Ramnagar (Uttarakhand) [India], Nov. 26 : Nature enthusiasts and tourists gathered at a barrage on the River Kosi in Ramnagar town of Uttarakhand to observe migratory birds flock to warmer climes far away from their Arctic home ground.
Hundreds of thousands of exotic birds such as mallards, greyleg geese, gadwalls, teals, shovelers, pochards and coots make their temporary nests in Ramnagar.
"This is the first stoppage point which is important for the migratory birds which arrive here. Migratory birds have started arriving here. Importantly, migratory birds fly from Siberia and Ladakh. More than 100 wetland birds have been reported here in the last few years," said Forest Conservator, Western Circle, Uttarakhand, Parag Madhukar Dhakate.
From early November onwards, these migratory birds keep arriving till December and return during the spring season.
"Generally there are water cormorant and grand cormorant. And now what I was shooting (photographing) is known as Surkhab (golden pheasant)," said bird watcher Amitabh.
The migratory birds begin their annual flight from Siberia, travel through Afghanistan and Central Asia and arrive here for the entire season.
Among the popular varieties of migratory birds visiting this wetland are large cormorant, bar-headed geese, northern pintail, reddish shelduck, golden pheasant among others.
Ramnagar is the gateway to Jim Corbett National Park, the oldest national park and a famous tourist destination in northern India.
With the onset of winter, the Siberian birds spread their wings to begin a journey spanning thousands of kilometers.
These birds from Siberia and Central Asia use wetlands as their transitory camps, which play a vital role in sustaining a large population of the breeding birds.
Source: ANI
