Avion count dips : The Tribune India

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Avion count dips

CHANDIGARH: 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.

Avion count dips

BAR HEADED GOOSE



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.

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