misnet

CMYK

CMYK

Edited byAsad R. Rahmani, Director, BNHS

Editorial Board J. C. Daniel, Hon. Secretary, BNHS

Prashant Mahajan, Asst. Director(IBA & Education)

Jason D’Sa, IBCN member

Compiled, Layout and Designed byGopi Naidu and Abhijit Malekar

Contributions should be sent toEditors, MISTNET, IBA-IBCNBombay Natural History Society Hornbill House, S. B. Singh Road

Mumbai-400 001, INDIATel: +91 22 22821811Fax: +91 22 22837615

Email: [email protected]

BirdLife International is a global partnershipof conservation organisations, representedin over 100 countries, working for thediversity of all life through the conservationof birds and their habitats.

BirdLife InternationalWellbrook Court, Girton Road

Cambridge CB3 0NA, UKEmail: [email protected]

Web: www.birdlife.org

This Newsletter is supported by theRSPB and Darwin Initiative

Bombay Natural History Society

(For private circulation only)

Cover:Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus

by Anant Zanjale

Mission Statement‘Conservation of nature, primarily biologicaldiversity through action, based on research,

education and public awareness.’

BNHS is BirdLife International partner designate

Views expressed by the contributors in the MISTNET are notnecessarily those of the IBCN/BNHS.

www.rspb.org.uk www.darwin.gov.uk

CONTENTS

Rudrasagar –A potential IBA inTripura in north-eastIndia

Danapur MilitaryCantonment (IBA):

The largest breeding siteof Asian Openbill in

Bihar

Vanishing Wetlands -Special Reference to theDraft Wetland(Conservation andManagement) Rules 2008

Kharda Dam:A refuge for water

birds in Thar Desert

KishanpurWildlife Sanctuary(IBA Site)

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6

9

11

15OTHERS...

IBCN PARTNER’S FACTFILE .......................................... 13

CMYK

MISTNET Vol. 9 No. 2 Apr-Jun 2008

E D I T O R I A L

3

Wetland IBAs and Ramsar

Among the 466 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) identified in India, about 175 arewetlands. For the conservation of wetlands, there is an international treaty called the

Ramsar Convention. In 1971, eighteen nations concerned about wetlands and waterfowl met ina place called Ramsar in Iran and agreed to establish a convention, which is popularly known asthe Ramsar Convention. Its full name is “The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance,especially as Waterfowl Habitat”. Over the years, waterfowl was relegated to a side and otherfeatures, such as cultural and historical importance, geological values, and other biodiversitywere added in identifying wetlands as Ramsar Sites. Adding new criteria may itself is not bad,because the scope of wetland type to be included in the Ramsar list has increased, but relegatingwaterfowl to the background is not proper. In the original treaty, the main importance was onwaterfowl.Since India became a contracting party to the Ramsar Convention in 1981, only 25 wetlands inthe country have been identified as Ramsar Sites. These 25 sites do not represent the richbiodiversity and wetland types found in India. These 25 Ramsar Sites are not located in all thegeographical regions or states of India. For example, 10 Indian Ramsar Sites are located in Jammu& Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, four in Kerala, and the remaining in other states,while there is no Ramsar Site in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Uttarakhand, Bihar,Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Sikkim, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya.The BirdLife International has four main criteria for identification of an IBA (see www.birdlife.org/datazone/sites/global_criteria.html). The fourth criteria A4 and its four subdivisions are verysimilar to Ramsar Criteria 2, 4, 5 and 6. Based on our IBA book, Important Bird Areas in India,and including some new data, we have listed 135 potential Ramsar Sites, representing all thestates and biogeographical regions of India. We could not identify any potential Ramsar Site inChhattisgarh, mainly due to lack of information. Some hilly states, such as Nagaland and Meghalayaalso do not have potential Ramsar Sites, at least based on the information available to us.Perhaps after the publication of our book, people will gather and share information, and perhapssome new sites would be identified that fit the Ramsar criteria.By the time you receive this issue of Mistnet, our book titled “Potential and Existing RamsarSites in India” will be released. Besides the potential sites, we have also described the 25 existingsites, totalling 160 sites. A copy of this book will be distributed to contributors and statecoordinators (SC) of the IBCN.Here the role of state coordinators (SC) comes into play. The next meeting of the Conference ofParties (COP) on Ramsar Convention is going to take place in October in Soul, South Koreawhere India will be represented by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), which isthe nodal agency of the Ramsar Convention in India. Such meetings take place every three-fouryears, and in each meeting of the COP, countries announce new Ramsar Sites. For example, inthe previous COP Ramsar Convention held in 2005, India had announced declaration of six moreRamsar Sites, bringing the total to 25 sites.New Ramsar Sites are declared by the Government of India on the recommendations of the stategovernments. Therefore, the SCs should meet forest officials of their state, and the ForestMinister and try to convince them to get some more wetland sites (listed in our book) to get inthe Ramsar list. Many sites listed in our book are already identified by the MoEF under theWetland Conservation Programme, so the task becomes easy. If a wetland is listed under theWetland Conservation Programme or under Ramsar, the Government of India gives funds for itsprotection and wise use. This will be another ‘selling point’ for some state governments, as theywill see moola if their wetlands come in the Indian Ramsar list! In our country, money is themover and shaker. Let us use it for the noble cause of conservation.

Asad R. Rahmani

CMYK


M O N I T O R I N G FOR C O N S E R V A T I O N

While work for the monumentalvolume of the Important BirdAreas in India (Islam and Rahmani

2004) was going on, we had difficulty in gettinga first hand account of the potential sites ofTripura, a state in northeastern India. The 19th

and early 20th century saw a good number ofornithological works by Allan Octavian Humeand E.C.S Stuart Baker covering parts ofAssam, Meghalaya and Manipur but there wasno coverage of Tripura. In recent decades also,we had a good number of published papersand books on various parts of the northeast,but again Tripura remained little known.

