The plan was
to set out from Noida at 7.30 am. We set out at 7.45 am, excellent by any
standards. We took just 20 minutes to reach the Yamuna Biodiversity Park (YBP)
as there was hardly any traffic. A note for others who go to YBP, when you see
the first road sign proclaiming ‘Yamuna Biodiversity Park’ and see a bridge
over the ‘nallah’ on your right, leave that one, and move ahead. Within 200-250
meters, you will see another small bridge across the ‘nallah’ and a similar
road sign. This is the one you should take, and for that you need to go down
the road for some distance and take a U-turn. Then go straight down the bridge
and along the straight road till after about 200 meters you see YBP to your
left. By the way, the first bridge takes you to the same Jagatpur area but you
have to follow a very narrow and bumpy service road along the ‘nallah’ to reach
the other bridge and then turn right, therefore better to take the second
bridge after the U-turn.
Phew!
Direction instructions over, now I can get down to the actual birding
experience. Me and an office colleague Koushik had planned this trip for
Saturday, but I wasn’t able to make it, so we went the next day, Sunday. When
we reached YBP, Dr. A K Singh, with whom I had spoken to the previous evening,
was at the gate. The first thing he said was, “Will you wait for the Big Bird
Day group?”.
I literally jumped
with joy as did my friend, because we had no clue that it was the Big Bird Day
(the day every year, when a bird count happens all across Delhi’s main birding
areas). Of course we waited, and soon met up with at least 20 birders, and
amongst them a well known birder Dr. Oswal. However, at the helm of things was Dr. Faiyaz A. Khudsar, scientist in-charge of YBP. A very impressive person who quickly
handed out bird-lists for YBP and started to mobilise the birding forces. He
quickly and efficiently organised everyone into 3 groups. I and Koushik got
attached to a group that would go through all the wooded areas, and would have
three other birders and a guide from YBP, Mr. Mohan.
 |
| The Big Bird Day walk in progress, Mohan is right in front. |
As we
started to walk, I enthusiastically pointed out an Indian Koel hiding between
the branches of a tree, and wondered who the three people with us were. Mohan,
a wonderful naturalist and person, started to spot birds with great expertise, as
we began our walk. A short , bespectacled slightly elderly gentleman with us,
was making quite amusing remarks about the birds. He described one as wont to
do a lot of make-up, especially with the lipstick. We were looking at the
red-crested pochard which is found only in the YBP in the Delhi region. As I
peered through the binocs I did notice that they looked like they had applied
quite a bit of red lipstick.
 |
A Red Crested Pochard, this photo is from the
FlevoBirdwatching site, specifically from this page - |
At one point,
to make some conversation, I asked one of the birders, a tall pepper haired
person, if Dr. Oswal the well known birder was in the other group. He said,
yes, and then he said, “There’s a famous birder amongst us too…”.
As I
wondered who it was, he pointed at the short bespectacled gentleman and said, “That’s
Ranjit Lal”.
