There are about 143 species of birds that visit Chandigarh and adjoining areas in Winter Season
Sukhna Wetland – Lifestyle for Environment
Northern Pintails, Gadwalls, Common Pochards, Red Crested Pochards, Northern Shovelers, Black-headed Gull, Ferruginous Ducks, Eurasian Wigeon, Eurasian Coots at Sukhna Lake – March 2023 India took over the presidency of G20 Summit 2023 and among over 50 cities across India, Chandigarh has been picked to host two meetings on key topics. It is a matter…
Mote Majra Wetland- A perfect homestay for winged guests
Mote Majra village is situated on the Chandigarh Patiala Road in SAS Nagar Mohali, just 30 km from Chandigarh. At the entrance to the village is a small pond about 20 acres in size. But despite its small size, it is popular for the winged guests which arrive here every winter from different parts of…
“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.…
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, in…
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 winter…
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 flock…
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 and…
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 the…
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 Tufted…
Little Grebe
Next in the list of Winter Visitors to City Beautiful is the Little Grebe. We can spot little grebes, fishing and enjoying winter season at Dhanas Lake. The little grebe also known as dab chick, is a smaller dark brown bird with white under parts, only six inches long with a short neck and no…
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 at…
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 behind…
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 to…