KALMUSTA - White-Backed Vulture
This is a very small village with about 10 – 20 houses. One has to go down the Trimbak road turn right from Trimbakeshwar and take a left that goes to Sapgaon. Go further down the road which will connect you to a dirt road that will end in Kalmusta and Jamulphada village. Ask the local villagers there about the location of the nest. We recorded 2 nests on a huge Silk cotten tree Bombax ciba with one chick per nest.
The habitat in the valleys is semi evergreen type with more deciduous trees than evergreen. Some of the trees that we have listed are teak, many species of terminalia, mango, ficus trees like banyan etc. The top plains have cultivation and top slopes have secondary growth showing regeneration of previously lopped area.
The area comes under reserve forest and the major threat is from wood cutting by the local villagers to serve as fuel for Brick manufacturing Klins near by.
N 19 degree 55.855 mins
E 73 degree 27.990 mins
*Hills in the Nashik disrict with huge vertical rock walls have numerous niches and ledges which are a favorable nesting and roosting site for many raptors.
