World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) is an annual awareness-raising campaign highlighting the need for the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats celebrated on second Saturday of months May and October.

13th October 2018 is the World Migratory Bird Day.

I am an accidental birder really.

Inclination is not the question, but time is. I would love to sit surrounded by nature for hours and observe birds flit through the lush foliage of trees but a family life in city has its own set of responsibilities that I can not and would not run away from.

But that doesn’t stop me from taking a wild life adventure once in a while.  I may have missed the elusive tiger during all my wildlife adventures but birds, I have seen aplenty. And it was only later I realized that some of the birds that I saw were winter migratory birds.

The birds migrate to warmer regions to make optimum use of temperatures and food. Indian temperatures are conducive to migration and many parts of the country see birds from colder regions arrive for breeding. There are at least 100 species of birds that migrate to India both in winters and summers.

The first major migratory bird-spotting for me was at Keoladeo National Park better known as Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary in Rajasthan.  I spotted more birds later during jungle trips to Corbett National Park and Point Calimere.

The Greater Flamingo which frequents Gujarat and Muthupet Sanctuary at Point Calimere has eluded me. Though I did spot a flock of those and Pelicans during my trip to Dwarka but they were so far that without a telescopic lens, I could not appreciate their presence. Same was the case with Demoiselle Cranes. I did spot a large congregation by the road side on way to Jodhpur.

Here are few birds that I managed to capture on camera though:

Painted Stork

Painted Stork At Keoladeo National Park  

Cranes, Black Headed Ibis, Herons, Darters

Black headed Ibis, Keoladeo National park, Rajasthan

Heron

Cranes and Black headed Ibis at Muthupet Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary

Darters and Cormorants At Keoladeo

Warblers

Warblers at Keoladeo National Park, Bhatratpur, Rajasthan

Ruddy Shelduck

Ruddy Shelduck at Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand

Sea Gull

Seagulls at Point Calimere, Tamilnadu

Spotted Greenshank

Spotted Greenshank at Point Calimere

Some Of The Good Bird Sanctuaries To Observe Migratory Birds:

1. Keoladeo or Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, Rajasthan

2. Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary, Gujarat

3.  Chilika Lake Sanctuary, Odisha

4. Kumarakoram Bird Sanctuary, Kerala

5. Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary, Karnataka

Best Time To Visit Bird Sanctuaries

Most birds migrate to Indian territories around October to March.  Mid October to mid November seems to be the best time when a lot of birds can be observed in most bird sanctuaries.

Things To Carry For Bird Watching 

1. Binoculars
2. Telephoto lens
3. Water Bottle

And a lot of patience with desire to enjoy and preserve nature. Because it is with these that we can save environment and ourselves from extinction.

Published by Shoma Abhyankar

I believe "Life is short and the world is wide"and travel is best possible solution to make the best of this life. I am Shoma Abhyankar. Welcome to ASTONISHING INDIA. View all posts by Shoma Abhyankar