January - December 2017

30th December 2017: Marine Biodiversity Walk @ Girgaon Chowpatty

Today we conducted marine biodiversity walk at Girgaon Chowpatty . The walk was attended by 10 marine enthusiasts. The group was guided by Mr. Pradip Patade and Vighnesh Samel. Today’s walk was amazing at every step that we took with all the fascinating animals to which it is home. A huge thank you to Mr. Patade for leading the walk and all our participants for joining us. Highlights of today’s walk: Seaweed brown and green. hermit crab in many small snails shell also in Babylonia, murex, spiral molegena shell. Plenty of live spiral molegena. Live bivalve donax scortum in action, all body parts and behavior. Decorator worms everywhere but abundant in some area. Sea anemones Windowpane oyster. Dead shell of oyster. Egg mass or cases of squid,murex and spiral molengina. Fish in net cat fish, target perch, grey mullet, ribbon fish. Swimming crab charabdis sp.

30th December 2017: Butterfly Walk at Jarakbande Kaval Forest

Today we conducted a free butterfly walk at Jarakbande Kaval Forest. The walk was attended by 13 participants. The walk was led by Mr. Ashok Sengupta and volunteered by Mr. Sundar Raj. The walk began at 9.00 am and ended at 11.00 am. The participants enjoyed the walk as many found it to be very informative.

24th December 2017: Bird Bonanza for Beginners

We conducted bird watching trail at Thurahalli Forest tree park on 24th December 2017 in collaboration with the Karnataka Forest Departmen.The walk began at 7.15 am and ended by 9.30 am. More Than 45 People participated, in the trail. The group was divided into two; the first group was led by Ms. Deepa Mohan and the second group was led by Mr. Ulhas Anand. A total of 25 birds, 17 butterfly and 6 insects were observed.

16th December 2017: Birding Break at Thurahalli Tree Park

A free 2 hours bird watching programme "Birding Break" was organised today (16 December 2017) at the thurahalli tree park in collaboration with the Karnataka Forest Department. 31 participants attended the walk including children. Mr. Madhusudhan Shukla and Mr Harish Chandra conducted the trail for us.

18th December 2017: Bird Bash at Ramanagaram!

On 17th December 2017, we conducted bird walk at Ramanagaram, Bangalore. Enthusiastic group of 7 people were participated in the walk. The group was guided by Mr. Madhusudhan Shukla. The walk begun at 7 am and ended by 9.30 am. The participants enjoyed the trail

16th December 2017: Birding Break at Thurahalli Tree Park

13th December 2017: Insect Study Tour for Mumbai Mobile Creche's Teachers

Mumbai Mobile Creches (MMC), arrange a learning aid exhibition for their trainees every year. This year their theme of exhibition is "Insects". So they choose iNaturewatch Foundation to guide their trainees. we conducted a nature trail for 35 Mumbai Mobile Creches (MMC) trainees at Green Valley Park, Belapur CBD. The trainees had great time learning about Insects.

10th December 2017: Bird for Beginners @Kharghar Hills

Today we conducted bird walk at Kharghar Hills. The walk was attended by 15 enthusiastic bird watchers. The group was guided by Mr. Hardik Patel. We spotted around 15 different species of the birds like Red whiskered bulbul, Red vented bulbul, Purple sunbird (male and female), common iora, Indian robin, Green-bee-eater, Scaly throated munia with nest, Jungle crow, Yellow eyed babbler (call only), Tailorbird, Swift, Spotted dove. The sighting of the day was ‘Shikra (female)’ seating on the perch and allowing us to go closer and pair of ‘Pale billed flowerpecker’ which is the smallest bird in India. We also spot butterflies like common sailor, Common nawab, White orange tip, Yellow orange tip, Gray pansy, Lemon pansy, striped tiger, Plain tiger, Common wanderer etc. and various different species of wildflower and other insects.

