Bhonpuram Khabari, Rudrapur: The number of migratory birds arriving in different water bodies in district Udham Singh Nagar in the Terai region from different parts of Europe and Asia has witnessed a significant drop this year. Officials of the forest department in mid-December stated that around 10,000 winged species showed up in the initial stage of the migration. According to an official at the Terai forest department, this was a drop from the 15,000 birds that are usually seen in December. Also, only seven species of birds had arrived till then as compared to 19 species in 2021 till that time.
In October, when the season begins, ruddy shelducks and grey herons are usually the ones to arrive first as they did this winter as well. The bar-headed geese arrive in November, followed by pochards in December. Painted storks arrive during the first 10 days of January. Sub-divisional officer (SDO) of the forests, Shashi Dev said that the final census of bird arrivals would be taken only in mid-January. Incidentally, the water level at Baur and Haripura reservoirs in Gularbhoj town, which are the feeding area of the migratory birds, had dropped this year. A correlation cannot be made yet, Shashi Dev said and added that it could be a possible reason. “Until all birds arrive in mid-January, we cannot say for sure,” she said.
“Migratory birds require nesting places and sufficient food for successful broods. Accelerated habitat loss during the last decade, including decreased area under water bodies, wetlands, natural grasslands and forests, have proved to be major impediments for them”, said Pran Chadha, an ornithologist from Chhatisgarh coming to Uttarakhand for bird-watching. “These two reservoirs have now been developed as tourist destinations by the state government and according to my observation the birds further move away in day time due to disturbance of the amusement visitor’s activities, and movement along the wetland. The smaller flocks of Black-headed Gulls that arrive during the daytime do not stay longer, which might be due to a shortage of food and unfavourable habitat. These birds are recognized as one of the most important indicators of the state of the environment because they are sensitive to habitat, and climate change and water birds are one of the key indicators of the wetland’s health”, he added.
“More than 50,000 migratory birds of over 20 different species from different countries, including Siberia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, West Russia and other parts of the world arrive at the wetlands of the Terai region every year after water bodies get frozen in their native places in winter. till the first week of January, winged guests like Spoonbills, Painted storks, Coots, Common Pochard, Ruddy Shelduck, Red-crested Pochard, Gadwall, Bar-headed geese, Greylag geese, Red-naped Ibis, Black-headed gull, Great-crested grebe and Common teal have arrived but they are significantly less in numbers compared to previous years”, said another birder SD Burman, adding that it is surprising that the forest department has not started the census yet. “Almost all the species of the birds should have arrived by now and it is beyond cognizance that the officials are yet to start the counting. This is an alarming situation and the concerned authorities should look into it”, Burman said.
“The migration of birds this time is a bit late but more birds will be arriving in the coming days. The recent sightings suggest that the species count has reached around 13 in first week of January. The reason for their late arrival was the high temperature of the region in December and the avian guests preferred staying in the foothills of the Himalayas and waiting for the temperature to drop,” said Shashi Dev, the sub-divisional officer (SDO) of the Terai Central Forest Division. “We are waiting for flocks of greylag geese and red-crested pochard. They have come but in small groups. The exact numbers of their arrival could be known only later this month when the census of water birds will be conducted. Migratory birds which arrive at Terai wetlands stay till March”, she said.
Shashi Dev said, “Awareness camps were also organised for riparian communities which are living near the wetland for their involvement in preserving the area of avian guests, and patrolling teams have been deputed at Baur and Haripura reservoirs to keep a strict vigil on poaching of migratory birds. Round-the-clock patrolling is undertaken. Patrolling is also done through motorboats”.
