Grey-necked Bunting, Greater Spotted Eagle, Eurasian Cuckoo, and Lesser Sand Plover figure among the 147 species of birds sighted and listed during the Thiruvananthapuram Bird Race 2017.
As many as 25 migratory birds, including the Painted Stork, Eurasian Golden Oriole, and Asian Paradise Fly-catcher were also spotted from the seven pre-identified bird-rich areas in and around the capital during the day-long Bird Race held on December 9.
The sighting of the Grey-necked Bunting at Punchakkari and Greater Spotted Eagle were the highlights of the Bird Race, says A.K. Sivakumar, Coordinator, Bird Race and Senior Education Officer, WWF.
Organised by WWF-India with support from the Social Forestry Division of the Forest and Wildlife Department, the sightings were from seven sites, including Kallar-Ponmudi Forests with 77 species, Arippa (68), Bonacaud (55), Akkulam-Veli (25), Aruvikkara-Nedumangad (53), Punchakkari (56), and city area (51 species).
The team that ventured into the forests of Kallar-Ponmudi could spot and list Black Eagle, Common Flameback, and many endemic species like White-bellied Flycatcher, Malabar whistling Thrush, and Malabar Trogon.
The team that visited Arippa came across the Lesser Yellownape, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, and a family of Asian-paradise Flycatcher which included male, female, and a sub-adult male, all together.
Team Aruvikkara-Nedumangad restricted their visit to the Aruvikkara dam and surrounding areas and recorded many common and migratory species. Eurasian Cuckoo was a surprise spotting and the team found that the Nedumangad market is still home to House Sparrows.
Akkulam Lake, once a haven for birds and birders, was a great disappointment since only 25 species, including shore birds like the Lesser Sand-Plover, could be spotted from Veli Lake Estuarine Complex. Team Bonacaud recorded a heavy sighting of Red-whiskered Bulbuls with a count of more than 500. They were also able to sight and list forest birds such as Black Eagle, Crested Serpent Eagle, and Fairy Bluebird.
Waders
The team that explored the bird-rich areas within the city listed most of the waders, including many migratory ones from Kesavadasapuram wetlands. The museum-zoo was found to be a safe shelter for many birds like Oriental Darter, a bird included on the IUCN Red list, Asian Openbill, Cormorants, and many other common birds.
Though birding in all sites were enthusiastic and interesting, Mr. Sivakumar said few disturbing observations regarding the management of wetlands also came up. Despite the heavy rain on the previous day, the report compiled by WWF says Akkulam Lake was rather dry and polluted due to unscientific developments and land reclamation.