We arrived at Melaghar on a foggy morning(15 January 2008) and hired a country boat.

Rudrasagar –A potential IBA in Tripura innorth-east India

Anwaruddin Choudhury, IBCN State Coordinator, Assam

The spectacular landmark, ‘Neer Mahal’, forwhich Rudrasagar is well known, was notvisible due to thick fog. Slowly we movedamidst large flocks of Lesser Whistling TealsDendrocygna javanica. Very few other duckswere visible except for some Cotton Pygmy-Goose Nettapus coromandelianus. Suddenlysome pochard-like ducks were noticed towardsthe west. With the help of a pair of binoculars,I could identify them to be Ferruginous DucksAythya nyroca, a Near-Threatened species, buta few individuals did not look like them. Wemoved a bit closer, from where I could identifythem as Baer’s Pochard A. beari, at last aglobally threatened species (listed asVulnerable)! Only four were there. They were

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Rudrasagar Lake is an identified Ramsar Site in Tripura

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M O N I T O R I N G FOR C O N S E R V A T I O N

5MISTNET Vol. 9 No. 2 Apr-Jun 2008

also very wary and took to flight with theslightest disturbance. Other ducks seen weresmall numbers of Gadwall Anas strepera andCommon Teal A. crecca.

The Asian Openbill Anastomus oscitanswas the only stork visible around, although Iexpected a few Lesser Adjutants Leptoptilosjavanicus also, which were, however,conspicuous by their absence. LittleCormorants Phalacrocorax niger, CommonCoot Fulica atra, egrets, Pond Heron Ardeolagrayii, jacanas, a few unidentified smallerwaders, an Osprey Pandion haliaetus and animmature Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus werethe other noteworthy observations.

By forenoon, the magnificent view of‘Neer Mahal’, summer palace of the Tripurakings became visible. This was some sort of a‘lake palace’ built on the lines of the famousPichola Palace of Udaipur, by the then MaharajBirbikram Kishore Manikya in 1930. The palacehas both Hindu and Islamic architecture. TheTourism Department has introducedmotorboats for tourists, which has its owndrawbacks. Besides making the water murky, afew large fish are also getting killed bypropellers. The birds are also often disturbed.Then there is siltation and reclamation of theedge for winter paddy cultivation. There is alarge brick kiln nearby. However, the plasticglass and packets thrown by tourists andpicnickers seem to be the greatest threat at themoment. Every year in the months of July and

August, a boat festival is held; however, its impacton the resident breeding birds is not known.

Rudrasagar is located in Tripura West district(23°30´N, 91°20´E). It is 55 km from Agartala and 8km from Sonamura, the nearest town connectedwith all-weather roads. Its present area is about 3sq km, while in the monsoon, it spreads to morethan 5 sq km. It has been included among the selectwetlands of Wetlands International wherewaterfowl populations will be monitored for 20years. Rudrasagar is already a Ramsar Site and is apotential Important Bird Area.

RecommendationsFirst and foremost is to clean its banks of

plastics and other garbage. The mid-winterwaterfowl count should be carried out on a regularbasis. Reclamation and siltation should be checked.Motorboats for tourists should be replaced bycountry boats. Since it is the largest natural lake ofTripura, industrial activities in the vicinity shouldbe restricted.

AcknowledgementsKamal Banik, the State IBCN Coordinator,

Debabrata Lodh of Dishari NGO, Raju Biswas(driver) and Sanjib Barman (boatman).

Noteworthy Species Count at Rudrasagar on 15 January 2008

LITTLE CORMORANT Phalacrocorax niger 52

OPENBILL STORK, ASIAN OPENBILL Anastomus oscitans 92

LESSER WHISTLING TEAL Dendrocygna javanica 1,700

GADWALL Anas strepera 10

NORTHERN SHOVELLER Anas clypeata 4

FERRUGINOUS DUCK Aythya nyroca Near threatened 7

BAER’S POCHARD Aythya baeri Vulnerable 4

COTTON TEAL Nettapus coromandelianus 47

OSPREY Pandion haliaetus 1

Contact:Near Gate No.1 of Nehru Stadium, Ismalpur RoadGuwahati - 781 007, AssamEmail: [email protected]

CMYK

MONITORING IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS


M O N I T O R I N G F O R C O N S E R V A T I O N

The Danapur MilitaryCantonment (DMC) is thelargest breeding site of the

Asian Openbill Anastomus oscitans inBihar. The Asian Openbill has beenfound breeding here since the last 20years or more as per local information.We have been regularly watching thesebirds and their activities since the last 5years. On an average 7,000-8,000individuals breed successfully betweenthe months of June to December everyyear. Though few birds are also seen inthe month of January (up to third week).

Danapur Military Cantonment (IBA):The largest breeding site of

Asian Openbill in Bihar

The Danapur Military Cantonment(DHC) (25o 38' 32´ N, 85 o 02' 06´ E) is ahighly protected area under thejurisdiction of the Indian army and issituated on the bank of river Ganga,about 12 km from Patna (capital city ofBihar) and about 3 km from DanapurRailway station. It is a recruitment, aswell as a controlling centre for Jarkhand,Orissa and Bihar and has an area ofabout 400 hectares. A big water canalpasses at the south of the cantonment,ultimately joining the river Ganga. TheDMC has a rich plant diversity and has

large numbers of trees comprisingmainly Sal Shorea robusta, ShisamDalbergia sissoo, Mango Mangiferaindica, Neem Azadirachta indica,Tamarind Tamarindus indicus, ShemulBombax malabarica, Peepal Ficusreligiosa, Banyan Ficus benghalensis,and Ashok Polyalthia longifolia.Mostly these trees remain loaded withstorks nests between June to December.These plants provide a good roostingas well as breeding site for these birds.The birds feel well protected here withthe armymen eagerly offering protection

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D.N. Choudhary, Ajit Kumar and Gopal Sharma, IBCN members

Nesting of Asian Openbill at the Danapur Military Cantonment

CMYK



to them. Danapur-Ara road whichbisects the Cantonment area remainsbusy all day round. Apart from these,the breeding birds do not feel anydisturbances and stay here.Considering the assemblage of largenumber of breeding Asian Openbill, theDMC has been declared as an IBA ofBihar.

