India, Oct. 5 -- Not too many birders prefer to explore obscure, rough and off-road habitats. Most settle for havens close to roads and relish "served plates" like Chakki Mod in Solan district. Pushkar Bali is a birder who has made a name for himself by plunging off the birding map and coming up with new records and undetermined habitats. A pharmacist by profession, he does not hesitate to file complaints against powerful interests assaulting biodiversity. On September 28, Bali went looking for a sensation (Golden-fronted leafbird) in the Saketri scrublands adjacent to Sukhna Lake. The scrublands are under threat of annihilation from urbanisation. Bali glimpsed there a slim bird with a regal, upright posture on a mound of 'malba'. The bird turned out to be a fascinating rarity, a Rufous-tailed Rock thrush. This species passes through India in autumn from summer breeding grounds in the northern latitudes. It then embarks over the blue sprawls to winter in sub-Saharan Africa. Bali's find triggered a wave of birders to Saketri seeking a 'thrush pretty pic'. Some rushed from Kaithal and Jammu! But for Bali, the latest feather in his birding hat was not simply a post of untempered exultation on social media. "It pains me to see pristine habitats shrinking in the name of development," Bali told this writer. "As Saketri was new to me, and in keeping with my habit of exploring unfamiliar spots, I had wandered beyond the usual birding stops. The leafbird did not grant me an audience, but instead, I stumbled upon something far rarer: the thrush. Ironically, it was not perched on a natural rocky outcrop, but on construction debris including washed cement from mixer trucks. It was a poignant reminder of how our winged guests are being forced to adapt to human-wrenched landscapes. The arrival of such a rare passage migrant is a cause for celebration but it also serves as a grim reminder: unless we conserve habitats around us, these gifts of nature may vanish from our region's skies," he augured....