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NewsLetter Chandigarh P a r y a v a r a n - P a t r a State of Environment

EDITORIAL

Everyone is important on this earth! It is well documented fact that earth's beauty lies in its bio-diversity. Human is called a superior animal for its abilities and adaptations, still species like amaze the minds and sights with

their wonderful talents. Director, Environment The life of human has become so complicated that it has started forgetting the joy of life. The noise of various electrical and electronic appliances is replacing the joyous sound of chirping birds. Ashort stroll in the morning or evening may give you pleasure of hundreds hours of television besides health. Sukhna, a wetland in Chandigarh is host of number of birds migrating every year. The

present newsletter is an effort to sensitize the readers about the birds and watching. It also brings in

y l notice the birds that migrate to Chandigarh seasonally for various reasons. The effort is to appreciate the

beauty of life and bio-diversity. Eco-clubs must take a clue and organize bird watching camps for students on

and even create shelters wherever possible for the birds in their vicinity.

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Editorial :1 a Sukhna Lake :4

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Birds :2 r Migratory birds of Chandigarh :5

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Environmental importance of birds :2 a Migratory birds of Chandigarh :6

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Bird intelligence :3 a Feedback form :7

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Bird migration :3 y Wildlife census :8

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Index

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World day :4 a Tips on bird watching :8

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ENVIS CENTRE ( VOLUME 6.3.0 ) Deptt. of Environment Oct 2011 - Dec 2011 e-mail : [email protected] Chandigarh Web : www.chandigarhenvis.gov.in E-mail : [email protected] Web : www.chandigarhenvis.gov.in www.chandigarhenvis.gov.in Birds Diversity amongBio-Diversity for flight. endemic island species. Birds also have unique digestive and respiratory systems that are highly adapted forelimbs, and most bird species can fly. Flightless birds evolved are include Wings exception. ratites, only the were , Zealand New of and flightless a extinct now wings-the number have of diverse birds of skeleton. species strong living but All lightweight a and heart, four-chambered a rate, metabolic Modern birds are characterized by , a with no teeth, the laying of hard-shelled , a high million years (Ma) ago. fossil record indicates that birds emerged within theropod during the Jurassic animals. Extant period, birds range around in size from 160 the 5 cm (2 in) Bee to the 2.75 m (9 ft) vertebrate Ostrich. -laying, The (warm-blooded), endothermic bipedal, winged, feathered, are (class Aves) Birds polyandrous ("many males") breeding systems. Eggs are usually laid in a nest and incubated by the by incubated and nest parents. a Most in birds rarely,laid have or,an usually extended are females") period Eggs ("many of systems. parental polygynous breeding care males") have after ("many hatching. species polyandrous Other life. for rarely but years, for sometimes Social CharacteristicsofBirds Threat toBirds Economic ImportanceofBirds Environmental ImportanceofBirds Birds are part of bio-diverse system of Planet Earth Birds help in pollination and distribution of seeds; hence, conservation of forests Birds keep insect and rodent population in control Birds are the greatest indicators of climate change Environmental ImportanceofBirds religion from culture to human poetry of to aspects all popular in music. prominently figure Birds fertilizer. a as use for (droppings) guano Some species, particularly songbirds and , are popular as pets. Other uses include Many the species are harvesting of of economic importance, mostly as sources of food acquired through hunting or farming. Economic ImportanceofBirds hundreds more before then. Currently about 1,200 species of birds are threatened with extinction by extinction with threatened human are activities, birds though effortsof species are 1,200 underway about to protect Currently them. then. before more hundreds and century, 17th the since activity human of result a as extinct become have species 120-130 About Threat toBirds at aoiy f id pce ae oily ooaos uuly o oe reig esn t time, a at season breeding one for usually monogamous, socially are species bird of majority vast predators. The of mobbing and flocking, hunting, and breeding cooperative including behaviours, social in participate and songs, and calls through and signals visual using communicate they social; are Birds Social CharacteristicsofBirds Chandigarh-The City Beautiful Peacock 2 e-mail : [email protected] Web : www.chandigarhenvis.gov.in www.chandigarhenvis.gov.in regions where the available food supply warmer varies to return birds little the autumn, in with shorten days the the tropics. As the in season. remain that species migratory breeding birds to feed their young. This helps diurnal birds to produce larger clutches than related non- related than clutches larger produce to birds diurnal helps young. This their feed to birds breeding migrate if fed through the winter. Also, the longer days of the northern summer provide extended time for The primary motivation for migration appears to be food; for example, some choose not to annual its 1800 by of the marked world's 10,000 is bird Migration species are area). long-distance migrants. In contrast, birds natal that are non-migratory are said to be seasonality.resident from or sedentary. Approximately away young of movement (dispersal, direction are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular (nomadism, invasions, irruptions) or in only one movements include Bird those made in response birds. to changes in food availability,of habitat, species or weather. many Sometimes, journeys by undertaken journey seasonal regular the is migration Bird Striated Herons (Butorides striatus) use bait to catch fish. red light. have been shown to utilize rope to fetch items that would normally be difficult to reach. them be run over and cracked by cars. They then retrieve the Japan cracked have nuts innovated when a the technique cars to are crack stopped hard-shelled at nuts the by dropping them onto crosswalks learned and to imitate letting this behavior by watching a in an adjacent cage. captivity,in food. In in obtaining assist it tools to simple stick also uses young Cactus Galapagos Islands a urban the from Finch Woodpecker The experience. prior no with wire a from tool hooked a improvised "Betty" named laboratory a elders, from technique this learn normally wild the in birds young While logs. New Caledonian Crows have been observed in the species, wild other to use Many user.sticks with tool their a as to Vultureextract including insects Egyptian parrots, from the corvids and qualify a would range egg of ostrich , an have been crack noted to as beak tool users. since the rock cannot be seen as an extension of the body.By this definition, a (Lammergeier) dropping a bone However on a rock would not be using a tool the use of a rock manipulated using the physical influence realized by the animal the extend to means a as appendages or body own animal's the than other objects physical of use the One debated. been has tool proposed a definition of of definition tool The use tools. has using of been capable defined shown by been T.have birds B. Many Jones C. andA. Kamil in 1973 as Bird Migration Bird Migration ability known as beat induction. an music, man-made of beat the identify can birds that shown has named Eleonora has been shown that parrots can count up to 6. Research published in 2008 that was conducted with an done at Moscow State University, have suggested that crows may indeed have a true numerical ability. It intelligence. shows that ability Anecdotal an evidence from considered the '60s been has suggested has that crows Counting may count abilities. up to cognitive 3.Some studies, greater such as for one allow live to shown been have (psittacines) socially, havelongdevelopmentalperiods,and possess largeforebrains,andthese may beexpectedto parrots and (corvids), family crow the in Birds to stimuli. responses the sensory studying on based therefore is intelligence of testing The song. and calls of use the used to manipulate food and other objects. Birds can communicate using visual signals as well as through groups. Birds achieve locomotion through flight and use of the legs in most species. The beak and a few feet realized onlyin senses arewell tactile andolfactory species, whilethe inmost are welldeveloped are Anatomically, a bird has a relatively large brain compared to its head size. The visual and auditory senses Bird Intelligence

