For the nature lovers and the stakeholders in the environmental protection of the city and the surroundings, the recently held annual Asian Water Bird Census (AWBC) brought in bad news and good news. The bad news was of a drastic drop in the number of winged visitors this year which was a global phenomenon and triggered a discussion at the international level. The good news was the spotting of the ‘Great Knot’ from China on the shores of the Bay of Bengal which was a matter of pride for those involved in the exercise.
Like every year, the AWBC was undertaken jointly by the Wildlife wing of the Forest department and the EGREE Foundation last month. Youngsters were given special training in conducting the census. They took active part and came out with a report saying the number of the water birds this year was only 23,779, half the number of last year (43,718).
Mahesh Babu Dimmala, one of the participants, spotted the ‘Great Knot,’ scientifically known as ‘Calidris tenuirostris’ near the Kumbhabhishekam point of the Beach Road and went on a clicking spree.
Chinese origin
From the photographs, the ornithologists heading the census traced the origin of the bird. “The bird’s tiny leg was ringed and flagged in black colour. As per the international code, black flag belonged to China, while the red one indicates Indian origin. We have informed the same to the Australian Wader Studies Group which confirmed the origin of the bird and said it is in the list of endangered species,” said Ananth Shankar, District Forest Officer of the Wildlife wing. “Since Kakinda is located in the Central Asian Flyway, birds from many countries visit this place during winter for food,” he says. “We are very happy that we are able to spot the rare species. It highlighted the need for continuous monitoring of migratory birds,” says Ravishankar Thupalle, State Project Coordinator of the EGREE Foundation.
