The Eurasian cuckoo and the European Bee-eater are rare visitors to the city, but Sarayu Ramakrishnan, a member of Coimbatore Nature Society, spotted them.
“While driving near Kanuvai, I saw this unusual bird perched on a tree. I thought it was a koel but it was not quite that. I went home, took my camera and binoculars and returned to photograph the bird. I learnt that it was the Eurasian Cuckoo,” says Sarayu. The Eurasian cuckoo breeds in Pakistan. It is a winter migrant to Central India, the Northeast and the Himalayas.
A regular at the weekly birding outings of CNS, Sarayu also got lucky with the European bee-eater, which she spotted at the foothills of Ponnoothu temple near Thadagam.
“A summer visitor to Kashmir and Pakistan, it is a passage migrant to Coimbatore. It stops here on its way to Sri Lanka to spend the winters. Though there are records of the bird being spotted at Satyamangalam, this is a first-time sighting record for Coimbatore.”
Last year, Sarayu also saw the European Roller in a village called Kadhakottai near Dharapuram. Another first sighting.
Unusual sightings, rare birds, and common birds that are rarely sighted…every significant bird seen in Coimbatore has now been recorded and documented in a checklist compiled by the CNS members. The checklist includes 321 species.
“Fifty CNS members have contributed to the list,” says P. S. Selvaraj, president of CNS. “It is a handy guide for beginners in birdwatching and also to the scientific community. We have covered the wetlands of Coimbatore and the foothills like Marudhamalai, Ponnoothu, Narasipuram, Siruvani Road, and Anaikatty. The list includes rare migratory visitors like the red-necked phalarope, European Bee-eater and the resident ones like Rock Eagle Owl, which is rarely sighted. While we have a checklist of birds in sanctuaries like Mudumalai, Anaimalai and Silent Valley, the CNS list is unique as it covers the birds of Coimbatore city,” he says.
The Forest Department, colleges and NGOs have also helped in the collection of data. Some of the rare sightings in Coimbatore include the Caspian G ull, Yellow-throated Bulbul, Spot-bellied eagle owl…
Selvaraj points out that the checklist is a guideline and anyone is free to add to it. “The work is a result of direct observation of the CNS team from over 150 trips in and around Coimbatore,” says A. Paavendhan, a core member of the exercise.
“Reliable records from online eBird website (which allows birders to record their observations) and other published information from newspapers, magazines and websites have been taken into account.”
Sarayu mentions that close to 40 species were eliminated because of lack of credible information. As were birds like bar-headed Geese.
Though it is considered a regular visitor to Nanjarayan tank in Tirupur, there are no records of their sighting in Coimbatore.
Another member Saravanan Natrayan says anyone from any part of the world can learn about the bird ecosystem of Coimbatore with the checklist.
“It is an authoritative and conclusive list. The world- renowned Clements checklist order is followed in the checklist. Common names of birds are used like it is in The Birds of Indian Sub-continent by Richard Grimmett,” he says.
Quick facts
Coimbatore Nature Society in association with Young Indians (Yi) of Coimbatore Chapter plans to bring out the checklist in the form of a book called Birds of Coimbatore. It is likely to be released as part of the forthcoming Coimbatore Vizha.
To get a copy of the Birds Checklist , write to cnsnature@gmail.com
And those who wish to enrol for weekly birding trips, call: 98422-61279 or 9894714646.
