Athirappilly project threatens hornbills

Mini Muringatheri  

ATHIRAPPILLY (THRISSUR),  

The Hindu, February 19, 2011

If you trek deep into the Athirappilly-Vazhachal forests in the Southern Western Ghats, chances are that you may hear, from up in the canopy of trees, a heavy whooshing sound – somewhat similar to that of a jet airplane. If you are lucky, you will catch a glimpse of a magnificent bird, the Great Hornbill. But if the 163-MW Athirappilly hydroelectric project proposed by the Kerala State Electricity Board comes through, these unique birds might vanish from these forests.

The survival of the hornbills hangs in the balance as the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Committee, led by environmentalist Madhav Gadgil, is set to submit its report on the environmental impact of the Athirappilly project by the end of March. If the committee approves the project, it will lead to the submergence of the hornbills' habitat.

The unique low-elevation (180 m MSL) riparian forest in the Athirappilly-Vazhachal area is the only location where you can find all the four South Indian species of hornbills — the Great Hornbill (the State Bird of Kerala), Malabar Pied Hornbill, Malabar Grey Hornbill, and the Indian Grey Hornbill. Their resonating ‘tock.tock.tock' calls and the whooshing sound of their wing flaps have earned them the local name ‘Malamuzhakki' (the one that creates an echo in the hillsides).

“The Athirappilly-Vazhachal forests are the only available nesting location for the threatened Malabar Pied Hornbills (Anthracoceros coronatus) in Kerala. They are endemic to low elevation forests in limited locations of South India and Sri Lanka,” says K.H. Amitha Bachan, a researcher and consultant to Kerala Forest Department and the World Wildlife Fund-India Ecological Monitoring Programme. The other location where this species is found is the Dandeli area in Karnataka.

The prime threat to the species, apart from increased poaching, is lack of suitable nesting trees and feed. Mr. Bachan says that hornbills have an umbilical relationship with the rain forests. Forests undisturbed by humans are crucial for their survival. The natural hollows of high-canopy trees serve as their nests. They are extremely sensitive to disturbances. Though their long bills prevent binocular vision, their sharp eyes and good hearing alert them to the slightest movement on the forest floor. “During our surveys, we located as many as 57 nests in the Vazhachal Forest Division. We found three Great Hornbill nests in a two-kilometre stretch at a 200-metre altitude. This could be one of the last remaining low altitude riparian evergreen forests in the Western Ghats.”

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Bird survey spots a ‘newcomer'

K.S. Sudhi
KOCHI,  
The Hindu,February 15, 2011 

Grey-necked bunting, a dry area bird, has been spotted from the shola forests of south Kerala. The bird, usually found in normal plains, was spotted at an altitude of 1,200 metres at Athirumala in Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary recently. Researchers said the bird was very rare in southern Kerala. Its presence was first recorded in Kannur in 2006.

The bird was spotted in a survey conducted in Neyyar and Peppara, the southernmost wildlife sanctuaries in Kerala. This was the 66 {+t} {+h} survey conducted in Kerala, said P.O. Nameer, who led the survey. Three vulnerable species including Broad-tailed Grassbird, White-bellied Shortwing and Nilgiri Wood Pigeon were recorded during the survey. However, four others, Wayanad Laughing-thrush, Great-eared Nightjar, Blue-bearded Bee-eater and Great Black Woodpecker, were conspicuous by its absence.

Even though these species could not be spotted during the survey, other birds which occupied the same niche were identified. Of the16 species endemic to Western Ghats, 14 were recorded, Dr. Nameer said.

Blanford's Laughing-thrush, Nilgiri Pipit, Great Pied Hornbill, Darter, Lesser Fish-Eagle and Nilgiri Flycatcher are some of the near threatened species, according to the classification of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Guidelines, that could be spotted during the survey.

Black-and-Orange Flycatcher, Grey-headed Bulbul, Oriental-Dwarf Kingfisher, Black-capped Kingfisher and Black Baza were also spotted. Ceylon Frogmouth was reported from many mid and low altitude sites in the sanctuaries.

The survey team consisted of S. Kalesh of the Travancore Nature History Society and J. Praveen of the Kerala Birder.

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Ponnambalamedu to be part of Periyar Tiger Reserve