The Asian Openbill start toassemble in the DMC from the monthof June every year (generally secondweek or sometimes from the 3rd week ofJune) and stay till January. In the firstphase, few birds arrive and inspect thearea. By the middle of July, thousandsof them arrive and start nest-buildingon the trees in and around the DMC.

Competition for site selection andnest building is very high. Fewindividuals which are unable to occupythe trees in the cantonment, shift tobuild nests on the nearby trees outsidethe protected area. The nests areconstructed preferably at the top of thetree. Some birds also use the older

nests, with slight addition andalteration. Although the nests are builtfrom the twigs of peepal, banyan andtamarind trees, they are lined with thegreen soft leaves of Ashok, perhapsfor cushioning the nests. During itsbreeding season, one partner remainsbusy in the collection of the soft leaves

from the Ashoka tree and the other isfound arranging them inside the nest.

The nests are so closely built, thatthe distance between two adjacentnests are found to be hardly ½ -1 meterapart. Nest building concentration isalso very high. We recorded 112 nestson a single peepal tree in the canteen

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Painted Stork nests along with the nests of Asian Openbill

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Creating awareness about the IBA site among schoool students is one of the major roles played by the Site Support Group

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8 MISTNET Vol. 9 No. 2 Apr-Jun 2008

area. Nests were situated at a height of5-10 meter from the ground. In thecanteen campus, maximum nests werefound at 5-6 meter height. Canteencustomers easily watch their activitiesfrom a very close distance. Few birdswere even moving on the ground,searching for food for their chicks inthe campus without caring about thepeople moving close to them. On anaverage two chicks were recorded in asingle nest. In October, parent birdsstart training their juveniles to fly.During this phase many chicks fall fromthe nests. In such cases, the parentstry to feed them for some days. If thechicks fall down within the boundarywall, they get security from thearmymen otherwise they generally dieor get killed by dogs or jackals. Mostof the storks leave the DMC area bythe end of November, while theremaining leave in the month ofDecember. But few of them are also seenroosting near the nest or flying overthe Cantonment area even in the monthof January (upto 3rd week). Armymen

provide safety to these breeding birds.So there is no case of poaching or egglifting.

Though it is complete monocolonyof the Asian Openbill at DMC, earlieralso no other wetland birds like heron,egrets or cormorants were found tobreed with the Asian Openbill at thisparticular site. But recently inNovember, 2007 we succeeded inrecording seven nests of the PaintedStork Mycteria leucocephala atDMC. Out of seven, 3 nests werelocated on a single peepal tree andthe remaning 4 were on two separatebut adjacent Ashoka trees. Thesenests were surrounded by a largenumber of nests of the Openbill Storkwith chicks.

We also recorded that the PaintedStork use the abandoned nests ofAsian Openbill , with slightmodification.

On 20 December 2007 we noticedthat one nest (on Ashoka) wasabandoned. Thus, out of sevennests, only six survived and the

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Painted Stork nesting on a Peepal tree

Contact:‘River Tern’ Gautam ViharSarai, Near KalisthanBhagalpur-812002, BiharEmail: [email protected]

chicks grew on these. In this way thePainted Stork successfully raised 18chicks in this season, certainly amatter of pleasure. We haveconveyed this message to the armymen and their headquarters. They arepleased to see some new featheredfriends in their campus other than theAsian Openbill! In the last week ofNovember 2007 we arranged a naturetrail for the students of CentralSchool, DMC. The main objectivewas to make them aware ofconservation of our nature andwildlife. About 70 students includingboth boys and girls participated inthese programmes. They weredelighted to see these beautiful birds.At the time, the Asian Openbill hadstarted to leave their nests and thePainted Storks were coming to thenests. Our awareness programs willbe continued. Recently on 20th

February 2008, we saw all the chickson both the sites, with their parentsroosting near the nests in the eveninghours. However, we are vigilant aboutthem and regularly watch theiractivities. Hopefully we may add somemore information in future.

Acknowledgements: We aregrateful to Bgdr. A.K. AhuzaCommander, Head Quarter JOB, subarea of Danapur Military Cantonment,for giving us permission to study thebirds in the campus. We are thankful toColonel K.K. Anil Kumar DDG,Recruitment and Colonel Dutta of DMCfor their co-operation during the naturetrails. We are also thankful to theprincipal, teachers and students ofCentral School, DMC, for theirparticipation in the nature trail and alsofor their co-operation. We are highlythankful to the armymen and guards ofDMC for taking conservative efforts forthese birds and other wildlife.

CMYK

ADVOCACY F O R C O N S E R V A T I O N


Vanishing Wetlands -Special Reference to the

Draft Wetland(Conservation and Management)

Rules 2008

February 2nd is celebrated as‘World Wetlands Day’ as it marks theday when the ‘Convention on Wetlandsof International Importance’ (alsoknown as the Ramsar Convention) wasadopted in 1971. India too is one of thesignatories of the Convention underwhich it has designated 25 Ramsar sitesso far. However, the day is much morethan a commemoration of an agreementsigned by a group of officials. It is aday when we reflect on the importanceof wetlands in our lives and are thankfulfor being blessed with so many of themin India. Many of us have strongemotional attachment to wetlands;memories of learning to swim in a pond,boating with a loved one on a lake orlooking through binoculars atcongregations of migratory birds on acold winter morning. Wetlands areusually associated with happier timesin our lives. This is probably what drivesus to create artificial ones in ourincreasingly unfriendly urban habitats.

