Sandy mounds & logs: How Sultanpur National Park plans to draw more birds

Gurgaon: Weeding out toxic grass as well as the creation of sandy mounds are among the measures planned by the wildlife department to improve the habitat for birds as well as other animals at the Sultanpur National Park.
“We will set up wooden logs around the water body for the birds. We will also remove toxic grass in 20 hectares of area and create sandy mounds next month. These islands can be used by nilgai and the birds to rest,” ML Mallik, conservator of wildlife (south Haryana), said on Sunday.
The department has been granted Rs 5 lakh for the project, he added.
Designated a ‘ramsar’ site, the Sultanpur wetland located along the Gurgaon-Jhajjar highway is home to 220 species of birds.
Every year, another 30,000 species fly in from Europe, Russia, China and the Gulf during the winter months for a months-long stopover.
These range from waders (water dependent birds), ducks (require slightly deeper water) to warblers (prefer reeds).
Officials said that the initiative to remove toxic grass will also help promote planting of indigenous tree species that will boost green coverin the area.
The department had already carried out a drive, planting fruit-bearing trees such as asoka, mango, guava, neem, gulhar, pilkhan, kadamb, banyan, and peepal for the birds.
Evergreen trees like palash, teak, sal and shisham were also planted there earlier this year.
In June 2021, an area of up to 5km from the boundary of the Sultanpur National Park was declared an eco-sensitive zone by the state forest and wildlife department. From then on, all construction activities were banned within a 5km radius of the national park.
By August in the same year, the park was also declared a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance.
The wetland has had some unexpected visitors this year. On October 5, birders spotted the Himalayan blue-throated flycatcher (cyornis rubeculoides) after a gap of four years.
Days before that, a forest wagtail (dendronanthus indicus) was sighted for the first time in the state, birders had said.