Go on this two-day walk in Palghar to discover the forest owlet

Who is as wise as an owl We can tell who are not mdash large sections of humankind who have taken Hedwigs and Plops out of their fantastic lands and reduced them to props in magic and sorcery When we chanced upon a nature walk conceived around the curious case of the forest owlet whose alleged extinction and reemergence is said to have the very ingredients of a murder mystery novel a teensy part of our brains did link the mystification to folklore Prachi Galange from Vanvasm an ecological tour agency dispels our doubtsGalange says walking in search of the forest owlet is a means to garner interest in conservation ldquoPopulation estimates report there are less than 1000 individuals of this species in the wild Our walk will survey the biodiversity of the area but our focal point of discussion will be the history of the forest owlet Catching sight of an animal or a bird however common can never be guaranteed Yet jungle trails donrsquot lose their significance The purpose is to include local communities and make them aware that preserving naturersquos creation can also help them earn their breadrdquo Galange explains drawing attention to the mounting relevance of local tourismTansa Wildlife SanctuaryBut what about murder mysteries and a scarce owl species Galange who has always been inclined to the variability of natural bounties shares that the bird was first discovered in 1872 by a British officer called FR Blewitt thatrsquos where the name of the owlet is borrowed from Due to long periods of zero sightings the forest owlet was considered to have gone extinct but after over a hundred years Dr Pamela Rasmussen spotted the bird in Maharashtrarsquos Nandurbar districtPrachi Galange PicsInstagramldquoAt around that time she realised birders were going by an inaccurate description of the birdrdquo the tour curator adds The trail that begins and ends at Atgaon railway station will host fellow birders at Tansa guest house While the first day will start with a brief birdwatching session followed by dinner fun conversations and some leisure in the lap of nature the second day of the trail will concentrate on calling out to the forest owlet The third wave has discouraged a considerable footfall but the curators say ldquoWersquoll go ahead with the few people who have signed up for this and hope for better timesrdquoOn January 8 to 9At Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary PalgharCall 9356547141Cost Rs 1200Fast FactsThe forest owlet Athene Blewitti is an endemic species found only in some forests of Central India mdash Nashik Nandurbar Melghat Tiger Reserve of Maharashtra Burhanpur and Betul districts of Madhya Pradesh and Purna Sanctuary Navsari and Valsad districts of Gujaratgtgt In 2014 the owlet was spotted at Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary only a few hours away from Mumbaigtgt This endangered bird species is the 17th entry on the International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN Red List of Threatened Speciesgtgt They look stocky and are usually small 23cm if one has to differentiate a forest owlet from a spotted owlet know that the former has fewer and fainter spots on its crown and backgtgt They are called the lsquobig footrsquo of the bird world for their large talons The talons help them prey on animals twice their sizegtgt Forest owlets arenrsquot shy during the day unlike most of their nocturnal relatives They are diurnal and also crepuscular active during twilight hours