Wular Welcomes Winged Wonders

Bandipora, Nov 28: Even though the winter has turned everything colourless, the Wular Lake in north Kashmir is strikingly a visual retreat as migratory birds have arrived in large numbers, generating excitement among locals and bird enthusiasts.

Notably, the arrival of migratory birds has seen a constant rise for three years now.

After dredging works of the lake by the Wular Conservation and Management Authority (WUCMA), rare birds have found their way to the lake this season too.

Recently, when the weather was still warmer, nature enthusiasts were delighted at the sight of the Eurasian bittern in Wular Lake, a rare species recorded for the first time in Kashmir.

The WUCMA field official, Showkat Maqbool, who documented it, expressed excitement saying he felt it was a “moment of epiphany” when he processed what he had captured in his camera.

Now with the weather getting colder, he said that the migratory birds had arrived not just in thousands but lakhs.

Maqbool, who works as a forest guard, said that there was a festival-like atmosphere in the lake.

He said that it is an amazing sight for the bird watchers.

“The migratory season which starts towards the end of October, witnesses the arrival of Common Koot (Eurasian coot)following which other birds including endangered birds too, touchdown on finding the lake areas safe and undisturbed,” Maqbool said.

The Wular Lake also hosts birds like Red-crested pochard, Common pochard, Northern pintail, Garganey (Spatula querquedula), Gadwal (Mareca strepera) and various other bird species including Greylag goose, Common shelduck, and Ruddy shelduck.

Maqbool said that the rare bird sightings attract bird watchers from and outside Kashmir to document the rare birds.

The Wular Lake saw a flock of rare migrant and highly vulnerable Long-tailed ducks (Clangula hyemalis) in 2023 too, last sighted in northwest India after 83 years ago.

The arrival of migratory birds in large numbers is being attributed to a small portion of the severely silted lake area being restored in recent years.

Wular has 130 sq km of demarcated area with 27 sq km being critically-silted.

As per the authorities, WUCMA has restored 4.5 sq km, besides willow infestation of 8 sq km out of 20 sq km, which have also been cleared and restored.

However, with the arrival of the winged species, the WUCMA authorities, with a limited number of employees, face challenges from bird poachers.

To augment this dearth, WUCMA is facilitated by the Forest Protection Force, Forest Division Territorial Staff, and J&K Police to keep an eye on the bird watchers inside the lake.

The authorities said that 90 percent of poaching incidents had been contained due to awareness programmes.

“We have witnessed locals almost giving up the ill practice as the bird arrivals bring new life and cheer. However, we have reports that people from other districts are trying to hunt the winged birds,” a zonal official of WUCMA said.

Notably, the Wular Lake, designated as a Ramsar site on March 23, 1990, has an international significance due to its ecology, flora and fauna.

It is also a part of the Central Asian Flyway and an important habitat for migratory birds.

Deputy Director, Jammu and Kashmir Forest Protection Force, Bandipora, Shafkat Ahmad told Greater Kashmir that the anti-poaching squads, already in place, have intensified the surveillance at places where birds might be hunted by poachers.

He said that additional steps to contain poaching include reporting centres being converted into joint anti-poaching squads which include officials from the Wildlife Department, WUCMA, and territorial staff.

Ahmad said that the 24×7 flying squads of the unit headquarters are also being converted into anti-poaching squads.

He said that the J&K Forest Protection Force officials had also intensified patrolling in and around areas of Wular Lake where threats of poachers remain.

The officials said providing safety to the winged guests remains a prime responsibility during migratory season.

With lake areas still disturbed due to lotus stem and chestnut harvesting, officials are expecting more arrivals when activities are reduced.