The annual Asian Waterbird Census, which began in Delhi on January 7 with a count of the number of waterbirds and species in the Yamuna, found at least one resident species to be missing along with fewer numbers of migratory birds apart from the migratory gulls that are drawn to the ghats where they are fed. While the number of waterbirds recorded this year is higher than previous years, the increase is on account of black-headed and brown-headed gulls which migrate from Central Asia to this region in the winter, said T K Roy, ecologist and Delhi State Coordinator for the Asian Waterbird Census. “The river, which is highly polluted, does not provide a favourable habitat for these birds either, but they are drawn by the feeding along the ghats and move in large flocks in search of food,” he said. The Asian Waterbird Census is carried out in different parts of the country and is part of the International Waterbird Census coordinated by Wetlands International. A delayed winter this year may have impacted the migration of birds towards the region, Roy said. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), India recorded the warmest December in 122 years in 2022. Compared to the past three years, the number of species in the riverine habitat has remained more or less the same. A total of 27 species and 2,451 birds were recorded in the count from the Wazirabad barrage to the Nizamuddin bridge. This is marginally better than 24 species in 2022, but lower than 29 species in 2021, and 28 species in 2020. The count of over 2,400 is better than 2,052 recorded last year, 1,194 recorded in 2021, and 1,051 in 2020. Of the 27 species recorded this year, 11 were resident species and 16 were migratory. Roy pointed to the absence of a resident threatened species – the River Lapwing – and migratory species like the Pied Avocet, River Tern, and Common Greenshank this year, which have been seen in the riverine habitat in previous years. Among the other winter migratory species, smaller numbers were recorded, Roy said, adding that in most cases, it was just a handful of each species. The other migratory species that were recorded but in small numbers are the Great Cormorant that migrates from East and Southeast Asia and the Common Pochard that migrates from North Asia. Among the resident species, the Red-wattled Lapwing recorded a decrease in the number counted from 66 last year to 23 this year, according to data provided from the census.
