India welcomes the lovely intruders who violate our borders

Winged visitors are scenting peace on the Indo-Pak international border (IB) in the Jammu region.

For the first time, Bar-headed geese with neck collars have flocked the Gharana Wetland Conservation Reserve situated on the international border in RS Pura sector of Jammu.  More than 8,000 migratory birds, including 5,000 Bar-headed geese, have arrived at the reserve so far this year.

“A very important feature of these sightings was the recording of four Bar-headed geese with red colour bands around their necks.  The red colour bands were marked with numbers in white,” said Tahir Shawl, wildlife warden, Jammu.

The bird-watchers believe that the geese might have been collared in some foreign countries to monitor their migration pattern and map their routes.

The Jammu and Kashmir government has contacted leading scientists of the world working in the field of bird migration to find out where these birds were collared.

“According to the information received from some of the scientists, the red bands have been used either in Mangolia or Qinghai province of China. I also got fresh information which suggests the birds might have been collared in Himachal Pradesh,” said Tahir.

Spread over 1,600 kanals (about 80 hectare) of land, Gharana wet land has been notified as a wet land conservation reserve. Falling under North West Himalayan bio-geographically zone with subtropical climate, the major source of precipitation in the area is monsoon rain.

Earlier, the gun roars and shelling from across the border used to scare the birds, but after the cease-fire in 2003, the birds have started flocking this facility again.

“This reserve was in the range of shelling (from across the border). It was impeding the flow of birds to the reserve, but after the ceasefire things have changed considerably,” said Tahir.

Since ceasefire the wet land has emerged as a major winter home for thousands of migratory birds, including Greylag geese, Common Teal, Pintail, Mallard, Little cormorant and Bar-headed geese little Cormorant.  “This sanctuary is a stopover for the birds.  They come here to stay for a brief period,” said Tahir.