Okhla Bird Sanctuary, Noida

Spread over an area of 3.5 km, the Okhla Barrage Bird Sanctuary is a veritable haven both for the native and migratory water birds. The sanctuary is located in Noida close to the Delhi border on the bank of river Yamuna at the point where it flows down to Uttar Pradesh.

An important feature of the sanctuary is a lake that has been built by damming the river Yamuna. The water body is located between the western side of Okhla village and the eastern side of Gautam Buddh Nagar.

According to records maintained by the ornithologists, the lake attracts 319 species of migratory birds and approximately 50% of these come from cold regions like Tibet, Europe and Siberia to spend their winters in a warm climate of this part of the country.

They come here in November as the winter season starts and leave for their respective lands with the advent of the summer season in March. Okhla Bird Sanctuary has been a favourite destination of the bird lovers of this region since 1874 when the Agra canal was built.