My Talk With Birds -1 C R Ramana Kailash, Tirunelveli This is the first part of a two-part article on bird watching by a young bird watcher. Birds are one of the richest and most spectacular creations in Nature. They are descended from the prehistoric feathered dinosaurs of the late Jurassic period. Today they are spread across the world: from the frigid poles to dry Saharan deserts, from tropical rainforests at the Equator to the watery oceans of the Pacific. These creatures are able to adapt and thrive in the harshest conditions on Earth. Birds have evolved and diverged in different sizes and colours. Birds like New Zealand Moa and Elephant birds are more than ten feet while a few birds like Bee Hummingbirds are as small as a coin. The rich diversity in these animals is peculiar to this spectacular class, Aves. Birding is a hobby or profession of observing birds in their habitats. This hobby helps us to connect with the natural world and interact with it. Birding is a recreational activity or a citizen science. Unlike other nature-based hobbies, birding can be followed by amateurs too. This hobby engulfed me when I was 9; since then I learned to observe and celebrate these wonderful creatures. Different birds play different indispensible roles in our ecosystem. They help in keeping biodiversity balanced, as birds evolved with different lifestyles; Scavengers, Herbivores, Predators, Insectivores and fish eaters. The world of birds is diverse and rich; birding is one way to get connected with this vivid and beautiful world. Scavengers: These are birds such as vultures that eat dead animals, helping to keep the surroundings clean. Herbivores: Like geese and parrots, they eat leaves. Predators: Also known as raptors, they are hyper-carnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates such as rats. Falcons and eagles are examples. Insectivores: Birds such as magpies and swallows eat insects, often catching and eating them in the air. Fish eating birds: Herons, kingfishers, etc., all can dive into the water to catch fish. Birds can be classified by their family, habits, characteristics or their habitats. Identifying and classifying birds according to their habitats are much easier than other methods, especially for children. Birds can be divided broadly into two, Aquatic and Terrestrial. In the first part of this article, I will talk about aquatic birds. Aquatic birds live predominantly in or around water bodies, and are mostly fish-eaters. A few are migratory. Each of them are adapted in distinct ways like having - dense, waterproof feathers, so they can fly away easily when needed, - long legs, as in flamingoes and cranes, to easily walk in water, keeping the rest of their body dry, - webbed feet, as in ducks, for swimming - streamlined bodies, etc. Aquatic birds can be subdivided further into freshwater, saline, seabirds, shorebirds, waders, waterfowls and even more. Birding of aquatic birds is easier. Freshwater Birds I got interested in bird watching while visiting Koonthankulam Bird sanctuary, a freshwater lake in Thirunelveli. Numerous painted Storks soared over the skies; the sound of flapping wings of those massive birds resembled the whirring sound of helicopter. Terns flew all around the watch tower; The Lake located farther away from our watch tower looked pinkish because of numerous greater Flamingoes. A few painted Storks nested near human habitations. The place was an example of peaceful coexistence between humans and animals. I started getting familiar with bird names such as Bar-headed Geese, Caspian Terns, Little Grebe and Open billed Storks. We stood on the watch tower for two hours waiting for Spoonbills. After 6’o clock, a Spoonbill hovered over the skies. The ecstasy of spotting a bird I was longing for is indescribable. Vaduvoor bird sanctuary Vaduvoor bird sanctuary, Thiruvarur, was not as diverse as Koonthankulam, but it housed huge flocks of white Ibises, Cormorant and few painted Storks. Ibises were stranger than other birds with curvy, thin bills and featherless heads. I saw an Ibis feeding its chicks. I later found that Ibises are one of the most celebrated birds of Tamil literature as “andril paravaigal”. Birding in Kanyakumari During the birders meet in Rajapalayam (2018), I got familiar with many birds which I had never seen before. I heard the calls of Cinnamon Bittern, Reef Herons and Jerdon’s Bushlark. During bird census in Kanyakumari, I was able to see a Pheasant-tailed Jacana with its breeding plumage, which is very different from its common coloured