In SHAR Road, Pulicat for GBBC-2017

SHAR Road-Pulicat

Title changed but our activities remain the same, yes this time bird survey happened under the name of GBBC short form for Great Backyard Bird Count. Chennai Bird Race for last month. GBBC dated is from feb17 to 20. The MNS planned this year to participate in GBBC and selected spotting area to be SHAR road near Sri Harikotta, Pulicat, Andhara Pradesh.

Briefly about GBBC- survey done not only in india, it is a global event. The bird survey wallpaper was published in http://www.birdcount.in/ . Any  society and individuals willing can participate and input their  bird count to http://ebird.org/content/india/ . During  survey, i thought that census of human population in india is taking place once in 10 years and 4 years once for Tiger but  for birds ? why the government  does not focus that much in bird survey?. Question mark is standing without answer  in front of the government.

Team

Thereby only bird societies, individuals, institutions, NGOS are focusing  birds survey in different name in different states example- Pongal bird count in Tamilnadu, Onam bird count in kerla etc. I agree that tiger is all power full animal but at the same time without birds in forest tiger can not survive due to the Food chain.

If we think pulicat immediately comes to our mind  flamingo, but when we went there for GBBC 2017 there is not even a single flamingo.To our surprise, there were flamingo banner every 500meters instead . So we can come to a conclusion that no water, hence, no birds. Anyhow, we focused deeply and spotted more than 25 species. There is wide lake spread on both sides of SHAR road, but, without water due to failed north east monsoon.

Watch Tower

The  day before remembered  by vijayakumar sir to arrive by 4.30am at Gandhi mandapam. Here i have to tel about vijayakumar sir. Ever full energetic and dynamic person without tension. Not only his mouth by words,even  his body also explains to others when he narrates about birds and tour experience. Whenever I meet him, he speaks with joy. Totally 12 persons were present in Gandhi mandapam, started from there by 3 cars to SHAR road via- Guindy, redhills, gumudipoondi, thada, sulurpet. If we take right  form sulurpet ill come SHAR road. In sulurpet, board shows that it is 18km  to Sri Harikotta.

Reached by morning 6.30am that time sun arrived (Photo attached). First, little and intermediate egret  invited us, then single red-watlled lapwing. Straight road with lake at both sides.  if water  is there only we can see lots of birds. But not like that so we walked and roamed here and there, went to near water many times, saw bushes and trees finally identified below given species:

1.Jerdon’s Bushlark, 

2.Grey Heron, 

3.Plover, 

4.Little Tern, 

5.Gull Billed Tern, 

6.Green Shank, 

7.Indian Roller, 

8. Golden Oriel, 

9.Black Drongo, 

10.Ashy Prinia, 

11.House Crow, 

12.Jungle Crow, 

13.Barn Swallow, 

14.Painted Stork, 

15.White throated kingfisher, 

16.Common Tern, 

17.Red vented Bulbul, 

18.Southern Coucal, 

19. Parakeet, 

20.Pond Heron, 

21.Little Egret, 

22.Intermediate Egret, 

23.Common Sandpiper 

24.Gray Francolin calls, 

25.Rock Pigeon,

26.Yellow billed  babbler and

27.Common Myna

we saw above birds not in one place, but  in different places. One birder from outside came with camera he told that there is no bird, so he did not take photos too.  because easily could not see birds there due to lack of water and he followed  us with his bike wherever we go and took snaps. Finally he went happily. Because we spent more time in each and every place even though birds is not  there. 

 Here i narrate whatever seen from my mind. 4 painted stork standing ,2 grey heron too, more than 5 parakeets flying , single sandpiper doing its work in water, short distance from sandpiper 4 plover searching for food, single Jerdon’s Bushlark roosting in electric wire, as usual barn swallow roosting and flying, little water in lake it is  very long  from the road. At  that time vijayakumar sir told that some birds landing in water so we walked in to the lake to identify. There, little, gull-billed and common terns with 3 green shank. After returning from  lake, we saw Indian roller in the electric wire and Golden oriel roosting in tree branch. ( photo attached), single southern coucal in ground. Few monkeys were walking and taking rest.

Jerdon's bushlark

Not sad but disappointed due to presence of few birds so planned to have breakfast, everybody brought different kind of snacks like biscuit, sandwich, bread, murukku etc .I was sitting in Ashish gupta sir car. Throughout the journey I have seen ashish sir activity, its  fantastic like talking with smile and always being happy with others. No partial move. Happily introduced by himself to the new comers. For example-when i was standing in Gandhi mandapam morning by 4.30 he introduced himself by telling name and handshake. Same mannerism with him till i had been there. Enjoying his life by watching birds and talking with others.

Here no raptors, mostly in wetland or lake it is there, some birds of prey flying, but raptors also disappointed like us as we could not see them there. Taken only few  snaps not like that of Chennai bird race.

Returned from SHAR road to restaurant to have tea and coffee. Before starting form SHAR road vijay sir told that if we go to thada, there is a hotel . We reached hotel at 9.30 am. Talked about SHAR road while having coffee. After restaurant our car moved towards  Greater Chennai. 3 cars riding in different routes now, our car via red hills , porur , guindy, adyar  finally i got down at adyar signal by 11.30am.

