Wildlife, Greater Noida
Surajpur Bird Sanctuary
A wetland of about 325 hectares on the Dadri–Surajpur–Chhalera road, with a natural lake that fills with ducks and geese in winter.
What it is
Surajpur wetland is a lake and marsh in the Yamuna basin. Since 2010 the UP Forest Department has worked with WWF-India and the Greater Noida Authority to bring a degraded site back as a bird sanctuary.
About 60 of its 325 hectares are open water. In winter you can see bar-headed and greylag geese, northern shovelers, common teal, gadwall and red-crested pochards. Spot-billed ducks, lesser whistling ducks and comb ducks breed here. A walking trail runs along part of the wetland.
Getting there
It is on the DSC road (Dadri–Surajpur–Chhalera), roughly 20 km from Noida. There is no metro station close by, so come by car or cab. Dadri is the nearest railway station.
When to go
Winter mornings. The migrants arrive with the cold, and the light is softest early. In December and January fog can sit over the water until mid-morning, which looks lovely but makes birds harder to spot.
Summer is hot and the water shrinks, and there is much less to see.
Good to know
Polluted wastewater flowing into the wetland's channels has been a problem for years, and some winters bring fewer birds than others. Carry binoculars and water. Timings and entry rules can change, so check locally before a long drive.
Keep voices low near the water. Birds lift off quickly when a group gets loud.
Photos from Surajpur Bird Sanctuary
No reader photos here yet. Be the first to share one.