OKHLA BIRD SANCTUARY

There are two entrances to OBS. One from the road which runs almost parallel from Sector 15A Noidaand the other from Mayur Vihar side. I prefer the one from the Noida road, as the road is better, there is parking and importantly, once you enter, you almost immediately come face to face with a large number of birds.

The best time to visit OBS is during the winter months from November to February, when the migratory birds flock to the sanctuary. Though the birds can be seen in their thousands, taking a good picture of these birds is often an uphill task because of the dense fog that descends upon the city. 

Sadly, because the river Yamuna is one of the more polluted rivers in the country, there will often be a smell of sewage that hangs in the air. Apart from the sewage, there is also a village that has sprung up inside the park, that adds to the mess. Encounters with cows and buffalos is a regular feature and one can see villagers fish in the waters without any worry of the forest guards.

The main attraction of OBS is, of course, its birds and during the winter months, the sanctuary boasts of over 400 different species of birds, both native and migratory. Some of the common birds that can be seen in the sanctuary are flamingos, pelicans, storks, herons, egrets, spoonbills, ibises, ducks, geese, kingfishers, lapwings, plovers, sandpipers, gulls, terns, warblers, flycatchers, shrikes and the usual babblers, robins, sparrows, mynas, and crows.