27th November 2017: Green Birthday

GREEN BIRTHDAY was an unique concept for Mr and Mrs. Bhaskar's family. Their daughter Hrudya was turning 13. It was a milestone being celebrated in Thurahalli forests, with friends ofcourse, in a manner which is unthinkable in the age of paintball and laser tag. A Praying mantis welcomed the excited teenagers with folding hands. Then on it was nothing but exploring the secrets of the natural world. Quiz and Treasure hunt complimented their experiences and reinforced their new learning. The Sunday morning in midst of winter fragrance, songs of the birds and the pleasant weather was nothing less than Eden.

26th November 2017: Bird walk in Palava City

On a Sunday winter morning, residents of Palava city set out birdwatching near the river side promenade, led by Shashank Birla. Participants had a wonderful time getting introduced to the joy of birdwatching, how to spot birds and also bird identification. A number of urban, woodland and wetland birds were seen, totalling up to a surprising 22 in the duration of 2 hours. Asian Openbill Storks were seen at close distances and in flight, and among the highlights were as many as 3 species of kingfishers, including the Pied Kingfisher, a bird not commonly seen in the Mumbai region.

19th November 2017: Workshop on Glass Gardens (Terrarium Making Workshop)

Today 11 creative Participants participated in our terrarium making 3-hour workshop. During the workshop the participants learnt about basics of terrarium making using mosses, algae, few nursery plants, roadside stones and a dried drift wood. The workshop was conducted by our enthusiast expert Mr. Madhusudan Shukla, which was done through hands on demonstrations. Glass container carried along with participants.

19th November 2017: Nature Walk at River front Casa Rio Gold, Palava City, Dombivali

Today we kick off our six month’s long engagement of conducting fortnightly walks for residents of Palava City. We are happy to be part of the Go Green initiative by Lodha Group. Today being the first walk, the residents are yet to warm up to the idea of nature walk so people turned up in small numbers but they were enthusiastic lot.The walk began at 8.30 am and ended by 10.30am, walk was led by Dr. Shubhalaxmi. The walk was conducted along the river side promenande created for morning walkers which had a combination of ornamental as well as native vegetation. All the participants enjoyed the walk as many found it to be very informative.

12th November 2017: Bird Watching at Talawe

Today we conducted “Bird Walk” at Talawe, in memory of Dr. Salim Ali. The walk was attended by 43 enthusiastic bird watchers. The group was guided by Kevin Paul who is not just a good birder but is an excellent orator. We spotted around 28 different species of the birds like Painted stork, Green-Bee-eater, 2 types of kingfishers (White throated kingfisher and common kingfisher), Cuckoo, Gray Heron, Black Winged Stilt, Black Headed Gulls, Wood Sandpiper, Little Egret, Little Cormorant, Asian Koel, Shovelers, River Terns, Reef Egret. Red Vented Bulbu, Ashi Prinia, House crows, Warblers, Black Headed Munia, Cormorant etc.

12th November 2017: Budding Birder’s Walk in Bangalore

Today we celebrated Dr. Salim Ali's Birthday by conducting a birdwatching programme at Thurahalli Forest Tree Park. The free walk which is supported by Karnataka Forest Dept received participant from 70 participants. The group was led by Madhusudhan Shukla and Subramanyan Ramanathan. They were assisted by Rajlaxmi. The walk ended on happy note as most of them gave a positive feedback about the walk. We hope to organize more such walks in near future.

29th October 2017: Butterfly Bonanza Walk!

In order to spread awareness among the citizens, the Karnataka Forest Department has initiated fortnightly thematic walks in collaboration with iNaturewatch Foundation. We conducted nature trail at Thurahalli Forest on 29th October 2017.The walk began at 8.30 AM and ended by 10.30AM. More Than 50 People participated, in the trail.

Various varieties of butterfly species were recorded during the trail like pale grass blue, crimson rose, common rose, lemon pansy, grass yellow, common pierrot, day-flying tiger moth and many other insects and birds. The highlight of the trail was Short-horned grasshopper with parasitic red mites. People enjoyed the trail and shared the photographs with us.

15th October 2017: Naturewalk at Thurahalli Tree Park, Bangalore

Today we conducted our second nature trail at Thurahalli Tree Park. Thanks to initiative by forest dept and our enthusiastic volunteers; Subbu Ramanathan and Madhusudhan Shukla. Around 30 participants dared to turn up on dull and gloomy Sunday morning.

