Nature Initiative Kerala

92 species recorded in bird survey

The Hindu, August 30, 2017
E.M. Manoj KALPETTA

A three-day monsoon bird survey, organised jointly by the Forest Department, College of Forestry, Thrissur, and the Hume Centre for Ecology and Wildlife Biology (HCEWB), in the North Wayanad Division recently recorded 92 species.
No bird surveys have been conducted in the forest division in the past eight years. The survey found five species of bulbuls, seven species of babblers, five species of pigeons, and three species of raptors. It recorded Bright Headed Cisticola and broad-tailed grassland birds in the higher grasslands of the Brahmagiri hills. “Presence of these birds showed higher conservation significance of the Brahmagiri grasslands,” C.K. Vishnudas and R.L Rathish of the HCEWB, which performed scientific and technical coordination of the survey, told The Hindu.
“Other species include Rufous-Bellied Hawk Eagle, Lesser Coucal, ”Mr. Vishnudas added. As many as 25 birdwatchers from Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu participated in the survey. The survey was conducted during torrential rain braving leeches. “This was one of the toughest expeditions, especially during the monsoon. ,” Hemanth Batroy from Bengaluru, who led a trek to the Banasura mountains for the survey, said. The survey reports will aid in sanctuary management, North Wayanad Divisional Forest Officer K.C. Prasad said. The logistic support for the survey was coordinated by range forest officers M.N. Najmal Ameen, Prem Shamir, Arunesh, and K.J.John, section forest officer of the Mananthavadi forest range.
Birdwatchers Hemanth Batroy (Bengaluru), A. Shwetha (Mysuru), H. Sahana (Mysuru) Arun Chungapally, Muhammad Aslam, Abhijith, C. Anusreedha, and R.L Rathish led various camps.

Burrowing frogs add to diversity of Western Ghats

T. Nandakumar, Thiruvananthapuram
The Hindu , June 19, 2017

Opening another window into the fascinating world of amphibian diversity in the Western Ghats, a research student at the Delhi University has reported the discovery of four new species of burrowing frogs.
The finding, published in the international journal Zootaxa, is the result of five years of extensive explorations in the Western Ghats forests. The four new species belong to the genus Fejervarya, but unlike other members of the family, they possess the ability to burrow.
“Two of the new species could be facing serious threats from human activities,” says Sonali Garg, who conducted this study as part of her PhD research.
“Like most amphibians, they are highly sensitive to changes in the climate, and hence can be studied as environmental indicator species,” says Ms.Garg.
“We need to be concerned about the threats to these frogs and do more studies to re-assess their conservation status,” says Prof. S.D. Biju, who led the study.
The first of the new species, Manoharan’s Burrowing Frog (Fejervarya manoharani), was discovered from the Agasthyamala hills in South Kerala and is named after T.M. Manoharan, former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, in recognition of his conservation efforts. The Kadar Burrowing Frog (Fejervarya kadar) was collected from the Vazhachal forests and named after the Kadar tribe that was in the forefront of the agitation against the Athiripilly hydel project. The CEPF Burrowing Frog (Fejervarya cepfi) was found in Amboli, a popular hill station in Maharashtra and is named after the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund which had contributed to the preservation of biodiversity in the Western Ghats.
Discovered in the Parambikulam tiger reserve, the Neil Cox’s Burrowing Frog (Fejervarya neilcoxi) was named after Dr. Neil Cox of the International Union for Conservation of Nature who was instrumental in preparing the Red List of global amphibian species.

A new cast of crabs in Western Ghats

T.Nandakumar, Thiruvananthapuram
The Hindu, June 08, 2017

The Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot is in the spotlight once again, as scientists have discovered a new genus and six new species of freshwater crabs in these mountainous forests.
With the recent finding in Kerala, freshwater crab diversity in the State has risen to 34 species, the highest in the country. Nearly 50% of crabs in the Western Ghats (27 of 47 species) occur here.
All six species were discovered on the Kerala side. The researchers including S.K. Pati and P.M. Sureshan from Zoological Survey of India, L. Rajesh, Smrithy Raj and A. Biju Kumar of the Department of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, University of Kerala and V.U. Sheeja, Holy Cross College, Nagercoil published the find in Journal of Natural History.
Karkata, which stands for crab in Sanskrit, has been given a separate genus, indicating a higher order of distinctive features. It is endemic to the Western Ghats.
One of its species, Karkata ghanarakta, was collected from the Thattekad bird sanctuary in Ernakulam district while the second, Karkata kusumbha was reported from Mankulam in Idukki district. The species name ghanarakta is derived from the Sanskrit for maroon, reflecting the colour of the crab. The word kusumbha (Sanskrit for safflower) refers to the orange-red colours of the creature that resemble the floral hues.
The researchers found two new species in the genus Pilarta. While Pilarta aroma inhabits cold water mountain streams in the Agasthyamala Reserve in Thiruvananthapuram, Pilarta punctatissima was collected from Ovumkal in the Thattekad sanctuary.

