Bird Walk at Japanese Garden, Sector 31, Chandigarh
- Chandigarh
- 18 October, 2026
- Gagandeep Singh
About Japanese Garden, Sector 31
Chandigarh’s Japanese Garden in Sector 31 opened in 2014 and covers 13 acres. It’s a calm, carefully designed space with pagoda towers, ponds, small waterfalls, stone lanterns and stands of golden bamboo, split across two phases joined by a decorative tunnel. The garden was built for people, but its mix of water, clipped lawns, flowering shrubs and mature trees has also made it a small green haven for urban wildlife. Butterflies visit the flower beds, dragonflies patrol the ponds, and squirrels run along the bamboo.
The garden is a good spot for relaxed birding, especially early in the morning. Resident barbets, bulbuls and mynas are joined in winter by warblers, wagtails and flycatchers arriving from the Himalayas and Central Asia. The water features draw birds that like wet ground, and the fruiting and flowering trees keep nectar and fruit eaters busy. The pressures are the usual ones for city gardens: too much tidying of undergrowth, plenty of exotic ornamental plants, noise, and fewer old trees with nesting holes. Keeping some wild corners, planting native trees such as ficus, kachnar and semal, and cutting down on pesticides would make this garden even better for birds.
Bird Guide: Gagandeep Singh
His birding and nature documentation work began in 2019, covering a wide geographical area that includes Chandigarh, Panchkula, Mohali, Solan, Sirmaur, Morni Hills, Dehradun, and other nearby locations.
Bird walk Location
Common birds of Japanese Garden, Sector 31
Walk quietly through the Japanese Garden and you’ll hear a steady “tuk-tuk-tuk” from the treetops. That’s the Coppersmith Barbet, while its green cousin the Brown-headed Barbet keeps up a louder, rolling call nearby. Flocks of tiny Indian White-eyes, each with a neat white ring around the eye, move through the bushes. Purple Sunbirds flash metallic colours as they hover at flowers. In winter, the garden fills with visitors from far away. Hume’s Warbler flicks through the canopy after insects. White and Gray Wagtails bob along the pond edges. The Taiga Flycatcher shows off its rusty throat from a low perch. Wire-tailed Swallows, trailing their fine tail streamers, skim low over the water. The Black-rumped Flameback, a crimson-crowned woodpecker, hammers at old trunks. The Oriental Magpie-Robin sings some of the sweetest songs in the garden. Brahminy Starlings and Jungle Mynas quarrel on the lawns. Greater Coucals stalk through the undergrowth, and Indian Peafowl are a reminder that wild India is never far away, even in the middle of a planned city.
Indian White-eye
Brown-headed Barbet
Coppersmith Barbet
Hume's Warbler
White Wagtail
Grey Wagtail
Oriental Magpie-Robin
Black-rumped Flameback
Taiga Flycatcher
Ashy Prinia
Brahminy Starling
Jungle Myna
Common Myna
Red-vented Bulbul
Wire-tailed Swallow
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Greater Coucal
Indian Peafowl
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Purple Sunbird
Summary of Walk
The bird walk at the Japanese Garden in Sector 31, Chandigarh, began with a quick introduction of all participants, and about twenty people joined guide Gagandeep Singh on 18 October. Everyone arrived on time, and the group explored the garden at a slow, comfortable pace, learning about the birds found in their city. They recorded a total of 28 species, with the White-throated Fantail and the Hair-crested Drongo among the highlights, and also spotted an Indian Grey Hornbill, the state bird of Chandigarh. A flock of at least fifty Great Cormorants flew overhead in a V-shaped formation along their migration route, a breathtaking sight. One of the most interesting moments was watching a Hair-crested Drongo mimic the call of a Shikra, and Gagandeep explained how drongos imitate birds of prey, playing the Shikra’s call on the Merlin Bird ID app so participants could compare the sounds. Although the pitch was not an exact match, the resemblance was fascinating to hear live. Along the way, the group shared fun facts about birds, discussed how to identify Black Kites by their tail shape and explored interesting facts about the fastest animal in the animal kingdom. They also talked about why we should avoid feeding birds and how it can affect the surrounding soil and tree health. It was wonderful to have participants share their birding experiences from Lucknow, Bangalore and Solan, along with valuable insights from a participant from a zoology department. Some carried cameras and moved eagerly around the park whenever a bird appeared, one noted down all the species carefully and another was delighted to spot a wagtail after the walk. It was a lovely experience filled with curiosity and learning.
Number of Participants
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