Srinagar, Oct 11 || As the mountain tops get their first snowfall of the season, the annual migration of avian visitors to Kashmir Valley starts a little earlier this year.
Officials of the Wildlife Protection Department say more than six lakh migratory birds have already arrived in the Valley to ward off the extreme cold of their summer homes and spend the winter months in the comparatively warmer water bodies of Kashmir.
"More than six lakh migratory birds have already arrived here so far and we are expecting the number to double by the middle of the next month," said officials of the Wildlife Protection Department.
These birds spend their winter months in the various water bodies of the Valley, including the wetland bird reserves like the Hokersar on the outskirts of Srinagar city, Mirgund and Hygam in Baramulla district, Shallabugh in Ganderbal, Chatlam in Pulwama district, Wullar Lake and also outside the protected reserves in the Dal Lake and other large water bodies.