Migratory birds attract nature enthusiasts in Varanasi

Bird watchers and tourists flocked in Varanasi to observe migratory birds that have arrived to escape the extreme cold of their Arctic home grounds.

With the onset of winter, the Siberian birds spread their wings to begin a journey spanning thousands of kilometers.

People thronged the banks of river Ganges and took boat rides to be able to see migratory birds like large cormorant, bar-headed geese, northern pintail, reddish shelduck and golden pheasant etc up close.

Tourists captured the birds in their cameras as they glided over river Ganges.

"I can see everything including the bird, the river, the people and watch the bird and the butterfly in the sky. Everything is incredible. I feel very comfortable," said a Chinese tourist, Leon.

The arrival of migratory birds also brings cheer to the boatmen who earn handsome amounts as they ferry batches of tourists closer to the birds multiple times in a day.

"A lot of tourists come here to watch the birds at the river banks. This enables people like us, who work and stay near the river banks, to earn better daily wages," said a boatman, Sahab Yadav.

These birds from Siberia and Central Asia use wetlands as their transitory camps, which play a vital role in sustaining a large population of the breeding birds.

These birds start arriving from early November onwards and this continues till December. They return during the spring season.