Summer migrants arrive at Okhla sanctuary

Noida: The Okhla Bird Sanctuary has started welcoming its summer passage migrants with some rare and stunning birds making a pit stop for a few days before flying further north

Noida: The Okhla Bird Sanctuary has started welcoming its summer passage migrants with some rare and stunning birds making a pit stop for a few days before flying further north.

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With a flock of rosy starlings among other winged delights like Asian paradise flycatcher, Eurasian golden oriole, common rosefinch, and common starling perching in the city’s only eco-sensitive zone, birders and foresters have rushed to spot them.

Forest officials and birders said that the summer migrant birds arrive here between late March and early April, and while some stay here, most fly further towards north-west or towards the lower heights of Himalayas to breed. These birds may make a pit stop again during their return journey in August and September, they said.

With the flock of starling here, the birders also expect to sight “murmuration” or “dance of starling” in which a large group of starlings fly together around sunset like a swarm with their twists, turns and swirls in the sky replicating shape shifting clouds.

“It’s a beautiful sight, and whether a birder or not, one must go to explore them before they leave. There are some of the very beautiful phenomenon like murmuration, for which the Okhla sanctuary might not be the best place but it has been spotted earlier near India Gate,” said Prasanna Gautam, a Ghaziabad-based birder who spotted flock of starlings perching at the Okhla park earlier this week.

According to the birders, though the birds fly north, some, in rare spotting, stay behind to breed. “Most of these birds are local summer migrants and most of them fly from south and move towards northern region. However, we have spotted nesting of golden oriole and paradise flycatchers at the Okhla sanctuary earlier. In 2006, there were four nesting of flycatchers in the sanctuary at the same area which was later used to make memorials,” said Anand Arya, a Noida-based birder.

According to the forest department, a small flock of over hundred rosy starlings is being spotted at the sanctuary.

“It’s the right time to visit the sanctuary as the summer migrants have started to arrive here. Rosy starlings are among the listed passage migrants which have arrived in numbers. They often come here to roost and feed from different parts of the country, including Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. The birds stay here for some days before they fly,” said PK Srivastava, divisional forest officer, Gautam Budh Nagar.