Suhail Bhat
Srinagar, Nov 24: With the onset of winter, the wetlands in Kashmir are abuzz with the incessant chirping of the migratory birds that arrive here from places with harsh winters.
So far, as per the Department of Wildlife, over two lakh avian visitors have landed in Valley and they expect the number to increase in the coming months. These birds migrate from their native places like Siberian, Northern Europe, and Central Asian countries to evade harsh cold and take refuge in the wetlands of the Valley.
The birds generally start journey before the onset of winter and cover thousands of miles to reach here. They trickle in October and marshlands of Valley are full of colourful and distinct species of birds by the end of February.
“So far around 2 lakh birds have reached here and we are expecting more birds in the coming months. These wetlands are conducive and serve as breeding grounds for them,” Ifshan Dewan, Wildlife Warden Wetlands Kashmir told Excelsior.
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. We are hoping for the same number of birds this year,” Ifshan said.
Like the previous years, the wildlife shooting, which is constitutionally prohibited in Jammu and Kashmir, is looming as a primary challenge for the department because of the dearth of staff. Last week, two of the four rare whooper swans fall prey to the poachers. “We spotted the birds in the Valley after a gap of 60 years but lost them because of poaching. We have started an investigation into the matter and have deputed anti-poaching squads in and around all the wetlands to stop such incidents,” she said.
She said the migratory birds always remain under the threat of poachers who kill them outside the wetlands reserves that are not fully protected by the staff. “The birds sometimes move out of the wetlands as they know no boundaries and poachers kill them there. We cannot put a complete check on the practice due to scarcity of staff,” he said.
Another problem that the department is facing is insufficient water in these wetlands due to the prolonged dry weather this year. “To tackle the challenge we have made some management interventions. If steps are not taken the number of visitors might drop,” she said.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel