Winged beauties from across the Himalayas and Eurasian region have kept their annual tryst and congregated in large numbers in Mysuru and surrounding districts for their winter sojourn.
The annual migration of these birds commences sometimes in September when severe winter sets in the northern hemisphere and their return journey along the same flight path begins in March.
Birders of Mysuru conducted a one-day survey on January 22, 2024, and the final results after tabulation was shared by A. Shivaprakash who has been conducting bird census and survey for more than 35 years and pegged the single-day count of migratory water birds at 4372.
The total number of all birds that were counted including the resident and local varieties, was pegged at 40,435. In all, 226 species were identified this year compared to 215 species last year and they included 56 migratory species and 153 resident species.
The exercise entailed 20 teams comprising 59 birders who collected data from 148 locations spread over Mysuru, Mandya and Chamarajanagar districts on a single day.
A single-day count is reckoned to provide more robust data and accurate figures as the chances of duplication of bird count are minimised, said Mr. Shivaprakash.
This year’s migratory bird count of 4372 was way better than 995 birds that were sighted during 2023 which was one of the worst in recent times. The low count was attributed to unseasonal rains and floods during 2022 as a result of which water bodies were full to the brim. Contrary to popular belief, excess water and unseasonal rains hinders bird congregation, Mr. Shivaprakash added.
Bar—headed Goose which flies all the way from Mongolia soaring above the Himalayas was found in large numbers in Nugu backwaters. As many as 1500 of these birds were found in Nugu alone and it was the highest count for any location for the species which was spread across 12 locations while the total count was 27389 for Bar-headed Goose.
Northern Shovelers were found in 18 locations and their total count was 234 only 18 Gargeneys were found on the day of the count while subsequently about 500 of them were spotted in KRS backwaters though their numbers are not included in the final data.
Eurasian Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Eurasian Coot, Spot bill Duck, Glossy Ibis, Spot billed Pelican, Northern Pintail, Indian Pond Heron, Brahminy Kite, Red Wattled Lapwing, Spotted Dove were a few other species that were sighted during the mid-winter fowl census, said Mr. Shivaprakash.
The most abundant species – total count from all the locations was Cattle Egret with 2824 followed by Bar-headed Goose (2738). There were 830 Spot-billed Pelicans at Ranganathittu, 800 Northern Pintails and 500 Glossy Ibis in KRS.
KRS had the highest number of birds – 3163- of all species followed by Nugu backwaters with 1630 of them. KRS also harboured 107 species which was the highest for any water body. Muganahundi with 95 species, Melkote (78) and Hadajana Kere with 77 species were other important water bodies that harboured these winged beauties.