Paddy embankments

One new species, Cylindrotelphusa longiphallus, came from deep burrows along paddy fields at Kuzhikattusseri, Thrissur. The name is derived from the Latin ‘longi’ for long and the Greek ‘phallus’, a reference to long male gonopods of the animal. Another new discovery, Cylindrotelphusa breviphallus, is from Ponmudi in Thiruvananthapuram.

Elephant census begins on May 17 in Kerala

E.M. Manoj, Kalpetta
The Hindu, May 12, 2017

An elephant census will be held in southern India from May 17 to May 19.
It is estimated that there are more than 6,000 elephants in the Wayanad, Nilambur, Anamudi, and Periyar elephant reserves of the State. The last census in 2012 had put the number of elephants at 6,177.
P.S. Easa, wildlife expert and coordinator of the programme, told The Hindu that along with Kerala, the census would be held in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. “Elephants are migratory animals and cross over to the adjoining States, which may lead to overestimation or underestimation. Hence, the count will be conducted simultaneously with the three States,” Dr. Easa said.
A twelve-member core committee has been constituted for the programme. Amit Mallick, field director, Periyar Tiger Reserve, is the nodal officer and chairman of the team.
The census, involving direct and indirect count, will cover elephant habitats spread around 9,670 sq km of the 11,119.3 sq km forest area of the State. The direct counting method is based on sightings of elephants, while in the indirect method, surveyors follow a dung decay formula for arriving at an estimate.
As many as 641 select blocks, a block may be of six to seven sq km, have been identified in the State and a three-member team, including a watcher and two beat forest officers, will be engaged in each block.
As many as 120 resources persons have been trained for the census and they will train close to 2,000 field staff.
The direct count will begin on May 17 and the indirect count on May 18.
The third day will be exclusively for collecting information on population structure of the jumbos and will be in open areas where the pachyderms are frequently sighted.
The Periyar Tiger Conservation foundation will coordinate the census.

Walking to revive a near-dead Varattar

Radhakrishnan Kuttoor, PATHANAMTHITTA
The Hindu, May 11, 2017

Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac will lead a ‘river walk’ along the Varattar, a more or less dead tributary of the Pampa, on May 29 as part of the government’s proposed Varattar rejuvenation project. The initiative is to collect first-hand information on the original boundaries of the river, spread across Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha districts.
The nine-km Varattar was a perennial freshwater source linking the Pampa and the Manimala rivers till its degradation started four decades ago. Dr. Isaac visited the Varattar river mouth near Othera-Puthukkulangara during an official programme of the Eraviperoor grama panchayat on May 1. The once prolific river is almost dry now, with heavily weeded patches of water and narrow streams at certain points. Indiscriminate sand-mining over the past four decades drastically lowered the riverbeds of the Pampa and the Manimala, blocking the natural water flow between the two rivers through the Varattar.

House panel inspection

An inspection by the Legislative Committee on Environment in 2002 found that almost two-third of the Varattar riverbed had been encroached upon for cultivating tapioca, paddy, vegetables, and fodder. Concrete structures too have come up on the riverbed at certain points. In its report to the government, the panel recommended rejuvenation of the Varattar, saying it could be a boon to the water-scarce river basin. The river was once a water channel for the kettuvalloms (cargo boats) from Alappuzha to Aranmula.

Meeting planned

Water Resources Minister Mathew T.Thomas will convene a meeting in Thiruvananthapuram to prepare a draft rejuvenation plan for the Varattar. Dr. Isaac too will attend the meeting.
Local body chiefs of the Thiruvanvandoor municipality as well as the grama panchayats of Thiruvanvandoor, Eraviperoor, Kuttoor, and Koipram too will accompany Dr. Issac in the ‘river walk’. Eraviperoor panchayat vice-president N.Rajeev said the panchayat resumed 12 acres of river poromboke from encroachers in 2015. Dr. Isaac said the government was planning to include the Varattar rejuvenation plan in the Harita Keralam project. He said Central funds would also be sought under the Pampa Action Plan.

