Birders in western Tamil Nadu are thrilled as some of the water birds that rarely visit the region have flocked at the Nanjarayan Tank bird sanctuary on the outskirts of Tiruppur.
Latest in the list of visitors are European Wigeon (Mareca Penelope) and Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea) that were spotted by members of the Nature Society of Tiruppur. They sighted a solitary European Wigeon and five Ruddy Shelducks.
According to them, Eurasian Wigeon was sighted at the tank after a long gap. Ruddy Shelduck, a rare visitor to Tamil Nadu, was earlier sighted at the tank when a flock of 14 arrived in November 2020.
“Ruddy Shelducks were recorded a few times in other parts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, in the past. But such large flocks have not been recorded anywhere in the State. We are glad that five birds arrived this year,” said K. Ravindran, president of Nature Society of Tiruppur.
Ruddy Shelducks that were spotted at the Nanjarayan Tank bird sanctuary. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Recently, a Forest Department watcher spotted a Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta), a shore bird, at the sanctuary. It is a vagrant that is rarely spotted in inland water bodies.
Mr. Ravindran said that commercial fishing was banned in the tank after it was declared as the 17th bird sanctuary in Tamil Nadu in September 2022. The Forest Department is taking various measures to prevent people from engaging in hunting, anti-social activities, dumping waste and causing disturbances to birds in the sanctuary.
The total checklist of bird species at the sanctuary stands at 187, sightings of which have been recorded in the past 15 years, he added.
According to the society, regular winter visitors of the sanctuary include Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Garganey, Common Teal and Bar-headed Geese among the ducks.
Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Ruff, Little Stint, Little ringed Plover, Common Greenshank and Common Redshank are among the coastal birds that visit the tank during the winter.
The native species that are spotted at the tank include Spot-billed Pelican, Painted Stork, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Little Cormorant, Indian Cormorant, Great Cormorant, Little Egret, Median Egret, Great Egret, Spot-billed Duck, Common Coot and Little Grebe.
Besides these, terrestrial birds such as Barn Swallow, Blue-tailed bee-eater, Common Cuckoo, and Rosy Starling flock in and around the tank during the winter.
Bluethroat, Black Stork, Ruddy Turnstone, Heuglin’s Gull, Slender-billed Gull, Brown-headed Gull and Pacific Golden Plover have been recorded at the tank in the past.
