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| Wildebeest-ahem, Buffalos feeding on succulent grass |
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| Spot-billed Ducks |
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| A Heron flies overhead |
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| Purple Herons flying towards each other |
If you thought this is Masai Mara or one of those exotic, commercially promoted tourist destination, you are wrong. Tucked away, on the Basai-Jajjar highway, right in the backyard of sector 9, Gurgaon is a hidden paradise of birds, slowly disappearing a slow and torturous death! A paradise it is, and it is a stretch of Wetland known as the Basai Wetland, a paradise that the government continues to dispute though it continues to support a large number of exotic species of migratory as well as resident species of birds.
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| Wire-tailed Swallows |
This time when I visited the Wetland on the 23rd of August, an off-day for me, I was pleased to spot a trio of Dabchicks (Little Grebe) wading along looking as unconcerned as ever! Little Grebe, especially those that are breeding have a distinct rust-red colour on their heads and necks. Even more fascinating was the stately flight of a common pond Heron and then the frisky Wire-tailed Swallows that are distinct from Swifts that lack the bright bluish-purple coat of their cousins. The Wire-tailed Swallows moreover have long parallel wire-like appendages in their tails, rather like radio antennae.
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| Dabchicks or Little Grebe |
Weavers are very artistic, especially when it is about weaving a nest to lay eggs in. They, incidentally end up tying up long stalks of grass to form a single nest. And, yes, they try to mislead you about the presence of their nests even though there is a tell-tale sign of stalks of grass bending down to a knot.
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| Weaver Bird |
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| Weaver Bird |
If Wire-tailed Swallows are frisky then so are Bee-eaters! Spotted in two or threes, Bee-eaters seem to be wired for action. I sported quite a few of them darting to and fro.
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| Green Bee-eaters |
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| Bee-eaters |
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| Wire-tailed Swallow |
The larger birds like to congregate on the ground next to the water surface. Cattle Egrets, Common pond herons, Ibis, and Lapwings like foraging for food in groups. One might see a significant congregation of assorted birds foraging together for food at the Basai Wetland in Gurgaon most of the time!
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| Egrets |
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| Egrets |
Perhaps the greatest attraction of the Basai Wetland is that the entry is free all the year-round and it offers an exclusive opportunity for bird-spotters and wild-life photographers to test their skills in wildlife photography. I guess there is a slight advantage in the authorities not identifying the Basai Wetland as a Wetland because then the entry would be restricted.
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| A pair of Purple Herons |
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