Ramkrishan Upadhyay
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, February 5
There has been an alarming decline in the number of migratory birds at Sukhna Lake.
Compared to the previous year, a one-fourth reduction has been observed in the number of birds so far at the lake. MS Sekhon, president of the Chandigarh Birds Club, said while around 4,200 migratory birds were counted on February 11, 2017, the numbers have reduced to around 1,000 this year.
Another bird watcher Kulbhushan Kanwar said it was disappointing to see less number of birds this year at the lake. He said every year, the migratory birds usually start returning to the their native places in March and April. But this year, many of them have already moved to other places.
Sekhon said there were many reasons for the decline in the number of birds this year. Besides increase in the water level of the lake, other factors such as disturbance in the lake and pollution in the air at the start of the winter season were also responsible for the same. Kanwar said birds prefer wetland or shallow water.
He said a large number of birds arrived at Sukhna Lake in the beginning but due to the disturbance caused by rowing boats in the channel, where the migratory birds enjoy their winter, they flew to the nearby peaceful lakes — Mote Majra and Chhatbir lake.
Sekhon said birds such as red-crested pochard and river tern were not spotted at the lake this year.
Every year birds such as Gadwall, common teal, northern shoveler, Eurasian wigeon, tufted duck, ferruginous pochard, knob-billed duck, ruddy shelduck, painted stork, pintail, mallard, harrier, osprey, cormorant and little cormorant visit the lake.
Kanwar said the administration would have to take steps to make the stay of the winged guests comfortable. The channel, which was a favuorite place for the birds, be maintained as shallow water by putting gate walls and excessive water should be pumped out of the main Sukhna Lake. Artificial islands could be created in the centre of the channel where birds could settle. A bird-watching point should be set up as it create no disturbance to the birds. Every year with the onset of winters, the migratory birds come to the lake from Siberia, Central Asia, China, Afghanistan and the upper Himalayas and their stay lasts till March or April.
As per expert Dr Onkar Singh of Punjabi University, wetlands are unique aquatic ecosystems. A variety of migratory birds are attracted by these wetlands in the country in every winter season as wetlands provide a variety of habitats, food, places for roosting, perching, breeding and nesting. Wetlands across the country are degrading due to pollution and reclamation, which is a major threat to migratory birds which visit our wetland from far-flung places of the world. Why wetlands are important as these also support various species which come under threatened categories of the IUCN Red Data List.