Suhail Bhat
SRINAGAR Feb 1: As Kashmir continues to be in a grip of severe cold, the avian visitors who usually stay in the wetlands for the winter months here are struggling for food because of the freezing of their habitats and other water bodies.
Even as the 40-day harshest period of winter ended yesterday, the Valley remains under severe cold weather conditions. The continued freezing conditions have led the usual winter habitats of these avian guests to freeze and lead to food crisis, forcing them to move from their chosen habitats in Kashmir to the plains of the country for food and survival.
To escape the extreme weather, the lakhs of birds migrate from their native places like Siberia, Northern Europe, and Central Asian countries and take refuge on the wetlands of the Valley.
However, due to the freezing of wetlands for the last one month, a sizeable chunk of birds have shifted to Indian planes in search of food. “We have purchased paddy grains and are providing them supplementary food. We encounter this problem every year, but winter is harsh this year,” Ifshan Dewan, Wildlife Warden Wetlands Kashmir, told Excelsior.
So far, as per the Department of Wildlife, over 5- lakh avian visitors have landed in the valley and they keep coming until February. These birds migrate from their native places like Siberian, Northern Europe, and Central Asian countries to evade harsh cold, but harsh winter this year might shorten their stay.
The birds start before the onset of winter and cover thousands of miles to reach here. They trickle in October and the marshlands of Valley are full of colorful and distinct species of birds by the end of February. “So far around 5 lakh birds have reached here. We have around 1-2 lakh birds in Dal Lake, 1-lakh in Hokersar, 4-5 lakhs in Hygam, and around 40,000-50,000 at Pampore wetland. These wetlands are conducive and serve as breeding grounds for them,” Dewan said.
There are around nine wetlands including Hokersar, Hygam, Pampore, and Bandipora where these birds rest their flights. Among them, as per the department, Hokersar receives the highest number of visitors. “We regularly conduct a census in February and around 7-8-lakh birds were recorded last year. This year, however, there was a slight delay in the census because of cold,” She said.
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