NAGAPATTINAM: Two months are still left for the migratory season to commence. Yet migratory birds from across the globe were on Thursday spotted the flocking Point Calimere Wildlife and Birds Sanctuary in Kodiyakarai. Despite a mix of sun and clouds in the coastal delta districts, winged visitors were spotted in Kodiyakarai.
Some of the migratory birds spotted include Little Stint, Flamingoes, Lesser Sand Plover, Marsh Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Common Redshank, Wood Sandpiper, Eurasian Curlew, Whimbrel, Painted Stork and Oriental Pratincole. Vedaranyam Forest Range Officer B Ayub Khan told TNIE,
"Some of the regular visitors, including flamingoes, were spotted in droves in the sanctuary. The arrival is expected to peak once the monsoon sets in. We have been observing fluctuations in the migratory patten due to prevalent weather conditions." The avians which have arrived are mostly waterbirds that wading in the marshes and the salterns in Vedaranyam.
Dr S Balachandran, ornithologist and the deputy director of Bombay Natural History Society, told TNIE, "We have been witnessing early arrivals over the past few years due to reasons pertaining to climate change. The water conditions created by rains are imperative for bird arrivals. We spotted species such as oriental pratincole."