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Photos: R. Ragu

Birds of every feather… (Clockwise from left) A flock of grey pelicans preening and primping themselves, a spoonbill in smooth flight, an immature night heron strikes up a pose and a grey heron about to touch down.

With a brief prayer, organised in the presence of M. Ramamoorthy, forest range officer, sanctuary range and A. Selvam, forester, Vedanthangal and Karikalli Bird Sanctuary, the sanctuary was thrown open to the public.

In my mind, the painted stork, the grey pelican, the open-billed stork and the spoonbill constitute ‘the Big Four’ at Vedanthangal. Probably because I see them massed together in large groups when the season reaches its peak. Or, probably because I am influenced by bird watchers who think these four birds lend the sanctuary its unique character – for one half of the year.

Peering through the telescope, I scan the barringtonia trees for the charmers-in-chief. I mark ‘present’ for all, except the painted stork. Last week, a flock of painted storks had circled around the lake, inspecting the lie of the land. But they seem to have chosen not to be shackled by the cares of domesticity now. Field guide Murugan asks me to expect large colonies of painted storks by the first week of December.

The grey pelicans, the open-billed storks, spoonbills, white ibises, cormorants and darters resemble students who gravitate towards the back benches. They have left unoccupied the barringtonia, acacia, pongamia, neem and jamun trees that are closer to the ramp and retreated into the farther reaches of the lake.

Ramamoorthy says these birds stay away from the trees at the front, because they are ‘reserved’. There seems to be a tacit understanding among these creatures that the painted storks would like to take them.

Migratory birds don’t shift through travel brochures on where to spend the winter. They are known to return to the exact place and on the exact date, every year.

When they arrive, the painted storks won’t keep to themselves. They are gregarious to the point that they will freely mingle and exchange ‘grunts’ with the other birds in mixed colonies.

Sights of mixed heronries consisting of grey pelicans, openbill storks, glossy and white ibises, cormorants, spoonbills and darters (in the background) are what I enjoy the most during my hours at Vedanthangal.

The bird-song is characterised mostly by guttural sounds, probably because the storks, ibises and spoonbills dominate the auditory waves. These birds lack an ability to produce sounds that could be compared to music. And they communicate in deep, throaty sounds.

Some of these big birds have put on their breeding plumage and others show a promise of it. The picture is arresting. The pintail teals, common teals, coot and moorhen and dabchick provide completeness to the scene.

Visitors have experts in field guides Murugan and Perumal, who have been at Vedanthangal for years and know the birds as well as their kith and kin. Murugan has added immensely to his practical knowledge of birds by consulting field guides.

I am informed that there are now more trees at Vendanthangal, thanks to a planting drive launched every January when the lake begins to lose water. I notice an effort to plant bamboo trees.

I am invited to visit the sanctuary in December for a date with the painted storks. Then, the numbers of birds at Vedanthangal would have gone up and there would be more pitch and timbre to the birdsong.

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