Why #WaterbirdsCount: July

As part of our campaign to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Waterbird Census, we invited our partners to share their favourite images of wetlands and waterbirds. In India, each state has a coordinator for the regional programme of the IWC, the Asian Waterbird Census. This month coordinators and their local networks from the coastal states share photos and stories as we prepare for an extended survey of the entire Indian Ocean coast in 2017.

India’s 7,000 km of coasts are diverse and spectacular, with sandy beaches, rocky cliffs, coral reefs, mudflats, marshes, and mangroves offering an array of habitats for all kinds of wildlife and supporting millions of people. Waterbirds live here throughout the year, but India’s coasts are especially important during the northern winter months when nearly a hundred species complete their migration to these coasts. In 2017, Indian state coordinators and their networks together with our South Asia office and the Bombay Natural History Society will lead a special effort to survey as much of the Indian coast as possible during the January Asian Waterbird Census. They will be joined by counters in many other countries around the Indian Ocean, aiming to identify important coastal wetlands, learn more about the waterbirds using them and the threats they face.

Want to know more or find out how you can help? Then get in touch! Contact us at [email protected]

A #vintage flamingo photo by Kishore Joshi from the 1990’s at Porbandar. To this day, Gujarat remains the ‘flamingo capital’ of India – most of the country’s flamingos can be found in the coastal wetlands and salt pans of this north western state. #tbt #throwbackthursday #pink #flamingo #nofilter #wildlife #birdsofinstagram #Gujarat #India #wetlands #beach #iwc50 #waterbirdscount

A photo posted by @wetlands_international on Jul 7, 2016 at 4:49am PDT

We know how important wetlands are, so it’s great to see others sharing our enthusiasm. On World Wetland Day 2016, the Mokarsagar Wetlands Conservation Committee (MWCC) introduced students at the Mokar village school to the wonderful world of wetlands. The coastal Mokarsagar wetlands in Gujarat provide clean water and food resources for over 20 villages, as well as hosting a rich community of birds, reptiles, mangroves, macrophytes, mammals, insects … we could go on! #iwc50 #waterbirdscount #wetlands #mangroves #conservation #gujarat #india #worldwetlandsday

A photo posted by @wetlands_international on Jul 26, 2016 at 11:20pm PDT

The sky above Sewri fills with thousands of migratory waders during the winter months. The Bombay Natural History Society identified the area as a potential Ramsar site of international importance for #waterbirds thanks to its extensive coastal mudflats and #mangroves. The site is badly in need of protection. BirdLife has listed it as an Important Bird Area in danger, due to severe pressure from land reclamation and infrastructure developments. Photo by Raju Kasambe #iwc50 #waterbirdscount #wildlifephotography #nofilter #birdwatching #birdphotography #waders #coast @birdlife_insta

A photo posted by @wetlands_international on Jul 11, 2016 at 10:30pm PDT

With over 200 #bird species known to occur in the Thane wetlands, this coastal area on the edge of Mumbai is a #birding paradise. Sadly proximity to the city brings problems – illegal dumping and developments have been documented and declining bird numbers suggests these activities are having a terrible impact. Destruction of #mangroves in the area have also been blamed for increased flooding. Local #NGOs and #environmentalists are fighting hard to save this precious wetland and restore it to its full glory. Photo by Raju Kasambe #iwc50 #waterbirdscount #mumbai #india #seagulls #photooftheday #conservation #flood #nature #wildlife #wetlands

A photo posted by @wetlands_international on Jul 7, 2016 at 1:44am PDT

A lesser sand plover photographed by Ronit Dutta during the Asian Waterbird Census in Goa. This species is pretty much entirely dependent on coastal wetlands during the non-breeding season and Goa's sandy beaches are ideal for these seasonal visitors. Lesser sand plovers can be found from South Africa all the way to Australia, making them a real Indian Ocean species. #iwc50 #waterbirdscount #birdsofinstagram #nofilter #wildlifephotography #nature #conservation #wetlands #beach #goa #india

A photo posted by @wetlands_international on Jul 30, 2016 at 1:17am PDT

Karnataka has important coastal wetlands too, but we are making a small detour inland to tell you about a very special wetland. Anekere Lake is actually man-made, built over 800 years ago to supply fresh water to the local population. Amazingly, it still serves this purpose today! These Lesser Whistling-ducks also seem to find it a great place to hang out. Photo by Shiva Shankar #iwc50 #waterbirdscount #birds #ducks #nature #wetlands #wildlife #india

A photo posted by @wetlands_international on Jul 27, 2016 at 10:35pm PDT

The estuarine wetlands of Kerala are rich in food resources, both for local people and tens of thousands of migratory and resident shorebirds. Here, clams are being collected during low tide in Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary. Photo by Taej Mundkur. #iwc50 #waterbirdscount #sustainability #wetlands #livelihoods #kerala #india

