From Russia to Wardha Rd: Harrier land after 5,000km flight

Nagpur: Among the hundreds of migratory birds, travelling thousands of kilometres to visit the lakes and water bodies and grasslands around the city, the pied harrier holds the place of pride. It is the star attraction for birders, who are flocking the areas around Wardha Road to zoom in on these winged visitors.
Pied harrier, and other harrier species have reached the city’s scrubland on Wardha Road, flying over 5,000km from Amur Valley in Russia. This is the second time the prey bird has arrived near the city. Avid birder and software engineer Aaditya Parkhi, last month, recorded a pied harrier sitting on a cement pole for nearly one-hour on the scrubland in the backyard of an engineering college.
“Other species of harriers are also sighted in the area. The grassy and bushy area provides a good habitat for these prey birds. It has many dragonflies and insects, which are its prey. Pied harrier was first recorded near the same spot in January 2021,” said Parkhi.
“Other species of harriers are also sighted in the area. The grassy and bushy area provides a good habitat for these prey birds. It has many dragonflies and insects, which is the source of good feed for these birds. Pied harrier was first recorded near the same spot in January 2021,” said Parkhi.
Apart from prey birds, water birds like garganey, northern pintails, northern shovellers, red-crested pochards, gadwalls, bar-headed geese (BHGs), gray leg geese and other species have arrived at lakes like Gorewada and other water bodies in the Vidarbha region.
“While the diversity is good, the density of birds is poor. The number of wetland birds has gone down drastically due to climate change. The flow of migratory birds is slow, as this year’s winter is not that harsh in the Northern Hemisphere, from where these avian species travel towards the Southern Hemisphere,” says Dr Anil Pimplapure, director of Central Indian Bird Academy (CIBA).
“Water pollution, human interference, road development, mining, and other factors have affected at least 22 water bodies in the region. The impact of large-scale development is seen around these water bodies. Besides, change in crop pattern from chana (gram) to BT Cotton is also one of the reasons for a low number of wetland birds, especially BHGs,” Dr Pimplapure added,
Bird expert Nitin Marathe said that lakes filled to the capacity too are posing a problem. “Many lakes like Chargaon, Paradgaon, Saiki, and others in the region are still filled to their brim. Birds have been avoiding these water bodies. Birds, like BHGs, need shore to rest and feed. But the shores of many lakes are still underwater. Hence, we will have to wait,” Marathe said.
Architect and avid bird watcher Parag Godbole agreed that despite January being a peak month for wetland birds, they are seen in fewer numbers at Paradgaon, Khapri, Haladgaon, Saiki, and other lakes.
“Due to prolonged rains, these water bodies are still filled to the brim. Shorebirds like bar-headed geese need aquatic vegetation to feed on. The BHGs’ foraging places have not yet developed in a proper manner. Hence, these Mongolian birds may arrive a bit late,” said Godbole.
Murli Manohar Naidu, a regular birder, said, “This time a good number of migratory birds have arrived at Gorewada. However, due to disturbance around the nature trail, many birds prefer being on the other end of the lake, towards the forest side. Birds like whistling and spot-billed ducks, little grebes, jacanas, koots, and purple morons are being regularly sighted.”
“Six years ago, we recorded a flock of 400-500 BHGs, but today not more than 15-20 were seen at Mangli lake on Umred Road. Similarly, at Vena Dam, there used to be 400-500 red-crested pochards, but today there are none due to excessive fishing and human disturbance,” said Rohit Charpe, a regular birder.