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Lack of conservation concern among local authorities dismays BNC official
KATHMANDU, March 10: Bird counting at Taudaha, a body of water in southern Kathmandu district, bore unexpected fruit this year when a near-threatened species of migratory bird was spotted there recently.
After nearly four years, bird experts spotted four Ferruginous Pochards, a water bird that has been suffering a rapid decline in population across the globe.
"As far as I can remember, I have not seen these birds coming here during the migratory season for the last four years. Their presence now has given us immense joy and made our bird counting extremely successful this year," said Jyotendra Jyu Thakuri, conservation officer at Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN).
Migratory birds in Nepal to escape winter
With its smallest population in Nepal, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has included the Ferruginous Pochard in the nearly threatened category of birds.
"Ferruginous Pochard is a special kind of bird, rarely found in Nepal and approaching extinction across the globe. It is a matter of pride for us to find them here at Taudaha. Decrease in the population of these ducks has been observed not only in Asia but in European countries as well," said Thakuri.
Medium in size, the ducks grow up to 42 centimeters in length. Both the male and female are uniform chestnut and slightly darker on the back, with a white belly and undertail. A distinctive pale iris separates males from females.
"After breeding in south-western Asia including China, India and Paskistan, there birds have been found migrating to Nepal, especially the Terai belt," said Thakuri.
A recently conducted bird count involving a team of experts and volunteers counted 413 migratory birds belonging to 62 different species. The count was done at Taudaha and the Chovar Bagmati area.
The highest count recorded was that of the Common Teal at 108, with Grey Headed Lapwing in second place at 55, followed by Great Cormorant at 35, Mallard at 28 and Steppe Eagle at 25.
However, Ishana Thapa, senior conservation officer at BCN, expressed disappointment over the total number of migratory birds observed at Taudaha. She believes that the number of birds could have increased if the authorities in the area had cared more about bird habitat than about the ongoing construction activities there.
"First of all, humaan settlement has nearly doubled near Taudaha and the operation of restaurants is not helpful for the conservation of rare birds. It breaks my heart every time I see the birds disturbed by developers engaged in construction work there," said Thapa.
