Santragachhi bird count up but no. of trans-Himalayan visitors dips
Times of India | 18 January 2026
Kolkata: The number of migratory birds recorded during the annual census at Santragachhi Jheel in Howrah on Saturday showed an increase over the last season. However, the count of trans-Himalayan migrants, something that birders vie for, declined.
Altogether, 5,607 birds were recorded during the hour-long census on Saturday by Prakriti Sansad and Nature Mates Nature Club. Last year, 4,197 birds were recorded at the Jheel. This year's bird count was a shade lower than Jan 2023, when 5,703 birds were recorded.
Prakriti Sansad member Rudra Prasad Das, state coordinator of Asian Water Birds Census, who led the study, said the continued slide in the arrival of trans-Himalayan migratory birds was a reality, but the reasons could be varied and even unrelated to Santragachhi Jheel.
"The number of trans-Himalayan migrants recorded at Santragachhi, such as Ferruginous duck, Gadwall, Northern pintail, Northern shoveler, Garganey and Common teal, reduced over the years. These birds could have discovered a water body that is more favourable. The depth of water at Santragachhi Jheel may have declined. Or foraging grounds in the area may have reduced. It is difficult to pinpoint the reason," he said.
Lina Chatterjee of Nature Mates felt the war between Russia and Ukraine, which is into its fourth year, may also have an impact on Siberian migrants. "If breeding grounds in Russia and Ukraine are affected, the number of birds that arrive from there will decline. There could also be changes en-route, leading to the shift," she pointed out.
Both Chatterjee and Das agreed that while they could do little about international geopolitical developments, Santragachhi Jheel could be better managed. "If the Jheel is cleaned up on time, the numbers will shore up," said Das.
TOI reported how the clean-up of water hyacinth that covered the entire Jheel began only in the last week of Nov and ended in early Jan, well into the migration season. Chatterjee and others expressed their concern over the delay and feared that it could impact the arrival of migratory birds. What saved the day in Santragachhi, as it did for several years now, was the count of lesser whistling ducks. At 5,562, these birds that migrate from the Himalayan foothills made up 99% of migratory birds recorded at Santragachhi. So much so that some said these birds should be considered resident birds and not migratory species at all. Apart from lesser whistling ducks, the other birds sighted on Saturday were Common moorhen, Gadwall, Barn swallow, Bronze-winged Jacana, Pond heron, White-throated kingfisher, Cinnamon bittern, White-breasted water hen, White wagtail, Indian cormorant, Intermediate egret and Little cormorant.