Zeeshan Tirmizi

Student Reporter

Photographs

Gani Sama

PARI Desk

Editor

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Gani Sama is a 37-year-old
naturalist and boatman at the Nal Sarovar lake and bird sanctuary in Gujarat.
This 120 square kilometer lake in Viramgam tehsil of Ahmedabad district attracts many migratory birds coming through the Central
Asian Flyway, from the Arctic Ocean to the Indian Ocean. 



“I can identify more than 350
species of birds,” he says, including many of these migratory birds coming to
Nal Sarovar. “Earlier, around 240 species of birds were spotted here, now the
number has reached more than 315.” 



Gani spent his childhood in and
around the lake. “My father and my grandfather helped the forest department
with the protection of these birds. They both worked as boatmen with the forest
department and now I do the same,” he says. “[When] I started in 1997,
sometimes I used to get work and other times I wouldn’t get anything,” he
recalls. 



Things changed in 2004 when the
forest department hired him as a boatman for patrolling and protecting birds
and, “I earn around 19,000 rupees a month now.”

The third-generation boatman and
avid birdman grew up in Vekariya village, three kilometers from Nal Sarovar.
Tourism related work on this lake is the only source of income for the people
of the village. 



Gani studied in the government
primary school in the village but dropped out of school after Class 7 as the
family needed him to start earning. He has two brothers and two sisters. When
he was 14, Gani started on the Nal Sarovar as a private boatman. 



Despite a stop to his formal
education, Gani can spot and name any bird at first glance. Not having a
professional camera initially did not stop him from photographing wildlife.
“When I didn’t have a camera, I used to put my phone on a viewing telescope and
take pictures of birds.” He finally got a Nikon COOLPIX P950 camera and
binoculars in 2023. “R.J. Prajapati [Deputy Conservator of Forests] and D.M.
Solanki [Range Forest Officer] helped me purchase a camera and binoculars.” 



Gani also assisted researchers and
this has led to international recognition of his photos of migratory birds at
Nal Sarovar. “I took pictures of two birds from the same nest in Russia, tagged
as U3 and U4. In 2022, I found U3 when it came here; this year [2023], I also
found U4. When these were sent to a Russian scientist through the Wildlife
Federation of India, the scientist informed us that those birds had come from
the same nest. Both birds visited Nal Sarovar,” he says excitedly.



He says Russian scientists noted his
sightings. “I had found around eight ringed birds called Demoiselle Crane (Grus virgo).
I took pictures of these birds which were then sent and noted.”

Gani has noticed changes taking
place in <a href="https://www.gujarattourism.com/central-zone/ahmedabad/nalsarovar-bird-sanctuary.html">Nal Sarovar</a> due to
climate change. “Because of the effects of the Biporjoy cyclone that hit
Gujarat in June, there are some new species of seabirds that were sighted here
for the first time, like Brown noddy (Anous stolidus), Sooty tern (Onychoprion fuscatus), Arctic Skua (Stercorarius parasiticus), and Bridled tern (Onychoprion anaethetus).” 



Through the Central Asian Flyway
have come the Red-breasted goose (Branta ruficollis) – the center of
attraction at Nal Sarovar in winter. It has been coming here for the last three
years. It comes from places like Mongolia and Kazakhstan. “That one bird has
been coming here for the previous three years. It has been continuously coming
here”, Gani points out. He mentions the critically endangered sociable lapwing
(Vanellus gregarius) that also visits the bird sanctuary. 



“One [bird] is named after me,” says Gani,
speaking about a crane. “That crane is in Russia right now; it went to Russia
and then returned to Gujarat and then again went back to Russia,” he recalls.



“I frequently give many pictures in newspapers.
They don’t publish my name. But I’m happy to see the images there,” says Gani.

Birdman and boatman of Nal Sarovar

نل سروور جھیل میں پرندوں کے محافظ ملّاح

நால் சரோவரின் படகு மற்றும் பறவை மனிதர்

ਨਲ ਸਰੋਵਰ ਦੇ ਪੰਛੀ ਪ੍ਰੇਮੀ ਅਤੇ ਕਿਸ਼ਤੀ ਚਾਲਕ

ନଲ ସରୋବରର ନାବିକ ଓ ପକ୍ଷୀବିତ୍‌

നൽ സരോവറിന്റെ പക്ഷിമനുഷ്യനും വഞ്ചിക്കാരനും

ನಾಲ್‌ ಸರೋವರದ ಪಕ್ಷಿ ವೀಕ್ಷಕ ಮತ್ತು ಅಂಬಿಗ

नल सरोवर का पक्षी-मित्र

नल सरोवर के डोंगनहार चिरई मितान

नल सरोवर के चिरई प्रेमी आउर नाव खिवैया

নৌকায় সওয়ার নল সরোবরের পক্ষীকুলের রক্ষক

নল সৰোবৰৰ পক্ষীবিদ আৰু নাৱৰীয়াজন

નળ સરોવરના તજ્જ્ઞ પક્ષીવિદ અને નાવિક

Viramgam

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Birdman and boatman of Nal Sarovar

Gani Sama has his eye on migratory birds that stop at this large lake near his home near Viramgam, Gujarat

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