The Blue-tailed Bee-eaters, with a green body
and a blue tail, generally feed on bees and wasps, but dragonflies are
what they love to eat. Usually seen around the time of Onam, these
dragonflies were missing this Onam season in the Punchakkari wetlands.
But now, both the prey and predator have arrived at the same time.
The
migratory season of birds started off with the arrival of swallows at
Punchakkari -Vellayani wetlands in late August. The Red-rumped Swallows
which were seen in large numbers when there were a lot of paddy fields,
have touched a near-zero with the drop in paddy fields in and around the
area. But the Barn Swallows from Haridwar and different parts of the
Himalayas are seen in huge numbers and are pretty active.
A
limited number of Pacific Swallows and Streak-throated Swallows were
seen hunting around for pests and insects. Their favourite haunt was the
electric line near the Velayani lake.
The prominent migrant water birds seen at Punchakkari
were Common Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Common Snipe, Little Ringed
Plover and Eurasian Golden Plover.
In most parts of India, there is a
strong association between the Pied Cuckoos and the monsoon rain. They
are known to arrive in late May or early June, indicating the arrival of
rain. They arrive with juveniles and once they are mature, they move
back to hot weather conditions such as in Palakkad, Chinnar wildlife
sanctuary and drier areas of Tamil Nadu. That they are still in
Punchakkari is a cause of concern for environmentalists.
Hundreds
of Rosy Starlings, also known as Rose-coloured Pastor. were seen
feeding near the bushes and weedy marshes near the Canal Road. Brown
Shrike, another winter visitor, was also observed near the bushes.
Apart
from the visitors from the North and abroad, local migrant birds were
also active at Punchakkari-Vellayani wetlands. The local migrant water
birds Indian Coot, Indian Moorhen, Cotton Teal, Lesser Whistling Duck
and Dab chicks were happily feeding near the water bodies of main canal.(Courtesy Indian Express)
