Ashok Mashru and his team who have been camping for two days at Nyari I dam were delighted to spot the variety of birds in the reservoir. They came after hearing about the unusually large flock of birds being spotted at the reservoir. Mashru says though most of the birds have come here in internal migration, birds in such large numbers had never been spotted before this year.

The pied cadesteal cuckoo, a migrant from Afghanistan which has come here for breeding, was also spotted by the team. Mashru says that these birds specially come to India every year for breeding. This time the have chosen Nyari dam as its abode, he added.

Rare lesser flamingos were also seen at the dam. This species were rarely seen in this area before. Mashru says that they have spotted some 25 birds belonging to this species. The team also spotted Littleton birds in breeding behavior.

Some of the other species seen in the area are spot bridlers, yellow bitten and chestnut bitten, open bee stork, brown crack, etc.

Many birds have built their nests in the trees surrounding Nyari I dam. Mashru and his team counted 30 nests of black throated weaver birds. Many other local birds have also built their nests in the woods surrounding the dam. Mashru says that these birds select soft wood form their nests as they can be drilled easily to form the nests.

Seeing the number of birds, Mashru and his team has decided to build a breeding island at the Nyari I dam. Mashru says that there is a small island in the middle of the dam where they are planning to plant trees in large numbers so that birds will find safe place to build their nests near the water and yet away form the disturbances created by the people. They have decided to seek permission from Rajkot Municipal Corporation for this endeavour as it owns the dam, Mashru disclosed.