At Yamuna biodiversity park, the air is full of birds

NEW DELHI: About 1,000 migratory birds have arrived in Yamuna Biodiversity Park. The birds that started arriving in small flocks in the last week of October gradually increased in number and are now seen in all wetlands at the park. Scientists at YBP say the number is likely to increase to about 5,000 by January. By March-end, when it starts getting warmer, they start leaving. Scientists are tracking the species and numbers of birds coming every year at the park to see how a managed wetland can support rich migratory bird fauna.

YBP is the only park which gets the red-crested pochards in the city according to field researchers at the park. Red-crested pochards come from central Asia, Spain and some south Asian countries. The other major attraction at the park are great cormorants, found in North America, Europe, Africa, China, India, southeast Asia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Australia. "Summer breeding occurs in patches through much of central Asia up to eastern China, year-round wintering occurs in India and southern China, and birds can be found wintering in southeast Asia," according to Birdlife.org. Other birds that can be seen now are shovelers, pintails, gadwalls and darters.

"We mostly get birds from central Asia, Siberia and Europe. I have heard that this year arrival of migratory birds in other parts of northern India has been slow but at the YBP we have seen a stable trend for the last few years," said Faiyaz A Khudsar, scientist in-charge at Yamuna Biodiversity Park. A lot of birds also nest at YBP. In May this year, there were about 600-1,000 heron nests on Tamarix trees, also known as laal jhau, or salt cedar. Such heronries are often naturally created in the park.