AHADS projects cut a sorry figure

K A Shaji, Attappady
The Hindu, May 11, 2017

With the State government backtracking completely from initiating follow-up action to preserve its gains in areas of eco-restoration and tribal empowerment, the once celebrated Attappady Hill Area Development Society (AHADS) has turned into a complete wastage of public money. Lack of maintenance of the multi-crore projects it implemented, along with the prevailing drought and acute drinking water scarcity, are making life miserable for the common man.
The society, which had received an assistance of Rs. 219 crore from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), stopped functioning when the contract with the external agency was over three years ago. It was then the responsibility of the State government to initiate follow-up actions to preserve the achievements of the society, especially in revitalising the dried up water sources.
River dries up again
The 38-km Kodungarapallam, which had a rebirth because of the eco-restoration initiatives undertaken by AHADS, has completely dried up now because of indiscriminate sand-mining and deforestation. Same is the case of Uppumkarapallam, a 11-km rivulet that ensured water security to a number of tribal hamlets.
Though the project helped afforestation of 11,000 hectares of barren land, apart from bringing 5,000 hectares of fallow land under cultivation, lack of efforts over the past three years made the initiative an abject failure.
Soil and water conservation projects initiated in 17,000 hectares have also turned big failures. Check-dams and rainwater harvesting measures initiated under the project have completely failed because of the lack of periodic repair and maintenance.
Other than converting AHAD’s huge office complex at Agali as a training centre for local bodies, nothing has been done to preserve its achievements.
“Before winding up its projects, AHADS had prepared a Rs. 253-crore total hamlet development programme. It had also submitted to the government a Rs. 159.34-crore agriculture package to sustain the gains of the project and make Attappady an organic food hub of Kerala,” says S. Palaniswamy, a tribal activist who had worked with AHADS initiatives. Around 310 institutions having participation of tribespeople have turned idle after the collapse of AHADS.

Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary hitches wagon to star tortoises

Ignatius Pereira, KOLLAM
The Hindu, May 08, 2017

An ambitious project of the Kerala Forest Department at the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS) to rehabilitate Indian star tortoises (Geochelone elegans) seized from smugglers has turned into a major success. This makes the CWS the only rehabilitation centre for star tortoises in the country.
The CWS is the only place in Kerala where star tortoises are known to occur in the wild. The sanctuary is now a haven for at least 450 such tortoises seized from poachers in less than two years. The success of the programme is so overwhelming that the star tortoise has turned into an icon of the sanctuary.
It all began in August 2015 when Customs sleuths of the Nedumbassery International Airport seized an out-of-the-ordinary consignment that contained 200 star tortoises meant for an east Asian destination. In these regions, live Indian star tortoises are considered auspicious for gaining wealth. It is the reason why Indian star tortoises, which are protected under the Wildlife Act, are poached and smuggled. Seized consignments have to be handed over to the Forest Department under law but it led to the question of where to release them.
Fearing they would perish in a zoo or a forest area where they cannot adapt naturally, the CWS authorities created a special project under the Wildlife Warden of the Eravikulam National Park G. Prasad, and CWS’ Assistant Wildlife Warden P.M. Prabhu.

Species indentification

The tortoises were then kept under quarantine for 30 days at Chinnar, where they were scientifically identified as a southern Indian species, Mr. Prasad said, adding, “This was important to avoid mixing of genetically different populations since there was also a western Indian species inhabiting Gujarat and Rajasthan.” Mr. Prasad said that species identification is done through a molecular genetics process.
Rehabilitation partly adopts the ‘soft releasing’ process in which randomly selected tortoises are taken to the wild in an enclosure from which they may enter the forest at will.
The enclosures are monitored to prevent attacks by wild animals, and after the entire batch leaves, the enclosures are removed, Mr. Prasad said.
He added that during the quarantine period, the natural food preferences of star tortoises were identified and found to include a herb locally known as thazhuthama, and a particular variety of cactus found abundantly inside the CWS.

