World Wetlands Day: Annual census concludes, migratory bird count declines at Pong wetland
Rajiv Mahajan
Nurpur, February 2
The two-day annual bird count at Pong wetland in the foothills of Kangra district concluded on Wednesday. The wildlife wing of the state Forest Department has recorded a fall in the number of migratory birds arriving here. As per information, the total count of these birds at the wetland is 83,555 of 85 different species whereas this figure was 1, 17,022 of 198 different species last year.
Out of the total number, the water dependent migratory birds were 75,490 belonging to 48 species and water dependent birds were 8,065 of 37 different species. The largest population of the flagship dominant species, bar- headed geese was recorded at 37,501. The other dominant species were eurasian coot (10,472), northern pintail (8,135), common teal (4,699), little cormorant (3,516), great cormorant (3,124), common pochard (2,509), eurasian wigeon (1,690), river tern (1,546) and northern shoveler (1,140). The other uncommon species recorded in the wetland are greater white-fronted goose, lesser white fronted goose, red crested pochard, ferruginous pochard, pied avocet, northern lapwing, peregrine falcon, eurasian spoonbill, etc.
The annual counting exercise was conducted by the wildlife wing personnel along with avian experts from various institutions and bird enthusiasts from across the country. 37 range officers trained from the Forestry Academy also participated in the bird census, this year. The entire area of the Pong wetland was divided into 25 sections and teams were constituted accordingly. Most of the birds migrate from their breeding places in the trans-Himalayan region in Tibet, Central Asia, Russia and Siberia. As the Pong wetland is also a Ramsar site, it has become an ideal destination for winter sojourn of many species of the migratory birds.
According to Reginald Royston, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Hamirpur, the population of birds in the Pong wetland had shown a decrease from successive years due to the delayed migration in the Central Asian Flyway, warm winters and delayed snowfall in the upper reaches, and change in the weather patterns. “The increase in the water level of the wetland from 1,330 feet last year to 1,350 feet this year is also one of the reasons for fall in the arrival of migratory birds,” he added. He said the second census would be done in the first week of March before the departure of the migratory birds to their native places. The population of migratory birds and species was expected to increase in the coming days during the return journey of the winged visitors to their breeding grounds as birds from North-West, Central and South India would start arriving here in the coming days, the DFO added.
