“At dawn break we set into the sea in speed boats, in search of the birds. Except for the rumbling of the boats and the lashing of the waves, the stillness of the morning air was arresting. Just then the horizon came into view and suddenly we could see thousands of terns and gulls in flight. Some were perched along the shore of the islands,” describes H Byju, who took part in the two-day bird census in the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve. A group of seven volunteers along with forest department personnels undertook an extensive bird count along the coastline from Thondi to Tiruchendur and brought back picturesque images of birds, a vast knowledge of the marine ecosystem and pleasant memories. In the exercise, they have recorded nearly 100 species of birds.
For the first time, the census covered all the areas under Gulf of Mannar, including 21 islands – seven each in Kizhakkarai, Mandapam and Tuticorin ranges. Ramanathapuram district which forms much of the reserve is also the home for three bird sanctuaries (spread over the tanks of Kanjirankulam, Chitrankudi, Melaselvanur, Sakkarakottai and Thethangal) out of 13 in the Sate. The district also has a fragile mangrove belt of 47 sq.kms. It's a sensitive ecosystem spread over areas of Karankadu, Thondi and Thirupullani where island and inland birds flock to roost.
“In the census, we were able to assess the rich diversity and healthy population of birds. The count of common shore birds like Black and Brown-headed gulls, Slender-billed and Heuglins gulls and varieties of terns such as Gull-billed, Lesser and Greater crested and Little terns ran in thousands. While, some peculiar birds like Eurasian Curlew and Crab Plover were sighted in small numbers” says Sathish Nirmal, Forest Ranger, Mandapam Range. “Since the islands are out of bounds for local people and tourists, they form undisturbed habitats for birds and other marine species.”
The best time to sight birds on the shore is during low tide, say the birders. “As the sea level recedes, molluscs, crabs and other crustacean marine organisms float out and that's when the birds come to feed on them,” says Byju, who covered Kurusadai and Manoli islands apart from Kothandaramar Temple lagoons and Arichalmunai. “The lagoons are a hotspot for flamingos. On the morning we went, there were nearly 7000 flamingos apart from a massive congregation of gulls.”
“At Arichalmunai, Poomarichan island and the lagoons, we saw a wide variety of birds such as Whimbrel, Common, Marsh and Spotted Sandpiper and a true migrant, the Little Stint. The small bird is considered as harbinger of rains and we saw good numbers of it,” says Chandrasekaran Subramanian, who led the volunteers in three groups to cover Sayalkudi, Dhanushkodi and Tuticorin areas. “True migrants are from Northern hemisphere including Europe and Mongolia. They fly down to escape the harsh winter and roost along the coastline from Thondi to Punnakayal. The Lesser Sand Plover is also called Mongolian plover. Once summer starts, the birds change into their breeding dress and go back to their native countries.”
“In the islands falling under Sayalkudi area, we were surprised to sight few land dwelling birds such as Barn swallows, Common kestrel, Grey heron, Blue-tailed bee eater and even peacocks,” says Dr. Ravi. “The sight of hundreds of flamingos alighting on salt pans at Valinokkam was unforgettable.”
However, the population of ducks seem to have come down, says Raveendran Natarajan from Madurai Nature Forum. “During our earlier birding visits, we sighted a large number of migrant ducks. Barring a few resident species, we didn’t find any this time, as the tanks in the sanctuaries had little fresh water. But, we saw the Pied Avocet, a rare migratory bird and Spotted Red shank.”
Kumaresan Chandrabose, a student of The American College, was lucky to sight the Pomarine Skua, a bird that's usually found in the Gulf of Khambhat. “I saw it in flight while on the speed boat. It generally roosts along the coast of Gujarat and rarely flys down south.”Covering the Chinnakayal and Pudhukayal Mangrove forests in Tuticorin, he counted birds such as the Western Reef Egret and the elusive Great Thick-knee that gets camouflaged with the sand. “It's a water fowl that's difficult to spot. The mangroves and tanks support a teaming population of waders like Cormorants, Lesser Whistling and Spot-billed Duck, Purple duck and Grey heron other than common and pied Kingfishers. However, there was less raptor activity,” says Chandrabose.
“From the forest department, we are restricting tourism in late evening in the stretch from Mukuntharayar Chatram to Arichalmunai so that birds don't get disturbed. Once the survey data is received, we will chalk out further measures to preserve and nurture the biodiversity of the region,” says Nirmal.
