Pallikarnai marshes
Some members from the Tamilbirds egroup had reported good waterbird spotting at the Pallikarnai marsh in Madras. So, with the weight of my comprehensive exam over at last, I set off to Pallikarnai from IIT today afternoon (Feb 4 2007).
It was hot, and I cycled quite a bit to Perungudi and Thoraipakkam. I turned into the road leading to Pallavaram, and there was garbage all around, most of which were burning. It was smoky and smelly.
But I was joyed to see a fairly large group of little and median egrets. And there were lots of black winged stilts, marsh sandpipers, little and great cormorants, lapwings and moorhens. The birds were not very near, but I could identify most of them.
All these spottings were from the main road, with traffic buzzing by, and mega constructions and full of garbage all around. I cycled further, and then to my real delight, I saw them...a whole flock. Spot-billed pelicans...soaring overhead. Many of them were sitting on the large pylons right in the middle of the marsh. I also saw painted storks...my first sightings in Chennai.
I think pelicans have a mejastic flight...almost as graceful as the raptors.
It was a sad thing to see these magnificent birds flying around garbage and dirty waters.
I also saw something which i think was a western marsh harrier. It was some raptor, chocolate brown, and quite larger than a crow. A flock of little egrets flew up as the harrier soared close to the reeds.
It was a nice experience, with some good spottings. I have been told that years ago, the marsh extended for miles around the area, and was a birders heaven. But what to do, we have developed.
It was hot, and I cycled quite a bit to Perungudi and Thoraipakkam. I turned into the road leading to Pallavaram, and there was garbage all around, most of which were burning. It was smoky and smelly.
But I was joyed to see a fairly large group of little and median egrets. And there were lots of black winged stilts, marsh sandpipers, little and great cormorants, lapwings and moorhens. The birds were not very near, but I could identify most of them.
All these spottings were from the main road, with traffic buzzing by, and mega constructions and full of garbage all around. I cycled further, and then to my real delight, I saw them...a whole flock. Spot-billed pelicans...soaring overhead. Many of them were sitting on the large pylons right in the middle of the marsh. I also saw painted storks...my first sightings in Chennai.
I think pelicans have a mejastic flight...almost as graceful as the raptors.
It was a sad thing to see these magnificent birds flying around garbage and dirty waters.
I also saw something which i think was a western marsh harrier. It was some raptor, chocolate brown, and quite larger than a crow. A flock of little egrets flew up as the harrier soared close to the reeds.
It was a nice experience, with some good spottings. I have been told that years ago, the marsh extended for miles around the area, and was a birders heaven. But what to do, we have developed.
posted by pappu at 8:29 AM
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