Newsletter for
Birdwatchers
Vol. 36 No. 6 November / December 1996
Vol. 36
No. 6 November / December 1996
Announcement
□ 16th Maharashtra State Friends of Birds Meet
Editorial
□ The Newsletter in 1 996
□ Mayura, Vol. 11, 1994- Published 1.11.96
□ Where have the Sparrows gone — ^
D Migration of Ospreys
Articles
□ Birds of Vazhachal-Sholayar, by C Susanth Kumar
□ Transcript of an interview with Salim Ali, by Dr. HSA
Yahya
□ Conservation of Cormorants and W W Duck, by Dr.
HSA Yahya
□ A checklist of birds of INS Rajali Naval Air-station
Arakonam, by Sundararajan KS, Santhanakrishnan
R and Rajendran S
D Further evidence of Caspian tern breeding in
North-Western India, by JK Tiwari, T Mundkur, S N
Varu and P Majethia
□ Bilikere lake — A new foraging site for Spotbilled
Pelicans, by Dr (Ms) MV Rama
□ First record of the Lesser golden backed
woodpecker nesting in an earthen wall, by Takur
Dalip Singh
□ Quails, Hoopoes and Ducks, by Lt Col Gautam Das
(Retd.)
Correspondence
□ Banded Crakes and Cranes in Coorg, by Lt Gen BC
Nanda (Retd.)
□ Occurrence of Christmas frigate bird, by Maneesh
Kumar P and Manoj Kumar P
□ Blacknecked and Great Crested grebes in Gujarat,
by ST Baskaran
□ Waterfowl Census around Sural, Gujarat, by Snehal
Patel and Akshay Joshi
□ Kestrels in Ranikhet, by Jaseem Bakhsh
□ Birds of Sampe (Mysore), by Mrs Pragati Nayak
□ Blackbreasted Weaver Birds, by Aasheesh Pittie
□ The Silence of the Songbirds
□ Colours, Paintings & Ducks, by Kumaran
Sathasivam
□ Commentary on the Newsletter, by Kumar Ghorpade
Review
□ Small and Beautiful : Sultanpur National Park.
Reviewed by Aasheesh Pittie
Editorial
The Newsletter in 1996
I looked over the 1996 issues including the current one
to see if the last 6 numbers of this year have anything special
about them, I am afraid barring a very few articles, the quality
has not been very exciting. But it is cheering to find a few
new names among the contributors. We must spread the net
wider. As a result of a note in the Indian Express about the
existence of our Newsletter, over a hundred replies came in;
so there is scope for professional marketing. I am surprised
that a scientific journal like Resonance published by the
Indian Institute of Science has 8,000 subscribers. We have
around 1000 Shall we console ourselves by the thought that
the trend is satisfactory? Very glad to find that Lt Gen Baljit
Singh has reverted to the Newsletter after a long absence. I
am also counting on the other Lt Gen BC Nanda, to write
regularly about his sightings in Coorg.
Whom shall we name as the Birdwatcher of the year? A
difficult decision. Let us try this exercise at the end of 1 997.
Wish you all good eyesight and good hearing in 1997,
and the opportunity to enjoy the sight and song of our birds.
Mayura, Vol.11, 1994 — Published 1.11.1996
The Birdwatchers Society of Andhra Pradesh, publishes
Mayura bi-annually, and the 69 pages issue under review
contains several interesting articles. With the
encouragement of Aasheesh Pittie and his colleagues, the
bird group in Hyderabad has produced a Checklist of the
Birds of Andhra Pradesh, but what is commendable is that it
is constantly being updated. The first list was published in
1989, and this included 495 species. Now the list has gone
up to 513.
Apart from checklists what makes Mayura a worthwhile
publication is that the articles make very enjoyable reading.
The entrance fee of Rs 10/- and the annual membership of
Rs 35/- is an amount which subscribers will not regret
paying.
There is an increasing number of local newsletters being
published today. Will someone volunteer to send a report on
these once or twice a year?
Where have the Sparrows gone
There have been several reports recently about the
disappearance of sparrows from Bangalore. S. Subramanya
says that the new streamlined buildings of cement have very
few niches where sparrows can build their nests. The old
architecture had plenty of nooks and cranies where the birds
could place their nesting material. Will readers please report
about the status of these birds from their own areas.
Sparrows have the habit of roosting in selected bushes, and
I remember a place in Rajmahal Vilas Extension where the
continued on page 99
Newsletter for Birdwatchers
99
vigorous twittering of sparrows before they went to bed
lasted for almost half an hour before and after sunset. This
was in 1974, and I will survey the area again to see if any of
this species still survives.
Incidentally larks too seem to be suddenly declining in
number. See the note from the Guardian Weekly, reproduced
in this issue.
Migration of Ospreys
Birds during migration use up the fat they have
accumulated for the intended journey. How long can they fly
without stopping for a rest and a feed on the way? Birds of
prey usually fly over mountain ridges making use of the
updrafts of air which nature provides them. The osprey,
being a fish eating bird would be expected to fly along the
coast. Apparently it also flies over land. How much fat has it
to accumulate to complete "a fasting journey of 3780 Km".
Read about this interesting investigation in the Journal of
Raptor Research June 1995. I will be glad to send a xerox
copy to anyone seeking enlightenment and talking about fat
in birds, I recall a remark by Salim AN while we were walching
a pair of buzzards in Bombay in December. You see how thin
they are, he said. They have used up all their reserves on
the way to their wintering grounds.
Birds of Vazhachal-Sholayar
C. SUSANTH KUMAR, Coordinator, Warblers & Waders (Group of Birdwatchers and
Nature lovers), Prakriti, Indiranagar, Peroorkada P.O., Thiruvananthapuram 695 005, Kerala
We went for a short trip to Vazhachal-Sholayar reserve
forest from December 24 to 28 1 995 to see the flora and
fauna of that region. The camp was organised by Warblers &
Waders (Group of Birdwatchers and Nature Lovers),
Thiruvananthapuram. This was our first camp at Vazhachal,
Athirapiili, Peringalkuthu and Sholayar region.
Vazhachal reserve forest is situated in Thrissur District of
Kerala. The main habitats consist of evergreen forest &
moist deciduous forest. Degraded secondary forest is absent
at least in the tourist zone and much of this section
surrounding the river is a mosaic of semi evergreen and
moist deciduous woodland. The combination of different
habitat is responsible for the diversity of birdlife at Vazhachal
and Sholayar.
Significant observations are :
1 Oriental darter Anhinga ruta
A single bird was observed at the Sholayar reservoir.
2 Little green heron Butorides striatus
One individual found sitting near Sholayar lake under the shade of
vegetation.
3 River tern Sterna aurantia
A single bird was patrolling gracefully over the water (Sholayar).
Before sunset 6 more birds appeared over the lake and made loud
and harsh kiya-kiya calls.
4 Rufous bellied eagle Hieraaetus kierierii
Most abundant raptor of the Sholayar region. A pair was seen
soaring very low on December 26 over the reservoir. Three birds
were seen again on December 27 in a valley near Sholayar power
station.
5 Greyheaded fish eagle Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus
A solitary bird was regularly observed near Vazhachal
'Irumbupalam' (Iron bridge). In the evening the bird was seen on a
medium sized tree near the river, preening itself.
6 Black eagle Iciinaetus malayensis
A black eagle was seen flying over the dense Sholayar reserve
forest. It was sighted in the Vazhachal forest area also.
7 Greateared nightjar Eurostopodus macrotis
Heard at Vazhachal,
10
11
12
13
14.
15
16
17
18
19
Blackcapped kingfisher Halcyon pileata
This rare kingfisher was regularly observed at Vazhachal and
Sholayar.
Blue bearded bee-eater Nyctyomis athertonl
A single bid was sighted at Vazhachal.
Broadbilled roller or
Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis
One bird was recorded at Sholayar reserve forest.
G reat I nd ian p ied ho rn b il I Buceros bicornis
Only one bird was sighted at Vazhachal, A loud call was heard at
Sholayar.
Speckledpiculet Picumnus innomina tus
Returning through Peringalkuthu, a pair of speckled piculets was
observed feeding with mixed parties of grey tits, orange minivets
and fairy bluebirds.
Dusky crag martin Hirundo concolor
Commonly seen at Sholayar
Whitebellied or
Southern tree pie Dendrocitta leucogastra
Perhaps one of the most abundant species in the Vazhachal,
Athirapiili and Peringalkuthu, observed regularly at Sholayar.
