Migration season witnesses the arrival of unusual feathered guests at Karaivetti

There have been references of this rare stork visiting TN, but there is no adequate photographic documentation of this vulnerable bird and recently the bird watchers from Biodiversity Conservation Foundation tracked the bird and have documented the single bird, said a forest department official.

Karaivetti is one of the less explored wetlands by biologists and is comparatively supported by large tracts of barren and agricultural land and this had enabled the sanctuary to attract large storks and migratory duck varieties, as usual, said K Brinda, conservation scientist, Biodiversity Conservation Foundation. The sighting of the woolly necked stork is a surprise and only a single bird was spotted near Venganur. The bird watchers have also recorded large numbers of bar-headed goose, this season. The paddy cultivation coupled with good rains has made the delta region conducive to the bar-headed goose, Brinda added.

The migration season attracts many kinds of birds to Karaivetti and the nearby Vaduvoor bird sanctuary in the Thiruvarur district and this year the sighting of duck varieties like pintail shoveller, pelican and teal were recorded in large numbers in the delta region. The migration was also encouraging in Point Calimere and there is a visible dip in the population of spoonbills when compared to the previous years, said a forest department official.

The bar-head geese breeds in Central Asia near mountain lakes, and they frequent south Indian wetlands and ghat areas. Koonthankulam bird sanctuary in Tirunelveli is a happening place for the bar-headed goose and now they are sighting are becoming common in Karaivetti and Kelambakkam near Chennai, said the official.