Wetland Watch. 4. Ballavpur Wetland : No Longer an Important Bird Habitat of West Bengal

An weekend trip to Santiniketan by one of us (MR) in November 2016 offered a glimpse of wetlands and wildlife in the Ballavpur Wildlife Sanctuary (BWLS), earlier an important bird habitat in West Bengal wherein during 1993-1994, Barheaded goose was also recorded along with others (Nandi et al., 2001 : Rec. zool. Surv. India, 99 (1-4) : 135-156). Amongst the total 15 wildlife sanctuaries of West Bengal, Ballavpur Wildlife Sanctuary with a man-made wetland (Tank) inside is the IUCN category type II sanctuary located within the Chhotonagpur Plateau of Birbhum district of this State.