New Delhi:Over 15,000 birds were recorded at the Okhla Bird Sanctuary and over 6,000 at the Surajpur wetlands as part of the ongoing Asian Waterbird Census (AWC). The census is being conducted across Delhi-NCR till January 18, officials said.
The annual census, carried out in coordination with Wetlands International South Asia, is being conducted alongside the eBird platform for the first time this year. While the numbers recorded at the two wetlands were significant, birders flagged multiple local threats, including pollution and human disturbances.
At Okhla Bird Sanctuary, five teams, comprising around 30 birders, recorded 101 species, counting over 15,500 birds. They spotted around 9,000 ducks and coots, 1,275 black-headed and brown-headed gulls, 1,650 barn swallows and 35 lapwings.
Among the major species recorded were 2,982 northern shovellers, 2,701 gadwall, 579 green-winged teal, 529 northern pintail and 519 common pochard.
Despite the high numbers, birders highlighted river water pollution, kite strings, cattle grazing and waste dumping as persistent threats to the habitat. Construction and demolition waste and plastic waste were cited as key concerns within and around the sanctuary.
“Whatever is happening in Yamuna will reflect on Okhla, so water quality is a challenge,” said Dhurv Verma, Wetlands International.
Pankaj Gupta, AWC eBird project coordinator for Delhi-NCR, said, “Even with the morning fog, we were happy to see so many waterbirds. It clearly shows how little protection can help an ecosystem thrive. I hope more small wetlands are given official recognition and protection.”
Gupta added that kite-flying was seen in large numbers across Okhla -- towards Zakir Nagar, leading to instances of kites and manjha ending up at the bird sanctuary. “This is thus a very localised issue for birds,” he said.
At the Surajpur wetlands in Gautam Budh Nagar, two teams, comprising 15 volunteers, recorded 83 bird species, counting over 6,000 birds. The major species counted included northern shoveller (1,230), common pochard (1,071), greylag goose (741), gadwall (590) and common teal (295).
Birders identified dumping of waste as a key local disturbance at Surajpur, affecting both the ecosystem and the avifauna.
Last week, the census was also conducted across a 22-km stretch of the Yamuna floodplain between the Wazirabad Barrage and Okhla Barrage, where birders counted over 9,000 birds. Black-headed gulls dominated the count, followed by barn swallows, pied avocet, ruddy shelduck, white wagtail and house sparrow.
For the floodplains, birders flagged sand mining, habitat degradation, removal of reeds, riverbed cultivation, the presence of construction and demolition and plastic waste, and open burning of waste as major threats. Declining water quality due to sewage discharge and agrochemical runoff were also highlighted.
The bird census at Najafgarh and Chandu wetlands will be conducted on January 18, while it is planned for Dhanauri on Tuesday. The Asian Waterbird Census is coordinated by Wetlands International and is carried out across several countries every January.