The bird count was jointly oraganised by the Gujarat forest department, Bird Conservation Society of Gujarat (BCSG) and Saurashtra Chemicals Limited | Express photo by Nirmal Harindran Birds have long made for interesting and captivating muses for bird-watchers and photographers owing to their amusing habits, the vivid colours they flaunt in flight, and more.
If you are also someone who is warming up to birdwatching and want to give yourself the best shot of spotting these magnificent characters in their natural habitat, and in all their glory, then these are the best birding sites in India to visit.
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Rajasthan
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Formerly known as Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, with its (approximately) 370 species of birds, Keoladeo was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. Besides the Indian Courser, Siberian Rubythroat, Marsh Harrier, Dalmation Pelican, Eurasian Spoonbill, Ferruginous Duck, that populate this sanctuary, there are also fish, reptiles, snakes, and amphibian species which call Keoladeo home.
Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh
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It is home to the Bugun Liochichla, a bird named after the local Bugun tribe, which birders throng Eaglenest for. It is sandwiched between the Pakke Tiger Reserve and the Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary, which means it enjoys complete serenity, silence, and isolation, three of most important prerequisites for a site conducive for birdwatching. After all, it isn’t without reason that the sanctuary has been marked an IBA, or an Important Bird Area. Blyth’s tragopan, snow partridge, Ward’s trogon, Fire-tailed myzornis, etc. are some of the 500 bird species found here.
Mangalajodi, Odisha
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On the northeast frontier of Lake Chilika is located the wetlands of Mangalajodi which, besides its approximately 100 bird species, also has a heart-warming story. Here, the villagers who used to be bird hunters have turned protectors in what is an exemplary act of community-based eco-tourism. They now use their knowledge of the wetlands to protect the open billed storks, black tailed godwits, black winged stilts, and many other birds who frequent the location.
Thattekad Bird Sanctuary, Kerala
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In God’s own country, the birds are as colourful and full of character as they come. Home to over 250 species of birds is Ernakulum’s Thattekad Bird Sanctuary with birds like Malabar parakeet, Sri Lanka frogmouths, Asian fairy-bluebird, Indian swiftlet, Loten’s sunbird, and many frequenting it.
Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttarakhand
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While animals are hard to sight in Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, 200 species of birds populate this sanctuary, said to be the last remaining patch of natural oak forest in the Himalayas. This protected area shelters species like the chukar partridge, koklass pheasant, brown wood owl, common hoopoe, black-rumped woodpecker, among others.
Bhigwan Bird Sanctuary, Maharashtra
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Bhigwan Bird Sanctuary witnesses the marvelous site of a big crowd of flamingoes, referred to as ‘flamboyance’, when they flock the backwater of the Ujaini Dam in Pune. Often referred to as the ‘Bharatpur of Maharashtra’, Bhigwan’s avifauna also includes spoonbills and osprey along with the remarkable Peregrine falcon, the fastest bird of the animal kingdom.
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