Migratory birds arrive in Noida ahead of onset of winter

So far, red-necked falcon, Blyth’s pipit, barn swallows, pale martins and Hume’s short-toed lark have been sighted. Most of the early arrivals, birders maintained, are from African nations.

With migratory birds starting to arrive in the city much before the onset of winter, Noida residents are in for a treat.

A photo of Blyth’s pipit, which is among the many migratory birds that have already been spotted in Noida. (HT Photo)

According to birders, the winged visitors are being spotted around the wetlands and near the Yamuna banks — between Noida and Greater Noida. So far, red-necked falcon, Blyth’s pipit, barn swallows, pale martins and Hume’s short-toed lark have been sighted. Most of the early arrivals, birders maintained, are from African nations.

Jaswinder Waraich, a birder from Noida, said, “Some of these birds are regulars and are commonly seen September onwards. A few others have come earlier than usual. There are also a couple of rare sightings. Hume’s short-toed lark is rarely seen in this area and we can’t really say if it has arrived on time or early. Its visit itself is a delight and a sign of a healthy ecosystem.”

Stating that Blyth’s pipit, Tawny pipit and Common pochard are birds that usually arrive by mid-October, he maintained that they have already been spotted over the past week. Northern shoveller and Common teal have also been spotted in the past few weeks although they are normally spotted only by October.

Birds such as Eurasian curlew, Marsh harrier, Eurasian kestrel, black redstart, Siberian stonechat, White-eyed buzzard and European roller are generally early migrants that are spotted September onwards. Birders say common migrants that started arriving between July and August include varieties of Sandpipers, Plovers, Stints and Redshanks.

According to regular birders, these sightings are spread across Noida and Greater Noida, especially along the Yamuna bank and other large water bodies in the area.

“More birds are being spotted in the last one week. They are not just restricted to the Okhla bird sanctuary or Surajpur wetlands, but can be seen in several patches along the Yamuna. Some birds of prey can be seen in large open areas along the Yamuna expressway,” Waraich said.

Birders say that Dhanauri, Surajpur and Motipur are some of the wetlands that have been seeing increased number of birds this year, especially after higher rainfall this year.

“Motipur area used to be a rich habitat when I saw it in 2013. However, it fell prey to sand mining and was disturbed by the activity over the past few years. It was very dry last year and not many birds were seen. However, this year there are several patches of water in the wetland and many birds have been spotted,” Vaibhav Sehgal, another regular birder, said.

He added that the birds keep changing their habitat, depending on availability of food, aquatic life and amount of disturbance to the habitat.