okhla-birdwatch-2025-28-species-and-a-dancing-peacock

Today, I went for another round of monsoon birding. From Kamla Nagar, it took me just 30 minutes to reach Gate No. 2 of the Okhla Bird Sanctuary. This time I joined the walk organized by the Delhi Earth Walkers, led by Mr. Mahesh Rajput. More than 25 people turned up for the trip, and the entry ticket cost only ₹30.

As soon as we entered, the bird sightings began. We spotted Coppersmith Barbets, Green Bee-eaters, Egrets, Night Herons, Grey Herons, Black Drongos etc., Few members of our group recorded all the sightings of birds, and by the end, we had listed around 29 species. Among the group were birders like Mukesh Mahendra, Shivangi Singh, and Niharika Guduseva.

After a short walk, we went off the trail through thick elephant grass and reached the bird watchtower. In my earlier visits, I never managed to get good shots from there, but this time I was lucky—I captured a few beautiful in-flight photos. Mahesh carried a bird-scope, which helped us spot many species. We spent nearly 45 minutes on the tower, though it could hold only about six people at a time. While we were up there, a light drizzle came down, but the tower kept us dry. From that vantage point, we enjoyed views of egrets, grey herons, snake birds, and black starlings.

Towards the end of the walk, we visited the barbette section. There I saw four or five barbettes, two black drongos, and then the highlight of the day—a peacock dancing in full display. For more than five minutes, it spread its wings and turned gracefully in circles. This was the first time I could capture such a performance in my camera, and I clicked continuously, mesmerized by the sight.

List if Species:

🦅 Raptors (Birds of Prey)

Western Marsh Harrier
Black Kite

🦆 Waterbirds & Waders

Little Egret
Cattle Egret
Grey Heron
Purple Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron (Male & Female)
Painted Stork (Adult)
Red-naped Ibis
Black-headed Ibis
Red-wattled Lapwing
White-breasted Waterhen
Grey-headed Swamphen (Western Swamphen)
Wood Sandpiper
Black-winged Stilt

🐦 Perching Birds (Passerines)

Purple Sunbird
Ashy Prinia
Red-vented Bulbul
Common Starling
Eurasian Cuckoo
Wire-tailed Swallow
Black Drongo
Coppersmith Barbet
Brown-headed Barbet
Green Bee-eater

🐓 Ground Birds

Grey Francolin
Indian Peafowl (with dancing display highlight 🎉)

🌿 Special Highlight

Dancing Peacock (Indian Peafowl display – kept separate as the “star sighting” 🌟)

Conclusion:

A monsoon birding walk at Okhla today. In a short 3 hours, the group of enthusiasts ticked 28 species on their list. Beautiful water birds such as herons and ibises to the brilliantly colored perching birds like sunbirds, barbets and bee-eaters were a treat to watch. A good number of raptors and ground birds added to the diversity. But the undisputed star of the show was the elegant Indian Peafowl in full swing of its courtship display. These are the moments that make monsoon birding so special!

References:

1. https://www.earthwalks.asianecotours.com/events/feathers-wetlands-birding-okhla-sanctuary

2.https://www.google.com/maps/place/28%C2%B034'18.4%22N+77%C2%B018'28.3%22E/@28.5717645,77.3052808,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m4!3m3!8m2!3d28.5717645!4d77.3078557?hl=en&entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDgyNS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D