1th October 2017: Butterfly Walk at Turahalli Tree Park

iNaturewatch Foundation conducted a free butterfly walk on 1 October 2017 at Turahalli Tree Park. The walk was attended by 75 participants though 100 were registered. The walk leaders were Mr. Isaac Kehimkar, Mr. Madhusudhan Shukla, Ms. Deepa Mohan and Dr. V. Shubhalaxmi. The weather was cloudy therefore not many butterflies were seen, however caterpillars of various butterflies and moths were seen. The group was a mix of all age groups including very young children. Most of them were first timers for Turahalli. The highlight of the walk were caterpillars of Crimson Rose, Emigrant and Angled Castor. The participants enjoyed the walk as many found it to be very informative and there is demand for more such walks. The forest department too was very supportive to our event and has asked us to plan more walks.

10th September 2017: Wildflower Walk at Kharghar Valley

Our Wildflower walk received an immense response and today 40 people were all set for the trail in the early morning at Kharghar Valley. The group split into two and was led by Mr. Isaac Kehimkar and Dr. V. Shubhalaxmi. The walk was focused on the study of the wildflowers. We saw around 20 species of wildflowers including Morning Glory, Purple Mellow, Leea, Sopobia etc.

5th September 2017: Bird Architecture Workshop

We conducted another two Workshops on Bird Architecture on 4 September and 5 September, 2017 for HSBC Bank in Borivali and Bandra. The participants were happy in learning about the importance of birds and their homes which varied from a small nest of Ruby throated hummingbird to the largest nest of Sociable weavers. They also learned to make Bird Nest out the waste oil cans, Pepsi bottles and tetra packets

2nd September 2017: BIRD ARCHITECTURE

On 1 September, 2017 we conducted a workshop on Bird Architecture for the HSBC Bank employees Goregoan in collaboration with Global Ennovate. The workshop started with introduction on the different types of bird nests, their importance and ways to help birds. This was then followed by hands on activity by Arundhati Mhatre where the employees learnt to build bird shelters (homes) using various recycled materials like plastic pepsi bottles, oil cans, and tetra packets

19th August 2017: Bee Amazed Workshop: Workshop on Honeybees

On the occasion of World Honey Bee Day, we planned to honor the insect responsible for more than 1/3rd of the food we eat. We celebrated the day with 42 bee enthusiasts including school students and employees of KPMG. The workshop began with briefing of the participants on importance pollinators. A nature trail and AV presentation was followed with a DIY bee house making session. The highlight of the workshop was Mr. Jacob Johnson's bee keeping session. In this session he not only showed how bee keeping is done but also brought honey samples for tasting.

11th August 2017: Nature Trail for Vishwajyot School

Interaction with nature and green space has lasting impacts on learning. Today was second day of our nature trail with Vishwajyot School, Karghar. 55 students of grade 5 had a great time with us. Students were learning about plants and wildlife associated with them

6th August 2017: Insect Watch at Green Valley Park

Today we conducted our monsoon insect walk in Green Valley Park, CBD Belapur. Mr. Isaac Kehimkar conducted the walk for 23 people who joined us from different parts of the city. The trail was full of insect action. The sightings ranged from caterpillars to butterflies and moths of various kind, we also got to witness the garden lizard eating a hawkmoth caterpillar.

29th July 2017: National Moth Week at Karjat

We conducted mothing wherein we got 28 species on a single night. Following species were recorded. The weather was heavy rainfall with gaps in between. Crambidae= 5 spp Erebidae= 9 spp Eupterotidae= 1 sp. Geometridae= 3 spp. Limacodidae= 2 spp Noctuidae= 5 spp Notodontidae= 2 spp Sphingidae= 1 sp Photos by Isaac Kehimkar

