My Haryana Diary🌾🚜 Wings of Winter ❄️🕊️ | A Birdwatcher’s Dream Morning at Chandu Budera, Haryana
Something magical surrounded the wetlands on a cold December morning in Chandu Budera, Haryana.
As the mist slowly lifted from the wetlands and the first rays of sunlight rippled across the water, the watery ground came alive with wings, calls, colours and silhouettes.
With A Nikon DSLR, 200-500 mm lens, and breath visible in the crisp winter air, I stepped into one of Haryana’s most underrated birding hotspots.
🚗Our Warhorse
Our great companion, yet again, our Swift took us early in the morning to meet these migratory visitors across the globe. I park her on dry land adjoining the wetland and start my camera painting
🦆 Bar-headed Geese
These graceful high-altitude migrants with soft grey wings and bold head stripes circled above usFamous for crossing the mighty Himalayas, these bar-headed geese arrive here with a calm, regal presence. Watched them feed and call in small, close-knit groups
🦅Spectacular Black Kites
Tired of constant watch, the black kite surveyed the landscape with steady, commanding eyesTwo Black kites kept a constant vigil as they perched on a lofty tree before swooping low on a non-suspecting prey One of the kites swooped on the wetlands and, within a flash, snatched a seagull and climbed into the skiesAfter scanning the swamp, a lone Kite sits on a metal protrude for its next move
🖤 Glossy Ibis
We saw this dark, iridescent bird with a curved bill that shone bronze and green in the sun, absolutely stunning in flight
🪶 Black-headed Ibis
Majestic and calm, the black-headed ibis stood like a silent guardian of the wetlands. Its white body contrasted beautifully with its bare black head and long curved bill
🔴 Common Redshank
With its bright red legs flashing against the winter marsh, the Common Redshank was impossible to overlook. Elegant yet alert, it waded through shallow waters
🖤Black-winged Stilts
With impossibly long pink legs and crisp black-and-white plumage, the black-winged stilt walks the wetlands as if dancing on stiltsTheir delicate steps, gentle calls, and reflective silhouettes made them any photographer’s delight
🐦 Blyth’s Pipit
I was amazed to see this little bird, A winter migrant from Central Asia, a shy, terrestrial, and we spotted it in the grassland patches
💛 Citrine Wagtail
Citrine Wagtail is a very bright yellow charmer, flicking its tail happily as it pecked along wet edgesForever bobbed its tail, it flitted along the water’s edge, hunting tiny insects with playful energy
🪶 Grey Heron
A Grey Heron is a tall, statuesque hunter standing motionless before spearing fish with precision
🕊️ Little Tern
Terns are small, swift, and very elegant. They are often seen skimming across the water surface with pointed wings and sharp dives
💛 Grey Wagtail
Grey Wagtails are lively little streamside birds with elegant lemon-yellow underparts and ceaseless tail-bobbing
🟣 Purple Heron
A beauty with sun rays flashing chestnut and violet tones, often hiding between tall reeds before launching into a majestic, slow flight
🎣 Pied Kingfisher
The star performer! Famous for its dramatic hovering dive to catch a fish, a must-capture moment for every photographer
🪶 Ruff
A delicate winter wader known for its mottled plumage and gentle feeding habits in and around soft mudflats
🟣 Purple Moorhen
Usually, they are seen inside the wetlands; however, we saw these bright blue-purple bodies on slender tree branches with a red forehead shield
💛 Yellow Wagtail
Another splash of sunshine on winter mornings. Perched on reeds or hopping along muddy edges
🕊️ Woolly-necked Stork
A graceful, near-threatened stork with a fluffy white neck and displays a smart flight, a real highlight of Northern Indian wetlands
🦇 Black Flying Fox
A surprising visitor — not a bird but one of the largest bats in the world! Their huge wingspan and colony roosting behaviour added wild drama to the treetops
Try these wetlands this winter and capture these sophisticated flying beings.
I would love to hear and thank you for being with us.
Inference
❄️🕊️ Prime Winter Habitat for Migratory Birds – migrants from Central Asia, Siberia, and the Himalayas
💧 Perfect Wetland Ecosystem for Waders & Waterbirds
🪶Shallow pools, reedbeds, muddy edges, and open water, this wetland attracts birds, making it a hotspot for diverse species
📸🌄 Ideal for Photography — Soft Light & Clear Sightlines
Distances
From Gurgaon city, it is 21 km away and 44 km from New Delhi, situated on the Gurgaon-Farukhnagar Road. Remember to take a right turn before reaching the Burfi Sweets shop – this is for the drivers
When to go
November through February, before it gets really hot
Pocket Pinch
No cost as you go and visit the sprawling wetlands, early in the morning
SPITFIRE GAUTAM 