Birding in Delhi

Date of Visit – February 28, 2022,

Blog Entry – 14 July 2026

– Atish

Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary, New Delhi – February 28, 2022

When we visited Asola Bhatti I was eight years old and wanted to go birding over the weekend. Sadly since we weren’t aware of Delhi’s birding areas we signed up for a group walk (I don’t like them at all now). Since it was a first time for us, birding in a large group I didn’t know what the experience was like and agreed to going. So then on sunday morning we departed for Asola. Navigation as always when visiting for the first time was quite a hassle and Google Maps was quite indecisive.

Finally! We arrived and drove into the parking lot and got out of the car to meet the group. Once we were all introduced and ready to walk they told us that we would be going by car for the first stretch as it was very hot and dusty. “Stop!” people kept calling out if they saw a bird out of the window and I’m sure whilst driving our father’s foot must have always been hovering on the break. After a long bumpy and slow car ride we all got out and the person managing the group said that now we’ll be walking for the rest of the time.

The landscape was quite spectacular yet it was very hot and birding was quite hard under the intense sunlight. There was a small lake to our right which was bright blue, unlike a waterbody you would see in Delhi, with Eurasian Coots paddling about. Black Kites were everywhere and everyone was having fun with there huge cameras photographing them. Then we continued through a dense undergrowth and were charged by 2 bulls and my dad cracked a joke saying that at least we saw a “bulbul.” Once everyone exited the blanket of small trees we got out and were going to the car, seperating from the group as they had gotten lost somehow.

Next to our car we met a birder Nazez Afroz and my parents talked to him for a while until I interrupted (I had a genuine reason) and pointed out a small raptor circulating low near a hilltop. He at first said it was a Shikra until he took some pictures and reviewed them with us. Our first guess was a Juvenile Eurasian Sparrowhawk yet Nazez did say that he wasn’t sure and it could be a Goshawk. As we were leaving he told us that he would review with the team and get back to us via whatsapp.

It was now Sunday night and my mom got a message back from Nazez telling us the whole story of how the team also thought it was a Juvenile Sparrowhawk but then looked closer and finally confirmed it as a Northern Goshawk. The bird had never been spotted and photographed in Delhi before. I was overjoyed as Nazez also said that a few members from the team had reached out to the new and they said that they would mention my name for spotting it. Here is the article link.

Aravali Biodiversity Park, New Delhi –

Our Aravali visit our second out of the three group walks we have ever done for birding. Again it was about the same process. Get out of bed, waste time, and get into the car. We drove off quite late and thought that vasant vihar in the morning would not be clogged by traffic as it it always. Of course it was though and we arrived at the Aravali parking just in the nick of time as the group was about to depart.

We walked off the fine gravel onto the muddy paths and saw birds like the Long Tailed Shrike and Ashy Prinia on our way. The group leader kept pointing out the types of trees and bushes as there wasn’t much birding to do.

As we were exiting the park we saw a Drongo on a nearby fence and a Shrike pinning its prey against a thorny bush. Later everyone stopped to talk in a group while me and my brother were standing on the outer rim of the circle occasionally listening in to the conversations. We then told our parents that we wanted to leave as no one seemed to be birding and instead were talking about random places to eat and restaurants. They agreed and we said our goodbyes and drove off after quite a funny session of birding.

Yamuna Biodiversity Park, New Delhi –

Yamuna Biodiversity Park was going to be the last birding walk we would voluntarily go on. We arrived at the sight where an exceptionally large amount of people gathered. there were three people who were leading the walks and they split us all up into groups. First a small group of ten departed followed by a large group or seventeen and then us. We were in a group with nine people luckily the smallest but we were moving at the end of the line of the three.

Again as we expected we were learning more about tree and butterflies than birds until someone heard the call of the Hume’s Leaf Warbler and we all stopped for a while. After a series of Long Tailed Shrikes and Ashy Prinias our guide was telling us about a recent spotting of the Black Eagle in the area. This caught our attention yet we were already approaching the end of the walk and seeing it was going to require time and silence both of which we didn’t have.

The last stop we made for something other than butterflies was at an area where doves were feeding on some grains spread out on the ground. We all stopped and waited clicking pictures until a dove was moving towards us and our guide said it was a laughing dove. A common bird we have seen now about a million times. At least that’s what we thought. As the dove moved to the right showing its side profile it was covered in spots. A Spotted Dove. This now became the highlight of the walk and everyone went home quite happy as seeing one in the area was rare.

When we visited Asola Bhatti I was 6 years old and liked birding. So on the WhatsApp birders group they said anyone could come to Asola Bhatti for a group walk. My first instinct was no but then everyone said it would be fun and it was my first time on a group walk so I was basically forced to say yes. Then on Sunday morning I rolled out of bed got ready and checked the equipment very quickly because I was excited to get in the car and fall asleep. Then a sudden chattering woke me up and then a loud argument because once again Google Maps could not decide if it was right or left.
At last we reached! After a loud car ride silence. We met the group talking about something and they told us the majority of the journey was going to be on wheels and if anyone spotted a bird they yelled stop. Then after barely seeing any birds on the car ride when we came to a stop my father let out a sigh of relief because his feet were hurting from pressing the brakes non-stop for birds like crows. Everyone got out and stretched their legs and hands in the scorching heat and a road full of dust.
Then the leader of the walk signaled that we walk this way. After a ten-minute climb we saw a pond with coots and ducks with black kites overhead. Suddenly two bulls came out of nowhere and started attacking us so we came together trying to scare them but it did not work. So some of us ran somewhere else to the cars. When we all got in the drivers stepped on the accelerator. Then when we got away we all took a sigh of relief but the bad thing was we got separated from the group and there was only one car with us.
Then I got out of the car when Atish spotted a raptor circling on top of the ridge. Then the birder next to us said it was a Shikra took a few photos then said it was not and he would let us know on WhatsApp. The next day he said it was a Northern Goshawk the first time in a long time to be spotted in Delhi and that is where we get our username from.
Aravalli
We finally got what we wanted to do before birding: sleep properly. It was like 8 when we got ready and went in the car through Vasant Vihar but as always traffic. Then when we arrived we caught the group by a second.
Then when we started we only saw black kites long-tailed shrikes and drongos. There was not a lot of birding so we were bored of course. But then there was a drongo on the fence and a shrike dropping its prey on thorns.
Then the group of birders came in a circle and started talking. Me and my brother were occasionally listening because they were talking about the best restaurants and different types of food. So we came to a conclusion that we should leave so we said goodbye and left from something I would not call a birding trip.
Yamuna Biodiversity Park
Before we left we all agreed that this was going to be our last group walk. When we arrived there was a huge amount of people there. Then one person made groups: the first ten followed by seventeen and then nine of us but we were the last group.
Then our guide was talking about insects and how old the trees were rather than birds until someone heard the call of a leaf warbler. Then we all stopped and some shrikes and drongos passed us. We were all bored and tired until the guide talked about the black eagle being spotted here a few days ago.
Then a dove passed us and everyone laughed because it was the last bird of the walk but then it turned around and I saw that it had spots so it was a spotted dove which was quite rare in these areas. So when we went home we were happy to see the dove and end our last birding group walk.