Nilje: The Jewel of Dombivli
In the first week of April 2010, I finally managed to visit the beautiful Nilje Lake near Dombivli. I started off from my in-laws’ place in Dombivli on a morning trip of Nilje Lake with my wife’s uncle Uday Dada. After planning for several weeks we managed to make this trip and despite the rising mercury it was worth it. We started off at 8.30 am, which is late as compared to normal bird-watching standards, but since we expected waders (birds seen in shallow water) we were not bothered about the time, since unlike forest or grassland birds, waders generally remain in the wetlands even as the scorching sun marches up the sky. We drove off on Uday Dada’s Honda Activa and even in the concrete jungle called Dombivli, the beauty of spring was evident from the blossoms of Indian Laburnum (Bahawa), Gulmohar, Copperpod (Soanmohar), White Silk Cotton and an occasional Pride Of India tree (Taman). After cruising briefly on the Kalyan Shil Road amidst upcoming townships altering the earlier rural...