96,000 migratory birds `holidaying' at Pong
Vishal Gulati
Tribune News Service

Pong Dam , February 3
More than 96,000 avians, both migratory and local, are "holidaying"
in the Pong Dam area these days.

Nestled in the sylvan surroundings of the Kangra valley, the area is
at its picture-postcard best. The crystal-clear water, verdant
forest, grassy swamps and rich flora and fauna are attracting
thousands of migratory birds every year even from far-off countries,
including Russia, Siberia, Poland and China.

According to a three-day survey conducted by the Forest Department
from January 29, more than 96,000 water birds were recorded at the
dam. This year again the largest influx is of the bar-beaded goose,
coot, common pochard, red-crested pochard, great cormorant, pintail
duck, river tern and the spotbill duck.

S.K. Guleria, DFO, Wildlife, Hamirpur, said 25 teams were formed to
conduct the dawn-to-dusk survey.

Ornithologists of the BNHS (Bombay Natural History Society), the
Wildlife Institute of India, the Worldwide Fund, the Zoological
Survey of India and the Kangra Bird Club assisted the Forest
Department in conducting the survey.

Twenty local bird lovers were also involved in the survey. Guleria
said this year only the census of water birds were conducted. The
water bird is a bird, which inhibits near the water body. In previous
years all species of birds were counted.

Last year, 1.11 lakh birds were recorded in the area. This time four
new species were recorded. These are the slender-billed gull, the
common snipe, the white-tailed lapwing and the ferruginous pochard.

Guleria claimed that the ferruginous pochard was recorded for the
first time. However, a book written by Jan Willem den Besten, "Birds
of Kangra", says a few dozen ferruginous pochards have been recorded
at Pong wetlands. It is a small chestnut bird with white undertail-
coverts.

The common snipe is a common winter migrant throughout lowlands. It
also found in Europe, Africa and Asia. But, according to bird lovers,
it has been spotted for the first time in this area.

The influx of birds can be seen at Nagrota Suriyan, Sathana,
Sansarpur Terrace, Rancer island site areas. During sunrise and
sunset, "V" formations of large cormorants in the sky are of much to
the delight of bird lovers. Prabhat Bhatti, a wildlife photographer,
said this time gulls, a seashore species, were recorded in good
number in the Sathana lake, near Pong Dam.

He said the arrival of birds would continue till March-end.
Interestingly, some of the migratory species like cormorants, egrets,
herons and pochards have made their permanent colonies in Rancer
Island. Even during the summer, they preferred to stay at the island.

However, this year the water level in the reservoir is quite low. The
wetlands, which are spread over 220 sq km, have reduced to 200 sq km.

Forest minister J.P. Nadda, who was here yesterday, said the
government would improve the habitat of the area as it was important
from the biodiversity point of view.