"The counting started Saturday and will continue till January 25. The nationwide event will be coordinated by Wetlands," Dr Hem Sagar Baral, National Coordinator of Midwinter Waterbird Count Program, Wetlands International, said. Nepal started this count in 1987. [break]
Of the total 864 species of known birds found in Nepal, nearly 200 are dependent on water. As many as 34 species of ducks have been known to Nepal -- 30 of them are migrants, some coming from as far as Siberia.
"A large number of volunteers are already in the field for the count," Baral added.
According to Himalayan Nature, another NGO working in the field of wetland bird conservation and protection, bird counting began Saturday at Ghodaghodi and Jagdishpur Lakes, in Shuklaphanta and Chitwan, and wetlands of Koshi, Pokhara and Bardiya. At least 30 wetland sites will be covered by a network of volunteers, the number of which has now reached 100.
The mid-winter waterbird counting is the longest run monitoring program on any wildlife in the country that is carried out on an annual basis. The data generated provides an outlook on the status, distribution and population of waterbirds in the country. This also helps to update the national red data list on birds of Nepal and feeds information to those who update global bird list.
The organizers have said that in most places, local charities and bird lovers themselves are leading the count and the event is marked as a festival by many conservationists.
The program is supported by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, National Trust for Nature Conservation, The Wetland Project of Nepal Government, Bird Education Society, Tiger Mountain Group of Companies, Koshi Camp, Shuklaphanta Wildlife Camp and Himalayan Nature.
akanshya@myrepublica.com
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