The population of the Sarus crane, named the state bird of Uttar Pradesh in July 2015, has been increasing and the trend is expected to continue this year too, forest officials said.
The information has come after the first round of the two-day Sarus census.
In 2021, the Forest Department survey counts put the Sarus crane figure at 17,329 in 2021, 19,188 in 2022 and 19,522 in 2023 and the trend is expected to continue this year too.
Uttar Pradesh's principal chief conservator of forests, Sanjay Srivastav, said, "We carried out the first phase of the counting on June 20 and 21 in the bird sanctuaries and forest areas where these birds frequent. The counts were recorded twice a day, in the morning and evening. Now we will commence the second phase that comprises ground trooping by forest rangers, and forest officers who also inquire about Sarus sightings from the masses."
"The process is time-consuming as all the data needs to be collected from different districts and ranges. That is why announcing the numbers may take a few more days," he added.
He said that it is expected that the Sarus crane numbers will go up this year as well.
Officials confirmed having recorded a marginal increase in bird population in the Meerut and Bijnor forest divisions.
In Meerut, 47 adult and 4 minor cranes were counted in the Malipur area of Bheekund wetland, Draupadi Ghat and Sikanderpur forest area of Hastinapur forest range while in the Bijnor division, a total of 146 adult and minor cranes were spotted during the survey, officials said.
These survey numbers indicated six new members had been increased in the Sarus cranes' population in the Meerut Forest division since the last survey in June 2023 and seven new members added in the Bijnor Forest division since the last survey in December 2023.
Sub-Divisional Officer of Bijnor Forest division, Gyan Singh, said that a maximum of 53 cranes were spotted in the Amangarh area, 37 in the Nagina forest range, 20 in Bijnor and Dhampur, 11 in Nazibabad and five in Chandpur.
Large wildfire in Southern California scorches nearly 4,000 acres
The large wildfire in Malibu in Southern California continues to burn and it has reached nearly 4,000 acres, according to the city authorities of Malibu.
Fresh snowfall in mountains, chilly winds lash J&K
Fresh snowfall occurred in higher reaches of Jammu & Kashmir as both minimum and maximum temperatures dropped further on Monday due to chilly winds sweeping across from snow-clad mountain tops.
In first in many decades, Shimla sees season’s first snowfall in early December
In a first in many decades, the Himachal Pradesh capital and its nearby tourist resorts on Sunday evening experienced the season’s first snowfall in early December, with the hospitality industry eyeing a surge of tourists.
Cyclone Fengal: Chennai Airport temporarily halts operations
The Chennai International Airport has temporarily shut down operations due to heavy rains as Cyclone Fengal approaches landfall. IndiGo Airlines announced that no flights would arrive or depart during this period which will continue till 1 P.M. on Saturday.
Delhi-NCR engulfed in thick smog as air quality deteriorates
A dense layer of smog shrouded Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) on Wednesday morning, sharply reducing visibility as the air quality plunged to "very poor" levels.
Delhi-NCR grapples with pollution as air quality dips
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi's AQI at 7:30 A.M. on Tuesday was 355, while surrounding NCR cities also recorded high AQI levels: Haryana's Faridabad was at 205, Gurugram at 234, while Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad was at 269, Greater Noida at 286, and Noida at 235.
Delhi's air quality in 'very poor' category, AQI over 400 in many areas
With the Air Quality Index (AQI) reading 409, the national Capital’s air remained in the ‘very poor’ category on Monday, while the air quality in the neighbouring states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh also remained a cause for concern.
Assam: 4 rhino poachers arrested in Darrang; arms, ammunition recovered
The Assam Police on Wednesday arrested four suspected rhino poachers at Orang National Park and recovered arms, ammunition and other materials from their possession, top police official said.