Bar-Headed Geese in Gurgaon

It is amazing how far Bar-headed Geese travel in order to reach their breeding spots in Northern India. Last Sunday when I visited the Basai Wetland in Gurgaon, I was in for a pleasant surprise! The vast numbers of Spot-billed Ducks, Northern Shovellers and Pintails were replaced by a large number of Bar-headed Geese. Since it had been a foggy morning and it was really cold, I decided to visit the Wetland rather late, well after ten in the morning.

Usually, waterbirds leave their nesting grounds by eight in the morning, but then, I guess the low temperature and the accompanying fog had probably delayed their departure in time for me to spot them. The recent reports of bird flu, however, did not look evident in the birds that I saw since there were no bird-carcasses to be seen and they seemed to be in great form!

Bar-headed Geese are graceful yet powerful birds that travel huge distances and over great heights from central Asia to the Northern plains of India. Their migratory patterns and endurance have been a subject of scientific study. Scientists speculate that some of these birds might even have travelled all the way from Mongolia to India! 

Bar-headed Geese can often be heard before they are seen. They make a lot of noise while flying which is why one might get ready to photograph them well in time. I have also frequently found them taking off in the direction of the rising sun in the mornings, though this might be a coincidence. 

I have been photographing Bar-headed Geese for quite some time now and have noticed that the number of birds visiting the Basai Wetland in Gurgaon has grown immensely. This is probably because of the heavy rainfall in the month of January which has resulted in the filling up of low-lying shallow areas in the wetland. We have rarely had such heavy rainfall in the month of January before.

To appreciate the beauty of these majestic birds, the reader is requested to zoom into the photographs as much as possible. These are certainly marvels of nature and they deserve a good look!

...And if you thought they were simply blundering off into the blue, well, all I'd say is that you need to see them take off at one go. There is a sense of drama in their actions. They literally fly at you and you  are left wondering if it had taken you by surprise.