Birds have found the sky is limited for them in Jharkhand!
The State known for its natural habitats for birds and animals is quickly slipping into unfriendly land since the recent census conducted for avian has recorded considerable decline in their presence.
Against the previous census conducted in January 2016, this year counting puts the total number of birds in the State to just 46,883 which is much below than the previous number 71,833. Out of the existing flying creatures most are migratory in nature coming down to the State’s water bodies only on seasonal basis.
“The Forest and Environment Department has conducted this year water bird census from January 21 to February 9 with the cooperation of Jharkhand Biodiversity Board. The figures coming into light are worrying for all of us. We have seen drastic reduction of headcount in the State. Some birds have flown into endangered category,” Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) and Jharkhand Chief Wildlife Warden Lal Ratnakar Singh told The Pioneer while sharing the census data.
Maximum number of bird species was sighted at Udhwa lake (49), Konar dam(41), Tilaiya dam(39), Khandoli dam(37) and Masanjor (36). During the census 69 species of wetland birds were sighted belonging to 18 families. 57 species were water birds, 12 species were wetland dependent birds. Out of 69 species, 24 are resident birds, 22 are resident migrant and rest 23 are migratory birds.
“Total bird count has been 46,883 which is down from previous number 71,833. What we have derived that increasing human interventions have been seen in and around the water bodies in the name of tourism, boating, picnic activities and also caged fishing culture. Since the Department does not have parental control over any of 25 water bodies but one of Udhwa, we can only write to the Government suggesting them to look into it besides generating awareness among common people,” added the PCCF on Friday.
The detailed counting has also marked threatened birds such as white necked stork, black necked stork, lesser adjutant stork, oriental white ibis, fulvous whistling duck, ferruginous pochard, western marsh harrier, river tern and river lapwing.
Besides that there are also the birds which were not observed in last census but observed in 2018 likes of darter, black necked stork, mallard, temminck's stint, green sandpiper and grey wagtail.
“The Department on its part would soon write to the Government for steps. We would also organise awareness drives for the people. This is the very purpose of the exercise conducted,” said LR Singh, naming Khandoli dam (8180), Patratu dam (5523), Getalsud (3556), Udhwa lake (3357), Masanjor (3273) and Panchet dam (3245) where most count of wet land birds was observed during the census.
The census conducted in supervision of Satya Prakash, IBCN state coordinator, AT Mishra, IFS and Sumansa an NGO from Jamshedpur has selected Lotwa dam, Tilaiya dam, Udhwa bird sanctuary, Hatia dam, Getalsud dam, Patratu dam, Kanke dam, Khandoli dam, Topchanchi dam, Panchet dam, Maithon dam, Masanjor dam, Garga dam, Tenughat dam, Konar dam, Baudha dam, Charwa dam, Gonda dam, Chandil dam, Dimna lake, Sitarampur dam, Kansjor dam, Tapkara dam, Malay dam and Kamaldah lake for survey.