First ever himalayan bird count conducted in Ladakh

Leh: In an attempt to bring the birding fraternity together, the first-ever Himalayan Bird count has been conducted in Ladakh on Saturday.

Bird count India, Bird Conservation Nepal, and the Royal Society for Production of Birds Bhutan have joined hands to conduct, the one-day event for the common cause of the Himalayan Avifauna and also to promote the conservation of wildlife in the region, which is impacted by global climate change.

The one-day event was attended by the bird lovers from, Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Sikkim, North Bengal, and Arunachal Pradesh.

 Students and staff of the Department of Zoology of the University of Ladakh also have joined in the Himalayan Bird Count celebration along the Indus belt with WCBCL members. 

Foreign nationals from the United States of America and Czechoslovakia are also present in the Bird count in Leh.  

WCBCL President Lobzang Vishuda said, more than a hundred members and bird lovers associated with WCBCL took an active part in the day-long bird count program.

In Durbuk, Kharu, and Nyoma, Ladakh Nature conservation Foundation, SAVE Students Association members and Youth Association of Gya Miru have conducted bird counts, in their regions.

Famous environmentalist Ashish Kothari, Shristi Bajpayee of Kalpvriksh, UNDP representative Tanuj Nagpal and Nature Conservation Foundation’s Karma Sonam also participated in bird count in Ladakh. 

Similarly, in Nubra Diskit, Dr Stanzin Namgyal and Dr Tsewang Motup of Nubra Government Degree College have familiarized themselves with bird watching and counting to the students.

Wildlife Biologist Debaprasad Sengupta, Environmental Economist Kumar Preetam, Entomologist Roksana Parveen, and Mohd Ali have guided the students in the bird count.

Students have recorded 28 bird species in today’s count. 

Many checklists of different species of birds found in the Ladakh region at this time of the year were uploaded on eBird App.