CHENNAI: Residents of Korattur may soon be coming up with a new Pongal tradition - undertaking a bird census at the Korattur lake where 161 species of birds have been spotted over the years, as recorded in the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s eBird portal.On Tuesday morning, a group of residents, led by a teacher, S Ravishankar, spotted 47 species of birds. According to Ravishankar, who has been birdwatching at the Korattur lake since 2016, the count has fallen drastically.
“January is ideal for birdwatching so we were hoping to build a community tradition during Pongal. This will also help students and others learn how important conserving the lake is,” Ravishankar said.“Before this, I would come here every year by myself to watch birds. There has been a drastic difference in the recorded numbers which I believe is due to the decline in the lake’s water quality,” he added.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) is hearing a case related to the restoration of the lake and the next hearing is scheduled for later this month. Residents welfare groups, in their petition, said the lake originally spanned 900 acres and has now been reduced to half its size due to encroachments. The water, they said, has been polluted by raw effluents from industries around the area.
SG Devadarshan, a Class 12 student who was part of the group that undertook the bird census on Tuesday said, “I have been engaging in birdwatching as a hobby when I get time. This time, our count of 47 is worryingly low. For instance, earlier, we would find pelicans by the hundreds but yesterday I could spot only two.”
Participants log in bird sightings including details such as the species, time spotted and location in the eBird application. However, the group also welcomes novices to join them in their morning exercise.
S Sekaran of the Korattur Aeri Padukappu Makkal Iyakkam (KAPMI) said rallying the community to such initiatives will help strengthen the lake conservation efforts with people taking ownership of the lake. “As we do it every year, we hope more and more people will join us,” he said.