Rainfall (Monsoon)

Soon after the first downpour, a mantle of new grass covers the cracked lakebed. In the woodlands, you can spot the flycatcher flaunting its snowy tail streamers, while in the grasslands, the zitting cisticolas (which have caramel and chocolate chip markings) leap and sing. At the grassy fringes of the lakebed, the little grebes or dab-chicks trill like animated alarm clocks while building their nests. The big grey cranes are struck with the romance of this season. The acacia-clad islands turn into busy nesting colonies, as egrets (in white lace), cormorants (in black satin), darters (in ebony and silver) and pond herons (all maroon taffeta no less) get surrounded by bumbling black-headed white ibises (always appearing late) and goofy-looking painted storks. By the end of September, the skies are blue once more and the first of the migratory arrivals splash down. We suggest you carry a pair of binoculars for a better view of birds.

Apart from the Sultanpur sanctuary, a large number of migratory birds are seen in the Manger forest and Damdama Lake of the Aravalli region. The Sultanpur–Najafgarh¬–Jhajjar corridor is an ideal place for domestic and migratory birds to stay in the winter season. The Jhajjar Bird Sanctuary is also one of the few bird sanctuaries present in the state.

Challenges Faced by Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary

• Water: The water levels in the bird park are receding at a fast pace. To increase the water levels, there are now plans by the authorities to divert the water that goes to the Yamuna River from the city towards Sultanpur. Roughly, over six crore litres of sewage water flows daily from Gurugram to the river. Even as there are plans to build a sewage water treatment plant at Daulatabad, there is no clear deadline regarding the operational part. The low levels of water are resulting in less number of birds coming to the park.  Plans to divert water to the Yamuna River is the need of the hour.
• Real estate business: Because of real estate development and rapid urbanization, the area has been converted into commercial usage which also has adverse impact. Earlier, as per the government guidelines, no constructions were allowed in the range of five kilometres, however now it has been reduced to 300 metres. What has made the matter worse is a large number of illegal colonies that have sprouted around the area. Lot of residential schools and rampant construction of dhabas and restaurants has occupied the residential place of migrants (birds).
• Bunds destroyed: Bunds were built by the erstwhile British Government. The water embankments not only used to drain out the water but also brought rich silts into the region from the annual flooding in the Yamuna River. Most of the bunds that have now become extinct were set up during the British times. The ones that are surviving continue to remain in a neglected state.
• Extinction of ponds/rise of bore well: In over 460 ponds spread across Gurugram district, 208 have dried up and 186 are dirty where water cannot be utilized. Even as there has been a ban by the court to dig illegal bore wells, there are over 15,000 illegal bore wells that have been dug up in the city. In most of the areas in the city, the groundwater has fallen to levels of 50 metres. The alarming decline in water levels in the city will affect the Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary unless replenished by regular rainwater and river. But that is not possible due to climate change and variable monsoon spells.

• Human intervention: If there is a sudden rush of birds to the sanctuary, there is a flip side to it too. For along with the birds come the hordes of noisy tourists (the spectators). This in turn frightens away some of the birds from the sanctuary. Amateur bird watchers like us are afraid that this trend may succeed in scaring the winged visitors away for good. Every year, it may not happen that the number of winged visitors to the 1.7-sq. km sanctuary will keep on increasing. Over the years, it has been steadily dwindling; only on one or two occasions it has increased, otherwise it is decreasing. This is due to human intervention. More than all the challenges, humans have made significant contribution in reducing the numbers of winged visitors.
• Pesticides: Agricultural fields in the surrounding area of the Park, use pesticides for high yield to generate instant income from crops. Although there is demarcated boundary wall /fence to separate sanctuary from cultivable land, but for birds there is no boundary, they can fly outside the perimeter of park in search of food. These birds feed on seeds, insects, fish, and grain. They often fly to agricultural fields nearby for food and this can lead to poisoning that might kill them. Efforts should be there to minimize the usage of pesticides and farmers should be encouraged to use natural available sources.
• Climate change (global) and pollution: Climate change and polluted air are being considered as major reasons for declining bird counts. Over the years, winters are taking a long time for setting in. The change in climate patterns can be considered as one of the major factors for the low population of birds. Besides climate change, there is also a possibility that pollution can impact low arrivals of foreign birds combined with other reasons, mentioned earlier.

Role of Haryana Government

There is a brighter side also. The Haryana Government has carried out a number of development works at Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary such as construction of mounds, widening of paths, and digging four tube wells. Efforts are being made to improve vegetation in the area by planting more trees, which are popular with the birds like ficus spp. Acacia nilotica, Acacia tortilis, and neem.

In 2020, the enthusiasts were in for an extremely pleasant surprise. The number of feathered visitors recorded in 2020 in Sultanpur has been the higher in the last five years. In addition, as many as 300 different species (almost as wide a range as those sighted in the Bharatpur sanctuary) have already been spotted. But the real feather in the sanctuary’s cap has proved to be the large number of rare species spotted this season. In fact, the unusual sightings also include the endangered osprey, the lesser flamingos and even the saker or cherrugfalcon.

The reason for the unusually high count is twofold. Firstly, there has been an abundant supply of fresh water in the lake due to a good monsoon. Secondly, the fencing by the Wildlife Department kept out grazing cattle and ensured the growth of grass in the sanctuary. This has attracted many species of nesting birds such as the saras crane.

The efforts should continue to have consistency in flow of migratory birds. Further, real estate business will in long run destroy this avian paradise if not stalled at the right moment. And this is the right moment to look towards a better tomorrow. The present pandemic is one such lesson to humans that we should not overexploit our planet; otherwise the retaliatory action will be unbearable. Today nature is at its best, they don’t need us to fence the bird sanctuary, they are now free as we are ourselves fenced. There won’t be any case of death or dwindling population of migratory birds if we are more vigilant towards conservation and protection of our wildlife. #

Amarjeetsingh Bishnoi is an ornithologist, entomologist, and has participated in Chilka bird census for 10 years. Shakti Bishnoi is a counsellor, ornithologist, botanist, wildlife photographer, marathon runner, and a silent observer. The couple follows a sustainable lifestyle and constantly strive to bring awareness in people by planting native trees.