Beside their obvious recreationaland aesthetic value, wetlands are animportant life support system for a

myriad of species including us humans.Peering through their calm surfaces, oneunderstands why life evolved fromwater. Wetlands are complexecosystems supporting a vast array oflife forms from the muddy bottoms tothe air-space above them. This is whatmakes them attractive to thousands ofmigratory birds who come to breed, feedor just stopover before continuing theirgruelling journeys. The seasonalchange in wetlands further accentuatesthis complexity and governs the lifecycles of its inhabitants. Manycommunities such as fisherfolk andfarmers are dependent on aquatic

resources and wetland-dependentcrops like rice for subsistence andlivelihood needs. Wetlands also provideenvironmental services that areundervalued or not accounted for innational statistics and policies. Theseservices include water storage,groundwater recharge, waterpurification, soil retention and floodcontrol. These wetland services assumean even greater significance when seenin the context of mitigating and adaptingto the impacts of climate change.

Unfortunately, despite our reverenceand dependence on them, India’swetlands are under severe threat. Many

Anand Chandrasekar, Advocacy Officer IBA-IBCN

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The Ramsar Convention advocates ‘wise use of wetlands’

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ADVOCACY F O R C O N S E R V A T I O N


are drained and transformed forresidential, commercial and agriculturaluses. Dumping of sewage, industrialchemicals and pesticide/fertilizer run-offcontinue to pollute many of ourfreshwater wetlands. Construction ofcanals and dams has altered the courseof rivers and streams leading todegradation of wetlands dependent onthem. Water politics involving upstreamand downstream stakeholders furtherexacerbate the problem. As a resultmany wetlands are losing theirbiodiversity value and consequentlytheir status as World Heritage Sites,Ramsar Sites and/or Important BirdAreas. It is only a matter of time wheneven their status as wetlands may bethreatened.

Current legislation is insufficient toaddress the threats to our wetlands.Despite the dependence of millions ofIndians on wetlands for survival,livelihood and ecosystem services,wetlands continue to be regarded aswastelands by decision-makers. Lack ofa clear National Wetland Policy hasfurther exacerbated the ‘unwise use’ ofwetlands at the expense of the nation’swater and ecological security.

The Ministry of Environment and

Forests (MoEF) seems to haveacknowledged this lacuna in policy andlegislation, and is now in the process ofpreparing a draft of the new Wetland(Conservation and Management) Rules2008, under the Environment ProtectionAct of 1986. The draft is still open forcomments. The Draft Rules state thatall wetlands will be designates into threecategories, A, B and C based on a set ofcriteria laid down in the rules. Proposalsfor carrying out development activitiesinvolving/affecting wetlands will nowbe referred to the Environment AdvisoryCommittee (EAC), State EnvironmentImpact Assessment Authority (SEIAA)and District Wetland ConservationCommittees (DWCC) for category A, Band C wetlands respectively. This

process is along the lines of theEnvironment Clearance procedures fordevelopment projects under theEnvironment Protection Act, 1986.Under these new Rules, Central, Stateand District Wetland ConservationCommittees have to be constituted.These Committees have the power toidentify and delineate wetlands andoversee the preparation of five yearManagement Action Plans for eachwetland.

Actions for the IBCN with regard tothe Draft Wetland Rules 2008

1. It is vital for us to designate asmany wetland IBAs as Category‘A’ as possible, making it difficultfor unscrupulous developers todestroy them. Contact IBCNSecretariat for the list of wetlandIBAs.

2. It is of vital importance to get asmany IBCN members into the Stateand District Wetland ConservationCommittees as possible.

3. It is important to send yourcomments on the draft (the draft isstill open for comments). Pleaserefer the MoEF websitewww.envfor.nic.in for contactdetails. Kindly send the IBCNSecretariat a copy of yourcomments for our records.

4. Use the new Draft Rules to lobbyfor protecting wetland IBAs fromunsustainable use. The documentclearly states that ‘No wetland willbe converted to non-wetland useunless it is in public interestand detailed reasons arementioned’

As custodians of India’s wetlandwealth, we are obliged to participate inthe decision-making process when theopportunity presents itself. The taskof wetland conservation is too largeand too important a task to be left tothe Government or Conventions. Wealso have the additional responsibilityof speaking for millions of farmers,adivasis and women whose survival isso deeply linked to wetlands but whocannot articulate their concerns. Thevery future of many of India’s wetlandsand their associated avifauna dependson how we respond to this call foraction. Let us prove ourselvesworthy.

Contact:K-34, Tara ApartmentsAlaknanda, New Delhi - 110 019Email:[email protected]

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Traditional fishing by local people can be allowed in a Ramsar Site

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R E S E A R C H A N D M O N I T O R I N G F O R C O N S E R V A T I O N


Kharda Dam is an irrigation dam andannually dries up in summer, making itan important wetland habitat. The water

is used basically for agricultural purposes in thedownside agricultural fields of the dam. It issituated in the Pali district, Rajasthan and is 40km from Jodhpur city, but only 25 km from Palicity, on the NH-65. It was built by the erstwhilerulers. The dam is situated near the village namedKharda, with a population of around 1,000 oddpeople; hence the name of the dam.

Kharda Dam:A refuge for water birds inThar DesertDr. Sumit Dookia, IBCN member

It is also famous for its large congregation ofwaterbirds during the winter months, and attractssmall numbers of serious birdwatchers too. Theentire dam has an area of 5.37 sq km, with 3.73 sqkm of catchments. The dam harbours more then100 species of birds on any winter day, whenlarge numbers of migratory birds join the localbirds. The dam comes under the jurisdiction ofthe irrigation and fisheries departments andannually contributes revenue for the state.

