Birding in Gurgaon

A Pair of Pintail Ducks at the Sultanpur National Park

Come winter, and birds flock over to the few remaining wetlands in Gurgaon. The weather, however, can be a great disappointment, especially as the fog and smog can play spoilsport! Moreover, this time when I visited the Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary and the Chandu Budhera wetland it was a day after the rain. It was a pleasure to spot so many species of ducks at the sanctuary. What was even more surprising was to spot a large number of juvenile painted storks on the ground before the hide meant for photographers!

This Red-naped Ibis looked at me with curiosity

Some of the birds often spotted at the Chandu Budhera wetland include Gulls and Red-naped Ibis birds. It is surprising to spot Gulls that are supposed to be found on seashores.

Bar-headed Geese can be spotted in large numbers at the Chandu Budhera wetland. They can be spotted feeding in the new ploughed fields. These graceful birds have fascinated me for quite some time now. They are as graceful in flight as on the ground!

Bird Species spotted at the Sultanpur National Park in January and February, 2020

The above two photographs are of an Indian Robin performing a courtship ritual. No doubt he was so busy with trying to attract a female that he didn't mind me!

A Shrike waits patiently for breakfast.Shrikes are apparently the wait and watch kind of hunters.

The above two snaps are of a Drongo waiting for an insect to eat. Incidentally getting the eye is a challenge because of the rather dark colour of the feathers. 

Greylag Geese move en-masse, they somehow live in communities of five or more birds.

Pintail Ducks are named so because of their tails which seem to be pointed like pins.

Eurasian Spoonbills seem to prefer solitude. They swing their beaks from side to side in shallow water to catch bits and pieces of food.

Spot billed Ducks are pretty common in this region. They commonly forage in the weeds for food. I have also found them in groups if four or five.

Northern Shoveler Ducks like the Spot billed ducks are very common in the region at this time of the year. Observe the shape of its beak, you will notice that it is wide like a shovel!

Spotted Owls, especially juvenile birds can often be spotted perched on the same branch in twos or threes.