After a period of three years, the survey was conducted throughout the southern districts, on February 7 and 8, by the Forest Department with the help of ornithologists, volunteers and students. Several teams were formed for the purpose and bird census was taken for two days in all water bodies, bird sanctuaries and so on. In the census, the Forest Department found an increase in the number of birds. Also, some rare species were spotted, said officials of the department. 

Speaking to DT NEXT, S Sathish, Mandapam Forest Ranger, said that in the census, Pallas’s seagull was found in large numbers. They live permanently in Manoli and other islands near Rameswaram and constitute about 50 per cent of the bird population. Similarly, flamingos too had arrived in large numbers this season. They are one of the oldest birds in the sub-continent and had arrived from the Gulf of Kutch. Generally, flamingos arrive in December, but this year due to cyclones, there was a delay in their arrival. The flamingos feed on sea algae and foraminifera. 

However, some of the rare birds such as spotted red shank, crab plover, osprey and so on and birds that are usually seen such as whimbrel, caspian terns, sand pipers, reef heron, grey heron, egrets and others were also spotted during the census, said Sathish.

He also said that last year as there was no sufficient rainfall in Ramanathapuram district, there was not enough water in the water bodies and in bird sanctuaries. Due to this, the number of birds visiting the sanctuaries had dipped and it would further decrease in the coming months because of the severe shortage of water, said Sathish.