Kavdi Paat Birding

If you are looking for a short Phototour for Bird photography and want a place close to your home in Pune, then Kavdi Paat is the best place to visit during winter months. I have visited this place many times. If you are learning photography skills, then this is best place for practicing. There are mainly two reasons, Why I call this place as best place mainly because there is huge bird activity in the early morning hours and  less crowd even on weekends. You can peacefully seat at one place for hours and keep clicking. You can find all sorts of wetland & scrub land birds here during winter months.

About Kavdi Pat

Kavadi is a small village at about 20 Km from Pune which is full of water birds. There is a small bridge on water body from where you can spot birds on both sides. You will see Sugarcane fields and vegetable farms across the road to Kavdi Pat. This place hosts lot of Winter Guests as well as regular visitors. However this place is ill maintained and probably used as dumping ground by the villagers.

Here you have opportunity to photograph River Turns, Common Teal, Spot Billed Duck, Common Sandpipers, Black winged stilt, Brahminy duck, Eurasian coot etc. ( Refer the list given below ) .

How to reach there

Kavdi Pat is close to Pune. From Kothrud, Pune it is App. 30 Kms. To reach Kavadi-Pat, drive from Pune to Swargate then to Solapur highway. When you drive on flyover and reach Y section Do not take Pune-Saswad road. Drive further on Solapur Highway. Cross the first Toll on Highway (which is closed now) and turn left on narrow service road for 500 Mtr. Watch out for Manali Resort, after you cross Manali Resort take first left turn, you will see Hotel 9th Mile / Milestone9 after you enter in the Lane – Follow the same road then cross Railway line – Drive till end to reach Kavadi-pat. You have to be careful since you drive through the very narrow lanes. Once you reach dead end take right turn and you see river in front of you. Park your vehicle there and walk towards the water body.

Best Time to Visit

Best time to visit this place is from Dec to Feb end and should be there in the morning from 7 am to 11 am. You can walk across a small narrow bridge to get a better view of the birds but be careful as the bridge does not have railings and you have an occasional two-wheeler ride across the bridge. Best way is to walk along the riverside for a better view of birds and photographs.

Do Not Disturb the birds just to have a nice shot. I would advice you to first watch the bird activity and then plan your shot.

Once you finish clicking the birds near water, you can come out and look in the nearby grassland. Kingfishers, Green Bee Eater, Black Drongo and Bush Chat can be sighted here.

Beautiful Landscape clicked in the early morning hours.

My portatrait clicked at Kavdi Pat.

Happy Clicking. List of Birds seen at Kavdi Pat is given below.

Little Grebe	Grey Wagtail	Indian Robin
Spot-Billed Duck	Yellow Wagtail	Little Ringed Plover
Ruddy Shel duck	Cattle Egret	Pied Bush chat
Common Teal	Rock Dove	Common Tailor bird
Northern Shoveller	House Sparrow	Black-Winged Stilt
Lesser Whistling Duck	House Crow	Purple Moorhen
Oriental Magpie Robin	Black Kite	Glossy Ibis
White-Breasted Waterhen	Shikra	Jungle Babbler
Common Moorhen	Indian Peafowl	Spoonbill Stork
Common Kingfisher	Greater Coucal	Openbill stork
White-Breasted Kingfisher	Laughing Dove	Black Drongo
Pied Kingfisher	Long-Tailed Shrike	Common Myna
Little Blue Kingfisher	Scaly-Breasted Munia	Brahminy Myna
Spotted Fantail Flycatcher	Indian Hawk Cuckoo	Pied Harrier
Little Green Bee-Eater	River Tern	Red-Rumped Swallow
Pale-Billed Flowerpecker	White Wagtail	Red Avadavat
Rose-Ringed Parakeet	Indian Roller	Little Egret
Red-Vented Bulbul	Purple Sunbird	Grey Heron
Red-Whiskered Bulbul	Little Cormorant	Pond Heron
Purple-Rumped Sunbird	Indian Cormorant
Oriental Honey Buzzard	Common Sandpiper
White-Eyed Buzzard	Wood Sandpiper