International Visitors: Birds Come Flying In
By BCP member
S.A.J Shirazi
Pakistan gets a large number of guest birds from Europe,
Central Asian States and India every year. The birds from North spend
winters in different wetlands and deserts of Pakistan, which are
distributed almost throughout the country, from the high Himalayas to
coastal mangroves and mud flats in the Indus delta. And, after winters
they go back to their native habitats.
This famous route from Siberia to various
destinations in Pakistan over Karakorum, Hindu Kush, and Suleiman Ranges
along Indus River down to the delta is known as International Migratory
Bird Route Number 4. It is also called as the Green Route or more
commonly Indus Flyway.
Endowed with a remarkable geology,
Pakistan spans several of the world’s ecological regions and is spread
over broad latitude. The rich Indus delta and the highlands in Pakistan
are a great attraction for the guest birds. Which is why the Indus
Flyway is one of the busiest in the world.
The birds start on this route in
November. February is the peak time and by March they start flying back
home. These periods may vary depending upon weather conditions in
Siberia and or Pakistan. There are a total of seven identified flyways
in the world: from Northern Europe to Scandinavian countries, Central
Europe to Mediterranean Sea, Western Siberia to Red Sea, Green Route
from Siberia to Pakistan, Ganga Flyway from Eastern Siberia to India,
Manchuria to Korea and one from Chakotaka to California. Besides these
there are many regional and smaller routs all over the world.
The Indus Flyway is important due to the
diverse species and large number of birds that take this itinerary:
different species of water fowls, cranes, teals, pintail, mallard and
gadwall, the list goes on. Some extinguishing species like white-headed
duck, houbara bustard and Siberian crane also travel on this route.
As per an estimate based on regular
counts at different Pakistani wetlands, between 700,000 and 1,200,000
birds arrive in Pakistan through Indus Flyway every year. Out of which
over 70 per cent of the admirable visitors stay in Thanedar Wala Game
Reserve (International Ramsar site number (IRS) 97 where Crane Refuge
has also been constructed), Tenda Dam (IRS98), Kinjhar Lakes (IRS 99),
Drigh (IRS 100). Haleji Lake (IRS 101) where in the past, over 100,000
migratory birds of more than 222 species had been reported, and which
was once called the Bird Watchers’ Paradise by the then president of the
World Wide Fund for Nature, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh),
Ucchali Complex (IRS818), Taunsa (IRS 817), Chishma (IRS 816), Rasul,
Qadar Abad Barrages, and Lal Sohanra. There are 45 sanctuaries and
reserves spread over anarea of about 0.90 million hectares in Sindh
alone. Some of the birds that come to our country from northern
latitudes arrive at coastal creeks. The remaining birds land up in
lakes, which are fondly and proudly maintained by landowners. Only a few
places in the world have such plentiful variety of winged life as the
wetlands of Pakistan.
The bird watching has become an
increasingly popular pursuit in Pakistan, more and more people have
started taking break and are seen on rendezvous with birds. I have seen
bird houses at homes of some bird enthusiasts. But the most exciting are
usually the least expected encounters in the wilderness. That makes the
Indus Delta and Coastal Mangrove forests breathtaking experience for
bird watchers. Each winter, the stage is set there for migration thrills
coupled with local avian population. Other locations that have started
to attract global and foreign bird watchers to Pakistan are narrow belts
in Northern Areas when trees sprout, floral buds open, honey sucking
nectars and other tiny insects swarm the air there and a range of
avifauna concentrates in foothills on the onset of summers. The Margalla
Hills in Islamabad are also bird rich area.
Out of the many guest birds two are
especially important: houbara bustard and Siberian crane. Houbara breeds
mainly in the Kizil Kum Desert region southeast of Aral Sea in Central
Asia and migrates in the winter months, and large number settle down for
the season in Cholistan and Thar deserts. It also over-winters in part
of Iran, Afghanistan, India and Arabian Desert. There are two
biologically separate populations of Houbara found in Pakistan.
Chlamydotisundulata is described as the North African race and is
smaller and darker in plumage than the Asian sub specie Chlamydotis
undulatamacqueenii. Both races are migratory, but there is
substantial evidence that a small breeding population of Chlamydotis
undulataexists in Balochistan. Whether these are totally resident
birds or young birds, which miss out on the first migration back north
is unclear. As per the National Avian Research Centre China, “Houbara’s
recorded average flying speed is 30 kilometres per hour with up to 1268
kilometres covered between stop overs and 700 kilometres flown in24
hours.”
The Siberian crane (Grus leucogeranus),
also known as Asiatic Crane and sometimes called as Sibes, is one of the
most rare birds of the world. It is snow white overall, with red skin
covering front of head, face and around the eyes. Crane’s bill is thick
and legs are pinkish red. Wing tips are black which are only visible
when the bird is airborne. Both sexes are alike but immature birds have
brownish yellow plumage. The Siberian crane’s distinctive morphology,
vocalizations, feeding and courtship behaviour distinguish it from the
other Grus species. Eggs are generally laid from late May to
June, with peak production occurring in the first week of June.
In most cases two eggs are laid, with
only one chick surviving to fledging. The incubation period is about 29
days, and chicks fledge at 70-75 days. Siberian cranes, start from Ob
River basin in Siberia and prefer to spend winters at the Yakutiya River
or the Poyang Lake in China, but some of them head for Pakistan, Iran
and India. Wetlands and shallow areas in Sindh create excellent feeding
habitat for Sibes. This is one bird that deserves compassion and special
care the world over. Another of the winged creature Great egrets (Casmerodius
albus) can also be sighted in many areas in Pakistan.
In different Pakistani habitats the guest
birds live like “Pairs of Saras” — using the metaphor from romantic
literature. As a host it is our responsibility to provide them
comfortable and peaceful environment, which can be done by efficiently
managing the wetlands particularly those listed as International Ramsar
sites — natural resource reservoirs. All wetlands are active agents for
recharging water tables and aquifers besides being home to birds. Human
activities around the birds’ dwellings, wars, deforestation, water
pollution, hunting, introduction of exotic fish species and developing
the wetlands for fisheries’ production on commercial scale are some of
the common disturbance that cause irritation to birds anywhere.
Bird migration superbly demonstrates the
complexity and the wonder of the web of life. The evolution of
individual migratory strategies of different bird species over the past
tens of thousands of years represents a delicate balance of nature,
making it very sensitive to the impacts of human activity. One such
human influence, global warming (caused mainly by the burning of coal
and oil since the Industrial Revolution), is poised to cause
catastrophic alteration to this delicate balance.
Pakistan is an important and active
contracting member to Ramsar Convention for the conservation of wetlands
and Bonn Convention for protection of migratory animals and birds. Indus
Flyway Committee was established in early 70s to collect more
information and improve the protection of the birds while they are in
Pakistan. Zoology, Wildlife, and Forest Departments as well a few
non-governmental organizations are actively working in the field.
Regular mid winter bird counts are carried out and useful database of
relevant information has been gathered. The data is likely to produce
important results. The experts have already concluded that the migratory
birds have ecological benefits as they prey on insects and weeds thus
contributing towards the betterment of agriculture. Similarly, the
faecal material of the birds consists of organic matter that contributes
towards the fertility of the soil.
Count them when the birds are on their
way back home. How many came in. And how many are going back.
The Author of this article S.A.J
Shirazi has a blog at http://doodhpatti.blogspot.com/
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