The sighting of Siberian Stonechat and Painted Stork at Punchakkari during the Thiruvananthapuram Bird Race 2018 on Sunday points to rising temperature in the region and a drastic shift from a wetland to a dryland habitat.
The unexpected change in the weather patterns and increasing temperature were reflected in the findings of the bird race that spotted 148 species of birds in seven sites.
The major sightings were the Wooly-necked Stork at Aruvikkara reservoir; Black Eagle at Ponmudi; Black Bulbul and Grey-headed Bulbul at Bonacaud; Grey-headed Lapwing and Painted Stork at Punchakkari; Orange-headed Thrush within the zoo compound; Green Imperial Pigeon and Bay-backed Cuckoo at Arippa; and Wire-tailed Swallow and Western Reef Egret at Akkulam-Veli.
Migratory species
Though Wooly-necked Stork has been reported in Punchakkari since 2004, it is the first sighting in the Aruvikkara reservoir area. The sightings included 25 migratory species, including the Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Black-naped Oriole, Golden Oriole, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, water birds like Garganey Ducks, Whiskered Terns, Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper and Pheasant-tailed Jacana and shore birds like Lesser Sand Plover.
Punchakkari-Vellayani wetlands, Akkulam-Veli wetlands, Aruvikkara reservoir, museum and zoo premises, Kesavadasapuram paddy fields, Kannammoola thodu, Kallar-Ponmudi forests, Bonacaud forests and Arippa forests were the seven sites.
Team members
The 42 participants were divided into teams with each team led by an expert birder accompanied by photographers. At some sites, the survey was slightly disrupted by rains. The teams covering Kallar-Ponmudi and Bonacaud encountered heavy rains.
The bird sightings at Arippa forests were 68, Bonacaud forests 65, Akkulam-Veli wetlands 62, Punchakkari-Vellayani wetlands 52, Aruvikkara reservoir 51, museum and zoo premises, Kesavadasapuram paddy fields-Kannammoola thodu 49, and Kallar-Ponmudi forests 35.
It was a run-up to the Asian Waterbird Census to be held in January, says A.K. Sivakumar, Senior Education Officer, WWF. The half-day event was organised by WWF-India and Department of Museums and Zoos.