Bird Walk at Japanese Garden, Sector 31, Chandigarh

Ten birders met guide Gagandeep Singh at the Japanese Garden in Sector 31, Chandigarh, on 2 October for a gentle and rewarding morning among the trees. The garden’s mix of mature canopy, ornamental shrubs and quiet paths makes it a pleasant haven for city birdlife, and the group moved slowly through the grounds, listening for calls and watching the branches for movement. By the end of the walk they had recorded 26 species, a satisfying tally for a green space tucked within the city. Among the highlights was the Black-rumped Flameback, a handsome woodpecker whose golden back and crimson crest drew admiring looks as it worked along a trunk, and the Lesser Whitethroat, a small and lively migrant that reminded everyone that the season of winter visitors was beginning. Parks like this one are often full of bulbuls, parakeets, barbets, tailorbirds and babblers, and Gagandeep used these familiar birds to help participants sharpen their identification skills, pointing out how shape, posture, call and behaviour can reveal a species even before colours come into view. The relaxed pace allowed everyone to listen as much as look, and the shared excitement of finding a new bird made the group feel closely connected. Gagandeep’s local knowledge of the city’s green spaces added a useful perspective, helping participants appreciate how gardens, lakes and forests across the region work together to support wildlife. The morning ended with smiles, plenty of new knowledge and a promise from many to keep their binoculars handy during everyday walks, a lovely reminder that great birding can begin right in the heart of the city.