More than 20 officials from various national parks and territorial divisions from around the country attended a training on UWICE Waterbirds Initiative (6-7^th February 2014), hosted by the Ugyen Wangchuk Institute for Conservation and Environment (UWICE) in Phuntsholing. The participants were educated in visual and acoustic identification of waterbirds.

This under taking is aimed at conducting annual watbirds counts in important water birds areas, staging areas and flyway corridors for longterm monitoring of habitat change and species responses to climate change.  It shall also contribute to understanding the continental connectedness engaging in migration studies of the waterbirds.

The training was basically aimed to prepare participants to conduct the first annual national waterbirds count. During the training, participants reviewed and adapted the water birds count form for Bhutan, and agreed to declare 21^st February as the annual waterbirds count day. The data shall be shared with the International Wetlands to perform analysis to understand waterbirds movement in the Asian Flyway Migration Corridor.  The training included with the practical field exercises and familiarized with data compilation procedures. This will remain as the long term studies on water birds migration, habitual adaptation, population estimates and other avifaunal effects related to the ecosystem in Bhutan. The survey shall be the annual event before the birds migrate back to their summer habitat in Tibet or China.

During the field practical session along Toorsa Chu (Toorsa Khola), the participants observed waterbirds such as Great Cormorant, Little Cormorant, Ruddy Shelduck, Little Egret, Little Ringed Plover, Common Sand Piper, Green Sand Piper, Temminck’s Stint, Sand Lark, Sand Martin, Small Pratincole, White Wagtail, White-browed Wagtail, Citrine Wagtail, Common Kingfisher, White-throated Kingfisher, Crested Kingfisher, Brown Dipper, Ibisbill and Indian Pond Heron.