Pheasant-tailed Jacana

Pheasant-tailed Jacanas are unique birds which have a colourful plumage during the breeding season and also a rather melodious call that is bound to be responded to by the other bird in the vicinity. Seeing them on the ground is an amazing experience, but seeing them fly is an even more satisfying one. It was a dream come true when on a visit to the Basai Wetland I was able to spot a pair of male Pheasant-tailed Jacanas flying around. The male Jacana has a long tail that seems to billow in the bird's wake while flying. It is rather like an advertisement banner being towed by an aeroplane.

Pheasant-tailed Jacanas are found over a wide range from Asia and Yemen in the west to the Philippines in the east. Incidentally,  The Pheasant-tailed Jacana migrate long distances with plumages that change according to the breeding season. Females are larger than males and are polyandrous. They lay several eggs that are raised by different males in their area.

The Pheasant-tailed Jacana is an eye-catching bird. Resplendent in its breeding plumage, the flash of gold on its nape that catches the rays of the rising sun, and the billowing tail are sights that are amazing to watch. To be able to capture these beautiful birds in flight is simply a dream come true!

As you might notice, Pheasant-tailed Jacanas have disproportionately large feet with very long toes. That is because they are waders, and can be found foraging in shallow water for molluscs, and other small Crustaceans, roots, tubers, insects and seeds. You can often see them treading on vegetation or nesting on clumps of weeds above the water level.

Unfortunately, the number of Pheasant-tailed Jacanas is dwindling fast as a result of environmental degradation. The loss of wetlands, fresh-water bodies, rivers and lakes is an indication that they will soon disappear from sight as a result of shifting to other breeding grounds. A lot of scientists who study migratory birds believe that a shift in migratory behaviour and migratory patterns of birds is a cause for concern. They believe that this shift in migratory patterns of such birds is an indication of the exacerbation of climate change and global warming, all resulting from human activity. Till then, I guess photographs such as these will bring good cheer to those who love nature. India is fast losing its wetlands, lakes and even rivers due to the need for more and more space to accommodate a growing population.

The Last of the Water Birds at the Basai Wetland Today

A Pond Heron dives into the water for fish

Just today when I visited the Basai Wetland in Gurgaon after all those days of lockdown, I was both pleasantly surprised and saddened by the state of the wetland. What pleased me was that I could see cormorants fishing in the few remaining pools, and there were spot-billed ducks along with what will probably be the last of the Pheasant-tailed Jacanas gliding in the air against the backdrop of buildings that are coming up along the Dwarka Expressway

A Pheasant-tailed Jacana glides across

As expected, the narrow path leading to the water was covered with debris (People not wanting unwanted guests), water was being pumped out from one pool into the other, leaving the fish gasping for dear life, and yes the ubiquitous lines tied to poles to prevent birds from diving in to catch fish were all there, glistening in the early morning light. Sometime back there was a huge furore about these lines that cause birds to get entangled in them to die a painful death. But then who cares about birds when there is easy money to be made from selling what was once a thriving wetland to real estate agents!

A Purple Swamphen (one of the remaining few) looks at me with curiosity

A Bee-eater looks at me even as I take a snap.

A White-throated Kingfisher stays put even as I step towards it.

A Little Grebe swims on, unconcerned!

A pair of Little Grebes swim on

The Pond Heron takes to the sky

I was, however able to take a few good snaps of the birds that still inhabit what remains of a wetland. The Jacanas were calling out to each other in their typical mewing sound while the Bitterns waiting unmoving in the weeds watched the clouds drift by.

  A Pheasant-tailed Jacana flies past

It was most encouraging to see quite a few species of birds, moving around in the remaining pools of water, probably savouring their final days in a wetland that will soon sprout tall building that will house cubicles, tenements, office blocks and penthouses, all on land that was once home to numerous species of fish, birds and small animals. It was a poignant moment to see a lone kingfisher glide over a sun-burned patch of land, once underwater, all the result of water being drained out in preparation for the ground-breaking ceremony prior to the commencement of construction of building shells.

A Kingfisher glides over a dried-up patch of ground that was once covered with water. 

However, in spite of all the sadness associated with the desecration of a wetland teeming with life, it will always be our memories that will sustain us through difficult times. The memories of the Daffodils sustained William Wordsworth through moments of pensiveness, and for many of us, the photographs of the birds of the Basai Wetland will bring a smile of joy on our faces.

A Pond Heron takes off after an unsuccessful attempt in catching a fish.

A Spot-billed duck swims in the company of little Grebes

And in the midst of all this, one might find the lines strung on poles, waiting to entangle hapless birds that try to dive into the remaining water in search of fish, or for that effect a couple of Catfish, yes the invasive African Catfish struggling for survival even as the tractor pump sucks out the remaining water so that buildings can be erected.

Lines strung across poles are supposed to prevent birds from diving into the water.

If you look closely at the above photograph, then you might be able to see the strings or lines attached to the bamboo poles. The strings prevent birds from diving into the water from above, often entangling them so that they starve and die a dreadful death.

A Baya-Weaver bird hides in the middle of a few remaining stalks of weed

The Baya Weaver birds have learned to adapt to their circumstances. In the absence of enough vegetation to build and weave their nests, they have taken to scrounging for valuable fibre in dung left by buffaloes. There was a particular Weaver that waited for me to pass by before attacking a mound of dung for fibre. Now, I am not sure whether this is normal with Baya Weaver Birds, but then, I guess this must be normal!

A Baya Weaver Bird waits form me to pass by.

A Baya Weaver Bird grabs a clump of half-digested fibre

A Baya Weaver Bird gets ready to carry away a clump of fibre from a dung heap.