Navi Mumbai News: Rare Masked Booby Bird Rescued From Uran's Pirwad Beach After Monsoon Winds Push It Ashore

Navi Mumbai: A rare Masked Booby, a pelagic bird seldom seen on land, was recently rescued in an exhausted state from Pirwad Beach in Uran, after being pushed ashore by strong monsoon winds.

The bird was discovered on July 3 by birdwatcher Vaibhav Patil, who immediately contacted fellow birder Yash Shetty. The two were joined by a team of local birders including Surendra Patil, Harish Patil, Ayyapan Hariharan, Ravishankar Mantha, Vishal Thakur, and Anil, bringing the total to eight people involved in the rescue effort.

“The Masked Booby is a pelagic bird, meaning it lives in the open ocean and rarely comes to land. These birds are not usually blown in by full-fledged storms, but by strong monsoon winds that push them toward the shore. Once grounded, they become exhausted and rest in one spot,” explained Yash Shetty.

The team immediately contacted the Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW) and the Forest Department, who arrived on the scene and took the bird for medical attention. It is now recovering well and is expected to be released back into its natural marine habitat soon.

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The Masked Booby is considered a vagrant species in India, meaning it is rarely spotted here and usually appears outside of its typical migratory route. The successful rescue has been welcomed by the local conservation community, which praised the swift action and coordination among citizen birders.