Soaring tally of migratory birds surprises experts.

Byline: Sameer Mandhro

KARACHI -- A sudden increase in the flocks of migratory birds in Sindh this winter has left experts surprised and baffled.

With World Migratory Birds Day being celebrated today, with the theme of 'Birds Connect the World,' this year's mid-winter waterfowl census revealed a massive rise in the birds visiting the province, as compared to the previous four years.

The survey counted 741,042 migratory birds in the province this year - a huge leap from the 248,105 birds that flew here in 2019. In 2018, the number was 511,112, while in 2017, it was 384,790 and in 2016, it was 375,000.

Yet the Sindh wildlife department (SWD), which has been conducting the survey each year since 1980, was unsure of what had brought about the change.

'In the early 1990s, Sindh would have over 1.6 million birds flying here each year. But the number decreased with the passage of time as 'gun culture' became a norm in the country,' a wildlife conservator told The Express Tribune, adding that many people purchased weapons for hunting animals.

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Meanwhile, SWD chief conservator Javed Ahmed Mahar welcomed the influx as a good omen for the protection and preservation of wildlife in Sindh. 'I am not sure of the reason for this, but am happy to share that the number has increased significantly.'

In the case of birds flocking to Haleji Lake, however, he did have an answer - the recent rehabilitation of the wildlife sanctuary. As a result of the lake's revival, according to him, over 97,000 birds had visited the lake this year, after 4,547 in 2019 and fewer than 9,000 in the previous three years. In 2016, in fact, the number had dipped to a mere 1,630, in stark contrast to this year's...