Chandigarh-The City Beautiful

3 4 www.chandigarhenvis.gov.in

The creation of the lake was one of the greatest gift from Le Corbusier and the Chief Engineer P L Verma to the city of Chandigarh. To preserve its tranquility Corbusier insisted that it be forbidden to motor boats and World Migratory Bird Day the top of the dam (promenade) prohibited to vehicular traffic. The lake is fringed by a golf course to the south, and Nek Chand's famous Rock Garden of Chandigarh to its west. World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) was initiated in 2006 and is an annual awareness-raising campaign The roof of the 'bandh' or dam has become a favorite promenade. Serious walkers pursue an exercise highlighting the need for the protection of migratory regime, families enjoy an evening stroll and nature lovers mingle with children on roller skates. birds and their habitats. On the second weekend Photographers and painters love to capture its scenic beauty of the setting sun, or the heavily clouded each May, people around the world take action and monsoon sky, or the early morning mist in winter set amidst the tranquility of the lake. Even anglers do not organise public events such as bird festivals, leave unrewarded. education programmes and excursions Sukhna has a membership-based Lake Club with lawns, a gym, indoor games, swimming pool and tennis to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day. courts with both synthetic and grass courts. Boating, rowing, sculling, sailing, kayaking and water skiing The Theme for 2011 can be enjoyed throughout the year. “Land Use Changes from a Bird’s-Eye View” The lake, which was the venue for the Asian Rowing Championships, has the longest channel for rowing and yachting events in Asia. It also has facilities for other water sports like water surfing, skiing and skulling. Imagine the unique perspective migrating birds have of the Earth. Each year they fly thousands of Sukhna is a sanctuary for many exotic migratory birds like the Siberian , and Cranes, during the kilometres across entire continents covering the vast winter months. The lake has been declared as a protected national wetland by the Government of India. expanse of the planet, its many different climates and landscapes. This unrivalled view also enables them During summers, there are streams of men, women and children from all walks of life offering voluntary to notice the dramatic changes which are currently threatening many of our planet’s ecosystems. Each service to desilt the lake bed for about three months. This annual ritual has been a regular feature since year more and more of the sites migratory birds depend on during their journeys disappear. As these long ago. ecosystems change, there is no guarantee that the habitats migratory birds need along their migration Sukhna Lake is the venue for many festive celebrations too. The most popular is the Mango Festival held path, will be there the next time they return. Through their dependence on many habitats along their during the monsoons when scores of varieties of mangoes are on display. From time-to-time other food migrations, birds often feel the effects of these changing environments first before many other animal festivals, featuring specialities from different Indian States, are also held here, along with cultural species, making them key indicators for the health of our environment. By focussing on "Land use changes performances. from a bird's eye view" World Migratory Bird Day 2011 aims to highlight the negative effects human activity is having on migratory birds and our global environment. Sukhna Lake, Chandigarh Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh, India is an artificial lake at the foothills of the Himalayas, the Shivalik hills. This 3 km² rainfed lake was created in 1958 by damming the Sukhna Choe, a seasonal stream coming down from the Shivalik Hills. Originally the seasonal flow entered the lake directly causing heavy siltation. To check the inflow of silt, 25.42 km² of land was acquired in the catchment area and put under vegetation. In www.chandigarhenvis.gov.in

: 1974, the Choe was diverted and made to bypass the lake completely, the lake being fed by three siltation pots, minimising the entry of silt into the lake itself. It is wetland and oasis of many migratory birds. Web : www.chandigarhenvis.gov.in

[email protected] :

e-mail : [email protected]

Chandigarh-The City Beautiful e-mail : [email protected] Web : www.chandigarhenvis.gov.in www.chandigarhenvis.gov.in Purple Moorhen Purple Moorhen Red CrestedPochard Common Pochard Migratory BirdsofChandigarh Conservation Status: Conservation Status: Conservation Status: Least Concerned Least Concerned Least Concerned Chandigarh-The City Beautiful Conservation Status: Conservation Status: Conservation Status: Ferruginous Pochard Ferruginous Pochard Least Concerned Near Threatened Least Concerned Greenshank Great Egret 5

e-mail : [email protected] Web : www.chandigarhenvis.gov.in www.chandigarhenvis.gov.in www.chandigarhenvis.gov.in Greylag Geese Migratory BirdsofChandigarh Garganey Garganey Common Redshank Conservation Status: Conservation Status: Conservation Status: Least Concerned Least Concerned Least Concerned Chandigarh-The City Beautiful Conservation Status: Conservation Status: Conservation Status: Least Concerned Least Concerned Least Concerned Brown HeadedGull Brown HeadedGull Tufted Pochard Mallard 66 5 6 Response Centre YES ! I WANT TO KNOW 777 ììì ABOUT ENVIS CHANDIGARH Feedback Form Chandigarhenvis

Name Designation Department Address City State Country Pin Phone Fax Email Your views on scope of improvement :

Interest Area www.chandigarhenvis.gov.in : ì I would like to have information on following : Web

[email protected] : e-mail : [email protected] Web : www.chandigarhenvis.gov.in

Response Centre 88 AtAttheEndof... the End of...

First-ever Wildlife Census conducted

Mr. Santosh Kumar The two day 'Wildlife Census 2010' exercise was concluded on 11th Dec,2010. , The census was carried out by Department of Forest & Wildlife, UT Administration in overall supervision of experts from Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. In all, 8 groups were formed for transect in 8 different beats of Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary. Direct counting from Transect walk, collection of indirect evidences like pellets count, others evidence etc were taken and all such raw data shall be processed by Wildlife Institute of India at Dehradun and the final estimate of population & species richness shall be declared by Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. Forest Dept installed one camera at one location and plans to put 25-30 cameras in near future for recording of census.

Tips on Bird watching

2 The best time to watch the birds is between 7 and 10 in the morning and between 3.30 and 7 in the evening 2 The Forest Department has put up two binoculars and one Spotting Scope at the Regulator End for the convenience of the bird watchers. 2 Read field guides on bird watching for better understanding and greater delight.

SPO, ENVIS, Chandigarh

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