Radhakrishnan Kuttoor
The Hindu,Feb 15, 2011

PATHANAMTHITTA: Ponnambalamedu and surrounding forest areas under the Goodrickal range of the Ranni Forest Division will be annexed to the Periyar Tiger Reserve soon.
Ranni Divisional Forest Officer L. Krishnaprasad told The Hindu on Monday that 148 sq.km. of forestland in the Ranni forest division adjoining the PTR-East and PTR-West forest divisions had been identified for inclusion in the PTR as per a notification (GOP No. 75/2007) issued by the Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department on December 31, 2007.
He said the earmarked areas include the ecologically sensitive areas of Ponnambalamedu, Chenthamarakokka, Meenar and Varayaadummotta.
Reservoirs excluded
However, the Kakki-Anathode and Pampa reservoirs of the Sabarigiri hydro-electric project of the Kerala State Electricity Board in the region had been excluded.
Mr. Krishnaprasad said Ponnambalamedu, Chenthamarakokka and adjoining areas had been identified as core or critical tiger habitats.
The DFO issued directives to the Goodrickal Forest Range Officer to take steps for the transfer of land to the PTR.
He said the land would be handed over after a joint inspection of the area by officials attached to the forest divisions of Ranni and PTR.
The forest area has a vast expanse of biodiversity-rich shola forests, where there is abundance of moisture.
Shola forests
Experts say ‘sholas' are ‘Tropical Montane Forests' interspersed with rolling grasslands in mountain tracts 1,500 metres above mean sea level and are the continuation of the west coast tropical wet evergreen forests. Shola forests have high ecological significance in protecting the head waters of rivers.
They have the capability of holding up water received by precipitation like a sponge, preventing rapid runoff.
There were criticisms from environmental groups against permitting eucalyptus plantations by the Hindustan Newsprint Limited in the Pachakkanam-Gavi areas.
However, no further revenue-earning activity will be permitted in the area, once the inclusion of the 148 sq.km. of forest area to PTR is completed.

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There is more to PTR than tigers

Giji K. Raman
KATTAPPANA,  
The Hindu, February 6, 2011 

A Malabar pied hornbill in the reserve.

The Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) harbours a wide variety of migratory and endemic birds too, with various ornithological surveys in the sanctuary recording 323 species so far.

In a recent survey, nine new species, Spot-billed pelican, Pheasant-tailed jacana, Purple heron, Purple swamp hen, Western reef egret, Oriental white ibis, Common teal, Common moorhen and Common coot, were identified in the sanctuary

A. Veeramani, an ecologist at the Periyar Foundation, who keeps a record of the bird surveys here from 1993, says that though migratory birds here are less when compared to better known bird sanctuaries like Thattekkad, 14 species endemic to the Western Ghats are found in the PTR. An earlier survey had identified four new bird species — Common green shank, Malabar pied hornbill, Ashy-crowned sparrow lark and Chestnut-bellied nuthatch.

The avifauna of Periyar includes birds of prey (raptors), water birds, galliform birds, pigeons, woodpeckers and passerines. Cormorants and darters are numerous in the lake and woolly-necked storks and grey herons are found on the fringes of Thekkady Lake. Along with many common birds, the Great Hornbill, an endangered species, is common in the park.

The Western Ghats is known as an area of high avian endemism. Fourteen endemic species are reported from southern Western Ghats viz., Malabar grey hornbill, Nilgiri wood pigeon, Malabar parakeet, Crimson-fronted barbet, Rufous babbler, Nilgiri laughingthrush, White-bellied treepie, Black-and-orange flycatcher, flycatcher, White-bellied blue flycatcher, Broad-tailed grassbird, Nilgiri pipit, White-bellied shortwing and Crimson-backed sunbird. Except Nilgiri laughingthrush, all endemic bird species of Western Ghats are found in PTR.

‘Disjunct species' too

Besides the endemic species, the Western Ghats is home to certain ‘disjunct species,' which are found in the Eastern Himalayas too but are absent in between. They include Black baza, Rufous-bellied eagle, Great hornbill, Spot-bellied eagle owl, Sri Lanka frogmouth, Great eared nightjar, Dollarbird, Scaly thrush and Little spider hunter. All the disjunct species in the Ghats, except Grass owl and Oriental bay owl are found in the the PTR.

 

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Now, Kurinji blossoms on your table

K.S. Sudhi
The Hindu,
Feb 03, 2011

KOCHI: Kurinji flowers of various hues are to blossom on your tabletops round the year.
The managers of the Eravikulam National Park have come up with a Kurinji tabletop calendar this year showcasing 12 rare species of the plant variety.
The name Kurinji evokes images of gregarious blossoming of the Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana) in Rajamala and adjoining areas. Though much has been written and discussed about Neelakurinji, there are a few lesser known Strobilanthes species in the shola grassland and other forest ecosystems of the State.
It was the flowering period of 12 years of Neelakurinji that prompted a large number of visitors to undertake long and tiresome journeys from faraway places to Eravikulam to catch a glimpse of the flowers in 2006. But there are some other species which take longer periods for flowering. Strobilanthes zenkerianus is one such Kurinji species which takes around 18 years to flower.
While the Neelakurinji is a shrub, the homotropus species is a tree which can grow up to a size of 20 feet. It is also known as mara kurinji in local parlance. The barbatus species is another tree belonging to the Strobilanthes genus.
One of the specialities of the 2006 flowering was that besides Neelakurinji, a few more Kurinji species also bloomed simultaneously, which was a rare occurrence, said A.K. Pradeepkumar, a wildlife photographer, who had extensively photographed the species.
The Forest authorities have used the photographs of Mr. Pradeepkumar for bringing out the calendar. The photos of the table calendar are the results of long hours of trekking through the difficult terrain and forest lands and it took eight months for photographing 16 Kurinji species, said Mr. Pradeepkumar.
 

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