6 months ago
1
Two months into wintertime migration, determination has been a noticeable diminution successful the fig of birds flying to Mysuru and surrounding areas to roost. This is portion of a larger inclination being observed crossed antithetic regions.
The debased numbers, particularly of waterfowls, person been observed crossed wetlands successful the Mysuru-Mandya-Chamarajanagar belt, wherever determination had been regular sightings of migratory birds for years.
The migration, which began astir November, has brought successful implicit 80 taxon from the Himalayas and beyond, and these numbers are expected to summation during the adjacent fewer weeks.
A. Shivaprakash, an avid ornithologist who has led vertebrate censuses successful the portion for astir 3 decades, said that the backwaters of Kabini person reported the beingness of bar-headed geese, portion a fewer arrivals person besides been recorded astatine Hadinaru, which used to beryllium their regular wintering site.
The subdued beingness of birds has been attributed to a operation of factors, including higher wintertime temperatures en route, encouraging respective taxon to roost further northbound — successful cardinal India oregon the Deccan — alternatively than alert each the mode to the south.
Mr. Shivaprakash pointed retired that the replenishment of lakes and h2o bodies during years with bully monsoons whitethorn besides person affected the organisation signifier of birds.
But arsenic acold arsenic ducks are concerned, determination has been a semipermanent decline, with taxon similar Garganey and Shovellers reporting a decrease, successful the scope of 42% to 72% implicit the past 10 years, helium added.
This has raised concerns implicit situation disturbance and encroachment arsenic besides the deficiency of extortion for Important Bird Areas (IBA).
In continuation of the astir three-decade agelong contented of estimating the vertebrate population, volunteers and birders from Mysuru volition behaviour a azygous time number of birds — midwinter fowl census — connected January 18.
As of today, 18 teams person been constituted and volition instrumentality retired and instrumentality number of the birds successful implicit 100 wetlands and lakes successful and astir Mysuru-Mandya-Chamarajanagar belt.
A single-day census conducted past twelvemonth connected January 15 covered 110 wetlands and recorded 224 vertebrate species, including 157 nonmigratory species, 57 migratory taxon and 10 taxon from the Eastern and Western Ghats.
In all, 31,005 idiosyncratic birds were counted during the single-day exercise, portion successful comparison, the 2024 census recorded 226 taxon and implicit 40,000 birds.
Some of the taxon recorded included bar-headed goose, cattle egret, barn swallow, spot-billed duck, and Eurasian coot. Among waterbodies, Nugu backwaters reported the highest wide count, followed by Rayana Kere, Kalluru, Kukkarahalli Kere and Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary. The forthcoming census volition supply a wider snapshot of the presumption of the vertebrate colonisation and their situation successful Mysuru.
