Tamil Nadu’s 17th Bird Sanctuary, a protected bird sanctuary in Tiruppur district, is home to colorful, vibrant and rare migratory birds.
Tamil Nadu’s 17th Bird Sanctuary, a protected bird sanctuary in Tiruppur district, is home to colorful, vibrant and rare migratory birds.
At the far end of the 440-acre lake lies a muddy, green patch where we see pelicans, painted storks, and coots, in numbers in the hundreds, strolling along the lake on a windy morning. Nanjarayan Tank, a biodiversity hotspot, has been declared as the 17th bird sanctuary of Tamil Nadu on April 25.
“Just two days ago, the count stood at 220 cormorants and 165 pelicans,” says Ravindran Kamachchi, president of Tiruppur’s Nature Society. The mud flats scattered in the middle of the lake support a thriving ecosystem and are out of bounds for humans. This undisturbed habitat attracts a large number of birds.”
Nanjarayan Tank also known as Sarkar Periyapalayam Reservoir is located on the outskirts of Tiruppur city near Kulipalayam, about 60 kms from Coimbatore. “It is over 800 years old and birds have been visiting for centuries,” says Ravindran, who along with a few other naturalists was at the forefront of a long-standing request to declare the lake a protected wetland or bird sanctuary.
a biodiversity hotspot
Rudy Shelduck | photo credit: Ravindran Kamchachi
The team has so far recorded 181 species of birds, including migratory and resident, 16 species of reptiles, over 40 species of butterflies, 11 species of mammals and 76 types of flora. “When C Samayamurthy took over as the first district collector of Tiruppur, formed in 2009, we approached him with a petition to declare the tank as a bird sanctuary. In 2019, we submitted a project report to I Unwardene, IFS, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests. We made a one minute video with drone shots to give a glimpse of the rich diversity of tanks… We have been working in this direction for years. We got support from officials like SN Tejashwi, DFO and NGOs like Vanthukkul Tiruppur,” explains Raveendran.
The pond, built by the then local king Nanjarayan as a source of irrigation, is a haven for migratory birds. “We saw four bar-headed geese in 2010, the first significant sighting of a migratory bird, one of the world’s highest-flying birds from Europe that climbs the Himalayas during winter migration. Koothankulam or Point Calimere,” he recalls. Another notable sight is a herd of 14 ruddy shelducks that breed in parts of Europe and Central Asia (the first record for Tamil Nadu in such large numbers in 2020). .
The 18-member team is a regular in forest department surveys and census studies, and also rescues injured birds, mostly owls, koalas and peacocks, before handing them over to the animal rescue centre.
Little Stints | photo credit: Ravindran Kamchachi
He involved the people living on the banks of Nanjrayan Tank as stakeholders in the conservation. “They alert us when they see illegal fishing activities. We created awareness against bursting of crackers during Diwali as it coincides with the peak migrant season. They do not disturb the habitat of the migratory birds living in the fringes of the lake.”
But, it is a cause for concern that the numbers are declining. They remember the sights of when the lake looked like a blue canvas, speckled with black, gray and white, when thousands of ducks such as the northern shovels, garganese, northern pintails and common teal were covered in December and March during the migratory season. used to come between
A Thriving Bird Shelter | photo credit: Ravindran Kamchachi
“The siltation work carried out by the Public Works Department in 2015 put an end to the mudflats. As with waste from dyeing units, water pollution is widespread, making it less conducive to migratory birds. A few years ago, we counted over 20,000 birds. Now, the number is 2000. Once the forest department takes steps to restore the habitat after the establishment of the bird sanctuary, we can expect the numbers to increase.
A conservation center to document bird diversity is expected as well as watchtowers, interpretation centres, walkways and a butterfly garden. Educating children is a priority, says Ravindran. The society has so far completed over 300 education programs on the appreciation of nature and has reached out to over 80,000 children in Tiruppur, Erode, Coimbatore, Pollachi and Tuticorin.
“It is our aim to involve children in nature, and to inspire them to take up conservation with scientific thinking. We talk about how birds as forest farmers play a great role in seed dispersal and regeneration of forests. There’s ecological importance. Then, we talk about habitat, conservation … and bringing them here on the lake.”