Migratory birds bid adieu to Kashmir as temperature rises

Kashmir Valley with snow-kissed mountains, lush green valleys, and colourful meadows, is not only a tourist paradise, but also a heaven for migratory birds. A variety of migratory birds flocked to the Valley in mid-October and leaving with the onset of summer, writes Muhammad Zulqarnain Zulfi of ETV Bharat.

Srinagar: Migratory birds have begun leaving the Kashmir Valley as spring has arrived and the weather has gotten warmer. These birds migrate to several Asian and European nations during the summer and early autumn before returning to Kashmir before the winter. This winter, more than 13 lakh birds travelled to the Valley. According to officials, the birds continue their long-standing relationship with Kashmir by coming every year to take advantage of the winter season.

"In October, these birds begin their five to six months migration to the Valley from Siberia, China, the Philippines, Eastern Europe and Japan. Since October, almost 13 lakh birds travelled to Kashmir," they said. Discussing the cause of the rise in bird population this year, they said, "The government of Jammu and Kashmir's top goal is the restoration of wetlands. The wetlands that are within their purview are being restored by several government entities. The growing number of these birds is evidence that the efforts are paying off."

Ifshan Dewan, the Kashmir Wildlife Warden for Wetlands, speaking to to ETV Bharat, said "Late October marks the beginning of the birds' migration to Kashmir, and they leave by mid-March. As the migration proceeds as usual, as in previous years, some birds are still remaining in the marshes."

The Wetlands Department conducted the census of the migratory and local birds residing in Kashmir Valley's wetlands last month. Volunteers from the Kashmir Bird Watchers Club, Agricultural University, local colleges, Wildlife Conservation Fund, National Development Foundation, Wildlife SOS, Wildlife Researchers, Society for Environment Education and Development and Wild Alif Conservation Foundation also took part in the process.

In this regard, Dewan stated, "After a long time, it was discovered that there were more than 10,000 grey leg geese in the Valley. This is a positive turn of events. The data's findings revealed a lot of fascinating stuff. That will be revealed following the thorough study." "The number of migrant birds to Kashmir increased to 12 lakhs in 2022, the most since 2019. We also counted 70 different bird species, including the long-tailed Duck that was spotted at Wular Lake. After 84 years, this duck has returned to the Valley. About 13 lakh birds are there this year as well, which is the most in the past four years," she said.

Pertinently, the Tufted Duck, Gudwal, Brahminy Duck, Gargantuan, Greyleg Goose, Mallard, Common Merganser, Northern Pintail, Common Pochard, Ferruginous Pochard, Red Crested Pochard, Ruddy Shelduck, Northern Shoveler, Common Teal, and Eurasian Wagtail are migratory birds that visit Kashmir.