City newsTravel
Siberian gulls return to Varanasi's Ganga ghats as winter sets in
VARANASI: Flocks of migratory Siberian gulls have begun arriving on the Ganga in Varanasi with the onset of winter, and can now be seen along the ghats in the early morning.
Informational post · compiled by HelloBanaras
For residents, pilgrims and visitors, the white birds wheeling over the river are one of the familiar sights of the cold season in Kashi. Local reports say the birds leave the freezing regions of Siberia and northern Asia each year, flying about four thousand kilometres to reach the river, and stay for roughly three to four months before returning between February and March as the temperature rises.
When and where: the birds gather on the open stretches of the river and near the ghats, and are most active around sunrise, which makes a morning walk along the ghats the best time to watch them. Arrivals usually continue through November and December. A bird expert quoted by Patrika said the numbers are still lower than expected this season and could grow as the cold deepens.
A word of care: the same expert cautioned that the bread, namkeen and puffed rice often fed to the birds by visitors and local people is harmful to them. Watching and photographing the flocks without feeding them is the kinder choice.
Details are from reports published by Janwarta on 4 November and Patrika on 10 November.
Compiled by HelloBanaras from public sources: Patrika · Janwarta
