Mayureshwar : A Tiny Bliss Near Pune

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A tiny bit of untamed wilderness, however small it may be, is such a joy to be in. Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary near Supe (near Pune) is one such place. When ever you feel like a drive out of the city into the lap of nature, Mayureshwar is nearby. And being a grassland area, it has its own charm.

Mayureshwar can be reached from Pune in about 2 hours. It’s barely 67 km away. The drive is nice, on the new Solapur Highway, and you have great places to eat on the way as well. We left at around 6:30 am and took our time. Stopped a couple of times and reached the gate of the snactuary, from where you have to buy an entrance ticket and are allowed to take your car in. The sanctuary itself is extremely small, and once inside, you can walk on the trails. Be careful of snakes.

We were greeted by a bunch of Grey Necked Buntings. After spending some time photographing and observing them we moved deepr into the sanctuary only to catch a glimpse of an Indian Fox chasing an Indian Hare. It was so quick, we could only manage a glimpse. The little commotion made some Chinkara run into our gaze. Following the direction of the Fox, we walked deeper into the grasslands. It was by now deserted, and not an animal in sight. But pkenty of birds. Suddenly the grass moved and we saw in the distance an Indian Grey Wolf. The largest predator of this forest, he was a bit surprised to see us, but gracefully walked away.

With only an area of 5.1 sq km, Mayureshwar is a refuge for many species like the Chinkara (Gazelia bennetti), Indian Grey Wolf (Canis lupus), Hyaena (Hyaena hyaena), Indian Fox (Vulpes bengalensis), Indian Hare (Lepus nigricollis) amongst the mammals. There are also birds like the Yellow Wattled Lapwing (Vanellus malabaricus) amongst others. It’s extremely humbling to see how in so little nature can sprinkle abundance of life form and purpose. We need to ensure these protected regions stay protected and grow for ourselves and our future generations.

Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary
The landscape of Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary is mostly degraded grasslands with Acacias thrown in for good measure.
Yellow Wattled Lapwing at Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary
A Yellow Wattled Lapwing (Vanellus malabaricus), which for me was the main attraction to come here. I could only manage this rear shot.
Wildflower in Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary
A tiny tiny wildlflower in the Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary. This flower must be only around 1.5mm big.
Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary
A wild herb in Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary
Ant in Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary
Ants go around their work at the Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary
Wildflower in Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary
Another gorgeous tiny wildflower, around 1.5/2mm in diameter.
Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary
There are a couple of watchtowers inside the Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary to observe wildlife.
Shrike at Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary
The Bay Backed Shrike (Lanius vittius) at Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary
Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary
A trail inside Mayureshwar
Indian Robin in Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary
An Indian Robin (Copsychus fulicatus) inside the Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary. This tiny fragment of a forest has rich bio diversity.
Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary
We were lucky to spot the Indian Grey Wolf (Canis lupus) inside the Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary
Indian Wolf at Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary
He looked at us one last time before vanishing into the grass. The Indian Grey Wolf (Canis lupus)
Chinkara at Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary
We did manage to spot a couple of Chinkara or Indian Gazelles at Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary
Purple Sunbird at Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary
The purple sunbird (Cinnyris asiaticus) is an insect eating bird which is also an important pollinator. At the Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary
Grey necked Bunting at Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary
A Grey Necked Bunting (Emberiza buchanani) greets us at Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary
Insect egg sack at Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary
Is that the egg sack of a Praying Matis? Or some spider’s?
Common Woodshrike in Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary
The common woodshrike (Tephrodornis pondicerianus). They nest in summer before the rainy season, building a cup nest on a bare fork. The nest is made of fibres and bark held by cobwebs and covered with bits of bark and lichen.

[box type=”success” width=”100%” ]How To Reach: Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary can be reached easily by road from Mumbai or Pune via the Solapur Highway.

When to Visit: Just after monsoons (August) or Winters (November till February) are a good time to visit. Mayureshwar becomes blazing hot in the summers.

Where to stay: Since Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary is close to Pune, the best stay option would be in Pune.

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8 thoughts on “Mayureshwar : A Tiny Bliss Near Pune”

  5. Looking at the images of places like this always warms my heart. It’s always nice to see animals living freely in their natural habitat. Us visiting them is a reminder that we share this planet not only with other humans, but also all kinds of animals, big and small.

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