Ahead of the annual Kerala Bird Race, slated to be held on November 10 this year, a birdwatching session was arranged by the WWF-Kerala on Sunday in the forests of Kottur in the capital district. For the small group of nature enthusiasts from around the city, the day began early - around 5.30 am - and lasted till around 2 pm, as they trudged through the undergrowth and forest trails in search of the forest’s feathered inhabitants.
Kottur, of the Elephant Rehabilitation Centre fame, is part of the Agasthyavanam Biological Park and has good forest cover - with deciduous and semi-evergreen type forests patches - and harbours many species of birds and other wildlife. The group on Sunday did not really make any sightings that can be claimed to be rare or remarkable, however, they did encounter a number of species - not just birds - that are endemic to the Western Ghats.
It was, as group leader A K Sivakumar, education officer at WWF Kerala put it, a day with the endemics. It began with the very first call the group heard - the distinct laugh of the Malabar Grey Hornbill (which only the Racket-tailed Drongo, that master mimic, can imitate.) This hornbill, one of the four found in Kerala, is the only one that is endemic to the Western Ghats.
From one grey, it is to another endemic of that colour that the group encountered a while later - the Grey-headed bulbul. While the afore-mentioned hornbill is not one to hide from the limelight (also being listed under ‘Least Concern’ in the IUCN Red List) and so, no stranger to frequent birders, this bulbul is another story. Its sighting caused much excitement even among the more experienced birders in the group as it is often heard, but rarely seen. This is because - as Arun C G, one of the regular birders in the group, explained - it stays in the dense thickets of reeds making it very hard to spot. A small bird with an olive green body and - you guessed it - a grey head, it has been listed as ‘Near Threatened’ in the Red List.
It was not merely endemic birds that the group spotted on the day, but winged wonders of another kind as well - butterflies. Most notable among these was the Malabar Tree-Nymph - a large white butterfly with black markings on it. Noted by its slow, gliding flight, this forest-dweller is called ‘Vanadevatha’ in the vernacular tongue.
The group came upon another endemic glider, only one belonging to another category altogether - Draco dussumieri. Or to speak English, the Southern Flying Lizard.
“What this species does is glide from tree to tree using the flaps of skin on either side of their body,” explained Sivakumar. Barely distinguishable from the bark of the tall tree that the creature was on, what gave it away to the group was a flash of the brightest yellow from somewhere near the lizard’s throat. This, the group leader explained, was its gular pouch (throat skin) which the Draco could extend longer that its head.
As the yellow of Draco’s throat caught the group’s attention, so did a sudden movement on the forest floor, by which a Humpnosed Pit Viper revealed itself. Only around 10 - 12 cm in length, with a pale pinkish skin with dark markings, this creature is also endemic to the Ghats.
“Its poison isn’t fatal, but the bite will not heal and keep bleeding, itching, paining and there might be pus formation,” said Sivakumar.
Conducted as a practice session before the Bird Race next month, the group spotted around 40 species of birds.
