Copyright thehindu
With the early onset of monsoon in Ramanathapuram district migratory birds in flocks have started arriving at Therthangal bird sanctuary. Foresters observed that the early arrival of birds was a good sign of the seasonal migratory movement. “While migratory birds would be sighted only in the month of November, the good amount of rainfall recorded in the region was the major reason for early sighting of migratory birds,“ said M. Divakar, Forest Range Officer, Ramanathapuram Wildlife Range. He added, so far, more than 2,500 birds have been spotted in the sanctuary, and more birds were expected in the upcoming days. “The migratory birds observed so far are Open-billed Storks, Black Ter, Glossy Ibis, Black-headed Ibis, Cormorant, Pond Heron, among others,” he added. While most of them were Open-billed storks, the birds that are spotted were from the regions of Europe, Russia and nearby area, he noted. Though the onset of winter in the European and Russian regions would trigger the movement of migratory birds, they would never arrive in the region before the monsoon, he added. “But, this time, since the monsoon started earlier, the birds have arrived earlier than before,” he said. To assess the migratory birds and their pattern, a pre-monsoon and post-monsoon census would be conducted in the region. “The census which is yet to be started would give us an idea of the behaviour of migratory birds, their migration pattern, and other lifestyle differences. We will also note down the birds that have not come this year along with studying the arrival of new migratory birds,” Mr. Divakar said. By ensuring a closer watch of the sanctuary, the necessary measures to be taken by the government for the conservation of biodiversity could be well planned, he added.
