Common Pochard

The next winter visitor, which has already arrived at the water bodies of City Beautiful this winter and can be easily spotted is Common Pochard. We can easily spot Common Pochards either at Sukhna Lake or more closely at Dhanas Lake. These are likely to stay here till March. The feature image was clicked atContinue reading “Common Pochard”

Red-billed Blue-Magpie

The red-billed blue magpie  is a colourful bird known for having one of the longest tails in birds. They were named magpies primarily for the fact that they consume almost everything – they are omnivores. Red-billed blue magpie have already arrived at Chandigarh in this winter season and can be seen at Nature trail behindContinue reading “Red-billed Blue-Magpie”

Ruddy shelduck ( Brahminy Duck )

The Ruddy shelduck, known in India as the Brahminy duck, is a winter visitor to Chandigarh. These ducks have already arrived at Sukhna Lake. It has orange-brown body plumage with a paler head, while the tail and the flight feathers in the wings are black, contrasting with the white wing-coverts. It may be due toContinue reading “Ruddy shelduck ( Brahminy Duck )”

Great Cormorant

The Great cormorant is a large, long-necked, beautiful black waterbird with an oily Plumage which is usually black with an iridescent sheen.  It is often seen with its wings spread for drying after it had been diving for fish. After fishing, cormorants go ashore and are frequently seen holding their wings out in the sun. CormorantsContinue reading “Great Cormorant”

Winter Visitors – Chandigarh

Painted Stork | Sukhna Lake | February 2021 Every year, with the Change in weather and the start of winter, winged visitors from far-off places like Siberia, Central Asia, China, Afghanistan, and also from Upper Himalayas start arriving at Water Bodies in and around Chandigarh.  I have been birding for the last two years.  Generally,Continue reading “Winter Visitors – Chandigarh”

Oriental Magpie Robin

The Oriental Magpie-Robin is the national bird of Bangladesh, where it is known as Doyel/doel and appears on their currency notes as well. The Oriental Magpie-Robin is a medium-sized robin (19-20 cm) with a broad white wing-bar running from the shoulder to the tip of the wing, and a long tail with white outer-tail feathers.Continue reading “Oriental Magpie Robin”

White – throated Kingfisher

A brilliant turquoise blue Kingfisher with deep chocolate brown head, neck and under parts, a conspicuous white ‘shirt front’ and long heavy , pointed red bill.  A white wing patch is noticeable in flight.  It is perhaps the most familiar of our kingfishers and also known as white-breasted kingfisher. It is also the state birdContinue reading “White – throated Kingfisher”

Indian Roller – An auspicious bird

Indian roller also popularly known as Blue Jay, is one of the most colourful birds of India whose colours are visible during flight.  Found across the plains in India, it is the state bird of three Indian States, Telangana, Karnataka and Odisha. The bird gets its name from the wonderful acrobatics the male displays duringContinue reading “Indian Roller – An auspicious bird”

Ashy Prinia – The Ashy Wren Warbler

Eleven species of Prinia are found in India, but this write-up focuses on the  species most commonly found in cities and human-dominated habitats , Ashy Prinia.  It is a common inhabitant of gardens and backyards. The Ashy Prinia is a small sociable bird that’s easy to spot.  Prinias are sometimes called long tail warblers orContinue reading “Ashy Prinia – The Ashy Wren Warbler”

Purple Sunbird – The tiniest bird in ours garden

The Purple sunbird is a small bird and one of the common and most beautiful birds in our gardens. Its name, purple sunbird, comes from the male, some of whose feathers acquire a metallic purple shade under soft sunlight. In harsh sunlight, it appears to be a shiny black although it is a combination ofContinue reading “Purple Sunbird – The tiniest bird in ours garden”