Asian Waterfowl Census (AWC), the worldwide estimation process of water birds, carried out in Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary, has revealed the “good health” of the Neyyar reservoir and its immediate surroundings as an inland wetland ecosystem and its higher conservation values.
Conducted by the WWF-India's State unit on January 23, the information from the AWC contributes to the identification and monitoring of wetlands of international and national importance. As the Neyyar reservoir was full, leaving no bank area for water birds, the birding team got the opportunity to observe only the perching birds and not any waders. The team observed 12 species of water birds in the reservoir, including the threatened species Oriental Darter, commonly known as Snake Bird.ort.
Three species of Kingfishers — the Common, White-throated, and Pied Kingfisher were seen.
Red wattled Lapwings, Pond Herons, Little Herons, and White browed Wagtails were the other important birds observed. The migratory birds, Blue-tailed Bee Eaters and Barn Swallows were observed.
The birding team consisted of A.K. Sivakumar, senior education officer, WWF-India; Biju P.B, bird watcher and wildlife photographer; and Jaichand Johnson, bird watcher.