The bird life of this dam is very diverse; a

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Various threatened species have been recorded around the Kharda Dam

CMYK

R E S E A R C H A N D M O N I T O R I N G F O R C O N S E R V A T I O N

large congregation of nearly 100Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispuswas counted in the year 2003, with morethen 10-15,000 waterfowl and otherwaterbird congregating in this area,including the Comb Duck Sarkidiornismelanotos, Spot-billed duck Anaspoecilorhyncha, Bar-headed GooseAnser indicus, Sarus Crane Grusantigone, and Greater FlamingoPhoenicopterus ruber. The nearbyhillocks support more than 10 activenests of the Long-billed Vulture Gypsindicus, as also the nests of EgyptianVulture Neophron percnopterus. Majormigratory avian fauna includes theMallard Anas platyrhynchos, CommonPochard Aythya ferina, Red-crestedPochard Rhodonessa rufina, Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus, NorthernPintail Anas acuta, Brahminy Shelduck

Table 1. List of Threatened birds at Kharda Dam area

Critically Endangered

Oriental White-backed Vulture Gyps bengalensisLong-billled vulture Gyps indicusRed-headed Vulture Sarcogyps calvus

Endangered

Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus

Vulnerable

Sarus Crane Grus antigone

Conservation Dependant

Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus

Near Threatened

Darter Anhinga melanogasterPainted Stork Mycteria leucocephalaGreater Stone-plover Esacus recurvirostrisBlack-headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus

Long-billed Vulture nesting sites Kharda Dam with its catchments

Tadorna ferruginea, Gadwall Anasstrepera, Eurasian Wigeon Anaspenelope, Common Teal Anas crecca,Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata andTufted Pochard Aythya fuligula.

At present this site does not comeunder any protected area network, butthe increased fishing activity, andlivestock over-grazing in the catchmentareas are identified as the main threatsto the wetland. This area needsattention from the birding communityand conservationists, as poaching iscarried out on a small-scale by theRajput community of the surroundingvillages. The area of the entire dam witha buffer of at least 2 km is a critical habitatfor wintering waterbirds, as well as forthe Long-billed Vulture breeding in thenearby hillocks.

Kharda Dam should be considered as an important wetland

Contact:7-53-F, Railway Traffic ColonyNear Goods ShedJodhpur - 342001, RajasthanEmail:[email protected]

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CMYK


I B C N P A R T N E R ’ S F A C T F I L E

HistoryA few like-minded friends who had already been enjoying

mountaineering/trekking and also bird watching in theadjoining areas of the Himalayas and also other places ofthe N.E region, assembled in a meeting at the premises ofNoonmati Primary School, Guwahati. Early Birds (EB), anature care group, was thus formed on the 6th December,1991. The organization was then registered with the registrarof societies, Assam on 10/01/1992 and it never looked backsince then. Later on, more people from different spheres oflife have joined this group. This group now consists ofstudents, professionals, businessmen and social activistswho are otherwise engaged in different professions and tojoin hands whenever they get time in protection ofenvironment around them. No member is a full time employeeof this group and yet with the dedicated effort, Early Birdshas earned its name over the years as one of the mostformidable environmental groups in this region.

ObjectivesTo indicate love for the wildlife community in generaland for birds in particular.To make regular and systematic surveys of the wildlifepopulation of north-east India, particularly in Assamand to assist other agencies including theGovernment ones to do so, and to maintain habitatand breeding places of the wild animals, includingthe birds in their pristine state.To publish such findings from time to time.To create an immune belt around the protected areasof the north-east region so that disease transmissionfrom the domesticated to the wild can be checked/reduced by inoculating the domesticated bovinegroup.To keep an eye on the migratory birds, their places ofinterest in the state and their food habits and familylife, etc.To mitigate grievances and also reduce man-animalconflict by generating goodwill through such campsfor animal welfare in the peripheral villages of national

parks and wildlife sanctuaries of the entire region andalso to establish rapport between the ForestDepartment and the public, as we always move withthe help of the former.To set up permanent veterinary welfare establishmentin the above areas along with human care facilities asand when necessary.To photograph rare, endangered, protected andcommon birds and animals of the north-east regionand publish them in newspapers, journals etc.To organize and take part in seminars, discussion,film shows, meetings, wildlife art workshop,competition etc. in support of protection of animals.To generate interest in bird watching among youngergeneration and particularly among students,enroll birdwatchers and entrust responsibility of birdcounting, identification reporting at various places,specially the IBAs and natural wetlands.To help and encourage building of nest boxes andplacing them at convenient places to promote birdsto multiply.To receive, buy and publish books in regionallanguages for children and distribute them among

Early BirdsFounded in : January 10, 1992Contact Person : Moloy Baruah (President)

26, Surajmukhi, ChandramariP.O. Silpukhuri, Guwahati- 781003

AssamTelephone Number : (0361) 2661542E-mail Address : [email protected]

Lecture on wetland crisis and other conservation relatedtopics are regularly delivered in various schools in Assam

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students free of cost to promote writers from the state.To correspond, co-ordinate with other societies, clubspromoting wildlife, birds anywhere and seekinformation, data, journals, publications etc. andbecome members.

Activity Profile

Since 1992, Early Birds has organized 117 freeveterinary and human camps around the PAs covering13 PAs of Assam and one in Meghalaya.

After relentless effort, Early Birds was successful inmaking Amchang Reserve Forest a Wildlife Sanctuaryin 2004.

Published various books on environmental issues inAssamese to cater to the needs of the school studentsaround the PAs and IBAs.

We also take care of the street dogs of the city withthe help of the Animal Welfare Board of India byregularly inoculating them with anti-rabiesvaccination and also by performing Animal BirthControl operation within limits of the permitted fund.

