Hokersar Bird Reserve (Srinagar): With over 300,000 migratory birds already thronging this famous Kashmir bird reserve, officials say they are expecting the highest number of avian visitors this winter.
“The arrival of migratory birds has begun in large numbers,” Muhammad Maqbool Baba, Wetland Warden (Kashmir) told IANS.
“We have around 300,000 migratory birds in the reserve this time. This is a record so far as first migratory arrivals are concerned. We expect to host over one million migratory birds in the various bird reserves of the Valley this winter which would be the highest ever number,” Baba added.
The warden said migratory birds have arrived here early and in such large numbers because their winter homes are well maintained.
“We have maintained optimum levels of water in Hokersar this year by plugging leakages and the like,” the warden said.
The Hokersar reserve, spread over 7.6 sq km, is situated 20 km from city centre Lal Chowk on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road.
The other prominent bird reserves of the Valley are Shallabugh, Mirgund and Hygam. In addition to this, migratory birds also spend the winter months in over 120 other small and big water bodies including the Wullar Lake and the Dal Lake.
Migratory birds come to Kashmir each winter from Russia (Siberia), China, the Philippines and Turkey and some countries of Eastern Europe.
“We have around 25,000 greylag geese, over 100,000 mallards, nearly 150,000 teals, over 50,000 shovellers, pintails, gadwalls, wigeons, coots and purple moorhens in the reserve time and with each passing day, more birds are arriving,” Baba said.
Some rare species, including brahmani ducks, have been spotted in the reserve this time.
“Their numbers are definitely less, but we have seen them arrive in comparatively better numbers”, the warden claimed.
Encouraged by these arrivals, the warden said he is also expecting some other rare bird species like tufted ducks and cotton teals to return.
“For many years, tufted ducks and cotton teals that are highly endangered species of migratory birds have been rarely sighted in our reserves. This year, we are expecting them to return to their once-cherished winter homes,” Baba said.
Migratory birds come to Kashmir to ward off the extreme winter in their summer homes, where water bodies freeze over and become rock solid, making feeding and movement difficult for them.
“Nobody can shoot a migratory bird of any species in the state anywhere. This law is applicable to both the bird reserves and all other water bodies where these birds are found,” Baba said. (IANS)