Waterbird Conservation

In a worrying trend, the number of visiting waterbirds has declined in the Narayani River area. A waterbird named Ruddy Shelduck, commonly called Chakhewa in Nepali, used to be found in abundance along the Narayani River towards Nawalpur until last year, but their number has taken a 50 per cent dive this year. In the 2021 bird census, 47 bird species were sighted in the area. That number dropped to only 37 in 2022. The year 2023 saw a slight increase of the number to 43, only to drop to 41 this year. Surprisingly, eight bird species observed last year were not present this year. But here is also a share of good news: the Eurasian Wigeon (Sindhure Hans), Common Pochard (Kailetauke Hans), Kentish Plover (Alak Chandra Raj Putrika), Wood Sandpiper (Ban Sud Sudia), and Dunlin (Thulo Jal Rang) were observed for the first time in the Narayani River, which were absent during last year's bird count.