A paradise lost: Sultanpur Bird sanctuary

The engines roared to life; the blasting sound filled the air when 22 bikers filled NH-8 on their beasts (as they name it). The vibration from the engines impersonated an earthquake for the insects and reptiles thriving on the roadside. The whole approach looked like a pride of lions marching zeroing their prey. The beasts none other than Royal Enfield of all makes and builds set of for a day trip to Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary.
Scheduled as a general body meeting for team456, the biking group in Delhi included many new comers like me with the veterans and co founders of the team Vinod, Ajith, Tushar etc. After assembling at two different point’s en-route (Pragati Maidan and Gurgaon) we started riding towards Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary 45 km from Delhi on NH-15 A (Gurgaon-Farukhnagar Road). With small glitches like losing ways. Punctured tires we carried forward as one pride.
Headlights switched on even in broad daylight; a sign to indicate we all belong to same pack. Guys and gals joined in from all fields and interests but still with one common passion, Biking. Fueled by passion, motivated by the engine sounds we entered the cramped roads of Gurgaon city, where one faces everything from inanimate to animate (dogs to humans) and has to steer clear from all such small/large obstacles.
The city roads with minimal turns, yet maximum traffic soon gave away to the beautiful countryside where we could actually locate clear horizons. Yellow fields of mustard accompanied us throughout route. Although the road was just slightly better than a dirt bike track, the ride was worthwhile.
Within no time we were at the parking of the sanctuary. A complete row of the lot was devoted to our beasts. Exchanging quick chats, securing the helmets we proceeded to the ticket counter. The nominal fees of Rs. 5 for entry, 10 for parking and 25 for camera sounded great. A board on the entrance maps out the whole area and we guessed that the whole park was centered over the Lake which is the party place for the avifauna. Another Board enlists the number of these birds seen, which sounded quite promising. So all gears equipped we strolled forward inside the gate.
The landscape personified a dry habitat, classical autumn. The grass, leaves everything had turned golden. The sun was adding to the color. Dotted in between the tall grasses were small areas of shades and green grass. There we spotted the first wild life. Blue bull, nilgai were spotted. Led by the male there was herd with few spawns too. Grazing, relaxing and chilling could be the words to describe their daily chores. Few clicks we moved ahead when we came to the main attraction of the park. The Sultanpur Lake. This is where the concentration of fauna exists. We could spot a huge flock of Siberian cranes sitting on the center of the lake and occasionally making a flight over the lake in search of food. These birds were huge and beautiful sweeping above the lake resembling a MIG flowing swiftly in the sky. ON the other side we could spot a flock of ducks swimming inside the water but far away from us. We sat there for some time, assimilating the beauty of nature and getting it on the camera.
After sometime we started moving ahead. When we realized the whole park is mapped around the lake in a circular fashion. The sun was also getting strong but which embellished the whole scene. And suddenly someone pointed out that there was a snake. Being an avid her lover I immediately jumped. And at the first look itself I recognized the little one as being a common sand boa. Even though non-poisonous they bite very badly. So with utmost care I used a twig and lifted the chap to observe it closely. After handling it for some time I left it and it wriggled quickly into a nearby crevice. We were now munching chips and strolling ahead to the end of our trip.
In the whole trip, which was actually a general body meeting I met people belonging to different professions, and different fields. But one common passion, riding and travelling. This made the whole trip outstanding.