Young lad in Chennai spots rare Daurian Starling bird species

Posted on October 27, 2018 by S Ben Raja

Chennai: There are many birds which migrate between countries as seasons change. But they usually follow a rule as to which exact destination to reach and which one to avoid. But at times, they do deviate from their path and land in places absolutely new to them.

Meet Aravind A M (36), a resident of Sathasivam Nagar, Madipakkam, in the city who recently clicked a picture of a very rare bird. He has also registered his finding with the International Ornithology Congress, thereby creating a record. His findings have now featured in the ornithology guide as well. He speaks to News Today about how everything turned out.

Excerpts from his interview:
Q: How did you developed interest in bird watching?
A: I am currently working as a freelance consultant in Madipakkam. My mother Rama Anbazhagan (62) is a retired teacher and father D V Anbazhagan (69) is a retired bank employee. My interest in bird watching started after a i undertook a few tours when I was young. When I got opportunities to visit different places, I admired almost all the new birds I saw. This slowly became a passion.

Q: Your experience watching different species of birds.
A: I have been bird watching for the past eight years and have pictures of 350 rare species in my collection. My first breakthrough was when I spotted a rare bird in Madipakkam itself. I clicked a bird named Asian Pied Starling which is not found in Tamilnadu but in places like Northern Andhra Pradesh, Northern Karnataka, Central and Northern India. I spotted it in Ram Nagar a few months ago where it had even built a nest and laid eggs. This made me continue bird watching even more passionately. In fact, I have spotted rare birds in our residential areas itself in swamps and ditches.

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Rare sighting of brahminy kite thrills birders

TNN | Updated: Feb 20, 2017, 12.00 AM IST

Chennai: Advocate M Santhanaraman and conservationist T Murugavel stared in disbelief when they spotted a brahminy kite (Haliastur indus) with twigs in its beak flying near the TVS showroom on Anna Salai on Friday. Two days later, they returned there to confirm that their eyes hadn't been playing tricks on them. It was no illusion - the bird was there at the same spot.

Santhanaraman said the bird was flying from east to west towards Egmore. "Probably, the restoration of Chetpet lake may have attracted the bird to come back to the city," he said.

Director, Institute of Bird Studies, Rishi Valley School V Santharam noted that brahminy kites used to be a common sight in the city. "We, the members of the Madras Naturalists' Society, have seen the bird in Adyar estuary, near Theosophical Society and many other places in south Chennai in the 1980s. But, in the last 20 years, there have been very few brahminy kite sightings in the city," he said. 

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RARE BIRD SIGHTINGS: Rare sightings liven up bird count in Chennai

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), a four-day event, was taken up across the State from Friday.

The ashy minivet that was spotted at Theosophical Society and a huge flock of Pacific golden plovers seen at the Adyar estuary were the two rare sightings during the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) in the city this year.

The count, a four-day event, was taken up across the State from Friday. Naturalists, bird watchers and ornithologists participated in the event.

In Chennai, members of the Madras Naturalists’ Society (MNS) formed eight groups and visited places such as Siruthavoor, Adyar Estuary, Perumbakkam marsh, Pulicat lake, Kelambakkam backwaters, Guindy National Park, IIT-M campus, Navalur lake, Manimangalam lake, Theosophical Society, and Annamalaicherry and recorded the presence of various species.

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Chennaiites on a drive to save bird habitats

It's that time of the year when city's bird lovers set out for long walks in the cool morning weather, carrying their binoculars and cameras.

Interestingly, these bird enthusiasts are also taking steps to spread awareness about conservation of bird habitats, inculcate interest among Chennaiites to identify different bird species in the city and also explain how we can avoid dwindling of bird species in Chennai. 

A bird enthusiast, Gayathree Krishna, claims that Chennai has a good range of habitats. "Guindy National Park and Theosophical Society are known for their forest habitats. Whereas, marshes are seen at Pallikaranai and seashore habitats are prominent at Muttukadu and Adyar Estuary," she says, "On a drive down the ECR, one will find rollers and bee eaters perching on wires."

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Bird poachers land in forest officers’ net

CHENNAI: Forest officers arrested two poachers at Siruthavur lake on Sunday on charges of poaching migratory water birds. However, by the time the foresters stopped them, the poachers had killed eight birds. 

A forest officer said the poachers, two unemployed men, were handed over to the Guindy forest range officer.

"They said they get 20-30 per bird. Local residents and some eateries bought them for meat," the officer said. Two photographers of the Madras Naturalist Society (MNS), who are regular visitors to the lake, saw the poachers in action and called the forest department.

Siruthavur lake, a paradise for birdwatchers, is situated 20km away from the city, near Kovalam.

Samyak Kaninde, a freelance wildlife photographer who informed the forest officials about the poaching said poachers are arrested only when nature lovers report such cases. "The birds were being trapped in a net when they flew low and skimmed the water for fish. They had caught about 80 birds before the forest officials came following our call," he said.

Continued: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Bird-poachers-land-in-forest-officers-net/articleshow/16607576.cms