Black bulbul Hypsipetes leucocephalus
6-7 birds were observed regularly near Kerala State Electricity
Board (KSEB) quarters, Sholayar, but not found at Vazhachal.
Grey tit Parus major
Common at Vazhachal, Athirapiili and Peringalkuthu. Surprisingly
only one bird seen at Sholayar and it was on December 26, 1995.
T rava nco re sci mi tar bab bl er Pomatorhinus horstieldii
Mostly heard. Two birds were recorded near a stream
(Kannamukzhithodu) in Athirapiili. Another three were observed in
an evergreen patch at Peringalkuthu. Two more were found in the
evergreen patch on December 25, at Sholayar.
Verditer flycatcher Eumyias thalasslna
Common at Athirapiili and Peringalkuthu. One bird was recorded
at Sholayar reserve forest on December 27, 1 995,
Ashywrenwarbler Prinia socialis
Mostly observed in the degraded forest area and grass patches at
Athirapiili and Vazhachal.
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Newsletter for Birdwatchers
20 Blyth's reed warbler Acrocephalus dumetorum
This migrant was quite common at Vazhachal and Sholayar.
21 Booted warbler Hippolais caligata
A single bird was recorded at Athirapilli on December 25, 1995.
22 Large billed leaf warbler Phylloscopus magnirostris
Quite common at Vazhachal, Athirapilli, Pehngalkuthu and
Sholayar.
23 Thickbilled warbler Acrocephalus aedort
One bird was regularly observed from the verandah of the Kerala
State Electricity Board (KSEB) quarters.
24 Blue chat Luscinia brunnea
One male was observed at Sholayar on December 27, 1995,
25 Eurasian blackbird Turdus meruta
In the evergreen forest and teak plantations at Sholayar
26 Black-capped SSP Turdus simillimus
Fairly common at Sholayar.
27 Large pied wagtail Motacilla maderaspatensis
A single bird on the Sholayar reservoir December 26 and 27.
28 Nilgiri flowerpecker Dicaem concotor
Common at Vazhachal Sholayar. Two nests were found in
Sholayar (one near power house and the other near Sholayar
dam) on Ficus trees (Reus asperima).
29 Small sunbird Nectarinia minima
Perhaps one of the most abundant species in the Vazhachal,
Pehngalkuthu and Athirapilli. But common also in Sholayar area, A
nest was also tound at Sholayar.
30 White eye Zosterops palpebrosa
Six or seven birds were observed regularly near Kerala State
Electricity Board (KSEB) office, Sholayar. Not recorded at
Vazhachal.
31 Common rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus
A group observed near Sholayar reservoir.
32 Emerald dove Chatcophaps indica
Observed groups of two or three at Pehngalkuthu, Vazhachal and
Sholayar. Commonly seen on forest path.
33 Redspurfowl Galloperdlx spadicea
A single bird was seen on December 26, 1995 near Vazhachal
Iron bridge,
34 Grey jungle fowl Gallus sonneratii
It was heard calling throughout the day at Vazhachal and
Sholayar. Large flocks were observed regularly at Vazhachal -
Peringalkuthu road. One male observed preening.
35 Brown hawk-owl Ninox scutulata
Quite common at Sholayar. At night four birds were regularly
observed from the verandah of the Kerala State Electricity Board
quarters.
In all one hundred and twenty species of birds were
recorded during the present survey. The note only refers to
those which were of special interest to us.
Acknowledgement
I am grateful to Sri S Ravindran, Charpa Forest Range
Officer for sharing his knowledge about the wildlife of the
Vazhachal and Sholayar region. I am also thankful to
members of the Warblers and Waders for their support and
encouragement, t am also grateful to Sri N Radhakrishnan
Nair and Sri Balakrishnan, KSEB Sholayar for being of such
help in so many ways during our survey work in Sholayar
region.
Transcript of an Interview with Salim AN
DrHSA YAHYA, Reader, Centre of Wildlife & Ornithology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh
Present Address: C/o NCWCD, PO Box 61681, Riyadh 11575, Saudi Arabia
world war 1914-18, we were doing quite well and I never
thought that I would have to take ornithology as a profession
because for one thing I was not qualified enough to take it
up, and my only interest was a very amateurish one. But I
was very deeply interested in birds and that is why I took this
opportunity in Burma where the mining was all in thick forest
and in forested country. That part of Burma where I was, i.e.
Temasery, was particularly good for birds.
Those forests were situated in a place from which
transport was most difficult because there were no roads and
no paths and any other facility of that sort.
Introduction
While carrying out a reconnaissance survey of the Lesser
Florican (Syphiotides indica) in Sardarpur (Madhya
Pradesh) area. I had the opportunity to interview Dr Salim Ali
on 1 3 August 1 982 at the local guest house. At the time of the
interview he was over 86 years but had an admirably sharp
memory. The interview ended rather abruptly because of the
sudden appearance of some visitors from the Forest
Department.
Q. HSAY :
Sir, it has been repeatedly asked how you started bird
watching but kindly tell me at what stage you thought you
would take ornithology as a profession and a mission of your
life.
SA:
Well, I did not really begin with the thought of making
ornithology my profession because I was in business, in the
mining business in Burma with my brother. During the first
Q. HSAY :
Elephants were not employed?
SA:
Yes, elephants were used, but they were used for
dragging the timber, to collect at a depot where they sawed
it. It was mostly sawed by hand in the beginning. Then we
had a small oil engine and a mill. But the great trouble was
the moving of the stuff because you have miles and miles of
Newsletter for Birdwatchers
101
roads to build which we were not in a position to do because
we were not a big company. And then we had one forest
which was close to the sea, a place called Henzer Basin. It is
a wonderful harbour but not properly developed and
therefore the ships could not come close. We tried to
transport the cut timbers and sleepers to the ship by using
bamboo rafts but it took so much time and so much
demurrage was incurred that we finally gave it up. After that I
thought it might be a good thing to go back home and see
what can be done. So we came back to Bombay and I was
searching very hard for a job in the natural history line
because from the beginning I was keen on this. I had no
degree. I had just left college from the intermediate class and
I wanted to take up Zoology as one of the subjects of the BA.
At that time there was no B.Sc, it was BA hons. with Zoology.
Because I went to Burma I could not complete it, but now I
wanted to complete it. The Director of the Biology
Department of my college — St. Xavier's College, said "you
are so keen about birds, you will never be able to make any
progress unless you have a scientific Zoological
background". He asked me to go to the college and sit with
the Honors class and get myself properly trained. So that
was a good opportunity and I did that for one year, t did not
sit for any proper examination because I was not thinking of
a degree but just for knowledge. I did not think that a degree
was so important. This is the advice I am giving to every
young man that knowing that degrees do not mean very
much, you must get a degree somehow. Because when you
are out to get a job no one bothers to look at any other
qualifications except what degree you have. And most
mediocre people who have got degrees try to get jobs and
the people who have done really good work, for instance
Hussain I {He meant Mr SA Hussain, a longtime ornithologist
with BNHS and is currently with University of Malaysia?). If
he goes outside for a job he would very doubtfully get one.
Of course now with his all experience and his working with
the Bombay Natural History Society he is greatly qualified.
But otherwise when he came to us we just took him on trust
hoping that he would do good and because we were not very
concerned about degrees. And so it has turned out now that
he is a first class scientist.
The curator of BNHS, at that time was Mr Prater. He was
a very good friend of mine from earlier on, from before I went
to Burma. We had been doing a lot of birding together, and
as a matter of fact he did not have a degree either, and we
did our Zoology together at St. Xavier's College. Both of us,
because we were keen ourselves we really managed to
absorb far more than any student who does it for a degree.
In the beginning when we knew each other Prater was a very
subordinate type of worker in the Society and the curator
was a man called Kinear who later on became the Director o
the Zoology Department and subsequently the Chief Director
of the British Museum.
When Kinear went back to Britain after the war and took
up as curator in the British Museum of Natural History, then
Prater got a chance to act as curator of the Society. We were
working very closely together and were very keen on birds
and we used to go out and collect birds from around Bombay
and other places. The present Prince of Wales Museum was
a military hospital during the war and all the wounded
soldiers from Mesopotamia and so on used to come to
Bombay.
Q. HSAY :
The same building now is the Museum of Bombay ?
