Five bird sanctuaries in Ramanathapuram district and the Vettangudi bird sanctuary in Sivaganga district, frequented by different species of migratory birds, look parched and deserted following the failure of northeast monsoon this year.
The monsoon has disappointed both farmers and the winged visitors as it brought less rain, resulting in withering of paddy crop, and offered no congenial environment for birds to nest and breed in the sanctuaries.
Hasty retreat
Every season, hundreds of birds from countries like Russia flock to the sanctuaries to build nests and bring up fledglings but this year they made a hasty retreat after visiting some of the sanctuaries in the middle of November after finding tropical wetlands in the region not suitable for nesting, officials said.
“By this time, we should have commenced bird census in the sanctuaries but there is no water,” said Deepak S Bilgi, Wildlife Warden, Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park.
Usually, the migratory season begins in November and nests will be built by December and the birds leave in April. “This year, the sanctuaries are deserted,” he said. White Ibis, Black Ibis, Painted Stork and Openbilled Stork did visit the sanctuaries in November but flew away after finding that there was not sufficient water.
