Tucked away in the city’s southern suburbs, this scrubland in Nanmangalam is a bird watcher’s paradise.
Now, though surrounded by a concrete jungle, the area continues to be a habitat for some of the most rare and beautiful birds. This is, in no small measure, due to the increased protection it has been accorded.
The White-browed Bulbul, Chestnut-shouldered Petronia, Common Hoopoe, Indian Pitta, Blue-faced Malkoha and Forest Wagtail are some of the birds that one can look for in the Nanmangalam forests.
V. Santharam, director, Institute of Bird Studies, Rishivalley, Andhra Pradesh, who hails from Chennai, said that during the late 1970s and 1980s these birds were found in the Adyar estuary and its surroundings, including the Theosophical Society, Guindy National Park and, even in places such as Thiruvanmiyur and Thorappakkam.
Most of these birds primarily feed on insects found in the bushes or on grassy patches. But, with increased demand for space, the bushes and grass have disappeared from the city landscape, and been replaced by concrete paving.
The Chestnut-shouldered Petronia, also known as the Yellow-throated sparrow, is found in rural areas, farms and trees.
These birds were earlier sighted in several areas along the Old Mahabalipuram Road. The increased urbanisation of this stretch had forced them to migrate to the Nanmangalam scrub jungle, Mr. Santharam observed.
The Indian Pitta is a colourful ground-dwelling bird and a migrant from central India. Dr. Santharam said the bird arrived in the southern part of the country during the onset of the northeast monsoon, and stayed on till the onset of the southwest monsoon.
K.V. Sudhakar of the Madras Naturalists’ Society said the Blue-faced Malkoha, belonging to the Cuckoo family, has a unique quality: unlike the other Cuckoos, this bird builds its own nest. It is very sensitive and the slightest alteration in its habitat would result in its moving. It was no longer easy to sight them in the city, he said.
K.V.R.K. Thirunaranan of Nature Trust, a regular bird watcher in Nanmangalam, said the Common hoopoe and Forest wagtail are two bird species, which are, again, found only in places such as Nanmangalam.
