Urbanisation leads to drop in local avian population

Over the past few years, the residents of Revenue Office Quarters in Anna Nagar were witness to thousands of local bird species, nesting in the premises. However, they also noticed that a large number of hatchlings were in threat of mortality – due to preying by cats or falling from the trees and being run over by vehicles. This year, however, with the help of volunteers, nets were installed to ensure that even if they fall, these hatchlings are not injured. 

Dr S David Raj, forest range officer, said that most of the nests were in a pitiable condition. “We saw more than thousands of nests of species like Indian pond herons, night herons, little cormorant and little egret. The residents came forward and informed us about these birds and we sent out our personnel to help rescue the hatchlings,” he said. 

Environmentalist Shravan Krishnan said that the residents volunteered to safeguard the hatchlings. “The problem is that the hatchlings tend to fall and they are either eaten by cats or run over by vehicles. So we started tying nets to save these hatchlings and until now, more than 60 hatchlings have been sent to the zoo, for further care. The residents have started putting signboards, which inform people on what to do if they spot a hatchling and also patrol regularly during the night. They have also cautioned people to drive slowly,” he said. 

According to birdwatcher and expert S Chandrasekaran, loss of habitat and lakes has resulted in dwindling population of these local species. “Severe urbanisation has meant that these birds have no place to nest. Sometimes, you can find the birds nesting in homes and residential areas. The lakes are no longer there, preventing these birds from foraging for food, since these birds don’t go too far. This has resulted in the population of these local species coming down,” he said.