Himalayan snowfall heralds arrival of migratory birds in U’khand wetlands

FOLLOWING the season’s first snowfall in the higher Himalayan reaches of Uttarakhand late Monday, a sharp drop in temperatures across the plains has heralded the arrival of migratory birds to the state.

- NARENDRA SETHI @ Dehradun

A significant contingent of rare Ruddy Shelducks (Surkhab), among the first arrivals, was spotted at the Asan Wetland—Uttarakhand’s first Ramsar site and conservation reserve—on Tuesday.

A flock comprising 32 members of the distinctively colored waterfowl was recordedlanding at the Asan Barrage, located at the confluence of the Yamuna and Asan rivers in the Dehradun district, around 11 am.