A photo posted by @wetlands_international on Jul 29, 2016 at 1:07am PDT

‘India’s Next Top Model’ applicants line up in a #coastal #wetland in Tamil Nadu, at the very southern tip of India (just kidding, we know these are Garganeys!). Almost 20% of Tamil Nadu has been classified as ‘wetland’ and close to 1/3 of those wetlands are coastal. That means our colleagues in Tamil Nadu will have their work cut out during the #AWC #coastal #count in 2017! Photo by Kumaran Sathasivam. #iwc50 #waterbirdscount #waterbirds #ducks #birds #nature #wildlife #India

A photo posted by @wetlands_international on Jul 6, 2016 at 5:23am PDT

A recent training workshop in the Andaman Islands helped local enthusiasts hone their bird identification skills and learn more about the local birds' natural histories and environments, including these beautiful mangrove ecosystems. We hope to see many of these faces during the waterbird census along India's coast in January 2017! Find out more about the workshop @ www.birdcount.in/birding-workshop-andamans. Photo by Arun Singh. #iwc50 #waterbirdscount #mangroves #wetlands #birding #conservation #environment #andaman #nicobar #india

A photo posted by @wetlands_international on Jul 30, 2016 at 4:53am PDT

A mangrove lined creek winds lazily into the distance in Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh. Coringa has the largest stretch of mangrove forest in South India. The mangrove is vital for local communities, providing important resources as well as services such as flood control and storm protection. Coringa is in a good condition, though another mangrove area in Andhra Pradesh (Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary) has recently been threatened by a proposed road construction. The Krishna mangroves have a healthy population of the highly endangered Fishing Cat, so this is cause for concern. Photo from Humayun Taher #iwc50 #waterbirdscount #mangroves #species #biodiversity #nature #conservationphotography #ecosystemservices #India

A photo posted by @wetlands_international on Jul 26, 2016 at 9:02am PDT

One of the largest brackish lagoons in India, Pulicat Lake is home to almost half a million waterbirds including #flamingo, #duck and #wader species. All of these, as well as the livelihoods of hundreds of local fishermen, may also be threatened by a proposed port development. Pollution, hydrological change and increased sedimentation from this development could spell the end of this unique wetland. Photo from Humayun Taher #iwc50 #waterbirdscount #waterbirds #birdsofinstagram #conservation #environment #livelihoods #India #beautiful #nature #wetland #coast

A photo posted by @wetlands_international on Jul 5, 2016 at 2:01am PDT

Pallas's Gulls in Bhitarkanika, Odisha, India. A familiar sight to fishermen, as these gulls will follow fishing boats looking for a snack. Oddly the Latin name for Pallas's Gull, Larus icthyaetus, means fish eagle! Bhitarkanika is a wetland of international importance protected under the provisions of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, but continues to face severe competing demands from various quarters. One of India's Ramsar sites, Bhitarkanika harbours a number of endangered bird species. Wild Orissa, an organisation working for conservation of wildlife since 1996, monitors this wetland on a regular basis, including during the annual waterbirds census under the #AWC. Photo by Akash Ranjan Rath (Wild Orissa) #waterbirdscount #iwc50 #photooftheday #birdsofinstagram #birdwatching #birds #gull #conservation #savingspecies #wetlands #coast #beach #india #odisha

A photo posted by @wetlands_international on Jul 4, 2016 at 8:11am PDT

Indian Skimmer on the Mahanadi River, which runs through Odisha and empties into the Bay of Bengal. As the name suggests, India is one of the strongholds of this species, which can be found on the Chambal and Mahanadi rivers throughout the year. Wild Orissa is monitoring some sites on Mahanadi River and keeping the government up-to-date on conservation issues. In 2015, Wild Orissa recommended designating a long stretch of the river as an Eco-Sensitive Zone due to its importance as a bird breeding habitat. Photographed by Chinmaya Bhujabal (Wild Orissa). #iwc50 #waterbirdscount #wetlands #waterbird #conservation #odisha #india

A photo posted by @wetlands_international on Jul 15, 2016 at 12:18am PDT

Painted Storks are one of many waterbird species to be found in Lake Chilka, Odisha.Listed as Near Threatened by IUCN, the population of Painted Storks are monitored annually during the waterbird census by Wild Orissa and the forest department of Odisha. This regular monitoring helps keep track of the health of this population and is vital for informed management. Photo by Chinmaya Bhujabal #iwc50 #waterbirdscount #wetlands #stork #birdsofinstagram #odisha #India #wetlands

A photo posted by @wetlands_international on Jul 27, 2016 at 9:10am PDT

Goliath heron are a rare and elusive species in India, found in the north-east like this one showing off his fancy hairdo (featherdo?) in Sunderbans national park, along the West Bengal coast. You may know Sunderbans NP as a world famous tiger reserve, but with extensive intertidal mudflats and mangroves it also hosts a dazzling array of waterbirds and other wetland species. Photo by Sujan Chatterjee. #iwc50 #waterbirdscount #westbengal #india #birds #nature #wetlands #conservation #tigerday

A photo posted by @wetlands_international on Jul 28, 2016 at 8:01am PDT

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