Leopard entangled in steel net dies

The Hindu,May 07, 2017
KOLLAM,

A wild leopard that strayed into human habitat close to forest areas at Edapalayam here got entangled in a steel net and died following suspected fatigue as it tried in vain to free itself. The net was spread by farmers to keep crop-raiding wild boars at bay.
Aryankavu forest range officer Jiyaz Jamaluddin Labba said the male leopard was around 9 years old. The net was spread on railway land by nearby residents who are growing crops there. The hind left paw of the leopard got entangled in the net. It tumbled onto a slope and remained suspended by the entangled leg.
Rubber tappers who passed that way early on Sunday noticed the struggling leopard and informed the forest office. Shortly afterwards a team of forest officers led by Mr. Labba reached the site. The leopard was alive at that time. But it took some time for the forest veterinary officer to reach there from Konni. The intention was to tranquilise the trapped animal and set it free.
When the veterinarian reached the site by 10.30 a.m. the leopard was already dead. Mr. Labba said the carcass was taken to the Chief Disease Investigation Office of the Animal Husbandry Department at Palode where the post-mortem examination will be conducted on Monday. Till then the carcass will be kept in deep freezer.
Meanwhile, residents of Edapalayam said the conflicts with wild animals straying from forest areas were on the rise there. Such conflicts have become a daily affair and several livestock and dogs were attacked by leopards in the past. Also wild wild elephants, deer, and boars raided crops, they said.

Varattar rejuvenation soon

The Hindu, PATHANAMTHITTA May 03, 2017

The State government will soon prepare a comprehensive action plan to rejuvenate the Varattar river, a tributary of the Pampa, and execute the same in a time-bound manner, Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Issac has said.
The Minister was inspecting the badly degraded Varattar riverbed at Othera-Puthukkulangara, near Thiruvalla, on Monday. Dr Issac said the present sad state of affairs with the Varattar was nothing but a man-made tragedy. The nine-km-long Varattar, a natural flood escape of floodwater between the rivers Pampa and Manimala, has its origin from the Pampa at Puthukkulangara.
The Varattar mouth opens into the Pampa at Meppuram and meanders through Thaimaravumkara, Thalayar, Nannad and Thriuvanavandoor, before it merges with the Manimala at Vaalathode, near Eramallikkara, in Alappuzha district. The once-prolific river is almost dry, leaving heavily weeded small patches of water and narrow streams at certain points.
This is due to the indiscriminate sand-mining that had blocked the natural water flow between the Varattar and the Pampa four decades ago.
Varattar is, perhaps, the worst affected water source in the illegal encroachment spree the Central Travancore region had witnessed over the past four decades.
A major portion of the riverbed have been encroached upon by private parties.
Some of them have even managed to obtain ‘possession certificates’ from the authorities concerned for the encroached portion of the land in their possession.
Study under way
The Minister said he had discussed the matters concerning rejuvenation of Varattar with the Water Resources Minister Mathew T. Thomas and the government would convene a meeting of major stakeholders soon.
The Water Resources Department had already started studies on Varattar rejuevanation and a scientific wetland planning would be made to ensure sustainable flow of the river.
Dr Issac said the causeways that hinder the smooth flow of the river would be demolished and bridges would be constructed at all these places. He said fund would be implemented as part of the Pampa Action Plan. Veena George, MLA; T.N. Seema, Haritha Keralam Mission deputy chairperson; K. Ananthagopan, Kerala Shops and Commercial Establishment Workers Welfare Fund Board chairman, and N. Rajeev, Eraviperoor panchayat vice-president, were present.

Water shortage: Crop loss pegged at Rs 724.5 crore

Times Of India, May 3, 2017
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Water shortage has brought about crop damages to the tune of Rs 724.5 crore this summer, agriculture minister V S Sunil Kumar said in the assembly on Tuesday.

The estimates were based on preliminary findings and the damage figure could go up once final tabulation is done, the minister said.

Water scarcity has damaged crops in about 41,592.3 hectares across the state.

As many as 62,897 farmers have been affected. The worst hit were crops such as vegetables, paddy, banana, arecanut, coconut and pepper.

With the summer season wreaking havoc in the farming sector, the agriculture department has been framing an action plan for mitigating the impacts of long-term climate change on the sector.

"The action plan will look into various aspects, including farming methods which require. The plan is to restructure farming practices to align with drought situation triggered by climate change," said Sunilkumar.

He said the government was planning to begin 44 'coconut villages' in the state.

The idea was to encourage farmers to productive coconut trees. Each unit in one village will have 250 hectares of coconut cultivation. It would increase coconut production in the state, Sunil Kumar added.

As per central statistics, total coconut production declined to 33.70 lakh in 2014-15 from 41.07 lakh in 2013-14.

