250 bird species spotted in Jayakwadi Sanctuary

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The Asian Waterbird Census (AWC) was held in Jayakwadi Bird Sanctuary, situated close to the Nathsagar Dam in Paithan, on Sunday. The Department of Forest (Wildlife) conducted the census with the assistance of the Bombay Natural History Society (BHNS) and other NGOs and experts.

A total of 10 teams were deployed at 27 selected spots. They spotted more than 250 birds (domestic and migrants) including the ones that were missing last year. They were birds from Mongolia and Russia, said a bird expert from Paithan Prof. Santosh Gavhane.

The bird count is part of ongoing efforts to monitor the bird population and migration patterns in the region. It helps to determine whether the number of birds has increased or decreased. This year, the census was held on January 19 from 6 am to 11 am. The 27 locations which were identified for spotting birds include Sonwadi, Jayakwadi Sanctuary Wall, Pannalalnagar, Takali, Lambagaohan, Dahegaon, Vijapur, Varkhed, Kaygaon Toka, Mavasgavhan, Ramdov, Boat House, and Jayakwadi South Pump House. It was organised by the BNHS along with bird enthusiasts and local ornithologists from Paithan and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.

Both local and migratory birds were primarily observed during the census. Among them, notable species included Flamingo, Common Coot (Warkari), Spotbill (Haldi-Kunku), Pochard, Cormorant, Seagull, Whiskered Tern, River Tern, Red-naped Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Black-headed Ibis, Brahminy Duck, Kingfisher, Robin, Black-winged Stilt, Yellow Wagtail, and others, said Gavhane. Compared to last year, the number of birds has decreased slightly, but birds such as Mongolia, Russia, and Ruff, which were absent last year, have been observed this year, said Gavhane. The final report of the census is expected to be available by Monday after all the data, it is learnt.

The bird count was carried out with the efforts of Divisional Forest Officer Rahul Sapkal, Forest Guards Anita Jadhav, Rupali Solse, Sheikh, Sandeep Karale, Rahul Tarwade, Somnath Budhwant, along with Police Inspector Sanjay Deshmukh, Prof. Santosh Gavhane, Dilip Bhagat, Sunil Payghan, Bajrang Kale, Sunil Dingre, Arjun Kuche, Honorary Wildlife warden Dr Kishore Pathak, BHNS's Mohjit Podar, Abhinav Nair, Kunal Vibhandik, Kiran Pardeshi, Rahul Marathe, Pramila More, Shravan Paralikar, and others who put in their dedicated efforts.