BHOPAL: Arrival of migratory birds, particularly ducks and waders is declining significantly in India’s cleanest city Indore.
A comparison of data generated from the bird watch/bird race conducted by birders in December 2023 and December 2024 in Indore, has revealed decline in overall bird species count, including the birds migrating from Eurasian region (including Russia, Central Asian nations and Mongolia).
While the overall species sighting, which was 172 during the maiden bird race/bird watch in Indore in December 2023, declined to 165 during the same exercise in December 2024, the aggregate migratory duck counts dipped by over 20%.
Not just migratory ducks, but even the waders count declined in the same proportion as the ducks, with the waders count at birding hotspots like the Sirpur Wetland, falling to single digit count compared to the double digit counts of the previous year.
According to Ajay Gadikar, the Indore-based ornithologist and coordinator of Indore Bird Watch 2023 and Indore Bird Watch 2024, migratory ducks have shown a trend of significant decline.
“This year migratory ducks like the Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveller, Ruddy Shelduck, Common Pochard, Ferruginous Duck showed a sharp decline in numbers than the last year. Also, the waders such as Common sandpiper, wood sandpiper and marsh sandpiper counts were in single digits than what used to be in hundreds at many of the wetlands,” Gadikar told this newspaper on Sunday.
Bird experts who formed part of the five-hour-long event in Indore recently, cited several reasons, including acute weather changes, the impact of the long-drawn Russia-Ukraine war (particularly most birds whose numbers have shown decline fly from the Eurasian region) and growing human activity in the forest areas, grasslands and wetlands of Indore which since long have served as the temporary habitat for migratory birds during winters.
Around 64 participants (bird watchers) explored the various sites in and around the city for five hours, in teams of three to five birders, and included some of the city's finest and most experienced senior birders.
At least 13 habitats, which report maximum migratory birds’ presence in Indore during the winters, including wetland, forest areas and grasslands were covered by the recent Bird Watch.
While a total 165 bird species were observed at the 13 sites, the Chouhan Khedi talab on Kanadia Road reported the highest 66 species. Rare birds which were spotted during the exercise, include Ferruginous Duck, Verditer Flycatcher, Sarus Crane, Bonelli’s Eagle, Olive backed Pipit and the Indian nuthatch.
The 13 sites which were covered during the event, included Sirpur Wetland, Kajligarh Fort, Burana Khedi, Baroda DaulatMachal/Kishanpura Lake, Chouhan Khedi, Ralamandal, Residency, Mhow, Bilawali Talab, Talawali Chanda, Yeshwant Sagar and the Umrikheda Forest.