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Intense cold spell causes migratory birds to stay away from Chandigarh
Like previous years, this year also Chandigarh forest department has constructed mini islands at Sukhna Lake to give birds a place to feed and to attract migratory birds but this tactic hasn’t worked as per officials
With only a couple of days of sunlight this month, dense fog and intense cold spells, the migration pattern of birds has been affected and went down by around 60-70%, as per the UT forest department.
Speaking about this, UT chief conservator of forests TC Nautiyal said, “This time, there hasn’t been any major snowfall in nearby hill stations while the plains have had a long cold spell. The migration of birds is only 30-40% of what it used to be in previous years due to this reversal of weather conditions.”
“While exact numbers aren’t available but in previous years the migration used to be in thousands, while this year the number has dropped into hundreds,” said Nautiyal He added that species-wise it hasn’t been observed that any migratory species that used to visit the city before have remained absent this year. “It’s just that the number of birds is less, species-wise we haven’t seen any trend as such,” he added. He said popular birds like teals and cormorants have been spotted at Sukhna Lake this season but their numbers are lower.
It’s not just for Chandigarh, this reduction is being reported from Amritsar up to water bodies in Uttarakhand. Officials said migratory birds usually come to water bodies like Sukhna Lake because they are relatively warmer and for feeding. Like previous years, this year also the UT forest department has constructed mini islands at Sukhna Lake to give birds a place to feed and to attract migratory birds but this tactic hasn’t worked as per officials.
Weaker WD to blame
Speaking about what is different in winters this year, the former director of India Meteorological Department (IMD) Chandigarh and Shimla, Manmohan Singh, said, “It’s because of Western Disturbances (WD). WDs have been weaker this season due to which there has been no rain in the plains and no snow in hill stations. WDs are the major factor that contributes to rain during this time of the year.”
As per IMD officials, no rain has been recorded in the region since December 1, due to which fog continues unabated in the region. Fog is easier to form in the plains and forms like a low-level cloud here. Hill stations remain relatively unaffected and have stayed warmer than Chandigarh during the day despite having a minimum temperature below 0 degrees.
There has also been a fall in the number of migratory birds in recent years as seen in the surveys conducted by Chandigarh Bird Club for Sukhna Lake for the past few years. Forest department officials have attributed this to the rise in the water level of Sukhna Lake, which makes it more difficult for birds to feed at the lake.
