Waterfowl census: Interesting sightings reported

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:  It was a bunch of Red-wattled Lapwings, Pond Herons, Little Herons and White-browed Wagtails that welcomed the birdwatchers, led by the WWF Kerala State office, who had gone for a waterfowl census at the Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary on January 23. This was part of the Asian Waterfowl Census (AWC), a worldwide estimation process of waterbirds, the health indicators of wetlands. It was Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) director Dr Asad Rahmani who requested the WWF to carry out a bird monitoring exercise in Neyyar as part of AWC-2012. The State Forests and Wildlife Department provided all local support.  The group also managed to locate the migratory birds, the Blue-tailed Bee-eaters and Barn Swallows. Brahmini Kite, the occupant of the higher trophic levels of the wetland ecosystem, was also reported. They saw as many as five Brahmini kites. The birding team consisted of A K Sivakumar, senior education officer, WWF India; Biju P B, bird watcher and wildlife photographer; and Jaichand Johnson, also a bird watcher. The team observed 12 species of water birds in the reservoir, including the threatened species Oriental Darter, commonly known as the Snake Bird. These long-necked, fish-feeding and slightly larger water birds are indications of a less disturbed ecosystem. A fairly good population of 32 Darters was reported in 19 sightings. IUCN describes this bird as a ‘Near-threatened’ species and has enlisted it in the Red Data Book. Neyyar WLS is an Important Bird Area (IBA) under the International Bird Conservation Network (IBCN). Three species of kingfishers, the Common, White-throated and Pied, were seen. The team sighted 176 Little Cormorants from 23 sightings in the reservoir and they included a single flock of around 110 individuals engaged aggressively in feeding on fishes.  The AWC covers the region of Asia, from Afghanistan eastwards to Japan, Southeast Asia and Australasia. It runs parallel to the international census of water birds in Africa, Europe, West Asia and Neotropics under the umbrella of the International Waterbird Census (IWC). The AWC network is coordinated by Wetlands International.