Okhla Bird Sanctuary

Directions

One way to get to the sanctuary is to drive straight down Nizamuddin Bridge, turn right towards NOIDA (which means turning left onto the cloverleaf that goes up on to the flyover to NOIDA), drive straight down past the UP border (and the Gautam Buddha statue) and on until you reach a sign announcing the entrance to the DND Flyway. (If you take the DND Flyway from Delhi instead, exit on the left towards NOIDA Sector 15 and Mayur Vihar, take the first U-turn, and you'll be at this sign.) Drive on under the flyover and take the first U-turn. Park in front of the park to the left, and walk up to the river by following the dirt track that runs alongside the approach road to the flyway.

The other route is to go straight down NH2 (Mathura Road) and turn left under the flyover just after Apollo Hospital. Keep going straight down, turn right at the end of the road, and you'll be at the Okhla Barrage.

See this map for an overview of the area.

Checklist

Here's a brief checklist of the birds I've conclusively identified at the OBS:

  1. Grey Francolin (Francolinus pondicerianus)
  2. Greylag Goose (Anser anser)
  3. Bar-Headed Goose (Anser indicus)
  4. Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea)
  5. Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)
  6. Comb Duck (Sarkidiornis melanotos)
  7. Eurasian Wigeon (Anas penelope)
  8. Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
  9. Spot-Billed Duck (Anas poecilorhyncha)
  10. Common Teal (Anas crecca)
  11. Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)
  12. Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)
  13. Common Pochard (Aythya ferina)
  14. Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)
  15. Indian Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros birostris)
  16. Common Hoopoe (Upupa epops)
  17. White-Throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis)
  18. Green Bee-Eater (Merops orientalis)
  19. Pied Cuckoo (Clamator jacobinus)
  20. Common Hawk Cuckoo (Heirococcyx varius)
  21. Greater Coucal (Centropus sinensis)
  22. Alexandrine Parakeet (Psittacula eupatria)
  23. Rose-Ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri)
  24. Rock Pigeon (Columba livia)
  25. Laughing Dove (Streptopelia senegalensis)
  26. Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
  27. Yellow-Footed Green Pigeon (Treron phoenicoptera)
  28. White-Breasted Waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus)
  29. Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio)
  30. Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
  31. Common Coot (Fulica atra)
  32. Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)
  33. Jack Snipe (Lymnocryptes minimus)
  34. Black-Tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa)
  35. Common Redshank (Tringa totanus)
  36. Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)
  37. Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus)
  38. Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola)
  39. Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)
  40. Little Stint (Calidris minuta)
  41. Temminck's Stint (Calidris temminckii)
  42. Black-Winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)
  43. Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)
  44. Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius)
  45. Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
  46. River Lapwing (Vanellus duvaucelii)
  47. Red-Wattled Lapwing (Vanellus indicus)
  48. White-Tailed Lapwing (Vanellus leucurus)
  49. Steppe Gull (Larus barabensis)
  50. Brown-Headed Gull (Larus brunnicephalus)
  51. Black-Headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)
  52. Black-Shouldered Kite (Elanus caeruleus)
  53. Black Kite (Milvus migrans)
  54. Eurasian Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)
  55. Shikra (Accipiter badius)
  56. Greater Spotted Eagle (Aquila clanga)
  57. Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis)
  58. Red-Necked Falcon (Falco chiquera)
  59. Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo)
  60. Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
  61. Little Cormorant (Phalacrocorax niger)
  62. Indian Cormorant (Phalacrocorax fuscicollis)
  63. Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
  64. Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
  65. Intermediate Egret (Mesophoyx intermedia)
  66. Great Egret (Casmerodius albus)
  67. Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
  68. Indian Pond Heron (Ardeola grayii)
  69. Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
  70. Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea)
  71. Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber)
  72. Black-Headed Ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus)
  73. Black Ibis (Pseudibis papillosa)
  74. Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia)
  75. Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala)
  76. Asian Openbill (Anastomus oscitans)
  77. Woolly-Necked Stork (Ciconia episcopus)
  78. Long-Tailed Shrike (Lanius schach)
  79. House Crow (Corvus splendens)
  80. Large-Billed Crow (Corvus macrorhynchos)
  81. Black Drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus)
  82. Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica)
  83. Oriental Magpie Robin (Copsychus saularis)
  84. Indian Robin (Saxicoloides fulicata)
  85. Common Stonechat (Saxicola torquata maura)
  86. White-Tailed Stonechat (Saxicola leucura)
  87. Pied Bushchat (Saxicola caprata)
  88. Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
  89. Asian Pied Starling (Sturnus contra)
  90. Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis)
  91. Bank Myna (Acridotheres ginginianus)
  92. Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
  93. Red-Vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer)
  94. Yellow-Bellied Prinia (Prinia flaviventris)
  95. Graceful Prinia (Prinia gracilis)
  96. Plain Prinia (Prinia inornata)
  97. Ashy Prinia (Prinia socialis)
  98. Moustached Warbler (Acrocephalus melanopogon)
  99. Striated Grassbird (Megalurus palustris)
  100. Lesser Whitethroat (Sylvia curruca)
  101. Common Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita)
  102. Yellow-Eyed Babbler (Chrysomma sinense)
  103. Common Babbler (Turdoides caudatus)
  104. Large Grey Babbler (Turdoides malcolmi)
  105. Striated Babbler (Turdiodes earlei)
  106. Purple sunbird (Nectarinia asiatica)
  107. House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
  108. Citrine Wagtail (Motacilla citreola)
  109. Black-Breasted Weaver (Ploceus benghalensis)
  110. Baya Weaver (Ploceus philippinus)
  111. Red Munia (Amandava amandava)
  112. Indian Silverbill (Lonchura malabarica)

The Delhibirds web site has a Yamuna checklist compiled by Clive Harris, but it's not actively maintained.

Abhijit Menon-Sen <ams@toroid.org>
2007-11-05