Coconut crop covered 7.93 lakh hectares in 2014-15 compared to 7.98 lakh hectares in 2013-14, said the minister.

Sky bridges for monkeys

Giji K. Raman,
IDUKKI
The Hindu, March 20, 2017

After the success of the sky bridge for Grizzled Giant Squirrel, authorities are planning sky bridges for the Tufted Gray Langur (Semnopithecus priam) of Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary.
Like the squirrel, the langur also known as Madras Gray Langur is endemic to South India and Sri Lanka.
Unlike the Bonnet macaque, they are known for less interaction with human beings.
The sky bridge connecting the trees across the Kochi-Dhanushkodi National Highway for the langur was after it was found a success for the squirrels in increased passage across the NH.
“Road kill was a major problem for wild animals especially during the summer season as they have to cross the NH for drinking water from the Pampa river,” said an official of the sanctuary.
Unlike the one for the Grizzled Giant Squirrel, these wooden bridges have more width, said the official adding that though it is mainly meant for the Tufted Gray Langur, the Hanuman monkeys and the Bonnet macaque can also use for their safe passage.
Five sky bridges will come up from Karimutty to the border of the sanctuary with Tamil Nadu. The Pampa is the perennial water source for the largest number of mammal and reptile populations in the sanctuary.
Most of the roadkills were reported during night-time and the Forest Department recently had erected road barriers with much opposition from the local people.
“Once the simians start moving on the sky bridge, the small species too will follow it,” he added.
The Giant Squirrel is not the only one using the sky bridges made a few years ago. All squirrel species pass through them, he said.
Though there are eight sub-species of Semnopithecus found in South Asia, four of the Semnopithecus priam species are in Chinnar sanctuary.
They are distinguished for their genetics and colourisation, especially of the limbs and tail carriages.

The species reported to have been found in the sanctuary are Priam, Clussumieri, Hypoleucos and Ajax.

House sparrow numbers fall

George Jacob,
KOTTAYAM
The Hindu, March 20, 2017

The survey of house sparrows held in connection with the World Sparrow Day has registered a steep drop in the sparrow population in Kottayam and Ernakulam city areas.
Punnen Kurian Venkadath, secretary of the Tropical Institute of Ecological Sciences (TIES), here which conducted the survey, said that the findings are so alarming that at this rate the sparrow population could vanish from these areas where they had a thriving population earlier.
In Kottayam the number which stood at 740 during the first edition of the survey in 2012, has come down to 150 in the current edition. Likewise the sparrows were found in nearly 10 areas within the town in 2012. “During the sixth edition it has come down to just five,” said Dr Kurian.
In fact the decline in population was a steady with 610 in 2013; 580 in 2014 and 240 the next year, he pointed out.
Sparrows could be seen in the market place on the Broadway and also at the Marine Drive in Kochi city.
The population is 148 at Broadway and 356 at Marine drive, Dr. Kurian said. Kochi came under the survey last year when there were 142 and 368 respectively at these spots. Another disturbing finding was that the number of juveniles in the pack too are declining fast, pointing to a not-so-rosy future for these birds.
According to him, the new architecture and building materials have been identified as a reason for the sparrows to move out of these areas.
Pesticide presence
The increasing presence of pesticides and the competition for food, especially from doves which also inhabit the same space could also be reasons for the sparrow population in the traditional areas to decline.
Other reasons which have been attributed to the trend could be the radiation from the mobile towers and the unprecedented hot weather this summer, he said.

Research fellows and students of junior naturalists at TIES participated in the survey. There were ten volunteers at Kottayam covering the 10 traditional spots while in Kochi 15 volunteers covered the stretch of Marine Drive and Broadway market.

Over 4,000 waterbirds spotted

Special Correspondent
Thiruvananthapuram
The Hindu, February 01, 2017

A considerable increase, both in the number of species and individual count, of water birds has been reported in the Asian Water Bird Census 2017 conducted in the capital district.
In the day-long census carried out on January 21 in nine different bird-rich sites in Thiruvananthapuram, the volunteers were able to count 4,442 birds that belong to 77 species, 27 of which are migratory, compared to the 2,431 birds of 49 species spotted during the 2016 census.
Great Bittern, which was spotted a few weeks ago in Thiruvananthapuram by a team from Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB) after a gap of ten years, was again spotted at Punchakkarai, a hotspot of birding in the capital district.
Four species of Sandpipers, two species of Plovers, and four species of Wild Ducks comprising six Spotbilled Ducks were reported. Sighting of four Eurasian Spoonbills and a comparatively large group of Egrets were interesting sightings by the two teams deputed to this wetland.

