Census at Ranganathittu reveals a steep drop in bird population

Mysuru: A census of the winged creatures conducted at the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary on Sunday has thrown the drastic decline in the number of migratory birds visiting this archipelago of islets afloat on River Cauvery into stark relief.
Quoting data collated during the three-hour exercise, forest department authorities said that, against the 220 species of birds spotted at the sanctuary in March 2018, a mere 60 were spotted on Sunday. Notwithstanding the customary drop in the population of birds at Ranganathittu after the winter months, and the washing away of islets in the wake of floods that the region witnessed last year, the decline in the number of winged specimens at the aviary haven has left both forest department authorities and wildlife enthusiasts more than a trifle surprised.
Nearly 20 volunteers, mostly from Bengaluru and Mysuru, participated in the census that was held under the supervision of the forest department at Ranganathittu. The department deputed two experts to accompany the volunteers during the census. A pair of binoculars was all the equipment that those involved in the census possessed.
The fifth census held at Ranganathittu since March 2018, the participants employed both the nest counting, and total count methods. Among the birds spotted in huge numbers were the spot-billed pelican, painted stork, egret, stone plover, ibis and the baya weaver.
Deputy conservator of forests (wildlife) KC Prashant Kumar, however, pointed out that the census was a regular exercise conducted by the department, with the assistance of volunteers thrice or four times every year. “We managed to identify 60 species of birds during the three-hour exercise,” Kumar said.
The DCF told TOI that a proposal to declare Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary a ‘Wetland’ would be sent to the Union ministry of environment, forests and climate change. “We are presently in the process of collating all the necessary evidence, which will help the haven earn the tag,” Kumar said.
Efforts are also under way to get Ranganathittu tagged as a ‘Ramsar Site’. The Ramsar Convention is an inter-governmental treaty that aims at the conservation and management of wetlands, and nearly 90% of the countries that are members of the United Nations Organisation are signatories to it.
Although it is the raucous cries of the many birds that one is reminded of at the mere mention of Ranganathittu, the sanctuary is home to several other species of animals such as the mugger crocodile, river otters and mahseer fish. Some of these species have been classified under ‘endangered’, while a few are staring at extinction.
DH Tanuja, a bird watcher, with more than 25 years of experience in the field, told TOI that extensive knowledge of the aviary species was a prerequisite to being chosen as a volunteer for the bird census. “This is not the season when birds from across the globe come to Ranganathittu to nest. However, the flood in the Cauvery’s catchment area has washed away nests, owing to which some of the migratory birds have stayed away,” Tanuja said.
The feathery archipelago
Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary is 18km from Mysuru city in Srirangapatna taluk in Mandya district. The sanctuary is an archipelago with 25 islets and an estimated 40,000 winged guests arrive every year to nest at Ranganathittu.
- Madiha Khanum