Central Flyway
Central Flyway>Wintering> India
Keoladeo National Park (KNP) in the state of Rajasthan, India, has been a major wintering area for Siberian Cranes. Winter counts at KNP have indicated a steady decline from about 80 birds in the 1960s to just a single pair in 2001. (Numbers of birds were somewhat higher by some accounts: 200 in 1964-65, according to Walkinshaw 1973, and 100 in 1967-68 according to Sauey 1985.). In the summer of 2002 a pair, presumably the same pair mentioned above, was observed for the last time on the breeding grounds in Russia. However, there have been unconfirmed reports of several (four to seven) cranes in their wintering grounds in India.
Siberian Cranes wintering grounds at KNP are strictly protected and recognized internationally as a World Heritage Site.
India
There were no Siberian Cranes in their wintering in Keoladeo National Park, India.
The year 2002/03 has recorded one of the worst drought spells in the history of the park. The entire 29 km2 area of this renowned wetland habitat is totally dry. Not a drop of fresh water was available this season due to failure of the monsoon rainfall in moisten the water-shed areas.
The Forest Department has installed two tube wells, one in D Block and another in the L Block of the park. They were commissioned during third week of December 2002 and gave the park some water. But this water arrived too late to bring birds to the park. And since it was not fresh water from the river it did not bring in fish fingerlings and numerous other micro-organisms, to recreate life in the park.
Prior to this, three earthen wells had been switched on. Water was observed along the road and an amount that might be sufficient for waders or other shore birds. But there were no ducks. There were no Siberian Cranes. It showed that birds have a better sense of management than the man!
There has been little impact of winter this year in northern India. It is possible that the Siberian Cranes realised this and spent the winter in an area where the temperature was suitable for them. Hence the Siberian Cranes did not appear in the park.
If KNP was facing drought, the cranes could have gone to other habitats. Once the three Siberian Cranes had been reported in Talab-i-Shashi, south of KNP. Then the disappearance of Siberian Crane from the park caused alarm among birdwatchers. The Tourism & Wildlife Society of India announced an award of Rs 1,000 per bird to those who would report them elsewhere. Two employees of the KNP identified the birds at Talab-i-Shashi. They received the award money.
In 2002-2003, we sent bird watchers to Bund Baretha. There was enough water in this lake, about 40 km west of Bharatpur. The water was deep, however, and the aquatic vegetation was not adequate for the Siberian Cranes.
Talab-i-Shahi and Urmila Sagar, about 65 km south of KNP, offer ideal habitat with plenty of food for the Siberian Cranes. However, there has been no report of them having landed at these water bodies until 24 December 2002. Bird watchers have been sent to check these habitats for cranes. Two local sources were engaged to report soon after the Siberian Cranes landed there. There has been no news. The whereabouts of the Siberian Cranes remain a mystery. Where is the central population flock of Siberian Cranes to be found in the end of its migration to India? It is sad news for the KNP. It is sad news for the Siberian Cranes. A few hundred birdwatcher guides and rickshaw pullers at the park are having worst time of their career. No water. No birds. No livelihood.
More dedicated efforts are needed to ensure water supply to this park of great international repute. The one meeting we organised towards end of November in Jaipur with the Secretary of Irrigation was not enough. Facing a dismal present, we hope that the future of this park will be brighter.
For more information:
Harsh Vardhan
Keoladeo National Park
9 November 2001 at about 8:30 a.m. the rickshaw-pullers and nature guides at the main entrance gate of the Keoladeo National Park (Bhartatpur, India) were pleasantly surprised to suddenly hear the call of the Siberian Cranes! There were no Siberian Cranes at the Park at that time. They looked up in the sky through the canopy of the acacia trees that dot that region profusely to find out what the call was.
And lo! Two Siberian Cranes were flying from the north towards the south, into the Park! Some people went on bicycles to reach the heart of the park where lie the lakes.
Others stood in admiration. The park echoed with a single note: the Siberian Cranes have arrived! Jubilation marked the scene. The following day newspapers reported that their arrival was rather early this time.
The Siberian Cranes were likely surprised to experience the aquatic habitat of the park. They had to dig in the ground for long hours to find their food. Lack of water for most of the year in the various blocks of the park had hardened their surfaces. The food was probably more difficult to find then in earlier years.
The park received less water this season. The water depth was lower. The surface area of the water was smaller. Not all the blocks could be water logged. Lack of adequate monsoon and peoples' demand for water for irrigation were responsible for causing the park to face such dry conditions.
Two Siberian Cranes were often found missing from the park as we tried to locate them early in the mornings. They usually roosted and fed in Blocks D and E. We were surprised to find them absent and we visited adjoining dry blocks. The Siberian Cranes were observed entering into the park and settling once in a dry block, then flying to settle in a well-watered block.
Their arrival was observed again. It was apparent that their arrival in morning was from the Chiksana region: do they go to those wetlands for the night? Bachu Singh surveyed the Chiksana areas, which are about 40-50 km away by road from the park. He did not find the Siberian Cranes at night in the Chiksana region. But the Siberian Cranes were certainly not present at night inside the park and were often observed returning to the park in the morning.
Siberian Cranes received the main focus at the park throughout the season. However, the forest authorities did not initiate any study on the birds. Some volunteers continued keeping records of the birds' movements.
Both the Siberian Cranes took off from the Keoladeo National Park on 4 March 2002 about 10:10 a.m. That brought an end to this season's wintering in Keoladeo National Park for the two Siberian Cranes.
For more information:
Harsh Vardhan
Keoladeo National Park
Two Siberian Cranes landed in the E block of the Keoladeo National Park on 9 November 2001 at about 9 a.m. This time they returned to Bharatpur a few days later as compared to the last year but there was nothing unusual in that. They have a long history of arrival on different dates. The latest date of their arrival was registered in January.
For more information:
Dhirendra Devarshi
The Keoladeo National Park
Between 8 – 13 and 24 – 25 February 2001, I had an opportunity to observe two adult Siberian Cranes in Keoladeo Ghana, Bharatpur, India, in the area called Kadam Kunj. Even though during that time 12 – 20 Sarus Cranes (Grus antigone) and 80 – 100 Eurasian Cranes (Grus grus) were in the same area, the two Siberian Cranes remained separated from the others most of the time. Once a day, usually around noon, they left the large open space and moved to shallow waters together with the other birds, for drinking and preening. The Siberian Cranes stayed in Keoladeo Ghana till 25 February 2001, when they left the National Park near Bharatpur.
For more information:
Dr. Kiss J. Botond
Danube Delta National Institute for Research/Development
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