After a gap of 27 years, Lesser White-fronted Goose, one of the most endangered bird species in the world, has returned to India. Asan Barage, near Dehradun, is hosting these winged guests with many bird-lovers flocking to the area.

Not only is the goose a rare find in India, it is also one of the most rare species with approximately only 50,000 of them remaining worldwide. Of late, there are programmes to reintroduce them into the wild to strengthen their population.

“The biggest threat the species face is hunting and poaching,” says Nikhil Devasar, a birder and founder of Delhi Bird, a group of 2,850 birdwatchers in the Capital.

On hearing that Arun Singh from the Forest Research Institute had spotted the elusive goose on January 13, Devasar and two of his friends, Bikram and Arun, planned a road trip to the Asan Barage at the next available opportunity — leaving Delhi at 3:45am on Saturday.

The early-morning trip paid off. After a trek up a mountain, at the northern edge of the lake in the AsanBarage, tucked up in the shallow marshes, was a sleeping goose. All that was left was to confirm it was the Lesser White-fronted. “We suspected it was him,” said Arun, “then suddenly he raised his head and we could see the distinctive yellow eye-ring and white front rising up to the crown. It made it all worthwhile!”

For the next two hours, there was no moving the birders from the spot. “Only when the goose finally flew away did it release us from his spell,” said Devasar. They tried to follow their “little hero” in its flight, but by the time they found him again, he was tucked in and fast asleep.

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