Bhigwan is not just famous for wetland birds, but there is lot of bio-diversity for grasslands and forest birds. There are also sightings for certain mammals like wolves, civets etc.

Tour Overview

     Duration: 2 Nights, 3 Days

     Date: 23-Feb to 25-Feb 2024

     Max 4 participants based on early registrations

     Total Trails: Around 3-4 of 3 hours each

Itinerary:

     Day 1  –  Reach Bhigwan for lunch, rest and then go on a boat ride till sunset. Evening trail based on availability.

     Day 2  –  Morning & afternoon bird trail in the grassland or scrubland

     Day 3  –  Breakfast and checkout

Expected Species:

Greater and Lesser Flamingos, Painted Storks, Wolly-necked stork, Asian Open-bill, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Pond Heron, Great and Little Egrets, Black-geaded Ibis, Red-naped Ibis, Little and Indian Cormorant, Eurasian Spoonbill, Ruddy Shelducks, Northern Shoveler, Brown-headed Gull, River and Whiskered Terns, Common Crane, Common Kingfisher, White-throated Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher, Red and Yellow-wattled Lapwings, Common and Wood Sandpiper, Black-winged Stilt, Eurasian Coot, White and Yellow Wagtail, White-browed Wagtail, Osprey, Eurasian Harrier, Greater Spotted Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Long tailed Shrike, Green Bee-eater, Siberian Stonechat, Indian Eagle-Owl, Mottled Wood Owl, Grey Francolin, Larks and Prinias, Wolves, Civets.

Learnings:

Our guided field tours will help you improvise both your photography and wildlife skills, while focusing on the below aspects during the trip –

• Discipline and ethics while approaching wildlife
• Best shooting modes for birding
• Exposure control techniques
• Focusing in birding and methods to get sharp images of subjects
• Framing and composition guidelines
• Ethics and respect for nature and wildlife

Why us?

• We allow max 4 participants to join this tour. This helps connect one to one for mentoring and improve assistance at personal level with beginners. Less crowd is also beneficial in the field as everyone gets sufficient time to take better shots of every species spotted during the trails.
• Guided tours help in utilizing the time effectively. We will take you through trails where different species are expected to be spotted.
• Our photography mentors will provide field assistance on any technical inputs with respect to camera settings, composition and framing etc. and will ensure you go back with some great shots.
• We also jointly review the pictures taken during the trails and provide post-processing assistance during and after the tours.
• You get to connect with like-minded fellow travellers and go back with handful of lifetime friends and mesmerizing moments of life.

Package

        Rs. 14,500/- per head inclusive of all taxes

Cost inclusions:

• Accommodation on sharing basis in a decent hotel
• All breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Boat riding and trails fees, if any
• Local guide and safari vehicle charges
• All taxes and service charges

Cost exclusions:

• Transport from your location to Bhigwan and return
• Any extra meals, mineral water etc
• Any medical assistance, insurance or emergency charges

Cancellation Policy:

• All cancellations before 45 days of the tour date – 80% credit
• All cancellations between 30 – 45 days of the event date – 50% credit
• All cancellations within 30 days of the event date – No credit possible

Field Gear

• Camera (DSLR or Mirror-less) or mobile phone for capturing pictures
• Telephoto Lens for your camera or mobile phone
• Carry extra memory cards and camera batteries with charger
• Water bottle to avoid dehydration during the walks
• Carry enough silica gels in your camera bags for moisture protection
• Headlights or torches for the night trails, preferably headlights to free up your hands
• Comfortable footwear
• First aid or medical kit as per individual need
• Carry Odomos or any mosquito repellent spray as per need