Birds add mojo to otherwise monotonous summer days, and birders who’ve reached expert levels say the hot weather is a good time to start bird watching in Delhi. “Winter and passage birds have gone out and resident birds are breeding now. Very soon you will see chicks around you,” says Pankaj Gupta, a bird watcher from Delhi who has been through “the different ages of birdwatching, from note book and field guide to Apps and the Facebook-based birding of today.”
“To be out early in the morning is a great stress-buster. Birds engage in display and mating rituals during breeding season,” says Nikhil Devasar, founder of Delhi Bird. What makes Delhi an interesting birdwatching destination is the plethora of habitat it offers. “Bird distribution depends on habitat,” says Abhishek Gulshan, founder of the Delhi-based nature education and awareness initiative NINOX.
It helps to attend a few birding tours initially, suggests Gupta. “If you are not a birder you will be familiar with 10 species, such as crow, pigeon and myna but after a birdwatching trip, you will spot over 60 birds at the local park,” he says.
A word of caution though: “Areas such as Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary and Mangar Bani get a good share of birds. But it is not advisable to go birding alone here,” says Sutirtha Lahiri, who has worked as a research volunteer at a Hornbill Research and Conservation Programme in Arunachal Pradesh
Keep away
Pankaj Gupta tells us what to avoid Selfie moments that distract everyone Nest photography that take you too close to a next or the eggs.
The urge to rescue chicks: Not every chick on the ground needs help. That is the natural way for them to explore.
Feeding a chick: Most chicks eat insects and we try to feed them grain or rice. Ninety-five per cent of rescued birds die in the hands of humans.
Birdwatching aids
These help identify birds, migration patterns and more
Apps: eBird, Merlin Bird ID, Audubon Bird Guide App
Social media: www.facebook.com/NinoxEdu, locality specific WhatsApp based birding groups that keeps members posted on bird-watching programmes.
Books: Birds About Delhi by Nikhil Devasar, Garden Birds of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur by Samar Singh, Atlas of the Birds of Delhi and Haryana by Bill Harvey and Bikram Grewal, Birds of the Indian Subcontinent by Richard Grimmett, Tim Inskipp and Carol Inskipp
Where to watch
In Delhi: Buddha Jayanti Park, Hauz Khas Park, Nehru Park, Sanjay Van, Jawaharlal Nehru University, the wetlands of Najafgarh
Around Delhi: The wetlands in Haryana (Sultanpur, Basai) and in Uttar Pradesh (Okhla Bird Sanctuary, Surajpur Wetlands and Dhanauri). Arid Scrublands (Mangar on the Gurgaon-Faridabad Highway and Aravalli Biodiversity Park that extends across Vasant Kunj in Delhi to Gurugram)
Birds to watch
Nikhil Devasar gives us a list
Rosy starlings
The birds have a pink-and-black plumage, thus the name ‘Rosy’ starling. They pass through Delhi in April, going to their breeding grounds in Central Asia. You can hear their chatter in trees with large canopies throughout Delhi these days. They move in huge flocks and form patterns while flying, in a spectacular avian air show called murmurations. Catch them near India Gate, where they settle down for the night in the trees around. They feed on insects.
Coppersmith barbet
This bird is presently singing (display for mating) at the top of its voice all over Delhi. It sits on a high tree and calls. As it has plumage the same colour as the leaves it is difficult to locate it. The bird gets its name ‘Coppersmith’ from the fact that its calling (a metallic tuk…tuk) resembles the sound of the hammer of a coppersmith at work. Males and females look alike. These birds are found in abundance in gardens, groves and forests.
Sarus crane
This is the tallest flying bird in the world and stands at 5 feet. The birds pair for life thus considered a symbol of love. They’re known for their courtship dance. They have grey feathers, bare red heads and long red legs to help them wade through water bodies, wetlands and paddy fields where they’re found. Sultanpur National Park, Yamuna floodplains, Okhla Bird Sanctuary and Dhanauri are good places to spot them. They feed on aquatic plants, snails, frog, fish and grasshoppers
Black-necked stork
They are waders, with long red legs that help them move in swamps and floodplains to find their food. The birds have a glossy black head with black wings and tail feathers, and white feathers over the back and belly. They have a long black bill. They stretch their neck out in flight. The female stork has yellow eyes. Find them in wetlands such as Sultanpur National Park.
