Amid lockdown, forest dept holds census at Okhla Bird Sanctuary as migratory birds fly back

The Gautam Budh Nagar forest department that conducted their yearly post-migration bird census amid lockdown has found a total of 13 species of waterbirds in the sanctuary.

With Summer here, the forest department held a census at Okhla Bird Sanctuary to find that about 343 winter migratory birds have stayed back.

According to the last annual census held by the forest department in February for the birding year of 2019-20, the sanctuary was abode to at least 21,061 birds from 115 species. (Photo by Sunil Ghosh / Hindustan Times)

The Gautam Budh Nagar forest department that conducted their yearly post-migration bird census amid lockdown has found a total of 13 species of waterbirds in the sanctuary. Of these, six – including the greater flamingos - were migratory while seven were residents. The total number of water birds were 1,241 of which 343 were migratory and 898 were resident.

“The census was held last week at Okhla Bird Sanctuary alone and only the water birds were included. Every year some of the migratory birds do stay back,” said Pramod Kumar Srivastava, divisional forest officer, GB Nagar.

The migratory birds that were spotted included Greylag goose (18), Bar Headed Goose (25), Ruddy shelduck (12), Northern Shoveler (110), Common coot (98), Greater flamingo (80). The resident water birds included Common Moorhen (111), Purple swamphen (98), Red-wattled lapwing (170), Spot-billed duck (150), Black-headed Ibis (49), whiskered tern (250), black-crowned night heron (70).

According to the last annual census held by the forest department in February for the birding year of 2019-20, the sanctuary was abode to at least 21,061 birds from 115 species. The sanctuary is home to about 350 species of birds of which nearly over 60 are local and long-distant migratory.

“Most of the birds migrate back but a few are left mostly because of some injuries or illness. Apart from the water birds, certain juvenile raptors also stay back. Their departure is also a sight with a V formation or line formation and the flocks keep on changing the leader as other birds fly in a jet stream,” says eminent birder Bikram Grewal.

The migratory birds start arriving here by October, while their strength reaches the peak in December.

“Their departure begins by the March and April mid they are all gone to their breeding grounds in central and north Asia,” said birder Jaswinder Singh Waraich.