Harike Pattan Barrage | Harike Bird Sanctuary and wet land

Описание: Harike Pattan Barrage | Harike Bird Sanctuary and wet land

Harike Wetland also known as "Hari-ke-Pattan", with the Harike Lake in the deeper part of it, is the largest wetland in northern India in the border of Tarn Taran Sahib district and Ferozepur district of the Punjab state in India.

The wetland and the lake were formed by constructing the headworks across the Sutlej river in 1953. The headworks is located downstream of the confluence of the Beas and Sutlej rivers just south of Harike village. The rich biodiversity of the wetland which plays a vital role in maintaining the precious hydrological balance in the catchment with its vast concentration of migratory fauna of waterfowls including a number of globally threatened species (stated to be next only to the Keoladeo National Park near Bharatpur) has been responsible for the recognition accorded to this wetland in 1990, by the Ramsar Convention, as one of the Ramasar sites in India, for conservation, development and preservation of the ecosystem.

This man-made, riverine, lacustrine wetland spreads into the three districts of Tarn Taran Sahib, Ferozepur and Kapurthala in Punjab and covers an area of 4100 ha. Conservation of this wetland has been given due importance, since 1987–88, both by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India and the Punjab State Government (through its several agencies), and over the years several studies and management programmes have been implemented.

The wetland was declared a bird sanctuary in 1982 and named as Harike Pattan Bird Sanctuary with an extended area of 8600 ha.[8] Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) carried out research and a bird ringing programme during the period 1980–85.[4] An ornithological field laboratory was proposed to be established by BNHS.[6]

200 species of birds visit the wetland during winter season of which some of the well known species (some are pictured in the gallery) are the cotton pygmy goose (Nettapus coromandelianus), tufted duck (Aythya fuligula), yellow-crowned woodpecker (Dendrocopos mahrattensis), yellow-eyed pigeon (Columba eversmanni), water cock (Gallicrex cinerea), Pallas's gull (Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus), brown-headed gull (Chroicocephalus brunnicephalus), black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus), yellow-footed gull (Larus michahellis), Indian skimmer (Rynchops albicollis), white-winged tern (Chlidonias leucopterus), white-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis), hen harrier (Circus cyaneus), Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus), hawk (subfamily Accipitrinae), Eurasian hobby (Falco subbuteo), horned grebe (Podiceps auritus), black-necked grebe (Podiceps nigricollis), great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus), white-browed fantail (Rhipidura aureola), brown shrike (Lanius cristatus), common woodshrike (Tephrodornis pondicerianus), white-tailed stonechat (Saxicola leucurus), white-crowned penduline tit (Remiz coronatus), rufous-vented grass babbler (Laticilla burnesii), striated grassbird (Megalurus palustris), Cetti's warbler (Cettia cetti), sulphur-bellied warbler (Phylloscopus griseolus) and diving duck.