RARE BIRDS: Rare migratory bird from Scandinavian region sighted at Pong wetland

Naresh K Thakur, Hindustan Times Dharamsala, March 07, 2014

First Published: 18:06 IST(7/3/2014) | Last Updated: 18:21 IST(7/3/2014)

Delighting ornithologists, the Pong Dam wetlands in Himachal Pradesh's picturesque Kangra Valley are hosting a rare migratory visitor from the Scandinavian region.

The lesser white-fronted goose, found in Fennoscandia, comprising the Scandinavian peninsula, Finland, Karelia, and the Kola peninsula, and a migrant in regions around the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea in southern Russia and Kazakhstan, has been recorded at Pong Dam for the first time.

"A lesser white-fronted goose (Anser erythropus) was spotted at the swamps near the Nagrota Surian area on February 20. It was a chance discovery," assistant conservator of forest (wildlife) Devinder Singh Dhadwal said. He had managed to photograph the bird.

Continued