UP: Six eggs of endangered bird washed away; 4 at risk

Six Indian Skimmer eggs laid beside a barrage in Uttar Pradesh's Bijnor have washed away on Thursday due to the strong flow of water from the dam, said conservationists who were observing the endangered bird, warning that four hatchlings who survived are now at risk of being submerged unless authorities limit the flow from the reservoir.

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Birders and conservationists in Bijnor, who were keeping a watch on the nesting birds, said this is the second time the rare bird's eggs were washed away from the barrage, built on the Ganga, in a month, after a current swept away 20 eggs in May.

"Five pairs of skimmers were nesting in April and laid 20 eggs. But all 20 were washed away in May. The five pairs nested again and their six eggs were swept away on Thursday," said birder Ashish Loya, who is leading the Wildlife Trust of India's Nest Guardian Programme in Bijnor.