Punjab's Harike wetland, the largest in North India, has welcomed an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 migratory birds this season. The arrival of these avian visitors was delayed due to the late onset of winter. Spanning 86 square kilometers across the Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, and Kapurthala districts, Harike is a crucial winter habitat for various rare migratory water bird species.
Situated at the confluence of the Sutlej and Beas rivers, the wetland annually hosts approximately 90 species of migratory birds from countries like Siberia, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Russia, and others. These birds seek refuge in Harike when water bodies in their native regions freeze over in winter.
“Around 40,000 to 50,000 migratory birds are estimated to have arrived at Harike,” said Gitanjali Kanwar, coordinator, World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) India.
The exact number of the arrival of migratory birds will be known after the census exercise of water birds is conducted this month, she further said.
Migratory birds usually start coming in September but this season, they started arriving in November, said Kanwar, attributing the delay to the late commencement of the winter season.
The number of migratory birds is expected to rise further in the coming days, she said. At the Harike wetland, species like greylag geese, coots, gadwall, northern pintail, common teal, common pochard, northern shoveler, godwits, redshank, spoonbills and painted storks have arrived. We expect pochard and ducks to come in more numbers, she added.