SA:
Yes, the same building. When the war was over and the
hospital closed, the building was made into a museum with a
natural history section. For the natural history section we
wanted to have the latest methods of exhibition. The then
management committee of the Society consisted of some
very far sighted men, mostly English men. They said that to
put up a museum like this we want a trained curator and we
cannot get one. So they sent Prater for training to England
and America where he learnt all the modem techniques (of
those days) came back and put up this museum with the
help of his assistant curator, a man called Charles Mcaan
who was a very good botanist and a very special student of
Father Blatter. These two people, I think were really the best
set of the people that the Society had. The Society owes a
great deal for its popularity and for its publicity to them. Then
the Society represented to the Government of Bombay that
we have got this wonderful museum but unless we had a
Guide Lecturer who would explain to the visitors all about the
animals that were displayed, the museum would do no
educative work. So they pestered the Government of
Bombay and finally they made them agree to appoint a
Guide Lecturer in natural history and applications were
called for. There were many graduates and post graduates
who applied but Father Blatter supported me and I was
eventually selected.
^Q
Q. HSAY :
Which year was that ?
SA:
This was in 1926. It was an interesting job but after two
years I got rather tired of saying the same thing again and
again and wanted some outdoor activity. My interest was
ecology from the very beginning. In those days the word
ecology was hardly known to anybody, but now everybody
talks of ecology and ecosystem.
Well, so I got study leave from the Society for 15 to 18
months. I was corresponding with various museums but the
British museum gave a very luke-warm response. In those
days Indians had a very difficult time. As the political
movement was going on the British Museum was not at all
cooperative and so they were very half hearted about having
me there. However I got in touch with Professor Stresseman
at the Berlin University Zoological Museum. He was most
cordial and said you come along and we will do the best we
can. So I took a collection of birds that had recently come
from Burma. I took that collection with me to work out with
Stresseman and to learn all the little tricks about systematic
ornithology. He was very kind indeed and took a lot of trouble
and spent a lot of his time and worked with me and showed
me exactly how it is all done, and what was the significance
of various parameters that are used. So I got a very good
grounding in about 9 months with him. After that I went to the
British Museum just to see what they were doing because
the British Museum had amassed a lot of Indian material.
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Newsletter for Birdwatchers
Q. HSAY :
Even now they are supposed to have the best
collection?
SA:
Well, they have a most complete collection, there is no
doubt about that. The American Museum of Natural History
(AMNH) and one or two other Museums, the Chicago
Museum and the National Museum, which is part of the
Smithsonian Institution are also very good. But for Indian
birds, certainly the British Museum is the best and you
cannot do any work unless you consult the collection of the
British Museum. Now there was one Lord Rothschild who
had also got a very excellent collection. He was particularly
interested in birds and a very wealthy man. He sent on his
own account collectors to all parts of the world to collect
birds. He had built up a most wonderful collection, and of
Indian Birds also. With the British Museum collection and the
Rothschild collection there was no other Museum one could
approach better. But this Lord Rothchild, I do not know what
happened to him, whether he suddenly lost interest in birds
or what, but he quietly arranged a deal with the AMNH to sell
his collection to them. I think at one stage he mentioned to
the British Museum about this but wanted a fantastic
amount. But they offered him something less. They said it is
a national collection and they can't really afford much more.
So quietly he offered his collections to AMNH, New York.
They of course had plenty of money and they immediately
closed the deal. And the poor British people were left with
their mouths open (Laughter). They did not know what to do.
They had lost this part of the collection, which went to the
AMNH. That collection is one of the best and anybody who
wants to do anything on Indian birds must consult that
collection also. When I came back after study (15 months)
the first news I heard was that my job had been axed
because the Government of Bombay had a financial deficit
and they could not afford to keep the scheme going and so it
was finished. The society was even poorer than what it is
now (1982) and was run on a small scale. So when this
Government grant for this Guide Lecturer came to an end I
was thrown out. They had no other job for me, I then tried all
kinds of things in the commercial line because at one stage
when I had come for a year's holiday from Burma to Bombay,
I had taken a course in Commerce and Higher Accountancy.
Yes, but I had done it for our own business because we
had just started our business without any knowledge or
without any background. So I thought it was a good idea to
know something about what we are doing, I went through a
course. Then I tried all kinds of jobs for a long time. Finally I
said that well I have all these trainings and I have my chief
interest in birds so why should I not do this on my own. My
wife had a little money and I had a little investment and so
on.
Then we worked out and found that we had just enough
if we left Bombay, which was very expensive and went to live
in some quieter place which would give more facilities for
bird study, we will be far happier. My great fortune was that
my wife who had all her education in England and been used
to quite a different sort of life to what she would have in this
kind of work that I wished to do. She insisted that I should
take up only the work that I was interested to do. She said
"now we have enough to live quietly, and we would go to
some small place, I will be quite happy". She was very keen
on poetry and Urdu and various kinds of reading and so on.
Then she got very interested in birds too, and in outdoor life
and in things she had never had any experience in England
(Note: For the students of ornithology it would be of some
interest to mention here that some Indian Birds are named
after his wife Tehmina. An example is the golden backed
three-toed woodpecker which is scientifically known as
Dinopium benghalensis tehmim).
Q. HSAY :
How was she in England ? Were her parents there ?
SA:
Yes, her parents were there. Her father was in Pearl
business and also in the Indian Council in London. They also
came back when the first world war started. Then I told
Prater, look we have so many places in India where we know
nothing about birds. Hyderabad for instance, was a complete
blank on the ornithological map. So I said if you write to the
British Residents who are really interested in these kinds of
things we can probably get some financial support. I do not
want any pay. I only want my expenses paid and I will be
quite happy to go and study and collect birds. So the Society
got in touch with the Hyderabad Government which had
largely British heads of Departments, They were very glad.
But it is really quite laughable the amount we asked for, and
which we got and in which I was able to complete the survey.
I think for the whole of Hyderabad state survey for six
months we got about 6,000 Rupees.
Q. HSAY :
Six thousand ?
Yes, six thousand which included the food of skinner, our
own food, cost of travelling and everything (Laughter)! We
were able to do it with a lot of trouble, many of our camp
shifts had to be done by bullock carts because there were no
roads in the places where we were camping. After
Hyderabad I did Kerala which was at that time two States —
Cochin and Travancore. Then one after the other Central
India, Gwalior, Indore, Bhopal. So all these were done under
the same system: asking for small amounts and doing it. I
could do it because I had the time, I mean, I was just doing it
and nothing else and I did not have any ambition to try again
for some bigger job somewhere and so on. Not because
bigger jobs were not there and perhaps I would have not got
them, but also they were not in the line with what I was
interested in.
Now when I look back, I think the chief of the chiefesf
factors that made me continue with ornithology was my wife
because you really cannot do much if you do not have a like
minded companion.
Q. HSAY :
Thank you very much Sir.
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Newsletter for Birdwatchers
103
It is very welcome news that a specialist group on cormorants
has been formed under the aegis of IWRB (Newsletter for
International Waterfowl Census, February 1994). It is indeed
high time that the cause of this rather neglected group of birds
is taken up seriously.
Though still found in good numbers, with the fast and
steady decline of wetlands the future of cormorants in India
is far from being secured. Even before taking up ornithology
as my main profession, I recall seeing hundreds of
cormorants in the rivers and canals around our village in the
60s and 70s. One of my brothers-in-law was a great shikari
(fowler) and cormorants used to be usual birds in his bag. At
that time I knew only the local name of the cormorant,
'Pankawua', meaning the 'crow of water'. After taking up field
ornithology as my full time occupation in 1977,1 have had the
opportunity of conducting ornithological surveys and studies
in many parts of the country. Although I do not have
quantitative data, I presume that the populations of all
three Indian cormorants, great (Phalacrocorax carbo), Indian
(P fuscicollis) and little cormorant (P. niger) are declining
mainly on account of habitat destruction. The fourth species
pygmy cormorant {P. pygmaeus) remains a rare vagrant (Ali
& Ripley 1969). The population decline of Indian cormorants
is noticeable all over its range.
Earlier, while travelling by train or bus, it used to be a
common sight to see cormorants foraging and perching in
canals and other water bodies along the way, but such sights
are now-a-days far less common. As reported by Rose &
Scott (1994), elsewhere too the population trend of several
other cormorant species is on the decline. One of the
clearest example of this is the sharp decline in population
and range of the Socotra Cormorant P. nigroguiaris, a
endemic species of the Arabian Peninsula (Symens et al,
1993).
There may be a combination of reasons for the
population decline of cormorants. Nonetheless, in India the
following factors are the most obvious.
