Gujarat will carry out a census of coastal and wader birds at Marine National Park and Marine Sanctuary in Jamnagar from January 3 to 5.

The three-day programme will feature speeches by experts in forest and wildlife on the first day, bird counting will begin on the second day, and knowledge sharing and a closing ceremony will be held on the third day.

The event has been organised by the Forest department and an NGO, the Bird Conservation Society Gujarat (BCSG).

The Marine National Park and Marine Sanctuary in Gujarat is India’s first marine national park. Spread across three districts of the state – Devbhoomi Dwarka, Jamnagar and Morbi – the Marine National Park and Marine Century comprises an estimated 170 km long coastline from Okha to Navlakhi and 42 islands.

This protected area is geographically part of the Central Asian Flyway, making the bird diversity of this area highly rich.

It extends from the breeding grounds of Siberia in the north to the non-breeding wintering grounds of Southwest Asia, the Maldives and the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Migratory birds, especially waterbirds, complete their journey through this flyway, passing through several countries during their annual migration.

To obtain information about the identity of various species of resident birds as well as migratory birds coming from all over the world, their numbers, etc, the forest department also conducts scientific bird population estimates. Through which, complete information is obtained and decisions are taken for the proper conservation and breeding of birds.

In addition, aspects such as identification of new areas for bird habitat, information about the presence of bird species, their numbers, population density and the right time for migration are also covered.

Jamnagar and birds

Every year, millions of birds arrive in Jamnagar. The wetlands, long coastline, hilly and grassland areas, reservoirs and salt pans in this area provide ideal conditions for birds to live and feed, making this area a paradise for them.

More than 300 local and migratory birds are found in Jamnagar. More than 50 species of wader birds alone are found. Among these, birds like ‘Crab plover’, ‘Great Knot’ are extremely rare elsewhere, but found in abundance in Jamnagar. 

This has made Khijdia Bird Sanctuary, Narara and other areas a centre of attraction for bird lovers, researchers and tourists. This will be the first attempt to organise a census of wader birds alone.