Through a birder’s binoculars the fine details of the Vadakarai tank near Sholavandan are astounding. Thousands of little birds pop their heads out from inside the dense karuvelam thickets on the small landmass in the centre of the sprawling tank. Within minutes, the 25-odd birders identify and name the avian wonders. “Those are barn swallows and blue-tailed bee eaters,” exclaims a regular bird-watcher, pointing to a flock of the medium-sized birds swinging on the electric wires above the green carpet of paddy fields. “There are almost a thousand here!” the birder screams in joy. “The winter-migratory birds are friends of farmers and feed on the bugs that attack crops during the rains.” Environmentalists from Madurai Nature Forum recorded over 2500 bird specimens belonging to 70 different species last Sunday at the Vadakarai tank.
Home to a number of resident and migratory birds, the tank also seems to be nurturing a complete eco-system. There are members of the entire food cycle -- water birds, warblers, insect-eaters, birds that feed on grains and raptors of the medium and large sizes! The tank’s location amidst agriculture fields and flanked by the Nagamalai and Sirumalai hills makes it a thriving habitat for birdlife. “Villagers say that foxes and jackals also come down from Sirumalai during the summers in search of water and prey, though an official sighting and record is yet to be made,” says N. Raveendran, an environmentalist who along with a few members of the forum camped the previous night to record nocturnal birds, especially owls in the area.
The birders were lucky to spot Eurasian Eagle Owl, called ‘ Kombai Aandhai’ that hunts mongoose, snakes and rodents. Greater spotted eagle, a resident bird was another sighting. They also photographed an owlet perched on a tree branch. “It was Eurasian Scops Owl, a migratory bird that flies between Europe and Asia. Oriental Scops owl is a similar bird, but is a resident,” says Raveendran. However, the birders who undertook the study call the Short-toed snake Eagle as the Hero of the day! The majestic big-sized raptor was sighted sitting on a lamp-post, scanning the fields down for its favourite prey – vipers and cobras. Ravi, a veterinarian, who managed to capture the bird in flight, says, “Seeing the huge bird in such close proximity was a blissful experience. I never thought, one could spot the jungle dweller right in the centre of the hamlet of Sholavandan. It migrates from the Deccan to down south during winters.” Marsh Harrier, Asian Paradise flycatcher and brown shrike are the other winter migratory birds at Vadakarai.
Birders say that the tank has a thriving population of a variety of ducks. “More than half of the duck types listed under Tamil Nadu ducks are found here,” says Raveendran. The Fulvous Whistling Duck is said to be sighted for the first time in the district. “The duck has been recorded only in areas near Chennai before. We saw a pair in flight that took us by surprise.” Northern Pintail, Garganey, Lesser Whistling Duck, spotted bill and Northern shoveler Duck are the other varieties in the tank.
Environmentalists point to the numerous coconut and palm trees in the area that serve as nesting places for owls and eagles. Banyan trees lining the tank bund also attract a lot of birds. Paradise flycatcher, palm swift, Indian roller, grey francolin, paddy field pipit, Ashy, jungle and pied prinias, black-headed oriole, sunbirds, greater cuckoo, grey and white browed wagtails, laughing and spotted doves were the other kinds of birds recorded at Vadakarai. Members of Madurai Nature Forum are reporting the findings of the bird study to eBird, an online database of bird observations.
