NAGAPATTINAM: The two-day annual bird census kicked off at Point Calimere Wildlife and Birds Sanctuary in the district, on Friday, with participation of dozens of students, officials, and researchers."We gave a crash course to the participants about the birds that can be spotted. The first day is more of a trial before the all-important second day, where the census would be more conclusive. We divided our participants into teams. They visited various places and started counting the number of birds in the species. The bird count is pretty decent for the first day," Wildlife Warden-cum-District Forest Officer Yogesh Kumar Meena told TNIE.
The participants comprised, among others, students of wildlife biology and zoology, researchers from Bombay Natural History Society, AVC Autonomous College, and the 'Wetland Mithras' – constituting locals from Vedaranyam, Forest Department personnel and veterinarians.
The participants carried binoculars, notebooks, manuals, and data sheets for the census. The survey numbers would be used to determine the average number of bird sightings. Officials stated that the results would be released after the census.
The teams visited the salt pan pump houses in Kodiyakadu and Kodiyakarai, the channel mouths, wetland islands, bird congregation points inside the sanctuary, lakes near the sanctuary, and coastal village shores. They took note of the birds they spotted in the spots.
"Many of our students were accustomed to bird sighting in their UG years. It was a good experience to participate in a real-time scenario of a bird census.
They enjoyed their time and counting the birds. We were able to sight more birds as the census was a bit sooner, in the wake of the monsoon," said wildlife biologist Dr N Baskaran of AVC Autonomous College. The Conservator of Forests N Satish from Tiruchy oversaw the census.