1 . Decline in wetlands/feeding area: It is a known fact that
the wetlands are declining globally and more so in India
(Yahya 1991, 1992). In Bihar and adjoining Bengal there
used to be many low lying areas as an outcome of annual
floods. Though floods still occur, the permanent chaurs and
chanps (local names of swamp and water logged areas
where fishing and paddy cultivation was traditionally carried
out) are vanishing rapidly. With the help of modern
agricultural facilities, such as pumping sets and tractors, the
water from wetlands is drained out and lowlands are being
levelled. As a result more uplands are created and wheat
farming is replacing paddy farming. Many wetland habitats
Notes on Conservation of Cormorants and the
vanishing White winged duck
HSA YAHYA, Centre of Wildlife & Ornithology AMU, Aligarh, India;
Present Address: c/o NCWCD PO Box 61681, Riyadh 11575, Saudi Arabia
are also reclaimed for housing and industries. Since
cormorants chiefly fish in these areas, with the alternation of
wetlands their food resources are reduced. Furthermore,
with highly sophisticated nylon nets used for fishing now,
even the smallest fish is over-exploited commercially, thus
depriving the cormorants of their chief food. The large scale
cultivation of Makhana Euryte ferox (an aquatic thorny
floating plant) in North Bihar is further reducing the foraging
habitat for many waterfowl. During a recent survey of
wetlands of Assam (Yahya 1994) the cormorants were not
recorded in their usual large numbers. In parts of
Dibru-Shaikhowa Wildlife Sanctuary fishing was recorded by
day and by night. According to a recent report (The
Hindustan Times 17.03.1994) Chilka Lake in Orissa, a
wetland of international importance, is dwindling fast and
15,000 of its birds were massacred in the winter of 1994. A
Prawn Culture Project has further damaged the ecology of
Chilka. In Kamataka too most of the wetlands are under
threat due to various kinds of human interference. In five
years of monitoring wetland degradation, Sridhar (1992)
recorded that the major threat is caused by sedimentation
(146 sites), partial reclamation (82 sites), mudlifting and brick
making (78 sites), excessive growth of vegetation (72 sites),
hunting and trading birds (67 sites) and eutrophication (22
sites). Almost similar is the situation in other parts of the
country.
2. Pollution of wetlands : The traditional discharge of
industrial wastes into wetlands has very adversely affected
the quality of the riverine system and wetlands of the
country. In Karnataka alone during the study mentioned
above, Sridhar found that 51 wetlands are threatened
through pollution of domestic sewage, 14 by industrial waste,
17 by pesticides and fertilizers and eight by solid waste
dumping. Though many aquatic birds are still recorded
feeding in such polluted habitats, their future remains a
question mark. In such places eutrophication frequently
takes place and over time the habitat is altered completely.
Such changes have been reported from the world famous
Keoladeo bird National Park, Bharatpur. Despite huge
expense, the 'clean Ganga' project could not bring any
noticeable changes in the Ganga river ecology. Due to heavy
pollution the Yamuna waters near Delhi and Agra are
declared unsafe for human consumption.
3 Hunting and poaching : Despite passing the Wildlife
Protection Act in 1972, large scale hunting and poaching of
waterfowl is still continuing in many parts of the country.
Many species of birds are commonly sold in local markets,
especially in winter. Though ducks are most favoured, on
several occasions I have seen cormorants being sold along
with other species.
104
Newsletter for Birdwatchers
4. Lack of conservation awareness : Despite encouraging
efforts by NGOs and wildlife departments, the conservation
awareness in India has not caught up and the majority of
people still do not know the concept of 'sustainable use' of
natural resources. Therefore, there is an urgent need of a
country-wide Nature Conservation Awareness Campaign to
safeguard the future ol India's wildlife.
Conservation measures to be taken
I think initially the following may help to improve the
situation.
1. A country-wide annual count especially for cormorants
should be launched. Breeding trends ca be established
by regular counts of the occupied nests in selected
heronries. Known ornithological/wildlife institutions/
organisations and Chief Wildlife Wardens of each state
and Union Territory should be involved in such a
project. Special count forms may be sent to the AWB
coordinators to be used during winter waterfowl counts.
2. Publicise the importance of birds through all possible
media, particularly so in local languages,
3. To estimate the present status and population of each
species of cormorant, a country-wide survey should be
undertaken and a long term study on their ecology and
biology should be initiated. A collaborative effort by the
Biology Departments of some local universities and
wildlife departments would be quite rewarding. Besides
monitoring cormorant status/population and ecology,
the objective of such a study should also be to
recommend conservation measures for most
threatened wetlands of international importance.
Criteria suggested by Rose & Scott {1994) can be
followed for such recommendations.
These measures and suggestions may sound a bit too
optimistic. However, if we really want to safeguard our
biodiversity and are interested in maintaining the balance of
nature, these are necessary.
References
Ali S & Ripley SD. 196. Handbook of birds of India and Pakistan.
Vol. 1, Oxford University Press, Bombay.
Rose PM and Scott DA. 1994. Waterfowl population estimates.
IWRB Publication 29. IWRB, Slimbridge.
Sridhar S. 1992. Threats to and human use of 338 wetlands
covered in Karnataka. Asian & Australian Waterfowl Census
1992. IWRB Publication, IWRB, Slimbridge.
Symens P, Suhaibani A, Keijl G, Kinzelbach B and Werner M.
1993 Report on ornithological research May 1992 - October
1993. NCWD Publication, Riyadh.
YahyaHSA. 1991. Important wetlands of North Bihar. Proc. Int.
Seminar Karachi. IWRB Special Publication 25. IWRB,
Slimbridge.
Yahya HSA. 1992. Vanishing wetlands of North Bihar, some
remedial measures. Asian Wetland Symposium,
Otsu/Khshiru, Japan.
Yahya HSA 1994a. Status of the White-winged Wood Duck,
Cairina scutulata and its conservation priorities in India. Bull.
Brit. Orn. Soc. 35 : 19-22.
Yahya HSA 1994b. A survey of the White-winged (Wood) Duck,
Cairina scutulata in India. IWRB Threatened Waterfowl
Research Group Newsletter No. 5, March 1994.
The Vanishing White-Winged Duck
From the publication of a preliminary Conservation
Action Pan for the white-winged duck, Cairina scutulata by
Andy Green in 1992 (IWRB Special Report No. 17) and
subsequent reports (Species 18: 71-72; Forktail 8: 65-82)
arose a very healthy response, and several individuals and
organizations became interested in its well-being. However,
despite some conservation efforts, the populations of
white-winged duck are declining on account of habitat
degradation and poaching in all of its former range, including
India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand,
Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia (probably now extinct in
Malaysia and Java)
It is indeed a matter of grave concern that the
white-winged duck, which was common in northeast India in
the beginning of the century, became scarcer in the middle of
the century, and quickly has reached the verge of extinction.
Several workers, particularly Choudhury, Ranjan Kumar,
Talukdar, Yahya (TWRG Newsletters 1993-95 Vol.3-8) and
Dehingia (pers. comm.), have commented on its low
population density and habitat loss and have suggested
various remedial measures. Hussain and Haque (1982 - in
Green, 1992) have studied some aspects of breeding
biology of white-winged ducks in Bangladesh, while Hansel
and Evans have documented its status from Thailand and
central LAO PDR respectively (TWRG Newsletters 6 ad 8).
Extensive habitat loss and poaching appear to be the
main reasons for its decline, along with a variety of other
factors. Two successive surveys (in dry and wet seasons)
were carried out in 1993 in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and
Assam to ascertain its present status and habitat availability.
Five key locations identified in the Action Plan were visited
and 48 prospective sites were explored. Details of survey
methods and results have been described elsewhere (Yahya
& Raza 1993, Zoo's Print 8: 20- 21, Yahya 1993 British Eco.
Soc. Bulletin 25: 17-22).
in 1992, Green estimated a total of 65 ducks; we had 26
sightings and heard calls eight times in 40 days of intensive
search. All but one were recorded from Assam. The largest
number of observations were made in Kakopathar Forest
Range and in Dibru Shaikhowa Wildlife Sanctuary. From
Arunachal Pradesh only the call of the white-winged duck
near Mount Pen Nala in Namdapha Tiger Reserve was
heard. Nevertheless, some suitable habitats were recorded
in D'Ering, Mehao, ad Pakhui Wildlife sanctuaries. While the
total of 65 white-winged ducks estimated by Green may be
an underestimate, 200 pairs in Assam reported by some
workers appears to be an overestimation. Since the
white-winged duck is rather sedentary and parochial, it is
relatively easy to verify its presence in a particular area by
repeated visits to ascertain the indirect information.
