Rare migratory birds stay back in city despite scorching heat

Most waterbodies in Chennai region have gone dry, forcing the birds to fly to alternative habitats. KVRK Thirunaranan, an avid birdwatcher and founder of The Nature Trust, said, “All migratory and resident birds have already begun their outward migration to their original habitations. However, we managed to spot three rare birds — Northern Shovelers, Lesser Noddy and Asian Pied Starling —in Pallikaranai marshland, Pulicat and Korattur Lake respectively.” 

These species of birds visit the city every year, but they usually leave early after the mercury level picks up. However, this year they stayed back, he noted. S Ravishankar, a birdwatcher and a school teacher from Ambattur, who regularly monitors bird population in Korattur Lake, identified the Asian Pied Starling and alerted the Nature Trust. 

“I spot this bird in Korattur Lake every day.” K V Sudhakar, president of Madras Naturalists’ Society (MNS), said that such rare birds were not confined to the marshlands over a decade ago. 

“Now, the ecological system has changed and places like Pallikaranai and Pulicat have become comfortable habitats for these birds,” he said. 

Also, it has become easier to identify birds these days as the number of bird watchers has also increased, he said, adding how there are many students who show interest in locating and identifying the birds. 

When contacted, Subbaiah, District Forest Officer (DFO), Chennai, said, “Even though several birds left Chennai, many other places easily attract them. We are closely monitoring the movement of birds.” The anti-poaching watch team has been working roundthe-clock to prevent hunting, he added.