Gharana Wetland: Bird-watchers paradise
Jammu, May 21: When seen in perspective Jammu region has been blessed with abundance of natural habitats of all hues making it truly a tourist’s favourite destination as it is here where a tourist can find everything in a single package be it leisure, adventure, pilgrimage, nature, warm climate or cold climate all together.
In this series we take-up today the world famous Gharana Wetland located in RS Pura in Jammu better known as bird watchers paradise.
In an article published in International Research Journal of Environment Sciences under title Feeding Guilds of Avifauna of Gharana Wetland Reserve-Jammu (J&K), India, authors Pandotra A. and Sahi D.N conclude, “Gharana Wetland is biologically very productive and provides feeding grounds for a diverse range of resident and migratory birds. Thus in birds, feeding guilds provide insight into the ecology of species and are particularly useful in studies that assess specific ecological drivers of community change.”
Apart from the scientific importance the wetland has huge tourism potential which is already being visited by numerous schools and bird watchers but needs a push that can place it at the international position of tourist circuit particularly for bird watchers and nature lovers as this wetland attracts birds as far as China and Mangolia.
According to a report Ghrana wetland attracts thousands of migratory birds including the rare species of bar-headed Geese as different types of migratory birds arrive in this premier wetland, situated near the Indo-Pak International Border in R S Pura sector, to make it their winter habitat.
“Around 3000-4000 birds of various species, beside bar-headed Geese, throng the wetland making it a festivity of bird watching.
Over 50 species of the bar-headed Geese, including some rare and endangered species, every year fly a distance of more than 1000 miles over the Himalayas in a single day to reach here from their breeding grounds in Central Asia and other parts of the world.
The birds which are counted among the world’s highest flying species, include Siberian hans, Keel, Grey Heron and little Grebe from New Zealand, America and Australia.
Most of the birds like Grey Key Goose, shoverier, Marclands, Poachards, Teals and Gadwal come from different places in Central Asia and Northern Europe. They migrate to Gharana to escape the harsh winters the statistics reveal.
In 2007, over 50,000 birds of various species thronged the Gharana which has been notified as a protected water body and declared as Important Bird Area (IBA) but unfortunately the encroachment in the wetland has reduced the size of the area to about 500 square meters, less than half of its official size, they said.
Migratory birds come from Siberia (Russia) which travel the distance of 2387 miles to Gharana “Wetland Reserve”. The reserve, known as bird-watchers” paradise, supports a population of 20,000 to 25,000 birds of different species during every winter with most of the species being migratory.
The most important wetland of the state needs to be preserved by effectively preventing illegal encroachment and expanding the wetland that has been shrinking for the past some years besides popularizing it for the bird and nature lovers of Indian and abroad to attract the serious tourists and scientific community to the region which will boost the economy and create awareness among the people about other tourist spots of the region.