Greylag geese arrive in the Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh

Greylag geese are migratory birds and have arrived in the Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh. Along with them are other birds like the migratory waterfowl, including the iconic wetland species. Their arrival is strange because it is virtually the middle of March.
Five geese were seen near the observatory tower of the lake in the company of mixed flocks of Eurasian coots, Northern pintail ducks, Common pochards, Eurasian wigeons, Tufted ducks etc. Nowadays, the geese do not come to the Sukhna in very large numbers or stay for long duration.
This is reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 16 March 2017.

The presence of the Greylag goose in good numbers and for lengthy duration of stay means the quality of a wetland is healthy. This species likes to roost, forage and generally just loaf around a wetland where it is not disturbed. They are never seen in a village pond neither in the depths of the south. It characteristic is its constant honking and it resonates across a wetland.
The bill, legs and feet of this species of geese are pink in color and not grey. It feeds at night and day, and is known to be a favored gamebird for hunters and poachers across the globe.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Barack Obama enters the league of top US Presidents with ranking of 12

Public tours of the White House will begin again from March 7

Explosion in French nuclear power plant in a non-nuclear zone


Didi caught in the whirlpool of industries (satire)

Moody’s love hate relationship with the raincoat (satire)

The curse of social media – cold blooded murders committed


Mumbai will get to see Justin Bieber in action on May 10

Kangana Ranaut is 'fearless Julia' in Rangoon

Shakti Kapoor holds his audience spellbound in the Khandagiri Yatra


ISIS carries out car bombing in Baghdad - kills at least 55

Suicide bomb attack kills at least 72 in a Sufi shrine in Pakistan

Mayor of London worried about ISIS attacks on the city

Revamp of Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh on the cards

Sukhna Lake is a man-made water mirror in the city and it will soon be completing 50 years of its prime existence and will no longer need to worry about depleting water levels. It will bounce back to life come 15 January - from that date, it will start to receive 60 lakh additional litres of water every day from seven tube wells which have been identified near the adjoining Golf Course.
Chandigarh administration has chosen these seven tube wells because of their proximity to the Sukhna Lake.
This has been reported in thestatesman.com dated 7 January 2017.

The authorities have confirmed sufficient availability of underground water in Chandigarh to meet the daily needs of Sukhna. A pipeline that is half a kilometre in length is being laid for the purpose of providing the water from the tube wells. Incidentally, Chandigarh has 240 tube wells and will be drawing water from only seven of these for replenishing the lake.
Sukhna Lake has gradually developed into the most sought after picnic spot and venue for the photographers and nature lovers. It has already been declared as a reserved national wetland by the Government of India and it plays host to migratory birds like Siberian cranes and ducks every year.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha unable to attract foreign tourists

Alert Uber cab driver in California saves a 16-year-old girl from pimps

China to ban trade and processing of all domestic ivory by end 2017


Didi in jitters – keeps flying in and out of her city (satire)

Lord Shiva wants winter favorites, Durga raises her hands (satire)

Moody gets a call from Ronald Grump (satire)


Woman beheaded in Afghanistan for entering a city without her husband

Killer in Santa Claus costume kills 39 in New Year Eve party in Istanbul

Two suicide bombers kill at least 27 in Baghdad market


2016 - the year of biopics in Bollywood with cricketers ruling

Pop superstar George Michael (53) dies of suspected of heart failure

Carrie Fisher of Star Wars fame stops breathing on board a non-stop London-Los Angeles flight

Unnatural death of 47 migratory birds force closure of Sultanpur National Park

#SultanpurNationalPark #Eurasiancoots #Avianflu #SukhnaLake The unnatural death of 47 migratory birds in Sultanpur National Park has forced it to be closed down for at least one week – most of the birds were Eurasian coots and were found dead inside the sanctuary. The dead birds have been sent for avian flu tests.
The breakup of the dead birds is 36 Eurasian coots, nine common moorhen, one spot-billed duck and one jungle babbler. It seems they have not shown signs of any H5N1 infection and, in the opinion of District forest officer (wildlife) K S Khetkar it is believed that the deaths were a result of pesticides in crops and the park has been closed as a precautionary measure.
He has explained that the birds could have eaten pesticide-infested crops at a nearby field and, since they move about in flocks, the entire group has died at one go. If they had died due to bird flu, they would have developed red spots in their legs and no such evidence was visible.
Moreover, a specialist team from the Bombay Natural History Society — an NGO working engaged in conservation and biodiversity research — had also examined the dead birds and they also have not discovered any symptoms of avian flu. Incidentally, last month, an H5N1 infection was confirmed in one of the 30 geese that died at the Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh.