The wonders of nature never cease. When Wandering Glider, a dragonfly that just glides over long distances, decided to delay its visit to the city suburbs, so did the Blue-tailed Bee-eaters that come flying all the way from Europe.
The Blue-tailed Bee-eaters, with a green body and a blue tail, generally feed on bees and wasps, but dragonflies are what they love to eat. Usually seen around the time of Onam, these dragonflies were missing this Onam season in the Punchakkari wetlands. But now, both the prey and predator have arrived at the same time.
The migratory season of birds started off with the arrival of swallows at Punchakkari -Vellayani wetlands in late August. The Red-rumped Swallows which were seen in large numbers when there were a lot of paddy fields, have touched a near-zero with the drop in paddy fields in and around the area. But the Barn Swallows from Haridwar and different parts of the Himalayas are seen in huge numbers and are pretty active.
A limited number of Pacific Swallows and Streak-throated Swallows were seen hunting around for pests and insects. Their favourite haunt was the electric line near the Velayani lake.
Members of the city-based bird-watching organisation Warblers and Waders are planning to make a visit to the area next week. However, bird-watcher C Sushanth, who did a preliminary study, was not so happy with the number of migratory water birds. He said the prominent migrant water birds seen at Punchakkari were Common Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Common Snipe, Little Ringed Plover and Eurasian Golden Plover.
‘’I am also a little worried about still seeing the Pied Cuckoo, Buntings and the Brahminy starlings. They prefer a drier weather and this indicates that the temperature in our wetlands has obviously gone up or that the dry spell might continue,’’ said Sushanth.
In most parts of India, there is a strong association between the Pied Cuckoos and the monsoon rain. They are known to arrive in late May or early June, indicating the arrival of rain. They arrive with juveniles and once they are mature, they move back to hot weather conditions such as in Palakkad, Chinnar wildlife sanctuary and drier areas of Tamil Nadu. That they are still in Punchakkari is a cause of concern for environmentalists.
Hundreds of Rosy Starlings, also known as Rose-coloured Pastor. were seen feeding near the bushes and weedy marshes near the Canal Road. Brown Shrike, another winter visitor, was also observed near the bushes.
Apart from the visitors from the North and abroad, local migrant birds were also active at Punchakkari-Vellayani wetlands. The local migrant water birds Indian Coot, Indian Moorhen, Cotton Teal, Lesser Whistling Duck and Dabchicks were happily feeding near the water bodies of main canal.
So what are you waiting for? Go get your binoculars and shoes!
