Guess who just flew in?

Bird lovers in the city are beside themselves with excitement as some rare birds have shown up in the Eastern Ghats

Black-winged stilt

Chance discoveries are the best rewards of birding. Ask any ardent birder. Janardhan Uppada and Harsha Vardhan K recently stumbled upon a rare discovery on a wintry Sunday morning about a week ago at the NTPC ash pond.

A greater flamingo awaited them amidst greens in the serene water body. The flamingos were last spotted in the region about three decades ago. The discovery was the first big find of the birding season this year. “We spent over two hours looking around for more flamingos, but couldn’t find any other bird. It was a big surprise to us. We wonder how the solitary bird landed here!” says Janardhan. Over the next few days, birding activities to that part of the city increased and the bird was again spotted by many others. Birders feel that this unexpected treat underlines the need to protect the ecosystems surrounding Visakhapatnam.

For the longest time, the Eastern Ghats bordering Andhra Pradesh had remained neglected by birders and researchers. Now, with the concerted efforts of some individuals and birding groups, a proper documentation of bird species — resident and migratory — is being carried out.

Proper documentation

Brahminy ducks, black-winged stilts and black-tailed godwit at a pond in Visakhapatnam

Ashok Kolluru, a pediatrician by profession and a passionate photographer, has documented the birds of Kailasagiri Hill over the past one year. He and his brother Prem Swaroop Kolluru have made a list of rare and common birds spotted in the lush hills, located within the city’s parameters. “There are close to 100 bird species in this hill alone and few are also listed in the IUCN’s Red List,” says Ashok, who has also made an eight-minute video on the birds of Kailasagiri. It took a year for him to gather the data. Among the significant findings is the ‘Near Threatened’ species of Tytler’s leaf warbler.

A guide

• Rich in biodiversity, the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh support a good forest cover. The last detailed documented work on bird species of this region was done by the bird man of India, Dr. Salim Ali.
• A survey conducted sometime ago by Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment of the northern Eastern Ghats hill region identified more than 205 species of birds including the relatively rarer ones like Brook’s Flycatcher and Jerdon’s Baza.
• Threatened bird species like the Malabar Pied Hornbills was also spotted in a couple of habitats in packed flocks.

A paradise flycatcher

Ashok’s passion for birding is an off-shoot of his travel and photography experiences. “For where there are abundant birds, more often than not you’ll find wonderful terrain,” says Ashok, who recently returned from a birding trip to Sattal and Pangot in Uttarakhand. He feels that Kailasagiri can be an excellent place for birdwatching if proper pathways or trekking routes are developed. “Not many know about such rich bird species right at their backyard,” he says.

eBird platform

A flock of seagulls seen in an isolated beach near Visakhapatnam

For the past couple of years, the Vizag Birdwatchers Society (VBS) has been keeping an eye on the residents and migratory bird species of the region. VBS has more than 150 members including 20 active members. It has documented many rare and important species. While this year’s significant finding has been the greater flamingo, last year, it was the first record of the red-necked falcon, a ‘near threatened’ species in the IUCN avifauna checklist. Among others there was the first photographic documentation of the peregrine falcon raptor, a native of North America and a winter visitor to South Asia. The society has been digitally documenting the bird species in the eBird India platform.

Spreading wings

• eBird is a global, internet-based platform for gathering observations of birds, and for birders to maintain records of their sightings.
• Housed in Cornell University’s Laboratory of Ornithology, the India chapter of eBird is managed by Bird Count India.
• The platform encourages birders to maintain complete bird lists and upload them on eBird, conducts periodic bird events and projects, offers support and resources to birding groups conducting their own projects and put together useful information on bird monitoring

Vikram Penmetsa, a member of VBS, says that the digital documentation has turned the spotlight on Visakhapatnam and Andhra Pradesh in general as a birding destination. “Some of the hotspots of birding zones include the Meghadrigedda Reservoir. The bird count in this place has been steadily growing,” he says. From birds circling in small flocks to chance discovery of rare ones — a sizeable number of birds pass by this place, on epic journeys, some which take them from Pole to Pole. Here, the winter migrants include red crested pochards, common pochard, pintails and spot billed ducks.

A purple moorhen and a pheasant-tailed jacana at Kondakarla Ava

However, Vikram’s birding experience of nearly a decade has also brought out some alarming facts. In Kondakarla Ava, for instance, there has been a drastic fall in winter migrants. “I have been surveying this place from the past six years and have observed a big change in the migratory birds population in this lake. From the past two years, not a single migratory species was reported,” says Vikram, who also brings out a wetlands report focussing on birds of the region every year. Once, the same water body was frequented by migrant species like the cotton teal, wigeons and red crested pochards. According to birders, an increase in fishing activity could be one reason behind the drop.