Water birds' census kicks off in Rajasthan's Bundi

The water birds' census week kicked off on Saturday at Bardha Dam in Rajasthan's Bundi district with groups of birdwatchers and wildlife enthusiasts sailing in boats to the colonies of migratory and domestic water birds on the farthest banks and contributing in counting the winged visitors.

Nine water bodies, where the water birds flock in considerably large numbers, have been earmarked for the census, divsional forest officer (DFO), Bundi, Phralad Rai Badgurjar said.

The six-day exercise would give birdwatchers and wildlife enthusiasts an opportunity to observe and enjoy the water birds' activities and contribute in counting, he said.

The DFO also stressed on exploring possibilities to promote bird watching tourism.

Large variety of migratory birds including Pelican, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Common Teel, Common Pochard, Surkhab, Bar-Headed Goose, Sand Piper and domestic water birds were sighted on the first day of the exercise.

The birdwatchers observed the activities of the birds and clicked photographs.

They urged the government to ban fishing in the dams for the four months when the migratory birds come here.

Blast fishing is a big threat to the birds in almost all the dams of Hadouti region and the government should at least ban fishing in these places from November to February, when a large number of migratory birds fly here from thousands of miles away, a Kota-based research supervisor Kirshendra Singh Nama said.

"The dams and wetlands in Hadouti offer a rich and healthy environment to the migratory birds but fishing in these places is a big threat to their lives as fishing contractors are more inclined to shoo them away or even kill these birds," said assistant conservator of forest (ACF), Bundi, Satish Jain.

Most of the dams fall under the revenue area where fishing contracts are leased out and the forest department is helpless against the contactors, he said.

With the onset of winter, migratory birds fly thousands of kilometres to reach the wetlands, ponds and water reservoirs in the Hadouti region.

Bar-headed and gray leg geese fly in from snow covered areas of China and Mongolia and European Pintail and Northern Shoveler from the European continent.

Ducks, Egrets, Spoonbills are among some other species of birds that reach the Hadouti region.

Painted Storks, who nest in the higher branches of Babool trees, are a common sight in the region. PTI CORR DIV DIV