The rocky ledges of the Nilgiris gleam in the morning sun and short stumpy trees jut out from the mountain slopes casting a scraggy silhouette against the summer sky. Except for the talkative birds and the noisy crickets, the whole jungle of Mudhumalai is silent. The muddy Moyar river gently meanders through the steep canyon, resembling a giant serpent from atop the hills. The group of volunteers taking in all of this sight is lucky to have sighted herds of elephants, gaurs, deers and even a tiger! It's like hitting a jackpot for any wildlife lover, however the icing on the cake was not the big cat or the jumbos, but a wake of vultures!
“We could see black bundles perched atop trees on the opposite slopes of the hills. When we zoomed in with our binoculars, we could see feathers and sharp beaks and that's when we realised that they are vultures,” recalls Chandrasekaran Subramanian, a member of Tamil Birders, the umbrella organisation of birders. Thirty of them are now engaged in mass raptor survey in the Nilgiris jointly conducted by Sanctuary Asia and Tamil Nadu Forest Department. Subramanian along with few birders have been studying the vultures of the Moyar Valley for the past three years and aims to develop a database.
Habitat loss
Vultures are one of the most mysterious and peculiar birds. There's a need to study their habitat and behaviour as they have become critically endangered, says Subramanian. There are four species of vultures found in the Moyar basin – white-rumped, long-billed, King or Red-headed and Egyptian Vulture. “Vultures were once found on the outskirts of every village or town, scavenging on dead animals or other waste. Four decades ago, I have seen vultures in the Mokkambu dam along the Cauvery in Tiruchi. Now, they are restricted only to the Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu,” says M Rangasamy, a birder from Ooty. “The reason for their extinction is habitat loss and shrinking resources.”
The Moyar Valley is a significant pocket of biodiversity and an important migratory corridor for elephants, gaurs and ungulates like spotted deer, black buck and sambar, observe naturalists. Starting from Gudalur to Sathyamangalam, it's a tapestry of hills interspersed with deep gorges, roughly covering a stretch of 120kms. “Surrounded by the jungles of Bandipur, Mudumalai and Wayanad, the valley is a bountiful source of food and water and that's what makes it a chosen landscape for vultures,” says M Rangasamy. “We have identified vulture hotspots like Segur and Siriyur near Masinagudi that serve as perfect nesting areas for the birds.” Sporadic sightings of rare and migratory species of vultures have been reported by birders. “I was fortunate to spot a Himalayan Griffon, a migratory vulture in flight at Moyar in April last year,” shares Raveendran Natarajan, a birder from Madurai. “Likewise, a juvenile of Cinereous Vulture, a rare species was found by birders in Thengumarahada, recently,” adds Subramanian.
Nesting sites
It's in the months of November and December that Vultures breed, observes H Byju, a wildlife enthusiast from Coimbatore. “Vulture nests are usually much bigger and stronger than other birds and they withstand robust winds. Sighting vultures is easy during roosting stage when the young ones hatch and learn flight while the parents keep a watch on them.”
Volunteers were divided into 10 teams covering Mudhumalai and Sathyamangalam sides simultaneously, to avoid repetitions. At a particular point, we had spotted over 130 vultures and it was heartening to see them, says Subramanian. “Everyday, we covered 15 to 20 kms in both elephant and tiger country. We will be conducting another survey during the migratory period,” says S Jayasankar, a volunteer from Bangalore. “We noticed several nesting sites of white-rumped vultures, a carrion eater, whose population has suffered a drastic decline since 1990. We sighted several (chicks turned to sub adults) of white-rumped vultures making their maiden flights, taking off from their nests and shortly returning back.”
Dwindling population
“The presence of vultures indicates a healthy carnivore population, as they even feed on the remains of a tiger kill,” observes Byju. The local tribes also play a vital role in conservation of vulture, as they leave behind dead cattle for the birds. Sometimes, feral buffaloes become prey for big cats, in turn providing for the vultures too. “The birds are gregarious and live as a community, share and eat,” says Subramanian. “The four species of vultures have their own niches even though they share the space and resources. For instance, Red headed vulture has a stronger beak compared to the others and are good at tearing the flesh faster. These birds open the carcass for the other vultures to feed on.”
“In early 90s, Egyptian vultures were a major bird of prey in Nilgiris, now the sighting is less. Dog attacks on vultures have been reported in Kutch and hence stray dog numbers in the Nilgiris should be kept under check. For helping vulture population, the carcass of animals that die naturally inside the forests can be left in the open instead of burying,” suggests Byju.
Vulture facts:
Egyptian Vulture is also known as Tirukazhukundram Kazhugu in Tamil, indicating that these birds were once commonly found in the temple of Tirukazhukundram in Kancheepuram district. They are called as Kodangi Kazhugu in Southern districts.
All the four species are monogamous and don't interbreed. Long billed and Egyptian vultures nest in rocky folds and ledges, while White-rumped and Red-headed nest on Karimathi trees. Vultures are not prolific breeders and lay a single egg in a year.
Vultures can have a home range of 60 kms radius, eat almost twice their weight and require a large open area to take flight thereafter.
