There’s good news for birdwatchers this season.
A team of ornithologists and forest officials has spotted rare newcomers at
Pulicat lake.
The migratory species were discovered on Friday
in the course of the first bird census at the lake, around 65 kms north of
Chennai, for the migratory season between October and March.
With major waterbodies such as Arani, Kalangi
and Swarnamukhi rivers, situated near the sanctuary, filled up by the rains,
the lake has turned an attractive feeding ground for thousands of migratory
birds.
Most of the birds have traversed several
thousand kilometres and arrived from countries in the northern hemisphere
including Russia, the Far East, Mongolia, China and Pakistan.
The day-long bird census was conducted by the
wildlife division of the State forest department to find the number of birds,
variety of species and areas within the sanctuary they favoured.
“Such an exercise helps us understand the
migratory pattern of the birds and the reasons. The arrival of more migratory birds
is also an indication of the region’s rich biodiversity,” a senior forest
official said.
On Saturday, a similar exercise was carried out
at Vedanthangal bird sanctuary, too, an official said.
Some of the rare migratory birds spotted for the
first time at Pulicat lake include the orange-headed thrush, black shoulder
kite, comb duck, black-capped kingfisher, caspian tern, curlew, European
herring gull, and black bittern.
“Apart from the severe winter in the north, the
availability of water and food are major factors for the birds to travel long
distances. In fact, birds are known to survey stretches along the migratory
route for a few years before settling down there for feeding or breeding,” a biologist
said.
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