That time of year again: Winter waders check in

Greater Noida: At least 11 species of shallow water birds have arrived at the Surajpur wetland and Gaur Yamuna City. Four of these birds, including black-winged stilt, black-tailed godwit, glossy ibis and cormorant, arrived at Surajpur earlier this year, between August and September. They usually arrive in September last or October first week.
Mukund Kumar, a Noida-based birder, said, "Most migratory birds start to arrive at Surajpur wetland from early October. Some waders and perchers arrive here by September last week. But this year, the black-winged stilt, black-tailed godwit, glossy ibis and cormorant have arrived between August and September."
The winter migratory birds include ducks and geese, including
Eurasian wigeon, greylag geese, bar-headed geese, northern shoveler, northern pintail, gadwal, etc. Some uncommon ducks like common shelduck and ruddy shelduck also make Surajpur wetland their home in winter.
"The common shelduck, the bar-headed geese and several other birds are possibly on their way to the city. These birds come from far-away Siberia and Europe to spend the winter in India. Bar-headed geese reportedly cross Mount Everest to reach India. Some other birds like bluethroat and wryneck will also arrive at Surajpur," said Kumar.
The winter migratory birds leave by the end of March. The reverse migration continues till April every year.
At the Gaur Yamuna City residential complex, Surya Prakash, a former zoologist of Jawaharlal Nehru University and a birder, spotted seven of the winter migratory birds. "I have counted seven waders, including common redshank, spotted redshank, common greenshank, common sandpiper, green sandpiper, Temminck's stint, and wood sandpiper. They all arrived in August. I also saw demoiselle and common cranes flying towards Rajasthan and Gujarat in large numbers," he said.
Birders said they expect thousands of migratory birds this year, especially the greylag geese in large numbers and other waterfowls in the Surajpur wetland.