Santragachi Jheel or Pakhiralay (bird sanctuary), on the outskirts of Kolkata, has attracted a record over 7,000 winged visitors this winter, at least 15 per cent more than the number estimated last winter.
The latest unofficial count till now by the Nature Mates' Club, which has been maintaining the lake for the last 5 years, suggests the number has already crossed 7,000 this year."So far, the `jheel' (lake) has hosted around 45 species, but never at one particular point in time. Normally, you will get to see around 20 species", said Lina Chatterjee of Nature Mates, who oversees the Santragachi Jheel project.
According to the NGO's annual census, the number of birds had fallen to nearly 700 in 2018 when the Howrah Municipal Corporation cleared the lake of water hyacinths entirely, leaving no place for the birds to rest.
However, some species whose numbers dwindled considerably in the previous years are making a comeback.
"The number of birds which went down to 700 after this drive to clear up water plants has now grown back to more than 7000" said Arjan Basu Roy, secretary of Nature Mates Nature Club."Luckily, we are getting back the Trans-Himalayan Migrant Ducks which went missing post the 2018 clean-up drive", he said.
The most dominant species among the birds found is the Lesser Whistling duck. The Gadwall and Garganey and Northern Pintail varieties can also be spotted. For the first time in years, the Glossy Ibis has also been spotted here.
The number of birds may well go up by January 14, the official counting day for the sanctuary, provided the weather and fog conditions are favourable, Roy said.