Newsletter for Birdwatchers
105
All remaining habitats of the white-winged duck are
under severe human pressure and are subjected to further
fragmentation. There is an acute shortage of suitable nesting
trees. Despite preventive measures, the birds and eggs are
poached frequently. Intensive use of chemicals in tea
gardens may also be affecting the feeding habitats of these
birds.
I have given a set of recommendations in the above
cited reports. A well -coordinated and organized effort is
needed to save this bird. All habitat from where the
white-winged duck has been reported recently should be
protected. Captive breeding programs being conducted by
the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (Slimbridge), Bordubi and
Namdang Tea estates (Assam), and Miao Zoo (Arunachal
Pradesh) require improvements. A long-term study on its
ecology ad biology, including further surveys, should be
launched to prepare a scientific conservation management
plan. A massive campaign involving all media should be
started immediately. No reintroduction programs should be
undertaken for the time being.
So far, no improvement in the status of white-winged
duck has occurred beyond what was reported by Andy
Green in 1992. As various reports indicate, most of its habitat
is being further fragmented and if severe action is not taken
many of the known populations may be eliminated within a
few years. Therefore, the white-winged duck is regarded as
an endangered species according to the IUCN Categories of
Threat and deserves the fullest support from global
conservation agencies for its survival.
Courtesy : IWRB/SSC Threatened Waterfowl Specialist Group
A Checklist of Birds of INS Rajali Naval
Air-station, Arakonam, Tamilnadu
SUNDARARAJAN KS, SANTHANAKRISHNAN R AND RAJENDRAN S
Bird Hazard Project (sponsored byAR& DB, Ministry of Defence, Govt of India),
Saraswathy Narayanan College, Madurai 625 022, Tamilnadu
procumbens, Euphorbia hirta, Borreria hispida, Tephrosia
purpurea and Phyltanthus niruri.
INS Rajali naval air-station is located at a latitude of 1 3" North
and longitude of 79"45' East in North Arcot district and 80
kms away from Madras in Tamilnadu, The name INS Rajali is
given to this airport because of the abundance on black
winged kite {Elanus caeruleus) in that area, which is locally
called "Rajali".
The navel air-station has a maximum and minimum
temperature varying between 40.1'C and 17.7'C. The
hottest months are April and May and the coldest being
December and January. We have so far recorded 113 plant
species within the naval air-station. At least 18,000 saplings
of different plants were planted inside the station to make the
campus green and shady. Apart from the native plant
species, Acacia and Prosopis are found in clusters and
groves, inside the campus. Vegetation found on the North
Eastern side of the operational area seems to be very thick
because of the lush growth of Prosopis, a large number of
different kinds of birds were found roosting in that area. Birds
from that area were found to cross the runway in small
groups thereby posing a danger to the safety of aircrafts.
The vertebrate fauna recorded so far includes 5 species
of amphibians, 11 species of reptiles, 98 species of birds and
12 species of mammals. Leucaena glauca, Azadirachta
indica, Pettophorum pterocarpum, Delonix regia, Cassia
siamea, Samanea saman, Borassus fiabeilifer, Morinda
tinctoria, Pithecolobium dutce, Miilingtonia hortensis, Odina
wodier, Cassia montana, Syzigium jambotanum and Albizzia
lebbeck, constitute the predominant tree species of this area,
and the shrubs are chiefly represented by Hyptis
suaveolens, Sida acuta, Parthenium sp., Lantana camera
and Calotropis gigantea. The dominant herbs are Tridax
The vegetation including those cultivated in agricultural
lands, availability of prey (insects, reptiles and rodents) in the
campus and water bodies, situated outside the naval
air-station attract a variety of birds
A checklist of birds recorded based on the observations
made from February 1995 to March 1996 is given below. A
field Binocular of 7 x 50 magnification was used, whenever
necessary for observations.
S.no. Common Name
Scientific Name
Family : Columbidae
01. Blue rock pigeon
Columba livia
02. Ring dove
Streptopelia decaocto
03. Spotted dove
Streptopelia chinensis
04. Little brown dove
Streptopelia senegalensis
Family : Sturnidae
05. Common myna
Acridotheres tristis
06. Brahminy myna
Stumus pagodarum
Family Corvidae
07. House crow
Corvus splendens
08. Jungle crow
Con/us macrorhynchos
09. Indian tree pie
Dendrocitta vagabunda
Family : Phasianidae
10. Grey partridge
Francoiinus pondicerianus
1 1 . Common quail
Cotumix cotumix
106
Newsletter for Birdwatchers
Family : Charadridae
12. Red wattled lapwing
13. Yellow wattled lapwing
14. Littleringedplover
15. Common sandpiper
16. Spotted sandpiper
17. Little stint
18. Redshank
Family : Alaudidae
19. Singing bush lark
20. Black bellied finch lark
21. Skylark
22. Red-winged bush lark
Family : Coraciidae
23. Blue jay
Family Ardeidae
24. Pond heron
25. Night heron
26. Grey heron
27. Littie egret
28. Cattle egret
Family : Dicruridae
29. Black drongo
30. White bellied drongo
Family : Picidae
31 . Lesser Goldenbacked
Woodpecker
Family : Ircnidae
32. Common iora
Family ; Accipitridae
33. Sparrow hawk
34. Black winged kite
35. Shikra
36. King vulture
37. Wh ite- back e d vu It u re
38. Hen harrier
39. Scavenger vulture
40. Marsh harrier
41. Tawny eagle
42. Indian kestrel
43. Pariah kite
Family : Dicaeidae
44. Tickellsflowerpecker
Family : Anatidae
45. Common teal
46. Blue winged teal or
Garganey
Vanellus indicus
Vanellus malabaricus
Charadrius dubius
Tringa hypoleucos
Tringa glareota
Catidris minuta
Tringa totanus
Mirafra javanica
Eremop terix grisea
Alauda gutguta
Mirafra erythropiera
Coracias bengaiensis
Ardeoia grayii
Nye ticorax nycticorax
Ardea cinerea
Egretta garzetta
Bubuicus ibis
Dicrurus adsimllis
Dicrurus caerulescens
Dinopium benghalense
Aegithina tiphia
Accipiter nisus
Etanus caeruleus
Accipiter badius
Sarcogyps calvus
Gyps bengaiensis
Circus cynaneus
Neophron percnopterus
Circus aeruginosus
Aquilla rapax
Falco tinnunculus
Mitvus migrans
Dicaeum erythrorhynchos
Anas crecca
Anas querquedula
Family : Psittacidae
47. Rose ringed parakeet
Family : Ploceidae
48. House sparrow
49. Yellow throated sparrow
50. Baya or Weaver bird
51. Spotted munia
52 White throated munia
53. Black - headed munia
Family : Alcedinidae
54. White breasted kingfisher
55. Common kingfisher
56. Lesser pied kingfisher
Family : Apodidae
57. Palm swift
58. House swift
Family : P,;aiacrocoracidae
59. Little cormorant
Family : Moticiilidae
60. Large pied wagtail
61 . Yellow wagtail
62. Grey wagtail
63. Indian or paddy field pipit
Family : Muscicapidae
64. Tailor bird
65. Magpie robin
66. Indian robin
67. Pied bushchat
68. White headed babbler
69. Large grey babbler
70. Plain wren warbler
71 . Blyths reed warbler
72. Steaked fantail warbler
Family : Cuculidae
73. Crow-pheasant
74. Koel
75. Pied crested cuckoo
76. Common hawk cuckoo
Family : Nectariniidae
77. Purple sunbrid
78. Loten's sunbrid
Family : Strigidae
79. Spotted owlet
80. Barn owl
Family : Upupidae
81. Hoopoe
Psittacula krameri
Passer domestlcus
Petronia xanthocollls
Ploceus phiiippinus
Lonchura punctulata
Lonchura malabarica
Lonchura malaacca
Halcyon smyrnensis
Alcedo atthis
Ceryte rudis
Cypsiums parvus
Apus affinis
Phalacrocorax niger
Motacilta maderaspatensls
Motacilla ftava
Motacilta caspica
Anthus novaeseelandiae
Orthotomus sutorlus
Copsychus saularts
Saxicoioides lulicata
Saxicola caprata
Turdoides affinis
Turdoides malcotml
Prinia subfiava
Acrocephalus dumetonjm
Cisticola juncldis
Centropus sinensis
Eudynamys scolopaeca
Clamator jacobinus
Cuculus varius
Nectarinia asiatica
Nectarinia lotentia
Athene brama
Tyto alba
Upupa epops
Newsletter for Birdwatchers
107
Family: Pycnonotidae
82. Redvented bulbul
83. WhitQ browed bulbul
Family : Artamidae
84. Ashy swallow-shrike
Family: Rallidae
85. White -breasted waterhen
86. Indian moorhen
87. Coot
Family : Hirundinidae
88. Common swallow
89. Wire tailed swallow
Family : Meropidae
90. Green bee-eater
91 . Chestnut headed bee-eater
Family : Oriolidae
92. Golden oriole
Family : Laniidae
93. Baybacked shrike
94. Brown shike
Pycnonotus cafer
Pycnonotus luteolus
Artamus fuse us
Amauromis phoenicurus
Gallinula chloropus
Fulica atra
Hirundo rustica
Hirundo smithii
Merops orientalis
Merops leschenaulti
Oriolus oriolus
Lanius vittatus
Lanius cri status
Family : Recurvirostridae
95. Black- winged stilt
Family : Podicipedidae
96. Little grebe
Family : Ciconidae
97. White necked stork
98. Openbill stork
Referenees
Himantopus himantopus
Podiceps ruficollis
Ciconia e pi scop us
Anastomus oscitans
Ali, S 1981. The Book of Indian Birds. Bombay Natural History
Society, Oxford University Press, Bombay, Delhi, Calcutta and
Madras.
