Asian Waterbird Census 2023 reflects worrying trends
The Annual Asian Waterbird Census (AWC) 2023 survey revealed worrying shifts in migration patterns of waterbirds. The survey revealed an increase in migratory birds at some bird habitats like Alappuzha, Yamuna (Delhi), T h i r u v a n a n t h a p u r a m district and Chilika lake. Whereas, in Kole wetlands of Thrissur, Bhimbandh Sanctuary in Bihar and Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary, Meerut the numbers were alarmingly low. In Ladakh, a total of 52 bird species were observed during the survey (11 species were sighted in Chumathang, 10 in Puga, 21 in Shey, and 10 in Phey along the Indus River). The observations were recorded on the eBird app, which is an online database of bird observations providing scientists, researchers, and amateur naturalists with real-time data about bird distribution and abundance. The total number of species recorded across all the birding sites were 35, out of which 13 species were waterbirds