India, May 21 -- The Dhanauri wetland lay subdued under the amber haze of early evening, its once-teeming waters now reduced to scattered pools glinting faintly beneath a sky tinged with the orange of the setting sun. The usual symphony of bird calls had dwindled to a quiet murmur, as if the wetland itself had grown weary of being ignored.

Into this fading light stepped Anand Arya, 78, a seasoned birder long credited with discovering this very wetland. Though retired from active birding and advocacy for nearly five years, the alarming news of Dhanauri's decline had stirred something deep within him. When Hindustan Times asked him to visit the site once more, he agreed-not out of obligation, but out of love. He wanted to see for himself w...