Bhigwan

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 flamingo and wildlife photography.[1][2] Place is also famous for authentic Maharashtrian spicy fish food. Special dish is kadak fish fry of chilapi.

Bhigwan
village
Flamingo bird
Bhigwan
Location in Maharashtra, India
Bhigwan
Bhigwan (India)
Coordinates: 18°17′58″N 074°45′16″E
Country India
StateMaharashtra
DistrictPune
TalukaIndapur
Government
 • BodyVillage panchayat
Languages
 • OfficialMarathi
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
Websitewww.birdsofbhigwan.com

Geography

It's located on the Pune-Solapur Highway around 105 km from Pune on the backwaters of Ujani dam. The distance between Solapur and Bhigwan is 151 km. It is also known as mini Bharatpur.[3]

Ujjani Dam is constructed on the Bhima River. The water of the dam has created a shallow wetland and hosts many birds.

Fauna
Indian spot-billed duck, Shovellers, Garganeys in Bhigwan

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 there, including painted storks, barheaded 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]

Flamingos-in-Bhigwan

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.

White Wagtail

The dry grasslands, woodlands, swamps, wetlands and backwaters of Bhigwan are the habitat for many species of fish, amphibians, lizards and snakes.

Transport

Visitors can 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 vehicle. The birding spots are as far away as 10 to 15 km from Bhigwan's main town.

One can also travel via train from Pune, There is a list of trains stop at Bhigvan such as Chennai mail (11027), Pune Sur Demu, and Hyderabad (17031) Exp, Shidheshwar (12115) Exp. The fastest way to reach Solapur from Bhigwan is to take a taxi which takes approximately 2.5 hours.

Bhigwan is just 25 km Away from Baramati.

Actual bird watching spot is 5–6 km from Bhigwan. You will get many Auto Rickshaw and other ways from bhigwan to lake.

Best time to visit

The best time to visit Bhigwan is between the months of December and March. Flamingo birds love winter season and they need less water for fishing. that's why they choose only this season to come in India. There are village home stays for tourists.

See also

References
  1. "1 Day Birdwatching and Photography at Bhigwan". Mumbai Travellers.
  2. "Bhigwan low on flamingos this year". Pune Mirror.
  3. "Bhigwan is a new flock-spot for birding near Mumbai". Mid Day.
  4. "Camargue Flamingos : A.R. Johnson", Flamingos, Poyser, 1975, doi:10.5040/9781472597489.ch-001, ISBN 978-1-4725-9748-9
  5. "Bird watching at Bhigwan – famous for Flamingos - Places near Pune and Mumbai". placesnearpune.com.
  6. "Birders at Bhigwan get a rare treat - Pune Mirror". Pune Mirror.
  7. Yazdani, G. and Singh, D., 2002. Zool. Surv. India. "Wetland Ecosystem Series No. 3 Fauna of Ujani" 143-156, 2002. FAUNA OF UJANI, p.143,
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