The rocky hillocks glow an orangish yellow in the morning sun and rows of palm trees with frizzy foliage sway in the breeze as we wait in patience for ‘Ayya’ to show up. I am part of a birders group and we are in the village of Arittapatti. Over the past two years, the villagers have grown fond of their ‘Ayya’, who is none other than the Laggar Falcon, a rare beauty of a bird that has made the hamlet its home. Fellow birders squint through their telescopic lenses and aim at the round cavern high up on the steep cliff of the Aptan malai, one of the seven rocky hills bordering Arittapatti. A herd of sheep graze around the paddy fields while a group of enthusiastic birders and villagers wait at the foothill. After what seems like an eternity, we hear a long raucous call echoing through the bushy undergrowths. “That’s the Laggar Falcon. It seems like calling out to its pair,” says an excited A.Ravichandran, who heads the ‘Ezhu Malai pathukappu sangam’, which strives to protect the hills from granite sharks.
As the birders tip-toe in a line to get a shot of the falcon, Ravichandran tells the history of the hills and the birds that have become a star attraction of the place. “Our village is the lone pocket that was untouched by granite mining and the people are very much determined to protect the biodiversity and natural wealth of the place. We have formed a group of like-minded individuals including volunteers from the village, birders and nature lovers for the cause.” Just then, a massive silhouette of a bird swooshes above our heads. We see its colossal wings flapping a couple a times and then stiffly held like a feathery blade. The bird circles the horizon, scanning the area and Ravichandran points to it as the much famous Laggar Falcon.
“Ever since the specimen was identified by birders two years ago, it became a hero of birds. The reason is that, this is only pair of Laggar Falcons recorded in entire South India. The other pair in the country is found in Rajasthan,” says Vallabai Arunachalam. “The pair is also resident and not migratory which means there are chances of the birds breeding and producing chicks.” Arittapatti is a peculiar landscape of rocky hills, interspersed with paddy fields, thorny bushes and small perennial water bodies that make it an ideal habitat for a variety of hunting birds, say birding experts.
“Laggar Falcon is said to have been the most common falcon found in India. But unfortunately, it has become highly endangered and it’s difficult to spot a bird these days,” says Anand Sundaram, a birder. “The bird was listed on ebird portal by city birders and that has attracted a lot of nature enthusiasts to Arittapatti,” says Solai Arasu, who has camped in the village for over four months now to record the various kinds of birds in the region. “The village and its surroundings are rich in raptors as we have identified over 20 varieties of big and small hunting birds.” He lists out the various birds found in the region – Shaheen Falcon, Booted Eagle, Brown Fish Owl, Indian Eagle Owl, Indian Spotted Eagle, Marsh Harrier, Red Necked Falcon, Honey Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Short Toed Snake Eagle, White Eye Buzzard, Black Eagle, Black Kite, Brahminy Kite, Shikra and Spotted Owlet.
Another highlight of Arittapatti is the Bonelli’s Eagle, also called as Rajali. “It’s a big bird with a huge wingspan. We have been observing the bird carrying twigs to build a nest in one of the cavern in the Kalinja malai hillock,” says Ravichandran. “The other bird that attracts everyone is the endangered Indian Eagle Owl, locally known as ‘Koogai’. The call of the bird sounds peculiar and is a fierce raptor.” The village also boasts of a Pandiya period Rock-cut cave Temple, Tamil Brahmi inscriptions and Jain beds. “We are proud of our village that’s both steeped in history and also rich in natural wealth,” says Poosari Veeranan, an elderly villager who takes active part in protection of the birds and hills.