Since inception, Early Birds has been conducting birdcensus in Khamranga beel, Jangdia beel, Deepor Beel,Amchang W/L, and Chandubi without any break.During such programmes, we distribute leafletsbooklets etc and interact with people forstrengthening conservation measures. As a matterof fact, our continuous effort has made Jengdia anIBA site and Amchang a sanctuary.

Our collaborator on different events is Center forEnvironment Education, Assam Science Society,Rhino Foundation, Aaranyak, Animal Welfare Boardof India, MOEF, WWF-India, Assam State Forest

Department, Assam Science Technology andEnvironment Council, Wild Life Trust, Bombay NaturalHistory Society, and Indian Bird ConservationNetwork. With Wildlife Trust of India, Early Birds,through a project entitled ‘Greater Adjutant Storkconservation programme around Guwahati city’ fortwo years during 2003-04 could make a total differencein the attitude of the common man on the status ofthe breeding and roosting areas of Greater Adjutant.During project period, Early Birds offered free humantreatment camp, free veterinary camp, distribution ofsimlu plants among public and also plantation in andaround schools. As a result, the tribal Garo peoplestopped killing Greater Adjutant for food and many aresident changed their mind to cut and sell tall treesin their private forest. Early Birds is looking forwardto continue this project with any other partner for alonger duration.

Organisation has several eco clubs among studentsin the wildlife periphery area which rescued andreleased many wild birds and small mammals back tothe wild. The Organisation has also brought manyoffenders responsible for killing or collecting chicksfrom the nest of birds like Cattle Egret, Hill Myna etc.to book and registered FIR. There are many instancesof seizing catapults and also releasing wild birds fromthe trader through city Zoo DFO or the nearest policestation.

Early Birds took out a procession with slogans/banners in the Ulubari bazar area, Guwahati city,against killing of a Greater Adjutant, called hargillalocally.

Early Birds is grateful to Mrs Manaka Gandhi whoarranged an ambulance for our team while she was in theministerial portfolio.

Tree plantation near Deepor Bheel (IBA and Ramsar Site)

Medicine distribution at cattle vaccination centre is one of theactivity of Early Bird

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I B C N P A R T N E R ’ S F A C T F I L E


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The Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary, a part of the Dudhwa TigerReserve, is a continuous stretch of dense natural forest in the‘terai’ region of Uttar Pradesh. It covers an area of 204 sq.km

of forest and is located at 280 - 280 12 ́ N and 800 – 800 55 ́ E, 150m-182mabove the sea level. The three seasons in this region are summer,winter and monsoon. The annual rainfall of this area is about 1,500mm. This region is blessed by nature with tall large trees and denseforest, where the Sal tree Shorea robusta predominates. There aremany aquatic plants e.g. Phyla nodiflora Cyanotis cristata and Salviaplebia present in the large waterbodies. There are meadows andlong stretches of grassland which are an important part of theecosystem. These grasslands mainly have Erianthus munja andImperata cylindrica. Tiger Panthera tigris, Leopard Pantherapardus, along with five species of deer are found. This area is very

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The Demoiselle Cranes feeding in the paddy field just outside the Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary


Fazlur Rahman, IBCN member

Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary(IBA Site)

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rich in birdlife. About 400 species ofbirds have been identified here. TheGreat Hornbill Buceros bicornis andmany species of woodpeckers, such asthe Great Slaty WoodpeckerMulleripicus pulverulentus, Black-rumped Flameback Dinopium shoriiand other birds too are also seen here.Besides many species of drongos,Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica andIndian Pitta Pitta brachyura can beeasily seen in the dense woodland.Threatened species such as the BengalFlorican Huboropsis bengalensis andSwamp Francolin Francolinus gularisare seen in the grasslands. Amongwetland birds, the most note-worthy is the Black-necked StorkEphippiorhynchus asiaticus, whichbreeds in the Sanctuary. Many speciesof storks, ducks, snipes, herons are alsofound here. Besides the Tiger, Leopardand deer, the Fishing Cat, Leopard Cat,

Hispid Hare, and Sloth Bear are alsofound. Out of the five species of deer, theSwamp Deer Cervus duvauceli duvauceliis worth mentioning. It is the State Animalof Uttar Pradesh.

Jhadi Taal, a huge wetland, has about50 hectares area in compartment number5 of the Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary. Itis an important habitat for wildlife. Manyresident and migratory waterfowl speciesare found in this wetland. In the winterseason, a great number of migratory birdscome for wintering here. The wetland ishome to the biggest herd of Swamp Deerin north India. About seven hundredSwamp Deer are found in Jhadi Taal. Twopairs of Black-necked storks always maketheir home here. One half of this wetlandhas clean water, the other is flanked byvarious species of water plants andgrasses. The resident bird species of thiswetland include the Lesser Whistlingduck Dendrocygna javanica, Purple

Heron Ardea purpurea and Bronzewinged Jacana Metopidius indicus. Themain migratory birds are Red-crestedPochard Rhodonessa rufina, CommonPorchard Aythya ferina, FerruginousPochard Aythya nyroca, Mallard Anasplatyrhynchos, Bar-headed Anserindicus and Greylag Goose Anser anser,Spot-billed Duck Anas poecilorhyncha,Common Coot Fulica atra, NorthernShoveller Anas clypeata and NorthernPintail Anas acuta. Various speciesof turtles such as the Indian BlackTurtle, and Tricarinate Hill Turtle arealso found in this wetland. A largenumber of fish such as Catla catla,Labeo bata, and Chagunius chaginioare found in Jhadi Taal. Water snakessuch as Enhydris enhydris and Natrixpiscator are also found. To conclude,it should be said that this wetland ofDudhwa Tiger Reserve is a hotspot forwildlife.

