In Pong, one of the biggest artificial wetlands in the foothills of the Himalayas in the scenic Kangra Valley in Himachal Pradesh, 92,885 migratory birds of 85 species have already been seen, and their numbers will continue to rise over the coming weeks. This was discovered during Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu’s visit to the Kangra district’s Pong Dam.

The Chief Minister was told that there had been a lot more migrating birds visiting Pong Dam this year. By the end of this month, the number of migrating birds is predicted to surpass one lakh, with 92,885 having visited as of December 2024.

The previous year, from October to January, 85,000 birds visited the dam. Pong Dam receives an average of 100 migrating bird species each year.

According to an official statement, 85 species have already been seen this season.

The gracefully designed bar-headed geese, an endangered migratory bird species, often land in India after flying hundreds of kilometers from their natural habitat in high-altitude lakes in Central Asia to escape the harsh winter cold.

They now choose to spend the winter in the marshes of Pong Dam. Sukhu and his Cabinet colleagues visited ancient temples at Bathu-Ki-Lari, which is situated on one of the islands of the Pong wetlands, in addition to bird viewing.

According to the Chief Minister, there is a lot of promise for tourism in this area, and the administration is working hard to encourage travel there.

Many native birds, including the red jungle fowl, large Indian parakeet, Indian cuckoo, bank mynah, wood shrike, yellow-eyed babbler, black ibis, paradise flycatcher, crested lark, and crested bunting, can be found in the Pong wetlands, which are about 250 km from Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh, and 190 km from Chandigarh. According to Sukhu, migrating birds from Mongolia and Siberia converge on the Pong Dam, drawing tourists from all across the nation.