Akkulam, once a haven for water birds, which later on degraded owing to unscientific development and pollution, is showing signs of recovery. Around 25 species, including six species of Wild Ducks, namely Northern Showeller, Garganey, Northern Pintails, and a flock of 42 Spot-billed Ducks that are migratory and a group of resident Lesser Whistling Ducks were spotted. Sighting of Common Teal, a rare species in Kerala, Two Grey-headed Lapwing, 82 Common Coots, and four species of migratory Sandpipers also were spotted in the area.
Aruvikkara Reservoir, the main source of drinking water of the capital, remains a very good habitat for birds, including migratory ones. As many as 27 species, such as Pheasant-tailed Jacana, were reported from the reservoir and surrounding areas. A very good population of Egrets and White-breasted Waterhens also were reported from this site.

Wetlands within the city itself located at Kesavadasapuram, Government Medical College, and the two ponds within the Museum and Zoo compound also had good population of birds, including many migratory species such as Kentish Plover, Little-ringed Plover, a large flock of Yellow Wagtails, Wood Sandpiper, and Green Sandpipers. The ponds within the Museum and Zoo compound serves as a favourite shelter for Oriental Darters, a bird placed in the Red Data Book of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The Kannammoola Thodu also has a good bird population comprising 25 species, including many migratory ones such as 124 Common Swallows, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Wood Sandpipers, Green Sandpipers, and many large groups of resident birds such as Egrets. The big flock of 66 Cattle Egrets within and around the Thodu is a direct indicator of the large amount of solid waste being dumped into the waterbody.

Out of the nine sites covered by the census, the highest count was from the wetlands in and around Kadinamkulam with 1,073 birds of 25 species. The major contributor to this was Little Cormorants (703). Sighting of ten Green Shanks, 22 Pacific Golden Plovers, 44 Brahmini Kites, and 61 Little Egrets indicates the rich biodiversity and good productivity of the wetland.

The team that visited the Veli estuary had some very interesting sightings comprising a wide range of birds that belong to 29 species, including a high count of resident birds such as Little Cormorants, Little Egrets, and Cattle Egrets. Osprey and 50 Lesser Sand Plovers were spotted at Poovar.

Volunteers raised concerns over habitat loss and environmental degradation. That the newly recorded bird species were typically dry habituated ones was another issue. The teams were led by AWC coordinator and senior education officer, WWF-India, A.K. Sivakumar. The WWF-India was supported by the Social Forestry wing of the Department of Forests and Wildlife.

Rare birds sighted in Polachira wetlands

The Hindu,January 24, 2017
KOLLAM:
The 27th annual waterfowl census in the Polachira wetlands in Kollam district carried out by Warblers and Waders (WW) counted 3,117 water birds of 43 species. The census, which concluded on Sunday, was led by founder-member of WW C. Susanth.
The highlight of the census was the sighting of Comb ducks, a rare winter visitor to Kerala. The previous few sightings in Kerala were recorded only from the Kole wetlands in Thrissur. This is the first time that Comb ducks have been sighted in South Kerala. Eurasian wigeon, another migratory wild duck, was also sighted.

This year, 15 Eurasian spoonbills were sighted at Polachira. This bird is a new winter visitor to the Polachira wetlands, Mr. Susanth said. Lesser whistling ducks were seen more this year, from 420 sightings last year to 1,358 this time. The presence of wader species like Marsh sandpiper, Wood sandpiper, Little ringed plover, Black winged stilt, and Little stint had also increased. The WW team that comprised bird experts K.A. Kishore and Abhiram Chandran observed that the Polachira wetland was shrinking due to unauthorised pumping of water. This could be the reason for the slight increase in the presence of waders in the wetland, they said. At the same time, the shrinking effect had affected the presence of Purple swamphens, Cotton teals, Garganey teals and Oriental darters.

Mr. Susanth said the birds that were not sighted this year are Northern pintail ducks, Asian openbills, Red shanks, Pacific golden plover and the Indian Cormorant. Other significant sightings were Black headed ibis, Painted storks, Glossy Ibis, Indian moorhen, Eurasian coot, Pheasant-tailed jacana, Grey heron, Green shank, Large cormorant and Large egret. During the census by WW last year, 1,069 water birds belonging to 25 species were recorded from the Polachira wetlands..