JAISALMER: For the winged species that arrive from faraway regions during winter and other fauna, Sardar Samand Lake in Pali district, an hour's drive from Jodhpur, and nearby areas are a birding paradise.
A blend of woodland, wetland and grasslands, this small area comes alive with chirping of migratory birds during this time of the year.
To save birds and wildlife from poachers, the sarpanchs of Sardar Samand and Ghurasani villages have written letters to the forest department, demanding that they convert 9,000 bighas of this unique ecosystem into protected reserve.
Apart from woodland and wetland birds, there are flamingos, black bucks and other fauna here which attract bird lovers and wildlife enthusiasts.
Dr GobindSagar Bhardwaj, chief conservator of forests (CCF), said that many species of migratory birds have reached Sardar Samand Lake this season. Located in Pali district, adjacent to the small hillock of Dholagiri, this lake attracts thousands of water birds, including greater flamingoes, great white pelicans, bar-headed geese, demoiselle cranes and other species of ducks and geese.
Hundreds of great cormorants, eurasian spoonbills, egrets, white ibises can be seen roosting or nesting on partially submerged acacia trees and juliflora shrubs.
Thousands of barn swallows can also be seen catching small insects on the lake. The hillock and the adjoining area is the habitat of raptors rock eagle owl and booted hawk eagle. A number of other common species can be seen.Among mammals, blue bulls, which stray into agricultural fields, are common. One can also see blackbucks and chinkara deer in the open grasslands adjoining the Dholagiri area.
A very rare bird, perhaps never photographed from Rajasthan, the moustached warbler, was also seen partially hidden by the shrubs in the wetland this season, according to Bhardwaj.
He said the villagers have volunteered to conserve the area. To protect 8,772 bighas of lake and the flora and fauna, GhurasanisarpanchAruna and Sardar SamandsarpanchDigvijay Singh have written letters to the forest department.
They have demanded rain water from Dholagiri hills to be channeled to ponds in the villages, and declare the entire area as reserve under the Wildlife Act 1972. This would help to maintain the ecological balance and there's water in the ponds for people and cattle.
