KATHMANDU: The bird lovers across the nation are on a hectic schedule celebrating 24th Mid-winter Waterbird Counting that began yesterday. The participants have now thronged the wetland areas and various water bodies.

Nepal started to participate in this event in 1987 which was initiated by Wetlands International. The counting ends on January 25.

The counting process, which is taken as the most reliable database for the waterbirds, is carried out simultaneously all over the Asia. "This reduces the possibility of the repeated counting of the migratory birds in the region as the counting is done across the Asia at the same period," said ornithologist Hem Sagar Baral, who is also the national coordinator of Wetlands International Bird Counting Programme.

Of the Nepal's total 864 bird species, nearly 200 are said to be dependent on water. "As many as 34 species of ducks - of which 30 are migrants -- have been found in the country. Some of them come here from as far as Siberia," Baral said.

During this two-week period, all major wetlands of the country are visited where the counting of resident and migratory water birds is done.

According to Baral, a large network of volunteers is now in the field. "The counting has been completed in Ghodaghodi and Jagdishpur lakes, Suklaphanta and Chitwan on the first day. Wetlands of Koshi, Pokhara, Bardiya and remaining parts of Chitwan will be covered next week," added Baral, who has been coordinating the event.

"The mid winter waterbird counting is the longest run monitoring programme on any wildlife in the nation that that has been running for more than two decades on annual basis," said Baral.

During the counting process, at least 30 different wetlands will be covered by the network of 100 volunteers and among them 50 will be the ornithologists. The volunteers have been well trained for the counting process.

"It's like a festival where two things - both the research and advocacy -- are done simultaneously," Baral added.

Baral maintained that the data generated would be sufficient to provide an outlook on the status, distribution and population of the water birds in the country.

The Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, National Trust for Nature Conservation, the Wetland Project of Government, Bird Education Society, Tiger Mountain Group of Companies, Koshi Camp, Suklaphanta Wildlife Camp, Himalayan Nature and Bird Conservation Nepal have extended their support to the programme.