Ali, S. and Ripley, S.D. 1983. A Pictorial guide to the Birds of the
Indian sub-continent. Bombay Natural History Society, Oxford
University Press, Bombay, Delhi, Calcutta and Madras.
Acknowledgements
The authors express their sincere thanks to the
Aeronautics Research Development Board, Ministry of
Defence, New Delhi for financial assistance. Our thanks are
also due to the staff of INS Rajali Naval Air-station,
Arakonam for providing all facilities during our stay and
study.
Further Evidence of Caspian Tern Sterna caspia
Breeding in North-Western India
JUGAL KISHOR TIWARI, Research Officer Wildlife & Environment, Sanghi Industries Ltd,
Cement Division, Site Office: Sanghipuram, Baranda, Tai- Lakhpat, Kachch, Gujarat 370 655, India
TAEJ MUNDKUR, Asian Wetland Bureau, Institute of Advanced Studies, University of Malaya,
Lembah Pantai, 59100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
SHANTILAL N. VARU, Juna Vas, Temple Street, Madhapur, Bhuj-Kutch, Gujarat 370 020, India.
PRAVIN MAJETHIA, Sanctuary Superintendent, Wild Ass Sanctuary, Haivad Road, Dhrangadhra,
Surendranagar District, Gujarat, India.
On the Indian subcontinent, the Caspian tern Sterna caspia
is a fairly common species outside the breeding season
along the coasts and on large freshwater bodies (Ali and
Ripley 1983). A small population have been recorded breeding
at a few sites: off northern Sri Lanka during May and June (Ali
& Ripley 1983), and on the Astola Islands off the Makran
Coast, Siranda Jheel at Sonmiani in Las Bela and Kajar Island
at the mouth of the Indus in coastal Pakistan during June and
July (Roberts 1991).
The first evidence of Caspian tern breeding within Indian
territory is from a discovery of an inactive colony in the Little
Rann in Gujarat state, northwest India (Ranjitsinh 1991). The
identity of the species was confirmed on the basis of size
and coloration of broken eggs and remains of chicks.
This note compiles information on observations made in
the Great and Little Ranns of Kachchh in Gujarat between
1986 to 1994 to provide evidence that breeding of Caspian
terns is probably more regular and widespread in this part of
India than has been previously recorded.
The Little and Great Ranns are vast and uninhabited salt
flats, that together span an area of about 20,720 km 2 . They
remain dry for most of the year and may get inundated
during the monsoon period; the duration and degree to which
this occurs, differs greatly between years and depends
primarily on the volume it receives. This is controlled by the
amount of precipitation and quantity of freshet that enters the
Ranns, and the volume of seawater that enters the Ranns
during the pre-monsoon and monsoon westerly winds and
associated sea level rise (via the Kori creek into the Great
Rann and the Surajbari Creek into the Little Rann). As a
result, they may remain completely dry in some years and
flooded for up to several months in others. Once flooded,
108
Newsletter for Birdwatchers
PAKE.TA.N
(VW^. —
\ d
\ ^ { p l -
Northwest section of Gujarat state, showing localities mentioned in text
and breeding colonies of Caspian Tern Sterna caspia
[Inset : Location of Gujarat state in India]
they turn into a sea of shallow water and treacherously
soft sinking mud with only few scattered vegetated
islands and slightly elevated areas of mud. The shallow
waters are very rich in fish and crustaceans, which
support a large fishing industry.
Owing to the vast expanse, remoteness and poor
accessibility after the monsoon, the area has been
visited only by a few ornithologists during this season.
Some of the visits to the Rann have led to interesting
discoveries: the famous flamingo Phoenicopterus
roseus colony, great white pelican Pelecanus
onocrotalus (AM 1945), avocet Avosetta recurvirostra
(AN 1960) and lesser flamingo Phoeniconaias minor in
the Great Rann (AN 1974) and in the Little Rann
(Mundkur et al 1 991 } have been found to nest here.
In late June 1986, TM surveyed the coastal areas of
western Kachohh and covered several accessible sites
along the coast from Jakhau north to Lakhpat, the latter
at the western end of the Great Rann. At the edge of the
Kori creek at Lakhpat {Table 1 , Figure 1), a minimum of
29 Caspian terns were observed in prime breeding plumage.
At least four pairs were in an advanced stage of courtship;
the partners performed aerial displays together and several
matings were witnessed. Some of the matings lasted for up
to 10 minutes at a time; during most of this period, the male
stood still on the back of the female before attempting to
copulate. This mating behavior is typical of the larger crested
terns {Cramp 1 985}.
The terns were occasionally observed flying singly or in
small groups to the north across the creek and returning. The
surrounding areas of the creek and coastline were searched
on camel -back to locate the active colony but none was
found. It is likely that the terns were still in the process of
courtship and had not selected a colony site. In the Caspian
tern, as courtship and copulation can occur on migration and
away from the breeding site (Cramp 1985); TM concluded
that the terns were still to establish a colony and
that this could be located in the Great Rann, either
in India or across the border in Pakistan. No further
observations were made on these birds at the
time.
On 7 September 1992, at the Chhari-Dhand
(Table 1, Figure 1), JKT observed Caspian terns
fishing. The terns were carrying fish in their bills
and repeatedly flying off with these towards the
direction of the Luna and Hajipir villages that are
located on the southern border of the Great Rann.
A search was made to locate any signs of a colony
there, during the course of which about 30 km 2
were checked. A search beyond the villages was
not possible due to the flooded state of the Rann.
Observations were made at Chhari-Dhand on
several occasions by JKT and SNV during the
course of about a month. During this period, adult
terns were observed taking fish away and later in
the month they were joined by newly fledged
juveniles (please refer to Table 2 for notes on
Chick & egg of Caspian tern
observations). We presume that a smaller number of terns
must have bred, possibly on a remote island called a "bet" in
the flooded Rann, and that at least some of the adults
depended on the Chhari-Dhand as a source of food to feed
their growing young.
In late 1992, PM and staff of the Little Rann of Kachchh
Sanctuary collected some egg shells and dead chicks of the
Caspian tern from a colony site on Khezadio Bet, about 5 km
south of Rapar Bet in the Little Rann (Table 1 , Figure 1}. This
is about 19 km west of the site where Ranjitsinh (1991) had
previously found eggs shells and dead chicks of Caspian
tern in December 1988. On 2 March 1993, JKT visited the
Khezadio Bet and found that the colony was inactive. This
small patch of raised land {about 300 m long and 200 m
wide} was standing dry in the brackish water of the Rann. To
confirm the identity of the species, some more remnants of
Newsletter for Birdwatchers
109
Khezadio-Bet Nesting Site of Caspian terns
the colony were collected; these were also found to be eggs
of the Caspian tern. This visit was followed by another to the
site on 9 April 1 994. At least ten nests with broken eggs were
found (Figure 2). A knowledgeable villager who has been
observing the birds nesting at this site since 1992, confirmed
that the terns had bred between November and December
1993, and that there had been at least 200 nests of the
Caspian Tern, Along with the terns, three other species of
birds also nested on this island although the identity of these
remains unknown.
