Journalism of Courage
Migratory birds from upper Himalayas find a home in artificial wood nests
There are many birds at the Berwala Bird Safari nestled in Khol Hai-Raitan Wildlife Sanctuary, Morni Hills, which have attached themselves to particular trees and are unwilling to go far away from these spots.
The white-throated fantail, a passerine bird, does not go far away from the particular tree it has been nesting in, as does the warbler, another perching bird, which keeps returning after small flights to the same tree.
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Like these two, there are many birds at the Berwala Bird Safari nestled in Khol Hai-Raitan Wildlife Sanctuary, Morni Hills, which have attached themselves to particular trees and are unwilling to go far away from these spots.
The reason behind their love to the particular spots are the wooden nest houses set up on trees making it easy for these birds to settle down, especially during the winters.
The Panchkula wildlife department has set up at least 89 such wood nest houses on the trees at Khol Hai-Raitan and Bir Shikargah Wildlife Sanctuaries situated at Morni Hills.
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These wood nest houses were constructed by the Haryana Forest Corporation and were installed last month ahead of winter.
“These nest houses are very crucial in bird conservation, especially in areas where suitable trees are fewer. There are many places at Khol Hai-Raitan and Bir Shikarghar sanctuaries where eucalyptus trees are in huge numbers, which are not suitable for nests. We planted the wood nests in those particular areas to provide adequate accommodation to the birds. Wood nests are also being laid at many places including Sultanpur National Park, Gurugram. The nest houses are being observed very closely. We observed a fight over these nests also, where the weak birds were ousted by stronger birds,” Divisional Wild Life Officer (DWLO), Shyam Sunder Kaushik, said.
A visit to Khol Hai-Raitan Sanctuary shows many wood nest houses were occupied by the birds. Signs of pairing were also evident there. Migratory birds fly to warmer destinations from the upper Himalayas during winters, like warblers, finches and other species.
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Meanwhile, noted birder and president of Chandigarh Bird Club, Mitinder Pal Sekhon, feel different. He says, “As per my opinion, wood nest houses and artificial nests are meant for urban areas, where there is no space for birds to make nests with twigs, leaves, etc. In the wild, every creature is competent to survive. Placing wood nests in wild may interfere with the natural process”.
Migratory birds like waterfowl have started arriving in Inter State Chandigarh Region (ISCR) which comprises Panchkula, Chandigarh, Mohali, Kasauli Hills, Chakki Mod in Solan, etc.