More than 28,000 birds of 124 different species were spotted in Sultanpur National Park during the second statewide bird count, the state wildlife department said on Sunday.

Gurugram Circle’s Forest (Wildlife) Chief Conservation Officer MS Malik said besides Sultanpur Park, bird counts were also conducted at Bhindawas Bird Sanctuary and Najafgarh Jheel as well as other wetlands in the state.

“A total of 28,026 birds of 126 different species can be seen in Sultanpur Park alone. The number of birds observed at other sites is still being recorded,” Malik said.

He said the bird count began in Sultanpur at 9.30am on Sunday.

“The information gleaned from these statistics will help us plan better wildlife management strategies,” Malik said.

Some of the birds observed in Sultanpur Park on Sunday included great spotted eagles, kestrels, white-tailed mallards, black-tailed sandpipers and others, forest department officials said.

“Over 28,000 birds were spotted in Sultanpur National Park during Sunday’s bird count. The focus was on Ramsar wetlands, but bird counts were conducted in all wetlands in the state. Seeing so many species shows that The habitat is in good condition and this will help us maintain baseline data,” said Rajesh Chahal, Gurugram Wildlife Inspector.

In the 2020 winter baseline count, 213 bird species were observed in Gulgram.

In August last year, Sultanpur National Park was listed as Ramsar Wetland – a wetland of international importance declared by the Federal Ministry of Environment. The Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary has also been notified as Ramsar Wetland, making the two sanctuaries the first of their kind in Haryana.

Experts say such bird populations are a welcome move because they help create a database that can be further used to improve habitats or wetlands.

Pankaj Gupta, a bird watcher at the Delhi Bird Foundation, said: “It is a good thing to have a statewide bird count as it helps to create an official database that can be used to protect and protect wetlands in the future. This year, It was interesting to see birds such as Great Brine and Penduline Tit in the wetlands around Sultanpur as they have been spotted regularly since the past two months, which is not common in Delhi NCR.”

Nikhil Devasar, founder of the Delhi Birds Foundation, said: “It is good news to see 124 species of birds in Sultanpur National Park alone. On average, more than 100 different species can be seen during morning bird walks “It’s just the number of protected areas, there are definitely more birds in the wetlands outside the boundaries of the protected areas.”

Complete News Source : Hindustan Times