India, Feb. 4 -- Higher-than-normal water levels following above-average rainfall in 2025 appear to have impacted bird presence at the Ujjani (Bhigwan) reservoir this winter, with the latest annual waterbird census recording a dip in overall numbers.

The latest annual waterbird census conducted on February 1, 2026, by the Wildlife Research and Conservation Society (WRCS) in partnership with the Solapur forest division recorded a total 6,604 birds belonging to 137 species at the Ujjani reservoir. Of the 6,604 birds recorded, 5,550 were waterbirds representing 61 species, highlighting the wetland's continued ecological importance despite changing conditions. The census was carried out at nine sites along the reservoir's shoreline with the ...