The observations made by us between 1986 and 1994
confirm that the Caspian tern has bred at a minimum of three
sites in the Ranns. It would appear that the precise time of
Eggs of Caspian terns Clutch Size (4)
year when the birds could breed here appears to be primarily
controlled by the appearance of temporary islands that are
suitable for nesting, which in turn is dependent on the
flooding regime of the Ranns. For example, the 1992
monsoon was abnormally heavy in Kachchh and in some
areas more that 760 mm of precipitation were recorded
against the annual of about 380 mm. This caused the Ranns
to flood from about September to March that gives the terns
an adequate time to breed. In 1993 we know that the terns
bred here between November and December. The breeding
Table 1 . Evidence of Caspian Terns breeding in north-western India
Location
Habitat
Period of observation
Evidence of breeding
Observer
Great Rann of Kachchh
Lakhpat
25'54'N, 68*55'E
Chhari Dhand
23.1 5'N, 69.49'
Little Rann of Kachchh
Khezadio Bet
23'30'N, 71'07'E
At the edge of
Kori Creek
Seasonal wetland,
Banni Grassland
Small temporary island
Pung Bet
23'31'N, 71'16'E
Khezadio Bet
23'30'M, 71*07'E
Small temporary island
Small temporary island
24-25 June 1986
7 Sept
1992 to 11 Oct 1992
29 adults in breeding plumage. TM
Courtship, aerial displays and
matings observed
Small numbers of adults catching JKT, SNV
fish and carrying them back
towards the Luna and Hajipir
villages. In early October, juveniles
joining adults at the Dhand
late 1992
Remains of an active colony
- few egg shells and desiccated
chicks collected
PM
2 March 1993
Egg shells and dead chicks
collected
JKT
9April1994
Ten old nests with eggs
JKT
December 1988
Remains of an active colony
- few egg shells and desiccated
chicks
Ranjitsinh
(1991)
1 October 1994
About 300 nests, 500 egg,
100 chicks, and 1500 adult
Caspian terns
JKT, SNV
110
Newsletter for Birdwatchers
season of the terns in the Rann is quite different from
elsewhere in the region. In Pakistan they breed in June-July
{Roberts 1991) and in Sri Lanka between May and June (Ali
and Ripley 1 983). It is likely that the difference in the time of
breeding at these places occurs due to the temporary
availability of safe nesting sites.
The volume of water entering the Ranns has been
declining in the last many years as a result of construction of
a number of irrigation and water supply dams along the
seasonal rivers that feed into the area. Due to the irregularity
of the flooding, it is likely that the terns may only be able to
successfully breed in some years.
Finally on 1st October 1984, JKT and SNV, found an
active colony of Caspian terns on Khezadio-Bet in the little
Rann. Hence this is the first positive evidence of the nesting
of Caspian terns in India.
The Staff of the Border Security Force kindly provided a
camel for an initial survey of the Lakh pat area and we are
grateful for their support, Muhammad, a local assistant
employed by the Bombay Natural History Society willingly
helped out at Chhari Dhand. Shahid Ali, MK Himmatsinhji,
SA Hussain, Dr AR Rahmani, TJ Roberts and Anthony C.
Sebastian kindly provided useful comments on earlier drafts
of this note and we acknowledge their kind contribution.
References
Ali, S. (1945). The Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta Linn.) breeding
in India. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 45: 420-421.
Ali, S. (1960). Flamingo city re-visited: nesting of the Rosy Pelican
Peleanus onocrotalus (Linnaeus) in the Great Rann of Kutch.
J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 57 : 412-415.
Ali, S. (1974). Breeding of the Lesser Flamingo, Phoeniconaias
minor (Geoffrey) in Kutch. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 71 :
141-144.
Ali, S. and Ripley, S.D. (1983). Handbook of the birds of India and
Pakistan. Compact edition. Delhi, Oxford University Press.
Cramp, S. (1985). The birds of the Western Palaearctic. Vol.4.
Terns to Woodpeckers, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
Mundkur, T., Pravez, R„ Khachar, S, and Naik, RM, (1989).
Hitherto unreported nest site of Lesser Flamingo
Phoeniconaias minor in the Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat. J.
Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 86 : 281-285.
Ranjitsinh, MK(1991 }. Breeding of the Caspian Tern Hydroprogne
casp/ain the Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat. J. Bombay nat. Hist.
Soc. 88(2) : 283-284.
Belikere Lake — A New Foraging Site for Spotbilled
Pelicans (Pelecanus philippensis)
B
Dr(Ms)M.V.
ilikere village is almost midway between Mysore and
'Hunsur (27 kms from Mysore) and has a population of
4002. Bilikere Lake having an area of about 99 acres is
between HuJIenahalli and Bilikere village and is to the left side
of state highway No.88 (from Mysore). The lake does not dry
up fully even during summer months.
Since August 1991 , I have been regularly observing this
lake for bird life, as I commute between Mysore and Hunsur.
Hunsur is 26 kms from Bilikere. The common wetland birds
which I have been able to identify in and around the lake are,
little egret (Egretta garzetta), cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis),
little cormorant (Phalacrocroax niger), spot billed duck (Anas
poecilorhyncha), wiretailed swallow (Hirundo SmithJi),
painted stork (Mycteria leucocephala), grey heron (Ardea
cinerea), Pond heron (Ardeola grayii), Little grebe {Podiceps
ruficollis), pied wagtail (Motacilla sp), black bellied tern
(Sterna acuticauda), white breasted kingfisher (Halcyon
symmensis), purple moorhen {Porphyrio porphyrin),
common sand piper (Tringa hypoleucos), red wattled lapwing
(Vanellus indicus), lesser pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis), coot
(Fulica atra) and white ibis (Threskiomis aethiopica).
RAMA, No.2821, 9th Cross, V VMohalla, Mysore 570 002
On 2nd July 1996, during my usual observation at 7.30
am I was thrilled by the sight of four spotbilled pelicans
fishing in the lake. On third July at the same time, I noticed a
large flock of them, which were never seen during my earlier
eager looks at the lake for new species. Then I started
visiting the lake at different hours. On enquiring the villagers
who have been using the lake regularly for various purposes,
including fishing, since decades, say that these big birds are
new to the lake and have never seen them before. However
about 10% of them say that a few big birds of that kind come
once in a way in small number of 10 to 20.
The number of pelicans were counted between 7.00 and
10.00 am for five days from 20th to 24th July 1996. There
were 80 to 90 of them floating bouyantly with the
characteristic way of group fishing. Sometimes a few of them
used to rest on the bank next to or along with the little
cormorants. On 21st and 22nd between 1.00 and 3.00 pm
there were only 50-60 of them, on 23rd at 4.1 5 pm twentyfive
from the flock, were seen circling high in thermals and
soaring. Finally they flew away with 'V formation towards the
East of the lake. Everyday they are arriving here early in the
morning before Sunrise and leaving in batches till late in the
Newsletter for Birdwatchers
111
evening, Atleast 10 birds were seen foraging even at 6.30
pm.
These pelicans must be coming from Kokre Bellur, their
nesting site, which is 65 kms away from Bilikere. They have
been reported to visit lakes at Sulekere, Maddur, Malavalli
and surrounding areas within 50 kms in search of food
(NLBW, Vol.35, No.2, 1995).
Though Bilikere lake is free from industrial effluents it is
polluted by the human activities such as washing clothes,
cattle and vehicles. Women of both Hullenahalli and Bilikere
use the lake water intensively all through the year for
washing clothes. During these days there was a meagre
fishing operation going on. Pollution from agricultural run off
is another serious matter to be considered as it can reduce
the fish population. Villagers are indeed happy about these
rare visitors. In case Kokre Bellur even now has 300 to 350
pelicans (NLBW, Vol.35, No.2, 1995), nearly 30% of the
population has come to this lake for foraging. The cause for
the shift in their foraging habitat this season can be an alarm;
for their earlier habitats might have become less fit or unfit to
support them.
References
A dictionary of birds, 1985 edited by Bruce Campbell and
Elizebath Lack. The British Ornithologist Union, p.442-443.
News Letter for Birdwatchers, 1995, Vol.35, No.2.
Salim Alt. THe book of Indian Birds and Pictorial Guide.
First Record of the Lesser Golden Backed Woodpecker
Nesting in an Earthen Wall
TAKUR DALIP SINGH, 549-A, 9th A Main, 1st Stage, indiranagar, Bangalore 560 038
oodpeckers normally nest by making holes on the tree
branches. These primary hole nesters are popularly
known as the carpenters of the forest. In Dr Salim Ali's book
of Indian Birds and other bird literature there is no record of
the golden backed woodpecker nesting in a mudwall.
