Post date: Jan 09, 2011 10:45:25 AM
Favourable cold climate attracts hundreds of birds from the European continent and other parts of Asia to Harike Bird Sanctuary in India's northwestern state of Punjab.
AMRITSAR, PUNJAB, INDIA (JANUARY 08, 2011) ANI - Favourable cold climate attracts hundreds of birds from the European continent and other parts of Asia to Harike Bird Sanctuary, located around 60 kilometres off Amritsar in India's northwestern state of Punjab.
As on Saturday (January 8), bird watchers spent delightful moments watching different colourful species of birds at this haven for the winged beauties.Migratory geese and Siberian cranes and other species would spend the winter and return to their homes during the months of February and March.
"The bird sanctuary ranks among the top five sanctuaries in the world. For quite sometime Siberian cranes come here from cold countries. For sometime, bad water from the sewerage had driven away the birds and due to excessive cold the incoming of birds was also affected. But this year the weather has been cold and many birds are coming," said Jaspal Singh, member of Nature Care Society, a non-governmental organisation.
Harike Bird Sanctuary, spread over an area of 160 square kilometres is the second largest bird sanctuary in India.
The other birds that can be seen here are Pelicans and flamingoes coming from Europe and northern Asia.
Apart from these, one can also spot Hen Harrier, Yellow-eyed Pigeon, Pallas's Gull, Cotton Pygmy Goose, White-winged Tern, Tufted Duck, Yellow-crowned Woodpecker, Watercock, Brown-headed Gull, Great Crested Grebe, White-browed Fantail, Black-headed Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Indian Skimmer, White-rumped Vulture, Eurasian Sparrow hawk, Eurasian Hobby, Horned Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Brown Shrike, Common Wood shrike, White-tailed Stonechat, White-crowned Penduline Tit, Rufous-vented Prinia, Striated Grass bird, Cetti's Bush Warbler and the Sulphur-bellied Warbler.
There are also animals like jungle cats, smooth Indian otters, mongoose, jackals and Indian wild boar.
The Harike lake is triangular in shape.
Over the last few years the sanctuary had seen a fall in the number of migratory birds due to the sewage that had increased the pollution level.
The sanctuary is considered as one of the top sanctuaries in the world.