The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : City’s bird wealth unearthed

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Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

City’s bird wealth unearthed

Staff Reporter

For winged friends: Birdwatchers engaged in the waterfowl census in the city

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As many as 2,258 birds belonging to 60 species were sighted during the Annual Waterfowl Census of Thiruvananthapuram district, conducted at Akkulam, Veli, Punchakkari and Vellayani on Saturday.

This year’s census was organised by the Forest Department and the Kerala Biodiversity Board and coordinated by Warblers and Waders, a city-based nature group. According to the group, there was a slight increase in the numbers of Whiskered Terns and Purple Moorhens in these areas. At Akkulam, the teams sighted more than 700 birds belonging to 26 species. At the Punchakkari-Vellayani wetlands, 1,558 birds belonging to 51 species were spotted.

A significant sighting was that of the Greater Spotted Eagle, a migrant raptor, at Punchakkari. Migratory birds sighted in large numbers include the Whiskered Terns, Wood Sandpiper and the Asiatic Golden Plover.

They went missing

On the other hand the Osprey, a migrant bird of prey that is considered a threatened species, was not spotted during the census. Similarly there were no sightings this time of birds such as the Asian Open-bill Stork, the Painted Snipe, Indian Moorhen, Indian Coot, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Cotton Teal, Garnaney Teal, White Ibis, Yellow wattled lapwing and the water cock.

Yet another significant sighting was that of the Siberian Stone Chat, a species that is being sighted at Punchakkari for the fourth consecutive year. According to a team member, this species is usually seen in drought-hit areas. The appearance of this bird, for the fourth year running, in the wetlands of Punchakkari could well be a pointer to a drought in the coming months, he added.

The census was carried out by 18 birdwatchers including those from the NGO, Thanal, and WWF India.

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