Date: 15th December, 2024
Location: Chandu Budhera Wetlands
Walk expert: Akshit Dua
No. of participants: 5
Theme: Know your winter migratory birds
Akshit Dua led this amazing walk on Sunday, 15th December
A passionate bird and wildlife enthusiast, he specializes in avian mapping, behavior, and identification. With two years of extensive fieldwork experience around Gurugram, he has explored multiple grasslands, wetlands, and Aravalli foothills and sighted many rare avian species. Led bird surveys for the forest department in Chambal and Agra.
The participants arrived by 07:15 am at the meeting point near the Chandu - Budhera canal area. This particular walk was scheduled to know the status of some very rare species of birds such as the little gull and other migratory birds. The walk started with a briefing about the ecologically rich landscape of Chandu. Akshit sir led the walk and stopped near the wetland to explain the landscape of Chandu budhera and the bird diversity it consists of. He gave insights on the migratory bird species which could be encountered during the walk such as greater flamingos and little gulls.
The walk started at 07:30 am exploring birds by stopping and walking across the wetlands. Participants expressed their enthusiasm during the walk by actively engaging in the discussions on the birds' diversity and behavior. All were amazed to witness the flock of flamingos. Akshit Ji shared details about the status of different species of migratory birds observed in the winter season in the wetland.
The group of nature lovers was then led further into the wetland, sighting more species of birds. The flying Godwits was truly a sight to behold. People also witnessed other species of birds such as Ibis, cormorants, sparrows, gulls, Common shelduck, northern shoveler, teal, and pintail. Although little gull couldn't be sighted, nothing could beat the sighting of flamingos during the walk. Flocks of different birds greeted the participants with their majestic flight patterns.
Photos clicked, light snacks distributed and all left with a big smile on their faces as we ended the walk.
We thank Akshit ji for his valuable guidance and a super fun and informative session for all the participants. Participants enjoyed walking within the Chandu budhera wetlands. It was a walk full of adventure, thrill, and wonderful learning.
List of species spotted during the walk:
We observed species of birds during the walk. Some notable species during the walk were:-
Birds:- Common shelduck, Northern shoveler Black-tailed godwit, Gadwall, Black-necked stork, Greylag goose, Bar-headed goose, Northern pintail, White-throated kingfisher, Cormorant, Black-headed ibis, Ferruginous duck, Sarus crane, Common ringed plover, Pied avocet, Little ringed plover, Kentish plover, Common greenshank, Greater flamingo, Little grebe, Western marsh harrier, Isabelline shrike, European starling, Bluethroat, Spanish sparrow, House sparrow, Rosy pipit, White-tailed lapwing, Zitting cisticola, Little stint, Whiskered tern, Medium egret, Crested lark, Common chiffchaff, Western yellow wagtail, Citrine Wagtail