Migratory birds arrive in Haryana from Europe, Central Asia before onset of winter
GURUGRAM: Much ahead of when they are expected to arrive, migratory birds have started flying in from Europe and Central Asia. Already, several winter migratory birds have been sighted at popular birding sites in Haryana. So far, birders have spotted birds such as European roller, rosy starling, western crowned warbler and whiteeyed buzzards at places such as Sultanpur National Park, Bhindawas Bird Sanctuary, Dighal, and Basai.
Since the Sultanpur National Park is currently closed and is set to reopen for visitors on October 1 after a gap of five months, birders are now flocking to other locations to get a glimpse of these exotic avian species.
Birders, however, said though migratory birds have started arriving, the maximum number will fly in by September and October.
Abhishek Gulshan, a birder and nature educator from Delhi, said the winter migrants have begun to arrive in the region sooner than expected. “It’s hard to say why this is happening, but widespread changes in climatic conditions is one reason. These changes affect breeding patterns and availability of food, which, in turn, affect the migratory patterns of birds.”
According to the state forest officials, at least 37 species of migratory birds have arrived in Haryana, a number reported to be higher than the 20 species spotted during the same period during the last three years. “The number of migratory birds is bound to be more since Gurugram has received good rainfall this year. We have a portal on which we upload the pictures and names of the birds sighted by us,” Pankaj Gupta, a birder from Delhi, said.
At the 359-acre Sultanpur National Park, there are currently around 130 species of birds, including those of migratory species. There are around 3,000 birds in the park, including 25 species of water birds. “There are nearly 80-90 resident birds and migratory birds have started arriving. Hence, the number of avian species sighted here has already gone up to 130 in August,” Vinod Kumar, the additional principal chief conservator of forests, Gurugram said. From 2010 to 2016, the forest department used to close the Sultanpur National Park for three months. But since 2016, the forest department has been closing it for four to five months, starting May.
It will reopen on October 1. People can visit the park between 6.30am and 4.30pm. “These four months are the breeding period for resident birds and they should not be disturbed, ” Kumar said.