E-Paper
Rare bird spotted in Muzaffarnagar’s Haidarpur wetland
Two local bird watchers spotted arare bird Smew, which is a diving duckon Saturday. In Haiderpur wetland, the bird has been sighted for two years in a row
MEERUT Two local bird watchers spotted a rare bird in Haiderpur wetland in Muzaffarnagar on Saturday.
Ashish Loya and Ashish Gujjar of Bijnor visit the Haiderpur wetland almost every day and on Saturday they saw a group of Smew (mergellus albellus) in the backwaters of the wetland.
Loya said these birds were uncommon. They were small diving ducks and frequented lakes, reservoirs, and rivers. They were shy, often found alone or in small groups. The female had dark rusty brown head with big white throat and cheek patch.
He said one female was spotted among a group of tufted ducks and claimed that these were some of the most beautiful ducks in the world and a rare winter visitor to India. In 2020, a female Smew was spotted at Gajoldoba Barrage in West Bengal and an individual was spotted in Jhajjar area of Haryana in 2014. He said not many records were available of its sightings.
In Haiderpur wetland, the bird has been sighted for two years in a row. Last year, a male was spotted by Ashish Loya.
The Haiderpur wetland is situated on the confluence of the Ganga and its tributary Solani river on the border of Muzaffarnagar and Bijnor and is home to rare and endangered bird species. It was developed with funds of Muzaffarnagar development authority and opened formally for tourists on November 14, 2019 by the then divisional commissioner Sanjay Kumar.
The bird species’ count in and around the wetland has risen from 172 to 322 in the past few years. The backwater wetland is spread over 18,000 acres and receives more than 50,000 migratory birds during winter. Recently, a large herd of over 150 swamp deer ( state animal of UP) was also spotted in Haiderpur wetland..
The wetland has some endangered species like smooth coated otters, swamp deer, fishing cat, gharial and is reported to have the biggest stock of greylag goose and bar-headed goose in one single wetland in India ( easily above 4,000 each).
In 2020, a dolphin safari was also started below the barrage and tourists from nearby districts, bird watchers and photographers from all over India have begun to visit this rare natural jewel.
