Over 1.17 lakh migratory birds flock Pong Dam reservoirs this time; 7,000 more than last year.

February 3, 2023

Over 1.17 lakh migratory birds have flocked the Pong Dam wildlife century in Kangra District of Himachal Pradesh this time, more than 7,000 than last year.
- The Pong Dam, also known as the Beas Dam, is an earth-fill embankment dam on the Beas River in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India, just upstream of Talwara.
According to Chief Conservator of Forest (wildlife), the figures were received on January 31 following a two-day count.
The teams sighted Long Tail Duck for the first time in this Ramsar site. The number of Northern Pintail has increased from 4,500 last year to 15,700 this year. There is also an increase in the number of Bar Headed geese this year.
A Ramsar site is a wetland designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention — an international treaty for the conservation and wise use of wetlands.
The lake may have more avian visitors in the coming days as these Siberian birds are returning from south India and they tend to take a break at the Pong Dam reservoirs.
The reason for this increase in the number of birds at the site, is that the birds get plenty of food here and they feel more protected now as not a single poaching incident has been reported in a year.