Bird Walk at Bidre Lake (Bannerghatta Road), Bengaluru

Fifteen participants turned out for a full-house session with guide Rahuldev Rajguru at Bidre Lake on Bannerghatta Road, Bengaluru, despite another round of gloomy, overcast weather that threatened to dampen the mood before the walk even began. The lake’s mix of open water and fringing vegetation once again delivered a strong showing, with the group recording 48 species over the course of the walk, a solid tally that reflected the site’s growing reputation as one of the city’s more consistent birding spots regardless of the conditions overhead. Among the highlights were uncommon sightings of the Common Iora and Small Minivets, species that don’t always show up reliably on every visit, adding an extra layer of excitement for the group as the walk progressed along the water’s edge. The walk also featured an excellent display from Tri-coloured Munias and Scaly-breasted Munias, whose active flocking behaviour gave participants plenty of time to observe and photograph them at close range. Despite the weather working against them from the start, the group’s persistence paid off handsomely, resulting in a walk that balanced dependable common species with a few genuinely special finds along the Bannerghatta Road stretch of the lake, reinforcing why Bidre Lake keeps drawing repeat visitors from across the city.