Lazy Person's Guide to Birding in Delhi

As we hurtled into middle age, most of us started doing very physical and adventurous things, in defiance. Some of my friends started biking over mountains and across continents, many started playing multiple instruments while others started running marathons. I am lazy so I took up birding!

Oriental White-eye

But birding is not a lazy person’s hobby. Immediately on taking it up, people do the following:

1.       Buy a DSLR.  Forearms are strengthened to be able to carry these heavy weights and most importantly, keep them focussed on one spot for hours (ok minutes) to capture a bird.

2.       Buy camouflage clothes. Browns and greens are bought, to merge with the birds’ habitat.

3.       Go on birding trips. Most rush to the hills (Sattal being a hot favourite) while many others to bird sanctuaries.

Common Tailorbird

But here is what I did.

1.       Kept my phone away. When you stand in your balcony, with the sole purpose of doing nothing, you see/hear a million birds. There are trees all around (if not, please plant). You will see the following, without even trying too hard – parakeets, doves, bulbuls, mynahs and myriad sunbirds. Pigeons and crows are omnipresent – not mentioning them. In March/April, you will see large flocks of rosy starlings descending noisily on a branch and then flying off in a loud whoosh. One of the most common sounds in Delhi for me, is the persistent croaking of the green barbet. Wherever you go, whatever time it is, you will hear them croaking. Once your ear gets used to listening, you will start hearing the loud cheeps of tailor birds and the super cute oriental white eyes.

Purple Sunbird

2.       Loved the birds. Love them and they will come to you. It sounds very trippy, but it’s true. In winters, I just keep sitting in a park, waiting for my favourite migratory flycatchers to come. And they do. If I smile and send them happy thoughts (I know it sounds seriously psychotropic but trust me), they come and sit right in front and pose. Then even with a very bad camera, you can get amazing shots. I love owlets a lot, so wherever I go, they show up. In pairs. Now they are nesting in the park in front and we do staring competition for many minutes every day.

Spotted Owlets

3.       Respected them. You can wear bright red clothes and the birds will still come, as long as you give them their space. Do not go near their nests – it’s scary to think of such a big thing coming close to where their babies are going to be born. Please do not try mimic their call- imaging how disappointing it would be if you rushed out excitedly, thinking it’s your partner and discover it’s a door to door salesperson!

Lesser Flameback Woodpecker

4.       Enjoyed them without a camera. Sometimes you just have to sit and listen to an oriental magpie robin or a koel, sing. Or watch a flameback woodpecker flamboyantly peck at a tree trunk. Rushing at them with cameras may make them fly away and you would miss a beautiful performance.

Rose Ringed Parakeet

These are only some of the birds I see every day in Delhi. The spectacular coppersmith barbet and kingfisher or the noisy treepie and hornbills are also very common and they are big fans of the Silk Cotton tree in front of my house. So go and find a tree to stare at today. And write back about the magic that you saw.

(All photos have been clicked from my balcony or the park in front, with a cheap pink-coloured camera, wearing multi-coloured track bottoms.)