As many as 157 species of birds were spotted from seven locations in and around the capital during the 8th Kerala Bird Race held on Sunday.
Sighting of Montagu’s harrier from Ponmudi, White rumped shama from Bonacaud, Booted eagle from Arippa, Black baza from the Kottur forests, Lesser sand plover from the Veli beach, Amur falcon from Punchakkary, and Asian openbill from the Aruvikkara wetlands were significant as these are not so common in these areas.
Various threats
Various threats, especially habitat degradation, to bird population were noticed during the dawn-to-dusk event, said A.K. Sivakumar, WWF-India senior education officer and coordinator of the race.
Akkulam Lake, once a haven for waterbirds, is now more like a sewage drain with large-scale reclamation, invasive species, and all kinds of pollutants.
The sighting of birds such as the Indian peafowl in the Arippa forests and Asian openbill at Aruvikkara is clear indicators of the increasing temperature profile.
The museum and zoo premises still remain a healthy habitat for birds. As many as 42 species of birds with an active heronry of endangered Oriental Darters were spotted here.
The Kottur forests, part of the Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary, and the Kallar-Ponmudi forests also have a very good bird population, the numbers crossing 75. The sighting of mammals such as Nilgiri marten, Barking deer and Malabar giant squirrel came as a bonus to the teams.
As many as 78 birdwatchers participated in the annual race held in connection with the birthday of Salim Ali.
The event was organised jointly by the Yuhina Eco Media and WWF-India with the support of HSBC.
The observations and experiences were shared by the teams in the evening.
More activities
Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Biodiversity Cell of Forests & Wildlife Department, O.P. Kaler, who was the chief guest, asked the participants to submit their findings and recommendations for further action and to document the sightings for scientific planning of conservation initiatives. Renjan Mathew Varghese, State Director of WWF-India, spoke.
Follow-up activities such as Sunday bird walk once in a month, annual Asian waterfowl census and birdwatching camps are in the pipeline.
