Migration routes and behaviours of the Bar-headed geese, one of the world’s highest-flying birds having grey bodies, and a few other waterbirds wintering at the famous high-altitude Wular Lake in Jammu and Kashmir are all set to be monitored in real-time through sophisticated solar-powered radio collars to be tagged on their neck.
The project, first of its kind in the region will be soon launched by the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII), an autonomous body under the Union Environment Ministry.
Wular Lake, one of India’s 75 Ramsar-designated wetlands, is internationally recognised for its ecological significance. Despite facing numerous environmental challenges, it continues to support a diverse array of flora and fauna, attracting wildlife enthusiasts, tourists, and locals alike.
The advanced GPS satellite tracking technology integrated into these solar-powered collars will offer real-time insights into the birds’ movements and behaviour, particularly during their initial return migration. The lightweight collars, which weigh between 50 and 70 grams, are designed specifically for large geese and features high solar efficiency, thus doing away with the limitations of the radio-collars based on conventional batteries, said a scientist from the WII on the condition of anonymity. He said the agency is in the process of procuring the solar-powered radio collars.