An enjoyable
visit to Assan Barrage – a bird watcher’s delight
(A photo essay)
A panoramic view of the Assan Barrage or Dhalipur lake
Having
visited Rajaji National Park, we headed towards Dehradun, as we also intended
to visit the famed Assan Barrage Bird Sanctuary, which is situated about 40 odd
Kms. from Dehradun.We started from
Chilla at around 9.30 A.M and headed along the Chilla Dam road, as it was the
shortest route to the destination i.e. about 97 Kms. via
Rishikeh-Raiwala-Doiwala on the Dehradun Ambala National Highway and as we
encountered some blocked roads and heavy traffic in Dehradun, thus it took us
around six hours to reach the destination, albeit with quite a few stoppages in
between.While loitering around the
barrage looking for a few birds to photograph during the previous day evening,
an elderly gentleman had approached me and he introduced himself to be a
photographer as well as a guide.During
the course of discussion he had pointed two birding spots to me, the first one
was beyond the cut on the road towards the lane leading to village Ganga
Bhogpur on the Chilla dam road itself, which was part of Rajaji Wild trail and
could be accessed by a small dirt road that digressed from the main road,
whereas the other was near ‘Bhumi Devta’ temple and at quite some
distance.So we decided to explore the
region of Rajaji Wild trail on our way to Dehradun, since this destination sat
right on our path.
Sighted a Mountain Hawk Eagle - on the way
A Rufous Treepie in Rajaji Wildlife trail
A Small Minivet in Rajaji Wildlife trail
It
was easy for us to trace the location we intended to visit and having parked
the vehicle under the shade of a tree, the driver preferring to have a cup of
piping hot tea at the road side tea stall while enjoying the morning Sun, I
proceeded towards the place, which was actually a dirt trail leading upto banks
of holy River Ganga and on its banks it bifurcated towards the opposite
directions, running parallel to the River banks.It was a wooded place with shrubs covering
most of the forest floor.However, even
before we could reach the site we had to make a stop on the road, having
spotted a handsome bird of the Eagle family, whose photograph and identity I
have placed in the blog.This
destination too appears to have a great potential for bird watchers, as apart
from water birds, I could hear a cacophony of birds chirping in the undergrowth
and I could even spot a Red billed Leothrix also commonly called the ‘Liksptick
bird’ because of its red coloured bill, but could not capture it in the camera,
as I was a bit casual in approach.Even
this short visit showed immense potential and it is advisable for the bird
watchers to have a look at this place, next time you visit Chilla.
Entry gate of Tourist Rest House at Assan Barrage run by GMVN ltd.
A group of Bramhiny ducks in the Assan Barrage waters
An Eagle flying in the sky above
We
proceeded further and were relying on the Google Map for directions, albeit
that I was also continuously back checking from locals also, as there have had
been instances where this web based application leads persons to such places
wherefrom it becomes very difficult to proceed further.I had faced this malady earlier too and this
time around also having gone past the Rishikesh Railway station, the application
led us to a dirt road that seemed to end next to a huge bridge under
construction.We were flummoxed and
after approaching some locals, we were told that if we continued along the dirt
track that was totally on undulating terrain, we would be able to reach the
road and join the traffic just after where the bridge construction ends.We followed advice, as we did not have many
more options and after many a tortuous moments, we were finally able to land of
the Ambala-Dehradun Highway.The Highway
was well kept and we made it to Dehradun in good time, but once inside the city
we were just pommelled to almost a standstill due to huge traffic snarls,
especially in the market region and we lost much time during this part of the
journey.Having gone past the market
area, we drove past the Dehradun Airport and thereafter, the traffic was smooth
again.But we were late and I was a bit
famished by now, so when I saw some people selling fresh Orange juice along the
highway, we stopped and had some quality fresh juice that immediately
rejuvenated our flagging spirits.
Bramhiny ducks in flight
Another group of Bramhiny ducks in flight
A Watercock (female) in the lake
A group of Common Coot in the lake waters
It
was almost late afternoon when we reached the Assan Barrage site and as we had
pre-booked the Tourist Rest House accommodation managed by the Garhwal Mandal
Vikas Nigam, we headed directly for the destination.But being holidays, the entire place was
choked and teeming with people.I
somehow made it to the Managers office and found that every staff had been
deployed to serve food and beverages to the customers.I showed him my booking and he directed some
staff member to lead us to our rooms, but due to very heavy rush we had to do
the honours of transferring our luggage to our rooms.Further, due to shortage of staff and coupled
with heavy rush on that day, despite placing order for some snacks etc., as we
were already a famished lot, I had to remind them for food for quite a few
number of times, before the same was delivered.
A pond heron in the lake
A large conglomeration of water birds away from prying eyes of humans - on distant side of the lake
A pair of Red crested Pochard along with other water birds in the lake
A Ferruginious Pochard in flight over the lake
As the evening sets in - the Bramhiny ducks seek a resting place
A group of Pochard's also doze off as the evening sets in
Having
had the snacks and a cup of tea/coffee as per individual choice, we decided to
drive towards the other side of the Assan Barrage or Dhalipur Lake.This place comprises of a man-made lake that
resulted from construction of a barrage across the Asan River and a discharge
channel from Yamuna River that draws water to the Dhalipur Power station in the
year 1967.The lake with semi-marshy
conditions prevailing in some parts, spread over an area of over four square
kilometres.The altitude is merely 389.4
meters over mean sea level and is a perennial lake i.e. it has water all the
year round.As per the records, the lake
has about 53 species of water birds, of which 19
are winter migrants from Europe and Asia. During this period a record of 90% of
the water birds population comprises the following 11 (Eleven) migratory
species, namely Brahminy Duck, Pintail, Red Crested Pochard, Gadwall, Common
Pochard, Mallard, Coot, Wigeon, Common Teal, Tufted Duck, and Shoveller. We drove across the barrage and headed left
towards the village side to watch the birds and were glad that we did so, as
many of the birds preferred the isolated region, away from the hustle and
bustle of the barrage area, which has a constant flow of traffic. We spent some quality time watching and
photographing the birds and as the evening set in, we headed back to the
Tourist Rest House (TRH).
A group of Red crested Pochards at Assang Barrage TRH
A Grey Hornbill at the Assan Barrage TRH
Some Greater Scaup(s) resting in Hathni Kund Barrage
Another view around Hathni Kund Barrage
By the time we arrived back at the TRH, the visiting hours
were well over and the humongous crowd that had gathered during the day the
quietly dispersed.We had the complex
all to ourselves and ordered a fresh round of snacks & beverages that not
only arrived promptly, but was prepared in much better manner.We had our dinner at the lakeside enclosure,
enjoying the food as well as the starlit night sky and calling of the water
birds, comforting each other.Thereafter, we retired for the night and the next morning was glorious
with full view of the lake and birds, I photographed a few birds in the complex
itself and also made a video that I have shared below.Then having B’fast at around 9.00 A.M we
headed back towards Delhi via Yamuna Nagar and Karnal. On the way we stopped over for a few minutes at the Hathni Kund Barrage to check out for migratory birds. However, as we approached these heavily industrialized
zones, the fog that envelopes the plains during winters made an appearance and
we were literally crawling at places due to very dense fog and at times
traffic.We reached Delhi late in the
evening and thus ended our winter sojourn for the year.
