5 Amazing Ways to Spot Rare Birds on Your Surajpur Wetland Adventure
Date: 25 January 2026
Location: Surajpur Bird Sanctuary
Trail Leader: Sohail Madan
Walk Coordinator: Pawan Pal, Umama Mufti
Trail Theme: Winter Wings
Number of participants: 19
Name of participants: Yogesh Parashar, Shelbin Digo, Tarique Afaque, Vidushee Chaudhari, Pragyaan Goel, Manyaata Nema, Satyaki, Nishad Venugopal, Avanish Dureha, Marzena Zawisz, Katherine Tuck, Priya Dhammi, Avi Tej Sharma, Jane Edquist, Mukesh Mahendra, Deepak Singla, Yogesh, Alka, Sushant
Surajpur Bird Sanctuary has gained immense prominence in the past few years as a rising spot for urban biodiversity. To highlight the significance of the sanctuary, Asian Adventures, in collaboration with Global Wildlife Fair, Uttar Pradesh Tourism, and Uttar Pradesh Eco Tourism, organised an Earth Walk there. The bright, sunny day acted as the perfect backdrop for the birds to be spotted. After introducing himself, the walk leader listened to the participants' journeys and their motivations for birding. The group comprised all kinds of birders - from the first timers to the ones who are experts in the field.
The discussion began with the walk leader explaining the strategic location of the bird sanctuary. Located between the two forest blocks of Gulistan and Khodna Khurd in the Gautam Buddh Nagar forest division, this 8km stretch is a major stopover for the migratory birds. The reason for the same was explained by him as birds tend to move towards warmer areas during the winter months. This annual phenomenon of migration made Surajpur Bird Sanctuary a host for 34 species just in January 2025. One participant here brought up a very common notion that major species like ducks, geese, and water birds practice migration.
He explained that it is one of the most commonly assumed notions, but the reality is far from it, and Surajpur stands as a prime example of it, where a gamut of migration can be seen by species such as raptors and waterfowl. It was then that a black-winged stilt was observed. He explained that the long legs of the birds basically help them waddle through the muddy waters where they are usually found. Here, some participants asked if any special devices work like e-bird. He answered that, though there are devices used for tracing the call of the bird, the most commonly used are apps such as Merlin and eBird since they are easily available for download on Android and iOS devices.
It was then that the highlight of the walk was spotted, which was a black-necked stork feeding its chicks. It was a mesmerising sight which was duly captured by the photographers. A participant then asked about the excessive number of palm trees in the area. He explained that these act as water indicators. Their presence is a clear sign that underground water is present, and since Surajpur is a wetland, one can find a good number of Great Palms here. The walk ended with him explaining that Surajpur Bird Sanctuary is an urban biodiversity hotspot, which shows how collective efforts for conservation, both by the government and the people, can work wonders. More than 40 species of birds were spotted during the walk.
Overall, the walk was immensely successful, where the first-time birders got a perfect introduction to the world of avian biodiversity, and the experts got some perfect moments to capture that can be added to their pictorial achievements. On the whole, everyone left equipped with the learning about their personal responsibility of protecting and maintaining these urban biodiversities. Add a natural asset to your Sunday with Earth Walks. To participate, click here https://asianadventures.info/p/af0725/
Bird List:
- Gray francolin
- Black francolin
- Indian peafowl
- Graylag goose
- Ruddy shelduck
- Eurasian wigeon
- Northern pintail
- Common teal
- Common pochard
- Little grebe
- Painted stork
- Black-necked stork
- Red-naped Ibis
- Black-headed ibis
- Glossy ibis
- Pond heron
- Gray heron
- Purple heron
- Great cormorant
- Black-wing kite
- Eurasian marsh harrier
- Bonelli's Eagle
- White-breasted waterhen
- Common moorhen
- Eurasian coot
- Bronze-winged jacana
- Marsh sandpiper
- Wood sandpiper
- Little stint
- Temminck stint
- River tern
- Eurasian Collared-Dove
- Alexandrine parakeet
- Greater coucal
- Spotted owlet
- Brown-headed Barbet
- Black Drongo
- Rufous Treepie
- Ashy Prinia
- Common Tailorbird
- Lesser Whitethroat
- Red-breasted flycatcher