Migratory Birds Reach Shallabugh Wetland

While the migratory birds have already started to visit the valley’s several wetlands, the Shallabugh Wetland located some 8 kilometers from district Ganderbal has also started receiving the flying visitors.“We have received here over one lakh migratory birds that come from different parts of the globe,” in-charge, Wetland Shallabugh, Abdul Rashid Wani said.

Spread over about 14.6 square kilometres, Shallabugh wetland receives lakhs of flying visitors every year. This year, the number of the flying visitors, as per the officials, is a bit lesser than the previous years. However, the Wani said, “We are quite optimistic about receiving the good number of these migratory birds, like in previous years, in days ahead, provided the water here does not freeze.”

Last year, Shallabugh wetland had received over six lakh flying visitors, which is a record.The migratory birds come to the Valley every year, covering thousands of miles from far off lands.Connected with the famous Aanchar Sar and the Sangam Sar on the South, Shallabugh wetland is the Asia’s biggest wetland reserve.“This season, the 'migratory birds started to throng the wetland since November and the outward migration is expected to start from March and end in mid-April," Wani said.

The migratory birds which visit this wetland mostly come from Siberia, Central Asia, Northern Europe, Ladakh, China and Central Asia.

Some of the popular migratory birds visiting the Shallabugh reserve include goose, bar goose, white heeled duck, shoveller, red-crested Pochard, white-eyed Pochard, common Teal, Pintail, Mallard, Gadwall, Coot, Hoonk and Graylag.Among these, Pintail, Common Teal and Gadwall are the birds visiting this wetland in great number than others.To check the menaces of hunting in the Shallabugh Wetland, wildlife wetland department has increased the vigil here. Besides, being a wetland and the home for the lakhs of flying visitors, Shallabugh in the past used to be an important tourist destination for both domestic and foreign tourists. The pollution in this wetland since decades by the valley's premier health insititue, Sher-i- Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences Soura coupled with the inflow of wastes and litter emanating from different hamlets on its peripheries is distracting the tourists.

The officials in wetland had communicated the problem to the SKIMS authorities, who took some measures initially. But the enthusiasm died down later.An environmentalist and a Research Scholar of Dab Mohammad Abbas Bhat said the emanations of bio-medical wastes from SKIMS are the hazardous substances which affect and destroy the flora as well as fauna in this wetland.“Use of pesticides, DDT and insecticides by farmers whose run off reaches ultimately this wetland ultimately causes death to thousands of these species which force them to change the habitat and influence their mating patterns,” he said.

Winged visitors flock to Kashmir

With winter setting in Kashmir, over six lakh migratory birds from Europe and Central Asia have flocked to Hokersar bird reserve and other wetlands in the Valley. Every year, thousands of migratory birds from Siberia, the Philippines, eastern Europe, China and Japan fly long distances to escape extreme winter conditions in their native places and search for food. Besides Hokersar, the winged visitors flocked to Wullar lake and other wetlands like Hygam, Shalibugh and Mirgund in surrounding areas. "Over six lakh birds have already arrived in the Valley and 4,000 to 5,000 winged visitors are coming daily...If this trend continues, we might have an all time high arrival of migratory birds in the wetlands this year," Wildlife Warden Abdul Rauf Zargar said. Last year, nearly eight lakh winged visitors arrived in Kashmir. Brahminy Duck, Tufted Duck, Gadwall, Garganey, Greylag Goose, Mallard, Common Merganser, Northern Pintail, Common Pochard, Ferruginous Pochard, Red-Crested Pochard, Ruddy Shelduck, Northern Shoveler, Common Teal, and Eurasian Wigeon are some of the most sighted birds in the wetlands.

Meanwhile, wildlife officials and locals are concerned about the sudden rise in the population of Moore and Swamp Hen in Hokersar. "Rise in the population of Moore or Swamp Hen reflects growth of large reeds and weeds in wetlands...It is not a good sign," Ishtiaq Ahmad, a local resident, said. The other worrying factors are encroachments and induced willow and poplar plantation in the wetlands. "These are fatal blows to the wetlands. The government should frame a policy for removing the encroachments, induced willow and poplar plantations and illegal paddy cultivation from wetlands in the valley," a wildlife official said. Meanwhile, the wildlife department has formed special anti-poaching squads to check bird hunting, banned in 2001 in the state, inside and outside the wetlands.