Early summer prompts winter migrant birds to embark on homeward journey
The birds, who flew into the water bodies from places as far off as Siberia, Afghanistan, Iran ,Iraq, Himalayan region, have been leaving in batches almost every day.
The birds, who flew into the water bodies from places as far off as Siberia, Afghanistan, Iran ,Iraq, Himalayan region, have been leaving in batches almost every day.
He visited Pong Dam on Sunday and also toured the ancient temples at the famous tourist site, Bathu-Ki-Lari.
The water bodies at Koikala, Haripal, are now teeming with activity as migratory birds arrive. The Bolod badh Jhill (lake) is the main centre of activity for these avian visitors.
Ahiran Lake, once a thriving winter haven for migratory birds and a magnet for nature enthusiasts, is grappling with a dramatic drop in bird populations this season.
Over 550,000 migratory birds have been spotted this spring in the four wetland nature reserves in China's Tianjin Municipality, local authorities said.
The annual bird census, undertaken in the brackish water lagoon yesterday, put the count to 10,93,049 migratory birds of 105 different species. There has been an increase of 56,829 birds this time. Last year, 10, 36, 220 birds of 107 species were sighted.
The birds fly thousands of miles to reach Bhitarakanika to escape the harsh winter in the Himalayan region. They would stay there for about four months before flying back to where they come from.
The winged guests generally fly in from Tibet, China, Mangolia, eastern parts of Europe and Siberia. Many of these also come from Ladakh. Rasik Bill, Mahananda Barrage, Gazoldoba and Nararthali are some of the common places where thousands of migratory fowls of different species normally come in during the first or second week of December every year to spend the winter.
The Geese and ducks were sighted at the highest number of 59,286 followed by Gulls, terns, and skimmer numbering 34,353.
The number of these winged visitors is marginally less than last year due to the avian influenza outbreak, which was first reported on 28 December 2020 in the Pong dam lake wildlife sanctuary
