Love Birding? Here's the Birding Place in Uttarakhand That You Can't Miss!

In a stunning blue-green water body, around 43 km from Dehradun, Asan bird sanctuary attracts bird watchers with their professional camera lenses. Set against a serene blue expanse of 4.5 sq km that settles at the picturesque junction of the Yamuna and Asan rivers, it is India’s first conservation reserve established in 2005. It came became Uttarakhand’s first Ramsar site making it a Wetland of International Importance.

Why it is Wetland of International Importance ?

The largest water body is the reservoir that which is popularly known as the Dhalipur lake. The area around the reservoir is mushy and is abundant in avifaunal species that undoubtedly lures many bird watchers to visit here.

Bird watchers and photographers vacantly look through their lens for the place attracts migratory birds and receives about migratory bird species, including — rudy shelduck, common coot, gadwall, kingfisher, Indian cormorant, baer’s pochard, northern pintail, bar-headed goose, among others. Birders rarely want to miss the congregations of brahminy ducks of which Asan is a famous site.

About Asan Bird Sanctuary :

They created the manmade Wetland in 1967 where rivers Yamuna and Asan converged. Note, the area lures the migratory birds that which are endangered and are listed in the IUCN Red List. The southern reaches of the sanctuary is the Chakrata forest and as the number of birds increases, the team in Chakrata Forest Division patrols day and night for protecting the birds. It is said the rare Palash fish eagle earlier used to nest on the Semal tree in the Forest Reserve Training Center forest and it turned out that they left due human intervention. The outbreak of winter's chill accentuates the arrival of the migratory birds in the area including Siberian cranes and other winged creatures but the birders favourite has been the rare Palash fish eagle and to capture them in action that during their hunt for fishes.

When to Visit ?

Winter is the main season to see the migratory birds starting October and December, and between mid-March to the end of April. We can see the colourful crowd of birds as every year about 3500 birds fly to Asan.

How to Reach Asan Bird Sanctuary ?

Asan Bird Sanctuary is approximately 42 km away from Dehradun on Dehradun-Paonta road. The sanctuary is only 11 km from Vikasnagar, 22 km from Kalsi and around 66 km away from Chakrata. Dehradun railway station at 42 km away is the nearest railway station and Jolly Grant airport at 71 km away is the nearest airport. Another option is fly down to Dehradun and take on the road to reach the sanctuary.

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