Nature: Ducks Fight in Bird Valley Park

When I visited Bird Valley Park in Pune recently, I witnessed a curious scene. You can check out my pictures of the lake-park and ducks here in my previous post. Coming back the incident; here is the sequence of events which unfolded: 

The lake has both complete white and spotted brown type of ducks.

(Above) Two brown ducks were swimming and enjoying in the lake

(Above) Suddenly a group of white ducks rushed towards them

(Above) More white ducks joined them and they started confronting the brown ducks as if there was going to be a gang-war

(Above) The brown ducks were threatened and one of the brown ducks, perhaps the male, is seen coming in front of the other duck which was perhaps female and it appeared as if he was trying to protect her. But the brown ducks were completely bullied. All ducks were also making noise. 

(Above) After a while, it was all fine. The white dominating ducks were calmed down after having made their point and in a few minutes swam to a different area. 

I do not know exactly what transpired among those ducks. But clearly the white ducks were united as a group and the brown spotted ducks were a separate team. There was certainly a tension between these two groups which did not turn into a full fledged street (lake) fight and no one was really harmed. Perhaps the white ducks sent a message to the brown spotted ducks. Was it a fight over territory which had food? Most likely. The white ducks also appeared much bigger in size and were stronger; giving them an edge. 

After this incident, I am left wondering that perhaps racism is not really a human trait; is it? Perhaps even among some animals and birds, folks are treated differently based on their "color". 

"Birds of a feather flock together" - is an old saying; how could I forget? 

A curious incident indeed. 

- Rahul Tiwary | Pune | March 2019

Travelogue: Bird Valley Park in Pune

Bird Valley Udyan (Park), is a wonderful lake-park in Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune. You can find it on Maps here. Here are some of the pictures taken during my visit:

(Above) Status of Chhatrapti Shiva ji Maharaj fighting a lion with bare hands; at the entrance of the park

(Above) Scenic view of the lake and area around it

(Above) Visitors enjoying boat ride. There are two types of boat: motorized which will take you around come return along with others; solo ride (smaller boats) which you need to drive by paddling yourself. You can roam around personally and with privacy on the boat and then return within a time limit. 

(Above) Beautiful ducks in the lake. You can feed the ducks by throwing cracked corn or other allowed items and they will readily grab and eat

(Above) A white duck dives

(Above) Hello! Anyone inside? :) A duck is inside the ripples. 

(Above) People roaming around the lake in solo boats

(Above) Ducks would do the talking

(Above) Why are you hiding mate? Dipping inside the water to bring out food!

(Above) Ducks of all colors

(Above) Natural beauty

(Above) At far distance; you can see a demon-like mascot oozing out water from his mouth

(Above) Want to say something? Reaching out!

(Above) I loved this duck the most; he is standing tall on two legs as if he is a small man or boy! 

(Above) Sculpture of a large eagle at one end of the lake

(Above) Sculpture of workers at the main entrance of the park

(Above) Outside the main gate

(Above) People coming out of the park

(Above) I could find an old bird; her feathers have all fallen. I am not sure if she was sick; but she was along with the healthy birds and hence I could sense that she should not be sick. Thankfully she was only one of her kind and there were no other suffering birds. 

A few general suggestions: 

The park's opening time is 12 PM to 7 PM. It is really a nice place to visit in the evening; but you must have 1-2 hours to enjoy properly.

Entrance fee for the park is only Rs 10 per person. There is parking available near the main gate and it appears to be free. 

You can take your camera or phones inside and there is no restriction or fee. Boat rides are of course charged. 

You may need minimum 2 hours to enjoy the visit properly. Main attraction of the park is the lake and its boat ride. Even if you choose not to ride the boats; you may stand or sit near the lake side and enjoy watching the ducks and the scenery. 

There is a walking path all around the lake; it must be long stretch (may be 2 km). If you decide to follow the path; you should be prepared to find some couples sitting there in objectionable state (PDA: public display of affection); hence be prepared to ignore or else do not go much further and return to the area where ducks are and boat platform sooner.

This is a wonderful lake and park and a must visit for all if you like waterbody and ducks. 

- Rahul Tiwary