Keeping their date with Punjab, migratory birds arrive in droves
TARN TARAN: With the onset of winter, migratory birds from various countries have started arriving at Harike wetland and bird sanctuary in Tarn Taran district. Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Ferozepur-range, Lakhwinder Singh said as per their rough estimate around 30,000 birds have arrived so far at Harike, popularly known as Hari-KePattan.
The wetland and the lake were formed by constructing the headworks across the Sutlej river in 1953. Since then, the wetland spreading over 100 square miles has become a home to rare varieties of avifauna that arrive here from different countries.
Around one hundred species of avian guests from the different parts of Europe and North Asia arrive at the India’s second largest wetland every year from October to January.
“The first ones who have arrived are shoreline birds like gulls and terns. So far, migratory birds arrived in Harike include spotted and red shank, blackbrown-caspian-palla’s gull, river and whiskered terns (in huge numbers), flocks of spoonbills and painted storks. Among ducks and pochards, mostly common pochard have also arrived. We are yet to see the arrival of large congregation of ducks and geese. Currently, they have started arriving in small groups,” said Gitanjali Kanwar, coordinator, aquatic biodiversity, World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
She said, “Ruddy shelduck, marsh harrier and India spotted eagle have also arrived in Harike. Resident birds of Harike, including large and little cormorant, great, intermediate and little egrets, grey, purple, pond and black crowned night heron, flocks of spot-billed ducks, can also be spotted.”
She said the migration is little late this time due to the late onset of winter. “More birds will arrive in the coming days. We will start our counting in January once the arrival is completed,” she added.
When asked about any impact on the arrival of birds amidst the poor air quality due to stubble burning and bursting of crackers on Diwali, she said, “So far, we have not noticed any impact on the arrival of migratory birds due to stubble burning. However, a thorough study is required to be conducted in this regard.”
Meanwhile, the DFO said their teams have been on alert and working round-the-clock to tackle poaching and illegal fishing at Harike. “Recently, we have arrested six persons and seized seven boats and nets. We have noticed drastic decline in illegal fishing and poaching in the area as compared to the last year,” he said. Last year’s birds census could not be conducted due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, the forest department had confirmed the arrival of 80 different species of birds in 2021. In 2020, only 74,869 migratory birds had arrived at the wetland, which was the lowest in over the last six years. The officials had cited ‘some undescribed issues in the low temperature regions. In 2019, the count of migratory birds that arrived at the wetland was 1,23,000; 94,771 in 2018; 93,385 in 2017; 1,05890 in 2016.