He cares a ‘hoot’

The endangered and elusive forest owlet is the protagonist in an ornithologist’s new book that celebrates the rediscovered stocky unspotted diurnal owl, endemic to Melghat and other forests

After Maharashtra’s first tiger conservation project was launched in the biodiverse Melghat mountainous region in 1973, celebrated ornithologist Dr Salim Ali camped for 10 days in some of its remotest corners. One guest-book entry in the Kolkas circuit house stands testimony to his stay; local bird watchers recall his specific interest in the near-extinct forest owlet, a species endemic to Melghat and other forests of the Satpuda range in Central India. Dr Ali left without spotting the diurnal owl, but he strongly believed that the missing species was not terminated.  He said an additional set of eyes will bring success to the search. His belief was validated by the rediscovery of the species in 1997 by American expert Dr Pamela Rasmussen in Shahada in the Nandurbar district. The rediscovery made global news; it elated not just zoologists, but also citizens who lived in the Melghat region. They experienced a sense of ownership and pride in the company of forest owlets—now over 250 in Melghat of the total 1,000—with special daytime mobility. 

No wonder that an ornithologist, born and raised in Melghat, Dr Jayant Wadatkar, has captured the bird’s exile and its dramatic re-entry, in a new book, Raanpingla: Adnyatvaas va Punarshodh (Forest Owlet:  The Exile and The Rediscovery). The Amravati-based expert has been part of many self-driven expeditions—two funded by Birdlife International UK and Raptor Research Conservation Foundation Mumbai—post 2000, in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat to study the nesting, breeding, and resting behaviour of the rediscovered owl. His Marathi book, soon to be rendered in English and in an online avatar, celebrates the Raanpingla (forest owl), which brought international attention to a region essentially characterised by the Bengal tiger. 

Dr Wadatkar speaks to tribal children to create awareness about the bird

Rarely does a bird, especially one that is culturally perceived as ominous, compete with a tiger for a permanent slot in the human consciousness. “After being unavailable for 113 years, the bird reentered our collective life so theatrically. It seemed as if a distant relative was traced after years of seperation,” gushes Dr Wadatkar, 49, who feels the case of the missing forest owlet (Athene Blewitti) is the stuff of folk legends. It is a story, which has the thrill and mystery that goes beyond the science governing birds. It speaks for the native wisdom of Melghat’s Korku tribe, which played a crucial role in locating the unseen Dongar Duda, as it is called in local parlance.  

Dr Wadatkar’s book demonstrates the rediscovered owl’s power in upturning popular myths associated with nocturnal owls.  As captured in a Vidarbha adage, Chandane Chorala Oon Ghubadala, it is believed that just as a thief would be inconvenienced in a star lit night, the owl is ineffective in bright sunshine. In fact, many night-time bird-watching expeditions in the 1970s and ’80s missed the forest owlet because of the lack of knowledge of its daytime presence.

The ornithologist has spent nearly 100 days in the wilderness studying the bird

Interestingly, the book recaps many captivating deep forests where the author landed in search of the elusive Duda. For instance, he invested three consecutive days in the Wan sanctuary, relatively unfrequented part of Melghat, in February 2013. There was no sign of the owlet. In the evening, when the author was about to leave out of frustration, a colleague heard the bird’s alert call; the team was overjoyed to catch eight cute chicks in the nest. Similarly, patient observation bore fruit in Betul, MP and Dang, Gujarat forests, where local birders helped to trace the stocky bird.

As Dr Wadatkar’s reputation as the “Raanpingla lover” took shape, he would get video clips/calls from the general public about the presence of the owlet. But often people would mistakenly zero in on the common spotted owl. He recalls many fruitless visits to the forest, but the false alerts ultimately honed his observation prowess. 

Dr Jayant Wadatkar with an injured forest owlet

Dr Wadatkar is a profuse writer with six books, 45 research papers and a regular stream of newspaper-magazine articles to his credit. While his doctorate is devoted to the butterflies of the Satpudas, he has written extensively on the forts of the mountain range. His upcoming book revolves around the 45-odd little-known fort precincts of Vidarbha. In 2001, he founded the Wildlife and Environment Conservation Society (WECS) in Amravati, which works in close cooperation with the Bombay Natural History Society. As an active life member of BNHS, Dr Wadatkar is a key contributor to the society’s publications like Important Bird Areas of Maharashtra. He has represented India in three conferences abroad, which were focused on the conservation of the Hornbill population. His experience of trekking to the Mount Everest base camp is also defining.

While the bird expert obviously wears many hats, he particularly cherishes his identity as an advocate/lobbyist for the retraced forest owl, more so after he has penned a 100-page book on the Duda. As the lockdown is lifted, he intends to devote his energies to the book promotion drive.  He believes that the species should be kept alive in public memory. For instance, the WECS recently demanded that the forest owlet be declared Maharashtra’s state bird. While the demand was not met, the owlet received renewed media attention. Dr Wadatkar says the current population of the species can grow only if trees in the Satpudas are protected and human encroachment in the name of infrastructural development stops. Also, overgrazing of the grasslands needs to be curbed because the small bird derives its food from the foliage below the deciduous trees. That’s precisely why the torchlight on the requirements of the owl should not dim.  

The book is one way to ensure continued public attention and sensitisation of the tourists of Melghat. This columnist met Dr Wadatkar in his Amravati home. An ornithologist by night and a lab technician by day, he resembled an eco-warrior, visibly charged by the idea of pulling out all stops to protect the forest owl. In one light moment he shared how relieved he was for not choosing teaching as a vocation, despite working in the Chemistry department of Amravati University. “If I had become an environmental science lecturer, I would be bound to a classroom.  For me, the time spent observing the owlet is any day a better bargain.” He has studied the bird in over 30 trips, accounting for 100 days in the wilderness, spanning two decades.  

He notes that his forest owlet research couldn’t have been successful without family support, especially since owls are perceived as sinister in Vidarbha. Ghubadtondya (resembling an owl) is a bad word used in rustic social exchanges. But surprisingly, the researcher has only received cooperation, be it from his larger family in Akot or his colleagues in the university.  

Dr Wadatkar feels the forest owl symbolises his connect with Melghat. As a schoolgoer, born in Balegaon village, less than an hour from Melghat, he would dream of trekking the hilly terrain. He would plead to accompany his renowned taxonomist uncle, Professor Manohar Dhore. But he was only allowed to visit Melghat, when he turned 16.

The researcher says the owlet deserves human support and sensitivity. Now that the bird has transitioned from the “critically rare” category to an “endangered” one, conservation measures have to speed up.  It cannot be left to its means, after it has managed to survive in hiding. Also a few forest owlets may have migrated beyond the Satpudas, like the one found in Tansa sanctuary, Palghar. Unless we are aware of the species, we won’t be able to distinguish. We better keep our eyes open, in daytime, for an unexpected sighting. 

Sumedha Raikar-Mhatre is a culture columnist in search of the sub-text.  You can reach her at sumedha.raikar @mid-day.com

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