For the first time in South Bengal, two rare birds—a Common Merganser from North America and a West Himalayan Bush Warbler— have been spotted during this year’s migratory bird census in West Burdwan district. This announcement was made by Saptarshi Mukherjee of Wings Durgapur, an NGO, on World Wetlands Day 2025. Speaking exclusively to The Statesman, Mr. Mukherjee said that the month-long migratory bird census program recently concluded in West Burdwan district.

The survey covered Karnail Singh Park Lake, the Boat Club in Chittaranjan, Gunjan Ecological Park in Asansol, the wetlands in ISP of Burnpur, and Durgapur Barrage, among other locations. Wings Durgapur and Wild Tuskers Asansol were entrusted by the forest department to conduct the survey of migratory bird populations in these wetland areas. “This year, we found that the number of migratory birds has remained stable, rather than increased. This is perhaps due to the conservation of wetlands and surrounding green patches, as well as continuous awareness programs in the localities. However, very few migratory birds were found in Karnail Singh Park Lake in the protected loco township of Chittaranjan,” Mr. Mukherjee explained.

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Approximately two to three lakh migratory birds arrive in the wetlands of West Burdwan district every year in mid-September and depart in late March and early April. “The biggest news is the first-ever sighting of a Common Merganser from North America in the wetlands of not only West Burdwan district, but also the entirety of South Bengal. The last recorded sighting was in Bhagalpur, Bihar. These migratory birds typically arrive in the wetlands of Assam and parts of North Bengal. In addition, a Himalayan Bush Warbler has also been spotted. Both species were observed on the banks of the Damodar River in Asansol. We have photographs of multiple individuals of these birds,” Mr. Mukherjee added. Manish Chatterjee of Wild Tuskers, Asansol, also expressed excitement about these findings.

He noted that the theme of this year’s World Wetlands Day 2025 is “Protecting Wetlands For Our Common Future,” and that both the state forest department and these NGOs are working together to welcome and protect the feathered guests in the district’s wetlands. These efforts appear to be successful. These migratory birds were photographed by Saptarshi Mukherjee, Subham Banerjee, and Manish Chatterjee. In addition to the two rare birds, the volunteers also captured images of Red Crested Pochards, Tufted Ducks, Northern Pintails, Gadwalls, Orange-headed Thrushes, Olive-backed Pipits, Cotton Pygmy Geese, and other species. At Durgapur Barrage, Pallas’s Gulls, Lesser Whistling Ducks, Great Cormorants, and Ruddy Shelducks were spotted. The detailed migratory bird census report will be submitted to Aranya Bhawan by the Divisional Forest Office (DFO) of Durgapur. Aranya Bhawan has been conducting migratory bird censuses in the state for the past few years. Nature experts have opined that changes in crop patterns, pesticide use, and habitat loss have led to a decline of as much as 80 percent in migratory bird arrivals to the country’s wetlands.