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Maharashtra: Spotting of Amur falcon near Nagpur sends a wave of joy among birdwatchers

Prafulla Sawarkar, an education officer with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), said last week that he saw an Amur falcon in the early hours at the sanctuary.

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Amur falcons are said to traverse Vidarbha and central India
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The recent sighting of the migratory Amur falcon at the Umred Karhandla wildlife sanctuary near Nagpur has enthused the wildlife aficionados and birdwatchers. A massive conservation effort is on to protect the raptor, which was threatened due to indiscriminate hunting in the north-east.

Prafulla Sawarkar, an education officer with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), said last week that he saw an Amur falcon in the early hours at the sanctuary. "Soon after entering the park, I saw the bird sitting on a tree and clicked a few snaps. It flew away immediately," said Sawarkar, who undertakes environment education activities and training programmes in the protected area for students, youths and women.

He added that the bird was a rare sight in the region. Before this, a raptor was spotted in the Pench tiger project in 2015.

Birdwatcher Dr Anil Pimplapure, who is also the founder member of the Maharashtra Pakshimitra Sanghatana, said Amur falcons traversed through Vidarbha and central India region. "The number of sightings is rising as conservation efforts have led to a reduction in hunting," he said.

Amur falcons breed in Mongolia, northern China and southeastern Siberia. Traversing a long and perilous route, they migrate to South Africa via northeastern states such as Nagaland to spend the winters. The massacre of the bird for food in Nagaland had sparked off concerns, leading to poaching being banned in 2013. Three Amur falcons – Naga, Pangti and Wokha – were tagged with satellite chips in 2013 to track their migration routes.

"This individual is an adult female, supposed to be on its return migration from southern Africa to their breeding grounds in China and Mongolia (Amur region). Amur falcons are only passage migrants in India. They only stop for a short while in northeast India, especially Nagaland and surrounding regions, in tens of thousands to feed and fuel up for their journey towards southern Africa," said Mumbai-based avid birder and naturalist Saurabh Sawant, adding that the bird was briefly also seen sporadically around Mumbai.

"Interestingly, not much is known about the migration, ecology and behaviour of these falcons, and great scientific efforts such as satellite tracking, have to be undertaken to understand the nuances. All this makes sightings like these extremely important for our understanding of these falcons and the necessary conservation efforts," he said.

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