Rare visitors Rock Thrush and Leafbird come calling

The village of Saketri, behind Sukhna Lake, has for many years been a birding hotspot. Located between Chandigarh and the Kansal and Nepli forests, it has long hosted a fascinating mix of seasonally migrating birds — Paradise Flycatchers and Indian Golden Orioles flying up from South India during the spring breeding season, and small songbirds such as Black Redstarts and Wheatears from Ladakh during winter. A vast tract of uncultivated land stretching from Saketri to the Chandigarh IT Park has provided an excellent habitat, where over a hundred species have been recorded over the years. Sadly, like all open spaces, this location has now come under the hammer of ‘development’. It is today known as MDC, and it was Sector 7 of MDC that recently became the stomping ground for birdwatchers wh