World Migratory Bird Day was observed in Agra on Saturday with the theme “Turn off your lights and allow migratory birds to return home safely”. The theme is based on the hypothesis that too much artificial light causes migratory birds to lose their way, so outdoor lights should be turned off at night.
During the ceremony, it was revealed that Agra’s Keetham Bird Sanctuary, which is spread around a huge man-made lake, hosts over 100 species of migratory birds a year. A research conducted by Nidhi Yadav and Himanshi Sagar of Dr BR Ambedkar University found that Agra saw the highest number of wetland dependent birds.
Social activist and bird watcher Sameer told India Today that the biggest birds to visit Keetham Sanctuary are Great White Pelicans, Dalmatian Pelicans and Flamingos. Among the smaller birds, the small stork, sandpiper and wagtail often visit the sanctuary in winter.
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KP Singh, an ornithologist with the Biodiversity Research and Development Society (BRDS), told India Today that April and May are the hottest months in Agra and at this time exotic migratory birds start leaving Agra. In May and June, domestic migratory birds such as the paradise flycatcher, Indian pitta, golden oriole, painted stork and Eurasian spoonbill begin to appear on the local landscape.
BRDS bird watching guide Gajendra Singh said that some species of vultures have also started reappearing on the landscape of Agra. Apart from Egyptian vultures, bird watchers have been spotting Himalayan griffon vultures and Sirius vultures in Agra for the past two years.
Dr. KP Singh said that the birds follow the migratory path, which is called their flyway. The entire life cycle of these birds is confined to this flyway, which is a geographical area. More than 40 percent of these migratory birds depend on wetlands falling into their flyways, hence the need to conserve wetlands.
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