Despite smog, birds flock to Harike
AMRITSAR: With nearly 50,000 migratory birds having already arrived at the region’s largest wetland of Harike, also known as Hari-ke-Pattan, in Punjab’s border district of Tarn Taran, wildlife officials are upbeat.
Spread over 86 sq km, the Harike wetland and sanctuary is home to migratory birds from Europe, northern and central Asia. “Early winter saw birds arriving since mid-October. We are expecting more arrivals this season as compared to previous years,” says World Wildlife Fund (WWF) field researcher Gitanjali Kanwar.
The WWF, which has been conducting the annual bird census at Harike since 2011 with the forest and wildlife preservation department, says about 94,000 winged guests flocked to the wetland last year. The WWF conducts the survey in January.
Kanwar says experts had not noticed any impact of pollution due to paddy stubble burning on the arrival of birds. “The air pollution affects their health but there’s been no impact on the numbers arriving. The water body is clearly visible and they are coming rapidly,” she says.
After the large-scale fish mortality in the Beas due to the spill of molasses from a sugar mill in May, it was feared that migratory birds would change their destination. “These birds are not dependent on fish only. Some are herbivores and others carnivores. The herbivores eat aquatic plants and the carnivores feed on aquatic insects and turtles besides fish. So, it is unlikely that fewer fish will affect the arrival of avifauna,” Kanwar says.
UNDER SURVEILLANCE
Ferozepur divisional forest officer (DFO) Kalpana says Harike is the winter home to the bar headed goose, greylag goose, ruddy shelduck, Siberian gulls, large cormorant, snake bird, pintail duck, tufted duck, northern shoveller, wigeon, red-crested pochard, common teal, white-eyed pochard, common pochard, knob-billed duck and black-headed ibis.
These birds migrate from Russia, Kazakhstan, Siberia, China, Mongolia and other cold countries. They are expected to stay till March.
“Security is in place for the winged guests. The lake is under surveillance round the clock,” says Kalpana, adding that if anyone is found poaching or roaming in the restricted area, a first information report (FIR) will be registered.