Enjoyed trip but if i think about survey in SHAR road is not satisfactory but  another Bird survey within a month in another place with some other title. So till birds are  living in world our journey also will. thereby this is not an end, will keep on going going going …….bye friends

-chezheyan

 Photo credit: Dr.Masilamani

lapwing2010@gmail.com

10th Chennai Bird Race

Northern Pintail with pelican

When we saw two comb duck in perumbakkam lake, we decided that comb duck is our bird of the day so mentioned in our record note also. Before starting survey I  informed my team members to assemble in sholinganallur junction at 6.00am sharp. As i expected everybody assembled in time. In our team two people were new to Birds survey and bird watching too. So I explained basics about birds and bird watching to them. Because survey is next level of bird watching so initially if they confuse themselves about birds and birds survey maybe they  will leave or feel bored about bird watching thereby I explained only basics about birds. This method gave results,  at the end of the day  they asked (New members) me which birds books to buy for reference and binocular too.

10^th Chennai Bird Race was conducted by MNS( Madras Naturalist Society) and HSBC

Our plan was first to visit muttukaadu bridge, next  kelambakkam backwater and finally to perumbakkam lake so our bike automatically went to muttukaadu bridge with joy. There were lots of sea birds  flying in front of us. We were happy to see huge number of Caspian tern  flying. Noticed by binocular beak of Caspian tern is red color and  body white. After taking enough snaps, we saw in sea water pelican  swimming and flying river tern, whiskered tern. We were in muttukaadu bridge  for more than half an hour finally made a record in note whatever seen.

Pelican-  by Masilamani

After muttukkaadu we were riding in ECR there I saw a spotted dove  roosting in power line in the right side of the road. Kelambakkam backwater is the heaven of sea birds and water birds. Black headed gulls were swimming happily but ducks were not seen in kelambakkam. Group of Pelicans standing in rock situated in the center of backwater. I have seen Santharaam sir in kelambakkam backwater he was watching birds with his colleague. Single Painted stork was standing for long hour in backwater like human, we have seen in both sides of backwater that Great Egrets were walking. Wherever water is clean, there  we can see Great Egret.

We were roaming about both sides of backwater to see perching birds inside water bodies tree. There Ashy prinia, warblers were seen and taken count aslo. Very happy to see in our record note for having crossed 25 species. Somebody from my team told that stomach needs something(hungry) so decided  to have some snacks and tea in  the main road of kelambakkam. We enjoyed in kelambakkam backwater, saw lots of migration birds.

Comb Duck

Chit-chat for few minutes in snacks shop after having tea and discussed about  birds in muttukaadu and kelambakkam . The book of Indian birds authored by grimmet  is very useful for reference and to find out birds which where seen in three places (muttukaadu,kelambakkam,perumbakkam). Two days back friend masilamani who worked in sathyabama university discussed about taking  survey inside sathyabama university  that  some water birds and perching birds are there. But cannot get permission to take survey the a eleventh hour so we quit sathyabama university from our list and added  muttukadu bridge instead .

Image by Masilamani

Our bike finally reached again shollinganallur junction at 10am. When we took turn Left side of the junction, perumbakkam lake has come. The lake was  with full of water covered by huge local and international migration ducks like Northern pintail, Northern shoveler, spot billed duck, comb duck, whistling duck, little grebe etc… every water bodies  welcomed us with little cormorant first, here also the same. One cormorant in kelambakkam was roosting with open  feathers. a new person in our team asked me whether cormorant feathers  got locked with something I told him  that mostly cormorant do like feathers open for some reason.

Painted Stork by Masilamani

In Perumbakkam we saw more than 30 species. Pied kingfisher was clearly doing its job i.e  standing above water with flapping it feathers and seeing inside water when fish will come or not if it sees fish coming, it suddenly dives inside water like diving person.  After finishing  its  work roosted in wire near lake .

Here in perumbakkam we saw little cormorant, pelican, painted stork, white throated kingfisher, pied kingfisher, open bill stork, gray heron, purple heron, pond heron, little egret, great egret, cattle egret, little grebe, parakeet, marsh harrier, northern pintail, northern shoveler, spot billed duck, whistling duck, comb or knob bill duck, spoon bill, sandpiper, white browed wagtail, black winged stilt, ashy prinia, red wattled lapwing etc…..

Pied Kingfisher

End of the survey i told to others that will meet evening at function. Function took place at TAG center within the campus of Anna university. Every group persons were present in the TAG center and submitted record note to authorized person. There snack and tea were  served outside the hall  for  members and audience. Drama was held for  one hour about tree cutting in villages for establishing industrial  building or mining.

School children’s who participated in bird survey,  came in uniform. The MNS has given bird books to school children  to encourage them in  bird watching. Santhaaram sir announced results, one team saw 105 species in and around Chennai . we saw 55 species in three places. Santharam sir has spoken  about comb duck so we were happy about that.  After function had dinner and left  TAG center by 9.45pm.

Lakshmi, Sharan, Arun, Yogananthan, Mani, Vijayakumar,  Masilamani -taken by chezheyan

Thanks to MNS President Mr.K.V. Sudhakar, Vice president Mr.Vijayakumar, Mr.Santharaam for having  conducted 10^th Chennai Bird Race in a successful manner.

-Chezheyan

lapwing2010@gmail.com