An Invitation for your participation in the Annual Waterfowl Count at the Pong Dam Lake Bird Sanctuary (Request: Pl circulate this invitation among your birding friends and on electronic discussion groups)
The Himachal Pradesh Forest Department in association with the Bombay Natural History Society and the WWF-India invite you to participate in Annual bird count on 15th , 16th , and 17th January, 2010.
Those interested may please quickly respond to this email. The lodging and boarding will be provided by the organisers. However, you are requested to make your own travel arrangements.
Nerarest Railway stations: Pthankot and Mukerian in Punjab (from Pthankot, there is a narrow guage train line dirtect to Nagrota Suriyan); Una in H.P.
There are direct buses (Volvo service also available) from Delhi to Dharamshala. One can get down at Kangra to get picked up by the HP Forest Deptt vehicles.
Please bring your binoculars, camera, bird book, and note book along with your birding experience.
For details may please contact:
Sanjeeva Pandey
Chief Conservator of Forests
(Faunal Diversity and Protected Areas)
Talland, Shimla, H.P. PIN 171001
Email: pandey.sanjeeva@gmail.com
Mobile: 09418001807
Phone office: 0177 2623540
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About the Pong Dam Lake Bird Sanctuary
Pong is recently created WATER Storage reservoir on the Beas river in the low foothills of Himalaya on the northern edge of Indo Gangetic plain.The Dhauldhar mountian range forms a backdrop to the lake.The size of the Pongdam lake and its situation in the extreme northwest of the northern plains makes it a suitable habitat for migratory birds entering the plains of India from Central Asia.Over 220 bird species belonging to 54 families have been recorded.
Pong Dam reservoir is 115 km from Dharamsala. Nestled in the sylvan surroundings of the Kangra valley, the sprawling Pong Dam wetland has emerged as a major habitat for migratory birds in the country as also an attraction for bird watchers.
Wetland popularly known as Ramsar site has been recognized Internationally as one of the finest and largest manmade wetlands of North India situated in the Dhauladhar mountain ranges of Himachal Pradesh. Known as an outstanding town of paradise for birds watchers, the wetland has rich bio-diversity with meager forests round the Pong Dam Wetland having several tree species which serve as edible fruits for the migratory birds. Keeping in view the natural beauty of the wetland, the area has been developed as national wetland and has been included in the list of internationally known wetlands.
Built in 1976, the Pong Dam reservoir is the only place in the country after the Bharatpur Sanctuary where the red-necked grebe descends every year.
Similarly, though seashore species, the arrival of gulls on this lake also make the Pong Dam an exception.
It may be recalled that it was in 1920 when a British police officer counted as many as 27 bird species in this region of Kangra district. Subsequently, it was designated as a protected area.
The water body occupies an area of at least 18,000 hectares and extends up to 30,000 hectares at the peak monsoon. An area of about 20,000 hectares within the radius of 5 km has been notified as the buffer zone.
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