Rise in numbers of migratory birds at Asan wetland

Jotirmay Thapliyal

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, February 6

Over 6,000 migratory birds are stay putting at Asan wetland in Uttarakhand, one of important bird areas of the country. This was revealed in latest bird count at Asan bringing cheers among bird watcher community.

The bird count figures are quite encouraging taking into account a downslide witnessed in the strength of migratory birds at Asan in the recent years. Last winter (2017) only 4,500 migratory birds visited the Asan wetland.

A conservation reserve, Asan wetland attracts a large number of migratory birds every winter and is known for supporting a large population of Ruddy Shelduck migratory bird, popularly known as Surkhaab.

Every winter, a bird count is conducted by the state forest department to know the population of migratory birds at the wetland. A 10-member forest team lead by Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Dhananjaya Mohan, who is also credited with coming up with the first-ever management plan for Asan, conducted census recently and recorded the presence of as many as 6,008 migratory birds of 61 different species.

Besides, Ruddy Shelduck that outnumbers all other birds, red crested pochard, gadwall, common pochard, mallard, wigeon, common teal, tufted duck and shoveller are some of the prominent migratory bird species that have been flocking at Asan year after year.

An avid bird watcher and member Uttarakhand Wildlife Board Prateek Panwar said the rising number of migratory birds at Asan was a welcome development. He said Asan wetland had always been a bird watchers delight, who have been keenly following the wetland to keep track on types of species of migratory bird arriving there.

Spread across 250 hectares of area along Uttarakhand Himachal border, Asan finds mention in eminent ornithologist Asad R Rahmani’s book, “Potential and Existing Ramsar Sites in India” where he has emphasised on the importance of Asan as a wetland and strongly advocated the Ramsar site status for Asan.