<p>Bengaluru-based birder Manjula Desai was among a group of rare bird researchers, who spotted the long-billed bush warbler in Ladakh’s Suru Valley last month. The bird was spotted after 48 years in India at an altitude of approximately 3,200 metres. It was last seen in 1977.</p>.<p>The ecological significance of sighting the long-billed bush warbler in the “context of biodiversity conservation and habitat assessment in the country” was discussed in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.</p>.<p>“The birds were in abundance in the ’60s and ’70s in India’s Kashmir and Ladakh regions. It slowly disappeared owing to steady habitat degradation,” says Manjula, who has been birding for about 13 years now.</p>.<p>“These birds were occasionally seen in the PoK region, Pakistan and Tajikistan. It is still very difficult to find it in other countries bordering India and Pakistan. It was seen by a Malaysia-based birder, James Eaton, in the Gilgit-Baltistan region in 2022. With the habitat information and approximate locations suggested by him, we took the challenge to find it on our side of the LoC,” says the 42-year-old birder, also adding, “We still don’t know where it migrates during the winter.” Many birds migrate during harsh winters to find greener pastures.</p>.<p class="bodytext">She adds that the bird is vocal during June to late-July, which made it easier for her team to locate it. “Earlier expeditions were perhaps not made during the right season,” she opines.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Further research is needed to get more information about the breeding behaviour, adds Manjula, who spotted the blue pitta in Mizoram recently. It is also an elusive bird for India, “which is mostly heard but rarely seen”.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The team of birders along with Manjula, who were on this mission to find India’s long lost birds included Harish Thangaraj, Lt Gen Bhupesh Goyal, Rigzin Nubu and Irfan Jeelani.</p>
<p>Bengaluru-based birder Manjula Desai was among a group of rare bird researchers, who spotted the long-billed bush warbler in Ladakh’s Suru Valley last month. The bird was spotted after 48 years in India at an altitude of approximately 3,200 metres. It was last seen in 1977.</p>.<p>The ecological significance of sighting the long-billed bush warbler in the “context of biodiversity conservation and habitat assessment in the country” was discussed in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.</p>.<p>“The birds were in abundance in the ’60s and ’70s in India’s Kashmir and Ladakh regions. It slowly disappeared owing to steady habitat degradation,” says Manjula, who has been birding for about 13 years now.</p>.<p>“These birds were occasionally seen in the PoK region, Pakistan and Tajikistan. It is still very difficult to find it in other countries bordering India and Pakistan. It was seen by a Malaysia-based birder, James Eaton, in the Gilgit-Baltistan region in 2022. With the habitat information and approximate locations suggested by him, we took the challenge to find it on our side of the LoC,” says the 42-year-old birder, also adding, “We still don’t know where it migrates during the winter.” Many birds migrate during harsh winters to find greener pastures.</p>.<p class="bodytext">She adds that the bird is vocal during June to late-July, which made it easier for her team to locate it. “Earlier expeditions were perhaps not made during the right season,” she opines.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Further research is needed to get more information about the breeding behaviour, adds Manjula, who spotted the blue pitta in Mizoram recently. It is also an elusive bird for India, “which is mostly heard but rarely seen”.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The team of birders along with Manjula, who were on this mission to find India’s long lost birds included Harish Thangaraj, Lt Gen Bhupesh Goyal, Rigzin Nubu and Irfan Jeelani.</p>