At 7,000, migratory birds on the rise in Okhla: Survey

NOIDA: Here's good news for bird watchers. Nearly 7,000 migratory birds have already arrived in Okhla Bird Sanctuary.

A survey by the forest department of Gautam Budh Nagar has revealed the figure, which it claims is a "decent" count, indicating that there could be more birds on their way to the sanctuary this winter.

"We saw northern pintails, pochards, grey-legged geese and more. By the time, winter sets in, we would be expecting pelicans and bar-headed geese also," a senior forest department official said.

Just a month ago, only seven species of birds were spotted in the sanctuary, raising concerns among bird watchers.

"The birds have started coming over the last few weeks because of the proper cleaning activity undertaken at the water body and because of a sustained water level at the barrage, KK Singh, the district forest officer of Gautam Budh Nagar, told TOI.

He added: "The water level is decent this time since we did not allow the water to be drained this year. The cleaning is in progress, a lot of surface water has been freed up and in the next two weeks, we would have freed more water. As a result of all this effort, we hope that by the time the birds start arriving in bigger counts, the sanctuary would become all set to welcome the flocks."

The survey was conducted to take stock of the sanctuary and its readiness for the migratory season. "We have taken all precautions this year and hopefully we would see the results by yearend," Singh added.