A spectacle sight of the Demoiselle Crane in flight seen by the author at Kishanpur WLS

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CMYK


Unexpected stay of the DemoiselleCrane

On the morning of October 9th, 2007at 9.30, I was asleep owing to theexertion of the overnight journey.Suddenly I woke up to my cellphoneringing, and I found Dr. Jaswant SinghKalair, an environmentalist and BNHSand IBCN member who lives on theedge of Kishanpur WLS, on the line.On receiving the phone Dr. Kalair hadme acquainted about a huge flock ofbirds that had just landed on his farm.

As soon as he began to describe them,I identified the birds as DemoiselleCrane Grus virgo. They numberedaround eight thousand, as told by Dr.Kalair. For many days Dr. Kalair andthe forest department kept me regularlyposted about the movement of thecranes. To the best of my knowledge,and the old records confirms this, thesebirds never stay for more than two daysin the terai region of Uttar Pradesh. Itgot me wondering what would be thereason behind their stay. To get to the

bottom of this, I set out for Kishanpuron the night of 16th October and reachedon the 17th at Dr. Kalair’s farmhouse.When I stepped out of my room, at 6 inthe morning. I heard the trumpeting callof the birds. I looked to the sky andsaw Demoiselle Cranes in flight, aboutto land in a crop field to forage. Inanother five minutes the cranes landedin a nearby field, where only two daysearlier paddy crop had beenharvested. I was over the moon onseeing such a large number of thesebirds at such close quarters and being

able to take their snaps. I wanted allthe 8,000 birds in one picture! Icamped for four days there andtraveled all over the area. I was a littleapprehensive that the local peoplemight harm them, instead of givingthem their due care and protection.Daily at dawn, the cranes wouldscatter into smaller flocks and returnat dusk to the sand island made bythe Sharda river. Residents of this areatoo got excited and happy and thebirds became a matter of curiosity. I

am glad to write that theadministration of Dudhwa TigerReserve deployed six staff membersand two elephants for regularmonitoring and protection of thebirds. These employees kept a regularwatch on the movement of the cranes.For providing protection to the birds,I am highly obliged to the deputydirector of the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve,Mr. P.P. Singh and the range officerof Kishanpur, Mr. Mohd. Gulfam. Dr.V. P. Singh and Mr. Neeraj Srivastava,our IBCN State Co-ordinators, came

on my invitation. Wildlifephotographer Mr. Suresh Chaudhariand the Assistant Project co-ordinator of the Terai Arc Landscapeprojects Mr. Mudit Gupta also visitedthis area and captured the cranes withhis camera.

Contact:Mohalla Sarayan, Ward no. 20Town Mohammdi, Lakhimpur-KheriUttar Pradesh- 262804Email: [email protected]

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Demoiselle cranes roosting during mid-day, on the sandbar of the river Sharda, which flows besides the sanctuary

CMYK

15. Madhya PradeshDr. Koustubh SharmaResearch Station, OC/A-2, NMDC QuartersMajhgawan, Panna - 488101Email:[email protected]

16. MaharashtraMr. Bishwarup RahaHemant Vihar, 13, Savarkar NagarOff. Gangapur Road, Nashik–422005Email: [email protected]

17. ManipurDr. R. K. Ranjan SinghManipur Association for Science and Society (MASS)Manipur Cultural Integrated ConferencePalace Compound, Imphal - 795 001Email:[email protected]

18. MizoramMr. N. R. PradhanAsstt. Conservator of ForestsC/o. Chief Conservator of Forests, WL, MizoramAizawl, MizoramEmail:[email protected]

19. NagalandMr. Thomas KentAsstt. Director of TourismC/o. Directorate of Tourism, Kohima, Nagaland - 797 001Email: [email protected]

20. OrissaMr. Biswajit MohantyWildlife Society of Orissa“Shantikunj”, Link Road, Cuttack- 753 012Email: [email protected]

21. PondicherryDr. Priya DavidarSalim Ali School of Ecology & Environmental SciencesPondicherry University, Kalapet - 605 014Email:[email protected]

22. RajasthanMr. Manoj KulshreshthaSnehdeep, B-33, Sethi Colony,Jaipur - 302 004Email: [email protected], [email protected]

23. SikkimMs. Usha Ganguli-LachungpaSr. Research Officer (WL), Government of SikkimDepartment of Forest, Environment & WildlifeDeorali-737 102, GangtokEmail: [email protected],[email protected]

24. Tamil NaduDr. V. SantharamC/o Institute of Bird Studies & Natural HistoryRishi Valley Education CentreChittor – 517 352, Andhra PradeshEmail:[email protected]

25. TripuraMr. Kamal Kanti BanikDishari, Ek No. Tila, Belonia,South Tripura - 799155.Email:[email protected]

26. Uttar Pradesh (East and West)1. Dr. Vijay Prakash Singh (Eastern UP)

Jaidev Nagar (Rajgarh)Lakhimpur Kheri - 262 701Email: [email protected]

2. Mr. Neeraj Srivastav (Western UP)Flat No.303, Plot no.26/10,Kumar Enclave, Wazir Hasan RoadLucknow - 226 001Email:[email protected]

27. West BengalMr. Kushal Mookherjee, Secretary,Prakriti Samsad65, Golf Club RoadKolkata-700 033Email: [email protected]

1. Andaman & Nicobar IslandsMr. Harry V AndrewsTrustee & DirectorAndaman & Nicobar Islands Environmental TeamDivision of Madras Crocodile Bank TrustPost Bag 4, Mamallapuram - 603 104, Tamil NaduEmail: [email protected]

2. Arunachal PradeshDr. Bharat Bhushan BhattState Forest Research Institute, Van-ViharP.B.No. 159, Itanagar - 791 111Email:[email protected]

3. Andhra PradeshMr. M. Shafaat UllaH.No. 4, St. No. 1, Avenue 8 (Rd No.3)Banjara Hills, Andhra Pradesh 500 003Email:[email protected]

