With winter, tiny moving specks appearing on the sky over Assam mark the arrival of avian guests that flock to riverbeds, wetlands, and natural and artificial reservoirs. To escape the biting cold of Siberian, Tibetan, and European regions, these water birds spread their wings each year in search of warmer winter homes across the globe.
Assam’s wetlands and Ramsar sites welcome these migratory birds, which not only enhance the northeastern State’s biodiversity but also support its ecotourism initiatives. This year too, vibrant migratory species such as white-fronted geese, pied avocets, greylag geese, ruddy shelducks, falcated ducks, ferruginous pochards, northern pintails, great crested grebes, common pochards, and bar-headed geese — known for their high-altitude migratory flight — have arrived to roost in the State’s wetlands. Despite threats posed by unsustainable development activities to waterbodies and wildlife reserves, Assam remains an important seasonal hub for migratory birds.
Some of the popular birding destinations in the State include Deepor Beel in Kamrup Metropolitan district; Maguri Motapung Beel in Tinsukia; Pani Dihing Beel in Sivasagar; the lakes within the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve; and the largest of all, Son Beel in Karimganj district. Apart from these regular stopovers, the winter visitors also explore new and picturesque locations each year. Assam has long hosted these long-distance travellers with sustained conservation efforts, which continue to be strengthened to protect their habitats.
Show-starter: Escaping Central Asia and Siberia’s harsh winters, Citrine Wagtail, the first avian visitor to arrives in Assam’s wetlands, floodplains, and marshes, will stay on till April. Pasture hunting: In the iconic V-formation, a flock of bar-headed geese flies over a wetland in Assam.
The birds will stay in the State till April. Hungry guest: A black-necked stork searches for food in a wetland in the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Morigaon district. Roosting haven: Northern pintails at the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, which is a popular winter destination for migratory birds from Siberia, Central Asia, and the Himalayas.
Friends of a feather: A flock of glossy ibis takes a dip in Lake Deepor Beel, a Ramsar site, near Guwahati. Fragile coexistence: Fishermen repair fishing nets on the bank of Lake Deepor Beel. Migratory birds and fishermen are often at odds over wetland use.
A regular: Arriving from their breeding grounds in Europe and Central Asia, greylag geese are a familiar sight at this time of year in Assam. The day’s catch: A purple heron, with a fish in its beak, flies back to its nest. Cameo appearance: Eurasian wigeons make a stopover in Assam’s wetlands in the Kaziranga National Park or Pobitora, on the Central Asian flyway.