Decline in number of migratory birds visiting Maithon dam

Migratory birds have arrived in large numbers at Panchet dam but the number of winged guests at Maithon dam in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district has come down, officials said. The number of migratory birds at Maithon dam has come down this winter due to lack of aquatic flora and fauna and boating in protected area, they said. Cage fishing is also said to be one of the reasons.

"This winter climate of the region has changed. Birds might have found lack of aquatic food in the Maithon dam. The forest department had in 2006-07 planted fruit trees on the banks of the dam to attract them," the Regional Chief Conservator of Forest (RCCF) (Hazaribag) Sanjiv Kumar said.

The RCCF said changing climate, trouble in the route taken by the migratory birds, lack of aquatic food, flora and fauna in the dam and disturbance from boating and sound systems of picnickers are responsible for the less number of migratory birds coming to the Maithon dam.

According to officials of the Forest department and Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) over two dozen rare birds species like pink duck, spoonbill, brown-headed gull, common teal, black-winged stilt, gadwall arrive every winter and stay for three months between December to March. However, in Panchet dam of DVC the birds have arrived in large numbers as boating by tourists has been banned, another official said.

"Boating in Panchet dam area has been banned to enable free movement of migratory birds," said M Vijay Kumar, an official of the DVC.

Thousands of tourists visit the Maithon dam to see beautiful winged guests who come from many far off countries. Subrato Mukhopadhya, a bird lover, who visited the Maithon dam with his family on Tuesday said he was disappointed not to see the migratory birds.

"I visit the dam every year in the second week of January with family, this time we are returning disappointed as we saw only a few birds," Mukhopadhyay said.