BY DEBAJYOTI CHAKRABORTY
KOLKATA, 23 FEBRUARY 2025:
For the first time in South Bengal, during this year’s migratory bird census in West Burdwan district in the state of West Bengal , two rare birds have been spotted – Common Merganser of North USA and West Himalayan Bush Warbler, announced Saptarshi Mukherjee from Wings Durgapur, an NGO working on nature and wildlife conservation and research.
Talking to The Travel and Tourism Times, Saptarshi Mukherjee has informed that this year also the month long migratory bird census programme has been completed recently in West Burdwan district at Karnail Singh Park lake, Boat Club in Chittaranjan, Gunjan Ecological Park in Asansol, Wetlands in ISP of Burnpur, Durgapur Barrage in Durgapur etc.
Wings Durgapur and Wild Tuskers Asansol had been entrusted by the forest department to conduct the survey of migratory bird populations
in these wetland areas of West Burdwan district.
“ This year we have found that the numbers of migratory birds have not increased and the numbers are stable, maybe due to the conservation of wetlands and surrounding green patches and continuous awareness programmes in the localities. However, very few migratory birds have been found in Karnail Singh Park Lake in the protected loco township of Chittaranjan,” said Saptarshi Mukherjee.
About two to three lakhs migratory birds arrive in the wetlands of West Burdwan district every year in the mid September and leave during
the late March and early April.
“ But the biggest news is that for the first time ever we have spotted migratory birds of the North USA, Common Merganser. This is not only
the first ever find in West Burdwan district but also in entire South Bengal wetlands. It was last recorded at Bhagalpur in Bihar.
Generally these migratory birds of the USA arrive in the wetlands of Assam and some parts of North Bengal. Besides another bird of the
Himalayas – Himalayan Bush Warbler has also been spotted. Both these two bird species have been spotted in the river banks of Damodar River in Asansol. We have captured photographs of multiple numbers of these birds,”added Saptarshi Mukherjee.
Manish Chatterjee of Wild Tuskers , Asansol is also excited with these new findings and said that the theme of this year’s World Wetland Day
2025 is “ Protecting Wetlands For our Common Future” and both the state forest department and these NGOs are working together to welcome and protect our feathered guests in the wetlands of the district and the effort have been very much successful, it seems.
These winged migratory creatures have been photographed by Saptarshi Mukherjee, Subham Banerjee and Manish Chatterjee. Besides these two rare birds the volunteers have also captured the snaps of Red Crested Pochard, Tufted Duck, Northern Pintail, Gadwall, Orange- Headed Thrush , Olive – backed Pipit, Cotton Pygmy Goose etc. In Durgapur Barrage Pallas’s Gull, Lesser Whistling Ducks, Great Cormorant, Ruddy Shelduck etc have been spotted.
The detailed migratory bird census report has been handed over to Aranya Bhawan, the headquarters of forest department in West Bengal for the wetlands in West Burdwan district wetlands this year. Aranya Bhawan has taken the initiative to conduct census of migratory birds since the past few years in the state.
Change of crop pattern, use of pesticides and loss of habitat have led to loss of as much as 80 percent of the migratory bird arrivals to
the wetlands of the country, nature experts opined .
Scarcity of food and extreme cold are the reasons behind the annual ‘Great Escape” of the millions and millions of migratory birds from
the chilly northern winter to a relatively hot country like India.
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