My First Bird Walk at Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary

The early morning of 13th November was special for me.
It wasn’t just my first proper bird walk, it was also my first birding trip with my mom. And honestly, both of us were equally excited.

The night before, on the 12th, we were sitting and thinking about where we should go for birding the next morning. No long discussion, no debate. We both said the same name almost instantly. Dr. Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary.

It felt like the obvious choice. A place known for its incredible birdlife, from common species to some that are rare and very rare. The plan sounded perfect in our heads. Reach early, walk the trails, photograph birds, and then take the boat ride through the mangroves. The boat ride costs barely a hundred or three hundred rupees per person for an hour, which honestly feels like a steal for the experience it promises.

In our minds, everything was sorted.

The next morning, we booked a cab and headed to the ferry point. To reach the sanctuary, you need to take a ferry since it’s located on Chorao Island. We caught the 6:20 AM ferry, and the atmosphere around us was unreal. Fog everywhere, a soft not-so-bright sun trying to come through, and that quiet stillness that only early mornings offer.

And this is where the beginner photographer in me kicked in.

Instead of just enjoying the moment, I started worrying. How will we spot birds in this fog? How will autofocus behave? My ISO is going to shoot up. Will I even get usable shots? Typical thoughts that show up when you care a little too much.

I took a breath and tried to slow myself down. The view around us was stunning, and I didn’t want to miss it just because I was overthinking.

Once we reached our drop point, we headed straight towards the sanctuary gate. And that’s when our perfect plan quietly fell apart.

The sanctuary was closed for maintenance.

For a moment, it felt disappointing. We had planned this so neatly. But birding, like life, rarely follows a fixed script.

Just when we were figuring out what to do next, we bumped into a few common friends nearby. We asked them if they were there for birding as well, and turns out, they were. But instead of walking the trails, they had booked a private boat ride through the mangroves.

Suddenly, the excitement was back.

So there we were, six of us in total, me and my mom, along with four others, getting onto the boat. The fog had started lifting slightly by then, making the entire setting feel calm and promising.

As the boat slowly moved through the mangroves, the birds began revealing themselves one by one.

The first sighting of the day was a Brahminy Kite. And not at a distance. It was close enough to really observe. Strong, sharp, and effortlessly gliding, it felt like the perfect way to begin my first bird walk. Seeing it so clearly, so early into the ride, instantly lifted my confidence.

The Black-headed Ibis stood tall and calm, almost statuesque, making me realise how elegant birds can look when they aren’t in flight.

The Drongos were the complete opposite. Quick, alert, and constantly on the move, they didn’t make things easy for a beginner like me.

We spotted Redshanks and Greenshanks wading quietly through shallow waters, their movements subtle and graceful, the kind of birds you could easily miss if you weren’t paying attention.

An Osprey appeared briefly, instantly commanding attention. The kind of sighting that makes everyone on the boat go silent for a moment.

The Indian Cormorants and Egrets felt familiar, almost comforting, reminding me that even common birds have a presence worth observing when you slow down.

And then came my favourite sighting of the day, the Grey Heron. Tall, composed, and completely unbothered by us, it stood there like it belonged exactly where it was. That moment wasn’t rushed. I clicked, paused, and simply watched.

From a photography point of view, the experience went exactly how I had expected. I missed quite a few shots. Some were out of focus. Some birds flew off just as I raised my camera. The fog, low light, and constant movement made things challenging.

But despite all that, I did manage to get some really nice shots. Shots I’m genuinely proud of. And for a beginner, that felt reassuring.

About 50 minutes into the ride, when we still had almost an hour left, our boatman received a call from home. His son had fallen at school, and he needed to leave immediately to pick him up.

At that moment, you can’t really feel upset. Family always comes first.

Still, I won’t deny that a small part of me felt a little incomplete. We hadn’t spotted a kingfisher yet, which was something I was really hoping for during the mangrove ride.

But birding doesn’t work on wish lists.

If everything had gone exactly according to plan, we probably wouldn’t have met our friends, learned as much as we did from the boatman, or experienced the morning the way we did.

We wrapped up the trip feeling about 75% satisfied. Not because the experience lacked anything important, but because birding has a way of reminding you that not everything goes according to plan. And maybe that’s the point.
That first bird walk taught me more than I expected. About patience. About observation. About showing up without forcing outcomes.

It wasn’t perfect.
It wasn’t complete.
But it was real.

And for a first bird walk, that felt just right.

If you’d like to follow this journey further, keep an eye out for my next bird walk.
You can also read my earlier posts, How Birding Found Me and How Photography Found Me, to see how this journey began and you can also follow me on Instagram and check out more pics.