Guwahati Wildlife Division of Assam Forest Department and region’s topnotch research-based biodiversity conservation organisation, Aaranyak (www.aaranyak.org) conducted the third “Annual Waterbird Census 2022” at Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary successfully on February 6.
The main objective of the census was to count waterbird species in order to generate data on birds and monitoring of these species for long-term conservation. It is worth mentioning that this census is an annual event that has been happening for the last three consecutive years with active participation from all quarters.
This year, the census exercise recorded 56 species of waterbirds with a total count of nearly eight thousand two hundred (8200) individuals of different species, including both migratory and residential birds.
Around 30 people including staff of the forest department, Aaranyak members and staff, and other volunteers took part in this census. Jayashree Naiding Tonk, Divisional Forest Officer of Guwahati Wildlife Division welcomed the participants and explained the importance of the census. Dr. Sonali Ghosh, Chief Conservator of Forests, Assam Forest Department welcomed the participants and explained on the importance of such exercise.
Udayan Borthakur, a senior scientist of Aaranyak and a wildlife photographer coordinated the census and briefed the participants on the methodologies to be followed for counting the birds. Nayan Jyoti Das, Range Officer of Pobitora coordinated various aspects of the census procedure.
From Aaranyak Udayan Borthakur, Dr. Bibhuti Prasad Lahkar, Naba Choudhury, Prasanna Kalita, Mridul Kumar Chakravorty and Ershadur Rahman, led different teams in conducting the water bird census.
