Bhindawas Lake, Harayana, 26 Jan 2001

Suresh C Sharma [suresh_haryana@vsnl.net]

Location : From Delhi go to Bahadurgarh, crossing Bahadurgarh Bus Stand turn
to your left and after a drive of 30 kms you reach Jhajjar district. From
here, there are two routes, longer one is via Jahajgarh-Chhuchhukwas (the bonus
will be .. you  see Khaparhwas Lake Bird Sanctuary on way, just 2 kms
before Bhindawas village), shorter route is via Kasni/Sureti villages.

From Delhi ISBT it is roughly 2 hours car drive at an average speed of 35
kms per hour.

Periphery of the lake is 12 kms which is motorable, though it is a dirt
road. The lake is 1014 acres in size, all wetland and is full of water and water
birds. One can see 100+ species including those in the vicinity.

Hello Delhi birders,

Route taken to Bhindawas Lake
    Sonipat-Sampla-Jhajjar-Kunjiya-Bhindawas Lake and back via Raiya village
(in the vicinity of the lake).
   Lake's periphery is 12 km and we would stop every here and there on the
periphery. For Bimaculated Lark, Rufous-tailed     Lark, Short-toed
Lark...an undulated, barren, semi-desert scrub patch (may be 50 acres) near
Raiya is a wonder place.

We went to Bhindawas Lake on 26 Jan 2001 Friday. What a great way of celebrating 
Republic Day ! You may be knowing that Dr Asaf Rahmani, Director, BNHS has granted 
the status of IBA to Bhindawas. The following birds we saw on 26 January further 
prove the point:

1. Avadavat Red
2. Babbler Common
3. Babbler Jungle
4. Babbler Large Grey
5. Barbet Coppersmith
6. Bluethroat
7. Bulbul Red-vented
8. Bushchat Pied
9. Bushlark Indian
10. Buttonquail Barred
11. Chiffchaff Common
12. Cisticola Zintting
13. Coot Common
14. Cormorant Great
15. Cormorant Little
16. Coucal Greater
17. Crow House
18. Crow Large-billed
19. Darter (Anhinga melanogaster)
20. Dove Eurasian Collared
21. Dove Laughing
22. Drongo Black
23. Duck Spot-billed
24. Duck Tufted
25. Eagle Crested Serpent
26. Eagle Grey-headed Fish
27. Eagle Greater Spotted
28. Eagle Pallas's Fish
29. Eagle Short-toed Snake
30. Eagle Steppe
31. Eagle Tawny
32. Egret Cattle
33. Egret Great
34. Egret Intermediate
35. Egret Little
36. Flameback Black-rumped
37. Flamingo Greater 76
38. Francolin Grey (heard)
39. Gadwall (Anas strepera) 800+
40. Godwit Black-tailed
41. Goose Bar-headed 1200+
42. Goose Greylag 1200+
43. Grebe Little
44. Greenshank Common
45. Gull Pallas's 1
46. Harrier Eurasian Marsh 8
47. Heron Grey 24
48. Heron Indian Pond
49. Heron Purple 4
50. Honey-Buzzard Oriental
51. Hornbill Indian Grey
52. Ibis Black 20+
53. Ibis Black-necked 8
54. Ibis Glossy 30+
55. Kestrel Common
56. Kingfisher Common
57. Kingfisher Pied
58. Kingfisher White-throated
59. Kite Black
60. Kite Black-shouldered
61. Lapwing Red-wattled
62. Lapwing White-tailed
63. Lark Bimaculated
64. Lark Crested
65. Lark Greater Short-toed
66. Lark Rufous-tailed
67. Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 26
68. Martin Plain
69. Moorhen Common
70. Myna Bank
71. Myna Common
72. Owlet Spotted
73. Parakeet Plum-headed (heard)
74. Parakeet Rose-ringed
75. Peafowl Indian
76. Pelican Great White 30+
77. Pigeon Rock
78. Pigeon Yellow-footed Yellow
79. Pipit Paddyfield
80. Pipit Tawny
81. Pochard Common
82. Pochard Ferruginous
83. Prinia Plain
84. Redshank Common
85. Redshank Spotted
86. Redstart Black
87. Robin  Indian
88. Robin Oriental Magpie
89. Roller Indian
90. Sandpiper Common
91. Sandpiper Green
92. Sandpiper Wood
93. Shelduck Ruddy 2
94. Shoveler Northern 700+
95. Shrike Long-tailed 1
96. Shrike Rufous-tailed 1 ?
97. Shrike Southern Grey 5
98. Silverbill Indian
99. Skylark Oriental
100. Sparrow House
101. Spoonbill Eurasian  32
102. Starling Asian Pied
103. Starling Brahminy
104. Stilt Black-winged
105. Stonechat Common
106. Stork Black-necked 2
107. Stork Painted 27
108. Stork Woolly-necked  4
109. Sunbird Purple
110. Swallow Barn
111. Swamphen Purple 200+
112. Tailorbird Common
113. Teal Common
114. Treepie Rufous
115. Vulture Egyptian
116. Wagtail Citrine
117. Wagtail White
118. Wagtail Yellow
119. Warbler Blyth's Reed
120. Warbler Paddyfield
121. Waterhen White-breasted
122. White-eye  Oriental
123. Whitethroat Lesser
124. Wigeon Eurasian
125. Woodpecker Yellow-crowned
126. Woodshrike Common

Happy birding.

Suresh C Sharma
Anil Bhola
Birdwatchers' Club of Haryana
Gokul Nagar, Rohtak Road
Sonipat 131001 (Haryana-India)