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Birds on vacation
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The arrival of winged visitors speaks volumes of South India's rich eco-system. It is up to Gen Next to nurture it, writes K. JESHI
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PHOTOS: K.ANANTHAN
STUDYING NATURE Children observing the birds.
"They are beautiful. They can fly. And, they have no borders. I envy them," says Uffe from Denmark, who stopped by at the Kurichi tank to catch a glimpse of the winged visitors. While driving down Pollachi Road, it is the flurry of activity at the tank that caught the attention of this environmentalist.
"I spotted a garganey, a small duck with pale blue forewings, a migrant bird from parts of Central Asia and lots of rosy starlings (that resemble mynahs) that have come from Eastern Europe and parts of Turkey to enjoy the good weather here," he adds.
Nature's treasures
Purple heron.
Uffe, who has been studying birds for 40 years in Africa and Europe, says the precious forests of South India and the ecosystem of the Western Ghats is second to none.
So it comes as no surprise that the team from the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), Anaikatty, has recorded 12 lakh birds of 54 species in Coimbatore in just a matter of two days.
Coot.
"We have visited a total of 16 wetlands in Coimbatore including Vedappatti, Muthannankulam, Narasimhapathy, Krishnampathy, Valaankulam, Singanallur and Kurichi, to record the birds," says Dr. P. Pramod, Nature Education Officer.
It is good food, plenty of water bodies and excellent weather conditions that attract the birds from the Himalayas, Siberia and European countries to the wetlands of South India. They come here in October for an enjoyable long holiday that extends till March.
Besides the common pond herons, open-billed storks, grey herons, pond herons, egrets and coots, the team has spotted migratory birds such as the white breasted pin tailed ducks, grebes (dab chicks), gadwalls, blue winged teals, ploughers, sand pipers and regional migrants like painted storks.
The team will consolidate the information and submit a detailed project report to the city corporation and village panchayats. "We want them to take steps to conserve the ecosystem. Excessive plundering of resources (activities like fishing) and destruction by dumping plastic and solid wastes are the two issues that need immediate attention. Local people should be involved in maintaining the wetlands," adds Pramod.
Catching them young
Pond Heron.
The Salim Ali Naturalist Forum that functions in more than 100 schools in the city has already taken steps to nurture interest in conservation among school students.
"Bird watching is a good beginning to sensitise the younger generation. When children record Nature, we get meaningful data for systematic reference and further study. And, the love for Nature will eventually create a tendency in them to conserve too," he explains.
And, the students from Kadri Mills Higher Secondary School, who accompanied the SACON team to Kurichi tank, were shining examples.
In groups, they watched the lake closely through a pair of binoculars, sighted new species, rushed to the handbook on birds for a quick reference and made announcements with a smile of achievement.
The resident black kitten was one such discovery.
They also spotted the beauties in blue, the purple moorhens standing tall in the corners of lake filled with waterweeds. "Though water weed may be a menace for wetlands, these birds thrive in this habitat and feed on fishes, worms and water tubers," Pramod says.
"We have spotted painted storks, tree pies, pond herons, night herons and honey buzzards inside our campus," say students S. S. Vignesh and S. K.Anand, who are in Class VIII.
"The students have also identified rare species of butterflies on our campus during the butterfly migration (November to July)," adds R. Selvi, their zoology teacher.
Be it the spot-billed pelicans or painted storks, birds indicate the health of the ecosystem. So do the predators.
A balanced ecosystem
Egret.
As Pramod explains the role of a predator in the ecosystem, there is a bustle among the flock of coots.
A predator bird, the marsh harrier (that resembles a kite) was at work, chasing the coots.
"Trees like the banyan, peepal and fig are referred to as keystone species because of their contribution to the ecosystem. During the flowering season, they support a lot of birds and fruit eating animals," enlightens Pramod.
SACON has plans to approach schools and colleges located in areas near wetlands and train the students on how to maintain the ecosystem in their locality.
"Our natural resources are abundant; we only need to conserve them," says Pramod.
Interested institutions can contact: 0422-2657103-5, e-mail neosacon@gmail.com or visit http://www.sacon.org for details.
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