There was a time when the morning landscape of Kashmir seemed inseparable from the sounds of birds. In villages and around homes, days often began with calls from sparrows, mynas, bulbuls and other familiar birds. Their presence was so ordinary that we rarely stopped to notice them.
But in recent years, at least from my observations in and around Budgam, some of these familiar sounds seem less frequent. This raises a simple but important concern: Where are our birds going?
I am not suggesting that a regional decline in bird populations has been scientifically established on the basis of these observations alone. That would require systematic surveys conducted over several years. However, changes noticed in our immediate surroundings can sometimes be the first indication that something in the wider environment deserves closer attention.
The landscape around us is changing rapidly. Paddy fields are being converted into orchards and construction sites. Houses and concrete structures are expanding into areas that were once open fields, while natural vegetation is becoming less common in many places.
These changes may bring economic and developmental benefits, but they can also alter the habitats on which birds depend.
Birds need more than trees. Depending on the species, they require suitable nesting places, insects and other food sources, water, shelter and relatively undisturbed spaces. When these elements disappear or become fragmented, some species may find it increasingly difficult to survive.
The issue, therefore, is not simply about birds. It is also about the changing habitats that support them.
Kashmir’s wetlands provide an important example. Wetlands such as Hokersar and other water bodies provide habitat for resident and migratory birds, but they also face pressures from pollution, land-use change, urbanisation, encroachment and changes in hydrology. Such pressures remind us that changes in bird populations can be connected to wider environmental changes.
Modern construction has also transformed village landscapes. Older houses often contained small spaces, cavities and roofs that unintentionally provided nesting opportunities for birds. Newer buildings are generally designed with efficiency, security and modern construction standards in mind, leaving fewer such spaces.
This does not mean modern buildings are responsible for bird decline. Rather, biodiversity can be considered alongside modern development. New buildings can incorporate suitable nesting opportunities without compromising safety or construction standards.
Agricultural areas can also retain strips of natural vegetation around fields and orchards. These areas provide shelter and habitat for insects and other organisms that form part of the food chain.
Schools can play an especially important role in understanding these changes. Students could be encouraged to observe and record birds throughout the year, noting the species, location, date and approximate number observed.
If observations from different schools in Budgam and other parts of the Kashmir Valley were collected systematically over several years, they could provide a valuable community-based record of changes in local bird populations. Such an initiative would turn environmental education into practical learning and could eventually provide useful information for scientific research.
The answer is not to stop development. People need homes, roads, schools, orchards and other infrastructure. Agricultural practices also change according to economic realities.
The challenge is to ensure that development does not unnecessarily eliminate the natural features that support biodiversity. Planning can include green spaces, native vegetation, trees, water sources and habitat corridors. Agricultural landscapes can retain patches of natural vegetation, while important wetlands need protection from pollution and encroachment.
The decline of a common bird may not attract the same attention as the disappearance of a large or rare animal.
But common birds matter.
They are part of the ecological fabric of our communities and an important part of Kashmir’s natural heritage. Their presence connects us with the landscape in which generations of Kashmiris have lived.
Perhaps the most important question is not simply:
“Where have our birds gone?”
It is:
“What have we changed in our landscape that may be making it increasingly difficult for them to remain?”
Across Budgam and other parts of the Kashmir Valley, the changing landscape deserves our attention. The conversion of paddy fields into orchards, expansion of concrete housing and reduction of natural vegetation may bring economic or developmental benefits in some circumstances. But development should not mean that we lose the biodiversity that once surrounded us.
Before the familiar morning chorus becomes only a memory, we need to observe, document and understand what is happening.
The birds may be telling us something about our changing environment.
We should listen before their silence becomes impossible to ignore.
Author’s Note: The observations described in this article are based primarily on personal observations in my area and surrounding parts of Budgam district. They are intended to encourage systematic scientific investigation and should not be interpreted as evidence of a confirmed regional decline in bird populations. Further field surveys and long-term monitoring are needed to establish the extent and causes of changes in bird abundance.
The writer is PhD Scholar, Department of Environmental Science
Integral University, Lucknow
