Bird flu scare aside, Delhiites are in for a treat this season with some “unusual and unexpected” migratory birds making a stop in the city for winters.
The place to head for some good bird watching is the Okhla Bird Sanctuary, which is now witnessing some hectic activity.
The birds to look out for are: orange-breasted green pigeon, which has been spotted for the first time here this season); Eurasian hobby, Verditer flycatcher, black redstart, grey-headed canary flycatcher and ferruginous duck, which is on the IUCN Red-list of threatened species due to its declining population. A flock of four ferruginous ducks arrived in the sanctuary this month.
‘More than 330 species’
The site has already registered the arrival of a mixed flock of pied avocet, ruffs, black-tailed godwit, wood sandpiper, common redshank, temminck’s stinit, and river lapwing in smaller numbers, last month.
Ecologist T. K. Roy, who has been recording the sightings said: “This is a very popular destination for bird watchers. The sanctuary is located on the central flyway route of migratory birds where we have recorded more than 330 bird species till date.”
“Though we are witnessing decreasing birdlife diversity due to the highly disturbed habitat, owing to the excessive biotic pressure, surprisingly we are still recording unusual and unexpected bird species albeit in small numbers or for a short period,” said Mr. Roy.