plumage (feathers). It has a brilliant silky golden nape, white front, wings and a long central tail which makes them more attractive. I spotted a male with 4-5 females on a lotus pond in northern Kanyakumari. I also spotted a flock of Knob-billed Ducks flying over the skies. A large male bird among the flock had a comical round shaped bill. Those hefty Ducks had glossy greenish black wings, and black spots all over their white body. They are one of the rarest migratory birds in Tamilnadu. I was lucky to see them. Vembanad Lake Vembanad Lake is one of the largest freshwater lakes in India. This fragile, freshwater lake ecosystem houses many important birds of southern India. But we spotted only a few little Cormorants, Gulls and Gray Herons. Maybe, this was because of off-season or over exploitation by tourism. Cormorants and Gulls were quite bold. These birds fished on waves split by boat propellers. Gulls and Cormorants dived into the water to get fishes. Saline water Birds Hundreds of birds live in saline Mangrove forests of India. As these coastal forests are surrounded by water, they are good, safe fishing sites. Sunderbans, Baratang Islands, Bhitarkanika, Pichavaram, Mumbai creeks and Godavari-Krishna river delta holds the major Mangrove forests of India. I had gone to a few important bird sanctuaries located in mangrove forests like Salim Ali Bird sanctuary, Goa, Muthupet lagoon, Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary and Manakudy-Rajakamangalam backwaters. Point Calimere Bird Sanctuary I visited Point Calimere Bird Sanctuary, Nagapattinam during off-season; it was dry under a scorching Sun. Blackbucks and feral horses ran all over the dry forests of Kodiakarai. Ashy-crowned Sparrow Bushlarks flew all over the bushy scrublands. Even though they were smaller, they were very active and flew swiftly over the air. In the marshy mangroves of Kodiakarai, we could spot a Pond Heron, few Brahminy kites and a Eurasian Curlew. Manakudy mangroves I had visited Manakudy-Rajakamangalam backwaters multiple times. Manakudy mangroves are richer and house hundreds of birds. During a boat trip through the complex mangroves of Manakudy, large Gray Herons and colorful Painted Storks waded in the shallow marshes. Whiskered Terns, Black-headed Gulls and Cormorants flew and dived in the brackish waters. As we return to the shore, heavy rains lashed and the sun was about to set. A huge flock with hundreds of birds including Gulls, Terns, Cormorants and Pelicans circled the dense canopies of the mangroves and swirled around like a storm. It was one of the most memorable moments I ever had. Getting on shore, we saw a large Barn Owl on a cement pole, with a large black eyes and a whitish hearted face looking at me. Migratory Birds Mudflats and salt pans in Manakudy have a rich variety of shorebirds in Kanyakumari. Plovers, Stilts and Flamingoes can be seen around these salt pans. Little Stints, very small waders found in flocks are the most impressive birds. I was surprised to know that these birds being small as mid-sized chicks, travelled from Arctic Tundra to Southern India. Bar-tailed Godwits, Spotted and Common Redshanks, marsh Sandpipers, Common Greenshanks and Ruffs are other few migratory birds seen here. These birds travel from high latitudes to Kanyakumari. I was amazed to see these beautiful travelers; I think we aren’t welcoming them as guests to our neighborhood, though migratory birds like ‘senkaal naaraai’ (White Stork) got its mention in Sangam literature itself. Also we saw a large flock of Flamingoes, like a pink cloud. Kanyakumari is the only place in India to see Flamingoes throughout the year. Salim Ali bird sanctuary, Goa Salim Ali bird sanctuary in Goa is another beautiful bird sanctuary located in the mouth of Mandovi River. Surrounded by urban settlements, this small river island nurtures a good population of birds. As we went inside the complex creeks of the mangrove forests, birds including Reef and Gray Herons sat on the weak branches of the trees. I had seen my favorite Raptors like Ospreys and white-bellied sea Eagles. We spotted white bellied sea eagles flying over the skies of mangroves; they were large raptors, heavily built and armed with razor-sharp talons and powerful beak. Sea birds or pelagic birds are another group of birds that spend most of their lives on sea, foraging for dead carcasses and fishes. To Be Continued ... Sources: Several, including Wikipedia, Birds of the Indian subcontinent_Richard Grimmett, Carol Inskipp and Tim Inskipp _Helm Field Guide.