Beat the Heat

As summer unfurls its scorching embrace, the air quivers with heat, and life seeks respite under the generous canopy of shade. In these relentless days, as we reach for cool drinks and shady spots, let us not forget our feathered companions, whose thirst knows no tap or faucet. With summer worsening, most water sources forContinue reading “Beat the Heat”

“Winter is not a season it’s a Celebration”

Sukhna Lake | November 2021 The best time to visit Chandigarh is during the winter season, which begins in the mid of November and extends till the mid of March. Weather is pleasant here during this season and the city receives maximum tourist footfall. January is the coldest month with Chilling nights and foggy days.Continue reading ““Winter is not a season it’s a Celebration””

Winter Visitor- Eurasian Coot

Next in the list of Winter Visitors is Eurasian Coot. It can be easily spotted at both the lakes in Chandigarh i.e. Sukhna Lake as well as Dhanas Lake. Notable for its slaty black plumage and a lustrous white frontal shield and bill, this bird species is common on lakes, reservoirs, and slow-moving watercourses, inContinue reading “Winter Visitor- Eurasian Coot”

Winter Visitors – Green-winged Teal, Mallard & Gadwall

The journey which had started from the month of October 2021 is near completion, as the summer season has already started taking over the charge from the Winter. In this blog, I would like to share some pictures and other information about three other species Green-winged Teal, Mallard and Gadwall, which obliged me this winterContinue reading “Winter Visitors – Green-winged Teal, Mallard & Gadwall”

Purple Heron

The twelfth in the series of Winter Visitor to the city is Purple Heron. Similar in appearance to the grey heron but slightly smaller, more slender and has darker reddish brown plumage. It has a narrower yellow bill, which is brighter in breeding adults. It is also a more evasive bird, favoring densely vegetated habitatsContinue reading “Purple Heron”

Black-crowned Night-Heron

The next in my series of Winged Visitors to City Beautiful, Chandigarh is Black-crowned Night Heron. The Black-crowned Night-Heron is a black, white and grey bird, identified by its black cap and back, white neck and grey wings, stocky build and with neck usually tucked in. In flight, it has a distinctive compressed outline withContinue reading “Black-crowned Night-Heron”

Northern Shoveler

The next in the list of Winter Visitors to the City Beautiful is Northern Shoveler. The name of the Northern Shoveler is derived from its highly specialized spoon shaped bill that is used to forage for aquatic invertebrates. I spotted Northern Shoveler at Sukhna Lake, Chandigarh in the second week of February. Though the flockContinue reading “Northern Shoveler”

Northern Pintail

The latest to wing its way to the Sukhna Lake at Chandigarh is the Northern pintail (Anas acuta), an elegant medium-sized dabbling duck with a slim profile, long narrow neck and pointed tail, that is native to the northern areas of Europe. The male’s long central tail feathers give rise to the species’ English andContinue reading “Northern Pintail”

Winged Odyssey – Bar-headed Goose

They don’t train or acclimatize. They could walk on the top of Everest and have no problem at all. They achieve physiological feats that seem impossible – flying at extreme altitude, where there is less than 10% the oxygen found at sea level.  They never stop flapping their wings and one or two of theContinue reading “Winged Odyssey – Bar-headed Goose”

Tufted Duck

The next in the list of Winter Migrants to the City Beautiful is Tufted Duck. Like every year, this year also Tufted Ducks started arriving in the month of October 2021 and likely to stay here till March 2022. I had spotted Tufted Duck at Dhanas Lake on 23rd October and a flock of TuftedContinue reading “Tufted Duck”