When it comes to spying on the avian denizens of Bengaluru, the area around the Valley School and Bannerghatta remain the major birding hotspots, with highest numbers of birds of various species being sighted there. However, Muthanallur lake, located 30 km away from Bengaluru, Thailur tank on the way to Kokkrebellur in Mandya district, and Gulakamale lake, located over 30 km from the city, are attracting a fair share of birdwatchers. With birds of many rare species making these lakes their temporary homes during the migratory season, more and more birdwatchers are travelling the extra mile to see the winged visitors.
Sightings of the rare black baza and peregrine falcon in Muthanallur lake by some birdwatchers drove Harshith J.V., a software developer who has been birdwatching since 2015, to visit the lake. He was lucky enough to spot both these species during his visits. He is now a regular visitor to Muthanallur and Gulakamale lakes, which he says get more rare species than the lakes in the city.
“Both these lakes are fairly clean, with no sewage let into them. Muthanallur lake is surrounded by pig farms and a few sericulture units. But there are no buildings or chemical industries near the lake right now. As a result, the water is still free from pollution. For similar reasons, Gulakamale too is a good place for birds. We can easily spot the common kingfisher in both the lakes. The presence of the birds itself means that the lakes are clean. We have also spotted pelicans, cormorants, and spot-billed ducks,” he said, and added that Nandi Hills is a good place to sight a variety of species, including the pied thrush, which makes a brief stop here while migrating from north India to Sri Lanka.
Dwindling numbers
Older residents of city recall that a multitude of bird species used to make Bengaluru home. Ulhas P. Anand, who has been a birder for 28 years, rues about the dwindling numbers of birds, both local and migratory, visiting the city lakes and green patches. “The numbers of birds have come down drastically. We hardly get 5% of what we used to 20 years ago. In Basavanagudi where I lived as a child, we could spot 30 bird species within a kilometre, now we can only spot three or four. Today, one has to travel 20 km from the city to sight more birds,” he said.
Mr. Anand is part of the citizen-driven Waterfowl Census, which was restarted after 19 years in 2015. “In 1995, when we did the census, we counted 50,000 ducks that migrate from Siberia and Central Asia just in Bellandur lake. In the 2016–17 census, as part of which over 170 lakes were surveyed in the city in December and January, the combined number of water birds and garden birds in the city was just 77,000. This is such a sorry figure,” he said.
But, can rejuvenation of city lakes bring back the birds? Birdwatchers say “yes”. The revived Jakkur, Soul Kere, Yelahanka, Kaikondrahalli, and Madiwala lakes are seeing more numbers of winged visitors now. “We have lost connect with our lakes. Rejuvenation is essential not just to create a better habitat for birds, but also to create a sense of ownership among people living around lakes,” said Mr. Harshith.
Ornithologist M.B. Krishna, however, said there was a need to change the way we look at rejuvenation of lake. “The life of the lake is in the shorelines, but by building walls and walking paths we are killing the life. This also discourages birds from coming to the lakes. Hebbal and Madiwala lakes are better examples of how rejuvenation should be undertaken,” he said.
300 bird species recorded in Karnataka
The largest citizen-science project to enumerate bird species — the Great Backyard Bird Count — is out with its results for 2017. According to the report, 825 bird species were recorded throughout India. Like last year, Karnataka stands at number three among the six States with highest numbers of birds, after Kerala and Tamil Nadu. From a list of over 2,000 birds, around 300 species were recorded in Karnataka.
Three institutes from Karnataka take the top 10 spots in the Campus Count, which is held simultaneously. Christ University, Valley School and Mangalore University recorded 43, 143 and 56 bird species respectively.
Bengaluru Bird Day on September 30
The fourth edition of Bengaluru Bird Day, slated to be held on September 30 at the Venkatappa Art Gallery, will give citizens the opportunity to join the over 3,000-member-strong birdwatching community. The event is being organised by EcoEdu, a group of professionals who share an interest in wildlife and environment and raise awareness about conservation, in association with the Facebook group Bird Postcast, which provides information related to birds and birdwatching in Bengaluru
“The event was initiated to commemorate the birth anniversary of Dr. Joseph George (October 1), who started the group birdwatching effort in Bengaluru way back in the early 1970s. It also marks the beginning of the Wildlife Week,” said Ulhas Anand, founder of EcoEdu.
The daylong event will include workshops, talks and other activities — all centred around the city’s avian denizens. The celebration will start with a birdwatching session for schoolchildren at Cubbon Park at 7 a.m., after which talks will be delivered by birders and researchers. Speakers include Sheshadri K.S., who will deliver a talk on ‘Experience of a tropical biologist in south and Southeast Asia’; Suhel Quader, who will talk about the wonders of bird behaviour; Mahesh Iyer, who will put the focus on bird management at airports, and Praveen J., who will speak about Kerala Bird Atlas project which is attempting to map the distribution and abundance of birds in Kerala.
Prasad Natarajan will conduct a workshop on bird sketching. The Dr. Joseph George Memorial Talk will be delivered by historian Ramachandra Guha on ‘Themes and trends in Indian environmentalism’. Also, noted birdwatchers will be recognised on the occasion.
The event is free, and open to all.
