Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, December 21 2010:
Migratory birds including those from Siberia have started flocking the Loktak lake and its surrounding smaller lakes and marshy lands.
Several migratory birds and a variety of waterfowl have arrived at Loktak lake.
The lake is also the breeding ground of a number of migratory birds.
More than 30 rare migratory birds such as brahmani duck/ruddy duck, pochard, red-legged falcon, geese, snipe, shiri, etc.
from Siberia, mainland Russia and the Himalayan range visit Loktak, the only fresh water lake in the Northeastern region particularly in the winter months of November, December and January.
But, environmentalists are concerned with the sharp reduction in the number of these birds in the last few years.
They say that about only 20 types of aquatic birds visited the lake in the last few years.
Over-hunting, gradual decrease of the habitat and the climatic changes are the reasons behind the sharp reduction.
Birds like ukong, gull, Kanga, red-legged falcon, which were seen in flocks 10 years ago, are no more seen visiting the lake.
Gulls numbering around 30 was last seen flocking at the Pumlen Pat a few years back.
But this bird no longer visits the Pat, environmentalists have observed.
Red-legged falcons coming from the lakes in Siberia which flocked at Loktak have now shifted their flocking places at the banks of Barak, Makru and Irang rivers.
This bird will remain till December and then shift to the lakes in south India, Sri Lanka, etc.
Deforestation, urbanization and use of insecticides, to meet the demands of an expanding population coupled by climate changes has threatened Manipur's rich biodiversity and rendered certain fish and bird species extinct.