If you are planning to visit Nal Sarovar for a date with migratory birds, it is not yet the perfect time to watch the winged visitors at the sanctuary located some 60 km from the city. Officials at the sanctuary said that at present, apart from a few coots and flamingos, there are hardly any birds. And the reason is that the water in the lake is some five feet deep, which is not conducive for migratory birds to find food. Usually the birds begin arriving from the last week of October, when the little water is around three feet deep.
A senior officer seeking anonymity said this year; due to good monsoon, there was good flow of water in the lake.
The officials in charge of the sanctuary said that birds are still coming in large numbers, but they leave after a day or two when they find that the water levels are too high for their liking.
However, the loss of Nal Sarovar has become a gain for nearby areas where water has accumulated. Several areas that have small water ponds find the migratory birds coming in large numbers.
For example, a small pond outside Charal village in Sanand taluka has a large presence of the migratory birds, including coots and painted storks. The small village lake is also full of these birds. Not just Charal but several villages near the lake have a large presence of these birds.
A senior official said that there should be some checks on the inflow of water to the lake even if there is excess rainfall.
He said that the birds will start coming to Nal Sarovar only after November15. At present the small make shift ponds serve as home to these birds.
Officials said that the number of birds coming to the Sanctuary have seen a constant fall.
Earlier in January when a census was conducted, it was revealed that, for the first time in the decade there was a steep fall of over 40 per cent in their numbers when compared to 2008 and 2006.
The figures recorded in 2008 and 2006 were over lakh. Officials said that the number was less than 1.5lakh in January, which means a drop of over 41 per cent as compared to 2008. In, 2008 there were 2.53 lakh birds.
Conservator of forest DS Narve said the birds are yet to make the sanctuary their permanent home for this season. There is still water in the lake, which is not suitable for the birds
Courtesy:- Times Of India, Ahmadabad, Gujarat, India.
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