28th July 2017: National Moth Week Celebration at Dehradun

We were invited to Wildlife Institute of India to conduct National Moth Week for the M.Sc Wildlife Biology students as well as conduct session on general entomology. Dr. V. Shubhalaxmi was invited by Dr. V. P. Uniyal to for this programme. The programme included three lectures; two on moths and one of general insects, three field trips ( 2 mothing at light sheets and one insect nature trail). Altogether 20 students of M.Sc. class participated in this programme. A total 30 species of moths were recorded in two nights. The data will be uploaded by students on Indian Biodiversity Portal

23rd July 2017: World Mangrove Day Walk

A group of 13 nature enthusiasts gathered to learn about mangrove ecosystem. This walk was planned to celebrate World Mangrove Day which falls on 26 July 2017. The walk was led by Mr. Isaac Kehimkar. We altogether saw 8 species of mangrove plants (Grey Mangrove, River Mangrove, Sea Holly, Blinding Tree, Toothbrush tree, Night Glory, Mangrove Bean Stalk, Sea Purselane). Most of them were fruiting and flowering. Besides the participants also got to see a mongoose and marsh snake. We also saw Mangrove butterfly- Salmon Arab. The rain god was kind on us for not drenching us which made our trail fruitfu

22nd July 2017: Somaiya School Science Fair

Today is National Science Day and we were at Somaiya School's Science Fair trying to bridge the gap between children and the world of insects with curiosity. We demonstrated the butterfly metamorphosis, showed how they could to butterfly rearing at home, explained the difference between moths and caterpillars and much more. The children also got their hands tattooed with butterflies and their parents couldn't the resist the temptation too.

2nd July 2017: Forest Trail

On a Sunday morning a group of 19 nature enthusiasts set on a trail to explore the monsoon special flora and fauna diversity of the Belapur forest. It was an adventurous learning experience where they crossed streams and walked narrow forest paths to see wild varieties of fruits and vegetables, scuttling crabs, moth caterpillars, butterflies etc. We also came across the endangered Glory Liliy plant and lichens which are bio-indicators of pollution. The trail was led by Dr. Ecopreneur Shubha and Mr. Isaac Kehimkar.

1st July 2017: Environmental Audit of Raghunath Vihar

On the eve of Van Mahotsav Day we conducted our first Environmental Audit survey at Raghunath Vohra Army Housing Society. It was a pleasant surprise to see a lush green society residing amidst the concrete jungle of Kharghar. The pictures will speak for themselves

18th June 2017: Lovely Lily Trail

Our Lily Trail received an immense response and 41 people were all set for the trail today morning at Kharghar Valley. The group split into two and was led Mr. Isaac Kehimkar and Dr. Ecopreneur Shubha. Although the spotlight was on lilies today we also had other wildlife flora and fauna showing up. Wildflowers of kantoli, purple night shade have just begun their life cycle Lastly the panoramic view of the Kharghar city was worth the climb.

28th May 2017: Marine Biodiversity walk

This Sunday morning, we ventured into an entirely new field of science with our walk to create awareness about Marine Biodiversity of Mumbai. We had Mr. Pradip Patade as an expert to guide 21 marine enthusiasts from all over Mumbai. The Girgaon beach amazed us at every step that we took with all the fascinating animals to which it is home. We sighted hermit crabs, sea anemones, shrimps, molluscs and corals. A huge thank you to Mr. Patade for leading the walk and all our participants for joining us

28th May 2017: Workshop on Kitchen Gardening

Today 19 participants from Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai participated in our half day Workshop on Kitchen Garden. During the workshop the participants learnt about composting, making planters for seedlings and potting a sapling. This was done through hands on demonstrations. The progarmme ended with a quiz.

29th January 2017: Flamingo Watch at Sewri Mudflats

Today we received on overwhelming response for our event 'Flamingo watch at Sewri Mudflats' with 72 bird enthusiasts turning up to catch a glimpse of the pink beauties! Dr.Ketaki Marthak kept everyone intrigued with her facts and stories about the flamingos and other waders. We had set up a birdscope which gave everyone a closer look at birds like Eurasian curlew, White-throated kingfisher, Pond heron, egrets, black and brown headed gulls, Black headed ibis and of course the greater and lesser flamingos!