Black-necked Crane - WWF-India

Crane Observation at Lungparma
Month/Year Adults Nests Eggs Chicks Total No.
of Cranes
bordered on two sides by high
rocky-ravines. Glacial channels from
the mountains feed the stream that
runs through the valley. The stream
fi nally becomes a small river. The
main villages all along the valley
are Parma, Kherapali, Harong and
Sato. The stream widens in some
places to form big pools surrounded
by vast marshes that serve as
important breeding and staging sites
for a large number of waterfowl.
Earlier Records
Chering Nurbu fi rst recorded
Black-necked Crane at Lungparma
in 1982 (Nurbu 1983). The fi rst
recorded nesting at Lungparma was
made by Chacko in 1996 when a
pair laid two eggs but no chicks
were produced (Chacko 1996). In
1997, Chacko again reported a pair
here (Pfi ster 1998).
Survey
Reference
Jun 1982 2 — — — 2 Nurbu 1983
May - Sept 1995 2 — — — 2 Chacko 1995
Apr - Sept 1996 2 1 1 — 2 Chacko 1996
Jun - Oct 1997 2 1 2 — 2 Pfister 1998
Apr - Dec 2002 2 1 2 1 3 Present Study
Mar - Nov 2003 3 1 2 1 4 Present Study
Apr - Nov 2004 2 1 2 1 3 Present Study
the other chick had died naturally
but the dead chick could not be
recovered. The pair successfully
migrated with one chick in the last
week of October.
In April 2003, a pair was sighted in
the same area along with a subadult.
In May, the sub-adult was
seen feeding alone at a considerable
distance and the pair nested on
the same mound. Two eggs were
laid and a chick successfully
fl edged. This chick along with the
parents were sighted in the same
area till migration in the last week
of October.
In 2004, the pair was fi rst sighted
in the wetland in the last week of
April. Nesting started in May and
two eggs were laid the same month.
Only one egg hatched. This chick
successfully migrated along with the
parents in October.
Threats
• Dogs owned by the local people.
• Presence of a large number of
labourers during the summer
months disturbs the birds.
Moreover, the number of dogs
also increases in the area as they
feed on the leftover food of the
labourers.
• Increasing grazing pressure.
• Local people encroaching on
the wetland by building small
enclosures for grass.
• Developmental activities in the
area e.g. construction of roads
and buildings.
• Camping by tourists near the
wetland.
• Fishing by the labourers.
HARONG MARSHES
Harong wetland lies on the west of
Sato village in the Kargyam valley.
These marshes lie quite close to the
road, which connects Tangsay with
Chushul. The marshes are bordered
on two sides by rocky ravines. A
large number of glacial channels
feed this wetland and fi nally these
channels take the shape of a small
river which runs all across the valley,
widening at various places. There
are many good pastures in the valley
all along the river. These pastures
along with various marshy areas act
During the intensive phase of
survey, in 2002, a pair of Blacknecked
Crane was found nesting
on a huge elevated mound. Two
eggs were laid in May. There was
very little water around the nesting
site at that time and the nest easily
accessible. The eggs hatched in
June and two chicks were seen
feeding with the parents till the fi rst
week of August. In September, only
one chick was found. On enquiry,
the survey team was told that
Black-necked Crane Observation at Harong Marshes
Month/Year Adults Nests Eggs Chicks Total No.
of Cranes
Reference
May-Sept 1995 3 — — — 3 Chacko 1995
April-Sept 1996 3 1 1 — 3 Chacko 1995
Jun-Oct 1997 4 1 2 — 4 Pfister 1998
Apr–Dec 2002 2 — — — 2 Present Study
Mar-Nov 2003 4 — — — 4 Present Study
Apr–Nov 2004 3 — — — 3 Present Study
Ladakh Region India | 2000-2004 45