Bird Walk at Kavdi Pat, Pune
- Pune
- 27 September, 2026
- Khushnoor Dastoor
About Kavdi Pat
Kavdi Pat is a small wetland village on the banks of the Mula-Mutha River, around 15–20 km from Pune. The landscape combines shallow river stretches, low-lying wet areas, agricultural fields, grasslands, and patches of woody vegetation. An old bund across the river helps retain water and creates shallow wetland habitat, while the surrounding farmlands and vegetation add further habitat diversity. The area becomes particularly attractive for birdwatching after the monsoon, when receding water levels expose feeding areas and the wetland supports both resident and winter migratory birds.
The wetland and its surroundings form an important ecological pocket within Pune’s increasingly urbanised landscape. However, Kavdi Pat also faces pressures from human activity, including fishing, grazing, agricultural runoff, waste, and increasing urbanisation. Changes in water quality and habitat conditions can affect the bird diversity of the area. Protecting the river, maintaining the wetland’s shallow-water habitats, and reducing pollution and disturbance will be important for retaining Kavdi Pat’s value as a birding and wildlife habitat.
Bird Guide: Khushnoor Dastoor
She works as a quality assurance and process design specialist, but is also a keen birder and wildlife enthusiast. She likes to understand bird behaviour and different bird sounds and has almost 19 years of experience in this.
Bird walk Location
Common birds of Kavdi Pat
Kavdi Pat supports a varied assemblage of wetland, grassland, woodland, and open-country birds. Wetland habitats attract species such as Ruddy Shelduck, Garganey, Indian Spot-billed Duck, Northern Shoveler, Eurasian Spoonbill, Glossy Ibis, Red-naped Ibis, Black-headed Ibis, Indian Pond-Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, and Grey-headed Swamphen. The surrounding open and scrub habitats support Indian Peafowl, Grey Francolin, Laughing Dove, Greater Coucal, and Asian Koel. Raptors such as Brahminy Kite, Shikra, and Spotted Owlet add to the site’s diversity, while Common Hawk-Cuckoo represents the area’s cuckoos. Together, these species reflect the mix of wetland and terrestrial habitats around Kavdi Pat and its importance as a birdwatching site.
Ruddy Shelduck
Garganey
Spotted Owlet
Brahminy Kite
Indian Spot-billed Duck
Northern Shoveler
Indian Peafowl
Eurasian Spoonbill
Common Hawk-Cuckoo
Grey Francolin
Asian Koel
Greater Coucal
Shikra
Glossy Ibis
Red-naped Ibis
Black-headed Ibis
Indian Pond-Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
Laughing Dove
Grey-headed Swamphen
Summary of Walk
Five participants, a mixed group of younger and older birders, joined guide Khushnoor Dastoor for a bird walk at Kavdi Pat, Pune, recording 48 species on eBird and 44 on the Ataavi app. Pied Kingfisher, Golden Oriole and Purple Heron were the standout highlights, with a Little Ringed Plover rounding out the top sightings of the morning.
The walk sparked plenty of discussion around bird behaviour, migration and conservation, and the group spent ten minutes observing birds from a single spot to compare feeding and flying styles up close. Black-winged Kite, Black Kite and Brahminy Kite were the raptors of the day, giving Khushnoor a good opportunity to walk participants through the differences between similar species in flight and at rest. Overall it made for a thoughtful, well-bonded outing with plenty of good interaction among the group.
Number of Participants
0
