Rare migratory birds adorn State’s only bird sanctuary

The Pioneer , Monday, January 11, 2010
Correspondent : Moushumi Basu | Ranchi

The two-day bird census conducted under the aegis of the International Society of Asian Water Birds (ISAWB) in Jharkhand’s only bird sanctuary in the State at Udhwa has spotted rare and migratory birds. However, being close to the Bangladesh border, in the district of Sahibganj, nearly 10-12 villages around the State is resided by infiltrators, who are farming in the region. Random use of pesticides, drawing water from the lakes in the sanctuary, besides poaching are proving to be looming threats to the avian heritage in the State.

The census, which concluded on Sunday, was led by AK Mishra, DFO Wildlife Division, Hazaribagh, with the support of Neo Human Foundation, Hazaribagh, Adhikari Foundation For Nature, Bokaro, besides the members of the Mandar Natural Club, Bhagalpur along with bird experts who are members of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) of noted ornithologist and naturalist late Sálim Ali fame and Indian Bird Conservation Network (IBCN).

It may be mentioned that the wetland sanctuary has twin lakes of Pataura and Bareil collectively spreading over an area of 5.65 square kms. It was notified in 1991. The land which was earlier occupied for the Farrakka barrage project was later scrapped and handed over to the district administration.

“We have been able to sight some rare and migratory birds in the course of the exercise,” says Mishra. These include Lesser Adjutant (commonly called Garur), Ibis, Open billed stork, Sandpiper, Red crested pochard, coot, varieties of kingfisher amongst others. Three teams have been formed for the process and the results are still in the process of comparison and assimilation. This is the second such count conducted by the department, following the initiatives of ISAWB.

“We have tentatively listed about 40 species so far. The objective behind the exercise, apart from keeping track of the count of the various species of the winged guests was also to identify the conditions that can lead to the prolificacy of the avian species by boosting up their roosting process”, he adds.

“Certain species as purple moorhen, coot etc have certainly grown, while counts of certain others may have declined, we are in the process of analysing the habitat of the respective birds, to analyze the change,” he pointed out. The department has also done extensive plantations of trees as peepal, banyan, and other species of ficus, jamun etc. around the lake to promote the nesting process of the birds.

Meanwhile, according to the local residents and wildlife enthusiasts, even if rare and migratory birds have been sighted, by the teams, the proportion of arrival of winged guests is barely 25-30 per cent of that visited earlier.

It may be mentioned that the Farakka barrage about 40 kms from the site is on the Bangladesh border. In the course of time, the place has been flocked by infiltrators from the neighbouring country. “They are farming in the land, adjoining the lakes,” pointed out the locals. Said an unabashed Mohammad Mohsin, from the Baghpinjar village, “the land is ours, we are here for generations...” He also admitted to the use of pesticides and insecticides to protect his crops. This is leading to the luxuriant growth of flora as spirogyra, hydrilla, chara, vallisneria, causing the slow death of the lakes, pointed out Amar Singh, botanist and member of the team.

To add to the above, one can also find nets tied to bamboo shafts under the water of the lake, which are used for trapping and hunting endangered species of birds. Adding to the danger is a bird market in Radhanagar, where endangered birds are sold for anything between Rs 500-Rs 1500 or even more.

To this Mishra admitted “the land of the sanctuary is not demarcated, there is no boundary wall, so we can not really take any action against the villagers. There is also scarcity of department staffs, who can keep vigil against poaching, but we are trying to spread awareness through various community based programmes.

 
SOURCE : http://www.dailypioneer.com/228517/Rare-migratory-birds-adorn-State%E2%80%99s-only-bird-sanctuary.html
 


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