Sarus cranes: India

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This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content.

Keshopur

The Times of India, Mar 4, 2016

Sarus cranes find new home in Keshopur wetland

Finding ideal conditions for habitation, two pairs of endangered sarus cranes (grus antigone) have made their adobe in Keshopur wetland of Gurdaspur. Instead of flying back to their native place in India, the birds have been living in the nation's first community reserve during 2014 and 2015.

Pathankot district forest officer (wildlife) Rajesh Mahajan said it was possible only after they improved bird habitat measures in the wetland. He informed that they removed weed from over 125 acres to increase the available water surface area, planted 3,000 tall indigenous trees for roosting and nesting of birds, prepared nearly 8km nature trail for better connectivity and desilted the area for increasing water level besides preparing uplands for resting of birds. He said every year eight to 10 pairs of sarus cranes come to Keshopur, but for the past two years, two pairs have made it their abode which was an encouraging sign. Mahajan said in 2011, the bird count in the wetland was 4,511. "After we took up the habitat improvement project, the bird count gradually started rising. It was 8,500; 13,600; 18,500; 20,200; and 25,300 in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, respectively," said the DFO (wildlife).

Earlier, Keshopur wetland was spread over 2,800 acres land in three villages -- Miani, Keshopur and Magarmudia Dalla. "The panchayats of these villages gave the land of the wetland on contract to fish farms and for agriculture. Use of nets and chemicals to catch fish and birds would also kill the migratory birds and their number started dropping," said Mahajan. He said with encroachments and cultivation of land, the area shrunk to just 850 acres and in 2006 the Keshopur 'chhamb' (water body) was declared a community reserve following which certain restrictions were imposed and it started flourishing as wetlands attracting migratory birds. He informed this year they recorded arrival of 800 common cranes in the Keshopur wetland.