As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Monday 18 March 2013

Rare bird sighted in Pallikarnai

DC | C.S. Kotteswaran | 15th Mar 2013 

Chennai: Bird watchers are thrilled with the recent sightings of ruddy shell duck at the Pallikarnai marsh. Though the bird is found in large wetlands, rivers with mud flats, their movement is mostly restricted to north India and their sightings displays the biodiversity of Pallikarnai, said K.V.R.K Thiruna­ranan, founder, The Nature Trust. 

They are usually in found in large congregation on lakes and reservoirs across north India but it is rare to sight them in the swamps of south India. There have been several earlier recordings of these birds and after very long time, they are now sighted in the marsh, he said. 

ruddy shell duck
The recent intervention by the state government to restore the Pallikarnai marshland has started yielding results and the sighting of migratory birds has improved in the past few months. 

Rare birds like Comb Duck was recently spotted and to spot comb duck one earlier had to go all the way to Kuntha­nkulam bird sanctuary in Tirunel­veli and last month even flamingoes frequented the marsh, said N. Balaji, an avid bird watcher and a software professional. 

The real estate pressure and urbanisation has eaten in to the buffer areas of the marsh, but still Pallikarnai proves to be an ideal habitat for migratory and wading birds. 

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