Two migratory bird species, Eurasian Marsh Harrier (also called Western Marsh Harrier) and Common Stonechat, have been sighted by a group of bird watchers, reportedly for the first time, near the S. Periyapalayam irrigation tank in Tirupur, Tamil Nadu.
“Common Stonechat is sighted for the first time in Tamil Nadu if one goes by records compiled by ornithologists,” said K. Ravindran, a regular bird watcher at the S. Periyapalayam tank for a decade.
Mr. Ravindran, who is also the president of the Nature Society of Tirupur, said that Eurasian Marsh Harrier was seen elsewhere in Tamil Nadu. Common Stonechat comes from central Asia and Europe, and Western Marsh Harrier from western Eurasia and Africa.
The Nature Society of Tirupur attributes a few possible reasons for the sudden appearance of these two birds here.
“Either they may have lost their way to places they usually visit, or because of the disturbances happened to their earlier habitats,” said Mr. Ravindran.