UDUPI: With the monsoon season in full swing bringing more than expected rains, birders in the region have been eagerly scouting for elusive pelagic (deep sea) birds across the shoreline as the stormy wind conditions over the sea push them towards the land. Lesser Frigatebird is one pelagic bird which has only been sighted twice in Karnataka, both in the year 2020.
After receiving news of sightings of similar rare birds from neighboring states of Maharashtra and Kerala, many birders in the region intensified their search over the weekend across beaches in Udupi, Mangaluru and Kundapur to look for it. Their efforts yielded a positive result on Sunday as bird enthusiasts Tejas K Rao and Shaurya Rahul Narlanka found a Lesser Frigatebird while scouting the Kodi beach in Kundapur.
Their sighting is now the confirmed third sighting of the bird in Karnataka and is a good sign that more rare sightings like it are yet to come before the monsoons end. ‘‘The Lesser Frigatebird is from the Australian region and breeds around from May to December. It is known especially for long-distance flying’’ Tejas K Rao informed TNIE. ‘‘We also documented other pelagic birds such as Wilson's Storm Petrel, Swinehoe's Storm Petrel, Sooty Tern and Bridled Tern. We are happy and thrilled about the new sighting’’ he said.
Tejas has been scouting on the beaches along Udupi since last one month trying to find these pelagic birds. He has visited Malpe, Padukere, Mattu, Hoode beaches on a regular basis, but his visit to Kodi, Kundapur on Sunday turned out to be a fruitful one. He informed that during the Pelagic Birding in October, 2023 when they went deep into the Arabian Sea in search of the Pelagic Birds, they had observed the Streaked Shearwater which was the first record for Karnataka. ‘‘There is very little information available about these deep sea birds and in recent years a lot of study is happening’’ he said.