4. AssamDr. Anwaruddin ChoudhuryNear Gate No.1 of Nehru Stadium, Islampur Road Guwahati781 007, Email: [email protected]

5. Bihar and JharkhandMr. Arvind MishraMandar Nature ClubAnand Chikitsalaya Road, Bhagalpur - 812 002, Bihar.Email: [email protected], [email protected]

6. ChhattisgarhMr. Arun M. K. BharosB-101 Gayatrinagar, PO Shankar Nagar, Raipur-492 007Email: [email protected], [email protected]

7. DelhiMr. Nikhil DevasarDelhi Bird Club, C 1/503 Mayfair Tower, Charmwood Village,Eros Garden, Surajkund Rd., Faridabad, Haryana.Email:[email protected]

8. GoaMr. Carl D’Silva‘Masabille’, Plt.6, Kamat Palm Grove Estate, Cardoz VaddoP.O.Caranzalem, Taligao, Goa - 403002Email:[email protected]

9. GujaratMr. Jugal Kishor TiwariCentre for Desert and Ocean,Po. Moti-Virani, Taluka – Nakhtrana, Kutch – 370 665Email: [email protected]

10. Haryana and PunjabMr. Suresh C. SharmaGokul Nagar, Rohtak Road, Sonipat - 131 001Email:[email protected],[email protected]

11. Himachal PradeshMr. Jan Willem den BestenKuldeep House, Mc Leod Ganj, Kangra - 176 219Email:[email protected]

12. Jammu and Kashmir1. Dr. Ashfaq Ahmed Zarri

Manager Biodiversity ProjectBaba Ghulam Shah Badshah UniversityRajouri, Jammu and Kashmir - 185 131Email:[email protected]

2. Dr. Rahul KaulDirector-Conservation, Wildlife Trust of IndiaA-220, New Friends Colony,New Delhi - 110 065Email:[email protected]

13. KarnatakaDr. S. SubramanyaPHT Scheme, J Block, GKVK CampusUniversity Of Agricultural Sciences,Banglore, Karnataka- 560 065Email: [email protected]

14. KeralaDr. P. O. NameerAsst. Professor, College of ForestryKerala Agricultural University (KAU),Thrissur 680 656Email: [email protected]

IBCN MISSION STATEMENTTo promote conservation of birds and their habitats through the development of a national network of individuals,

organisations and the government

IBCN STATE COORDINATORS

CMYK

IBCN ORGANISATIONAL PARTNERS

Aaranyak, Assam

Birdwatcher’sSociety of Andhra Pradesh

Institute of Bird Studies& Natural History,Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh

Nallamalai Foundation,Andhra Pradesh BIOMIX

Assam

Green Guard, AssamAssam Assam Assam

Pole Star AcademyAssam

Mandar Nature Club,Bihar Chhattisgarh Wildlife Society,

Chhattisgarh

GEER FoundationGujarat GujaratWildlife Protection Society

of India, New Delhi Bird Conservation Societyof Surat, Gujarat

Delhi International Societyof Naturalists,

Gujarat

DelhiDelhi, M.P.

Chhattisgarh andAssam

Haryana

Ashoka Trustfor Researchin Ecology & theEnvironment,Karnataka

HaryanaNature Conservation Society

Jharkhand

Indian National Trust forArt & Cultural Heritage,

JharkhandGujarat

Kerala

People for Animals,Madhya Pradesh

Nature Conservation SocietyAmravati, Maharashtra

Maharashtra

Madhya PradeshKarnataka Karnataka

Maharashtra

NatureConservation Society,

Maharashtra.

Envirosearch, Maharashtra

Maharashtra

Green Guards, Maharashtra

Maharashtra Nature Science (Club’s)Society, Maharashtra

Maharashtra OrissaAction for Protection

of Wild Animals,Orissa

Manipur Associationfor Sciences and

Society, Manipur

Maharashtra

Green Friends,Orissa

Bastar Society for Conservationof Nature, Chhattisgarh

Madhya Pradesh

Wild HavenMadhya Pradesh Kerala

AssamEarly Birds,Assam

Orissa

CMYK

Wildlife Society ofOrissa

Pahal,Punjab

AlipurduarNature Club,West Bengal

Rajasthan

Nature Club,Bishop Heber College,

Tamil Nadu

Arulagam,Tamil Nadu

NEED,Rajasthan

Tamil NaduDhan FoundationTamil Nadu

Turquoise WildlifeConservation

Welfare Society,Uttar Pradesh

Punjab

Sikkim

Uttar PradeshAmrapali Institute,

Uttaranchal

AligarhMuslimUniversity,

Uttar PradeshSociety for Conservation

of Nature,Uttar Pradesh

Association forConservation &

Tourism,West Bengal

The Friends of theDoon Society,Uttaranchal

Himalayan Nature &Adventure Foundation,

West Bengal

West BengalInstitute for Cultural &Physical Development

Trust, West Bengal

Nandadevi Foundation,West Bengal

West Bengal

West Bengal

Nuclear PowerCorporation of India

Limited

Rajasthan

Madhya Pradesh

Centre for EnvironmentProtection, Mizoram Assam Assam

Gondia Nisrag Mandal,Maharashtra

Madhya Pradesh

Forest Environment andWildlife

Maharashtra

Generation de New ImageManipur Green Hearts Nature Club,

Assam

Malabar NaturalHistory Society Kerala

Orissa

Karnataka

GujaratSrushtidnyan,Maharashtra

Samrakshan Trust,Meghalaya Karnataka

IBCN ORGANISATIONAL PARTNERS

Megamix,Nature Club, Assam

Gramin Vikash Societyof North East, Assam

Sikkim

Maharashtra

www.ibcn.in

Vattakanal ConservationTrust, Kerala

Orissa

Maharashtra Gujarat

Bird Conservation SocietyAjmer, Rajasthan

JFB IndiaNew Delhi

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