My farm is in Romie Tehsil, of Sirsa District of Haryana,
very near to Rajasthan border. During the harvesting
season {April 1991) in Haryana, when I arrived at the farm
my workers told me that a large bird was nesting in a hole in
the mudwall. When I visited the spot, I was surprised to see
a nest just three and half feet from the ground in a mudwall,
which was in the compound of a small religious building,
where people frequently came to offer prayers. The nest was
active and under the shade of a banyan tree, where people
usually come for an afternoon siesta during the hot summer
days. I inspected the nest and found only one chick inside.
Later, I identified the bird as a lesser golden backed
woodpecker. The chick was very small, and I thought that it
might take a few more days for it to put out its head from the
nest, so that I could take action photographs of the parents
feeding the chick. The parents were not shy of my presence
and photographic equipment which was placed at a distance
of only four feet from the nest. This is the first record of
nesting of woodpeckers in a mud wall.
A pair of brahminy mynas tried several times to take over
the nest, particularly in the absence of the parent
woodpeckers. But one day one of the mynas, entered the
hole and stayed inside for some time. We were very worried
about the woodpecker chick, but we were helpless. Then
one of the parent woodpeckers came and entered the nest,
where (after a lot of struggle — I presume) it forced the
brahminy myna to get out. Then we made another hole at
some distance on the same wall, to keep the mynas busy.
The mynas accepted this man made nest and this in turn
enabled the woodpecker to complete its nesting cycle
without hindrance.
Even though I am not 100% sure, it seems that the
woodpecker themselves have made the nest. Secondly, the
shape of the nest also suggested that it was made by the
woodpeckers according to their requirements.
We have more than 100 species of birds at our farm.
The barbets sometime nest on tree branches at just around
three feet above the ground, which shows that they are
relatively undisturbed here because of the religious
sentiments of the people of this area.
112
Newsletter for Birdwatchers
I would like to receive the comments of your readers on a few
observations on birds that are given below :
In September 1995 I observed a group of five
roseringed parakeets harassing a shikra in flight well
above tree top level within the city of New Delhi. The
parakeets were staying above the shikra but making
repeated dives at the hawk, and wheeling and circling
close above. Is this kind of behaviour common? In the
40 years that I have been observing birds, I have never
noticed this before.
On December 6, 1995, while driving along a "kaccha"
forest road between Kalagarh and Ramnagar, that runs
along the southern boundary of the Corbett National
Park in UP, a covey of quail crossed the road a few feet
ahead of my car. They then entered the short grass on
the side of the road where I was able to observe them-
quite clearly from within the vehicle. The covey
consisted of two parent birds and about six half-grown
young birds, indicating a late nesting after the rains,
probably in October. From the pale longitudinal streaks
on the backs of all members of the covey, they
appeared at first glance to belong to the genus
Coturnix. However, from the prominent rusty-red chin
and throat colouring of the male, they were more likely
to be jungle bush quail. The other, though remote,
possibility is that they were a family of Japaneses quail,
Coturnix japonicus, in which the male acquires
rusty-red chin and throat feathers in the breeding
season. This however, would imply that they were
escapes from some poultry farm and had bred in the
wild. This appears unlikely, and the quail were probably
Jungle bush quail, in spite of the profusion of
Cotumix-like streaks on their backs.
Has such late nesting by the jungle bush quail been
commonly observed? Are pale streaks on the backs
more common on jungle bush quail from the base of the
Himalaya? Has any nesting by escaped domestic
Japanese quail been reported anywhere in our
country?
In May 1996, I observed a nest of a hoopoe at ground
level in our neighbourhood park. The nest was between
the roots of a White Mulberry ("katwa" tree), Morus
alba. The nest contained a well -grown nestling, ready to
leave the nest when I last looked. The park is home to
Quails, Hoopoes and Ducks
Lt. Col. GAUTAMDAS (Retd.), Ft- 136, Greater Kailash, Part-I, New Delhi 110 048
mongooses and to Common Musk-shrews, which could
easily have robbed the nest before the nestling grew to
this stage. Are nests of the hoopoe at ground level a
common occurrence? Do hoopoes, or their nests or
young, possess some offensive odour (or unpleasant
taste) which deters predators?
My children, who were camping at Dodi Tal, at about
11,000 feet in the Uttarkashi district of the UP
Himalayas on 15th May 1996, reported seeing a black
and white water bird of almost domestic duck size at the
far end of the lake. The description matches only that of
the male Tufted duck, the male goosander, or a great
crested grebe. Have any of these three species been
reported from Dodi Tal at that time of year?
Nesting of Spotbilled Duck along the River Yamuna
Near Delhi
The Spotbilled duck (Anas poecitorhyncha) is fairly
common in and around Delhi throughout the year, both at
small, reedy waterbodies and in the reed-beds and marsh
grasses of the River Yamuna.
Dr Salim AN in "the Book of Indian Birds" has stated that
the nesting season of the Spotbill is ill-defined and is
primarily during the south west monsoon (July-Sept.). It
might be of interest to readers that two nests have been
observed near Delhi in April - early May 1 996, one containing
10 eggs and the other twelve. The Handbook (Ali & Ripley)
mentions the possibility of two broods a year.
It has been reported by a local that spotbills have been
seen to carry ducklings between their feet if the nest-site is
disturbed, has this been observed anywhere else, or
authentically reported?
The other observed resident ducks of the Delhi area are
the nukta (comb duck) (Sarkidiomis melanotus] and the
cotton -teal (now renamed cotton pygmy-goose) (Nettapus
coromandelianus), of which the nukta is the commoner,
though both are present in much smaller numbers than the
spotbill. In fact, I have only seen one pair of cotton-teai in the
immediate vicinity of the city of Delhi-New Delhi. The nukta
appears to be commoner along the River Yamuna and within
a few km on either side from North Delhi northwards, than
besides the city or along the river towards the south.
Newsletter for Birdwatchers
113
Correspondence
BANDED CRAKES and CRANES IN COORG. Lt. Gen.
B.C. NANDA ((Retd), General Thimaya Circle, Madikeri
571 201, Kodagu, Kamataka
Please refer to my letter of 6th September 1 996. Once
again I have a bird dash against my garage wall on the night
of 20/21 October 96. This time it is a banded crake. I found
the bird lying dead next to my garage wall on the morning of
21-10-96.
On checking out I find that Salim Ali in his Book on
Indian Birds 1979, described the bird as "slaty legged
banded crake (Rallina euryzonoides) Lt Col. H.P. Baker in
his book Birds of Southern India, 1930 gives the best
description of the specimen, I found. He refers to this bird as
Rallina superciliaris superciliaris.
Baker goes on to quote Mr. Bell's account in the BNHSJ,
Volume XIV page 393, wherein Bell reports that banded
crake was a fairiy common bird in the jungles along the coast
of "Kanara" during the monsoon. His observations are dated
1898.
Hume and Marshall in Game birds in India, Pakistan
etc., 1879 reprinted 1994, Volume II refers to the bird as
Rallina Euryzonoides. They also go on to state that another
variation from the Malay Peninsula is referred to as Rallina
fasciata superciliaris.
This time I was lucky to have a camera handy and
managed to take a few shots, two of which I am enclosing for
your study. *
I may add that my house is located at an altitude of 4300
feet above sea level on a ridge line, just above a saddle. On
both sides are deep valleys with streams and paddy fields.
Perhaps the two birds that I have reported were moving from
one set of paddy fields to the other at night, when they
became disoriented by my security light.
Perhaps I should put off my security light during these
months.
Cranes in Coorg
On 8th December 1996 at 1.15 p.m.
in the afternoon (1315 hrs) while I was
having my lunch I observed through the
window three large birds circling over a
valtey that I overlook. By the time I got
my binoculars and went outside the
birds had gained considerable height.
Unfortunately it was a cloudly afternoon
with intense glare and hence it was not
possible to pick up any details beyond
the fact that they were definitely cranes.
My house is located at
approximately 12'30'IM latitude and
therefore it is unlikely that these were
common cranes, Grus grus (Linnaeus)
as these birds have not normally been
seen south of a general line along 18" N
latitude. I can therefore only presume
that these birds were Demoiselle
cranes, Anthropoides Virgo [Linnaeus)
This is the very first time that I have
observed any cranes in Coorg. I wonder
if you have any reports of such
sightings.
OCCURRENCE OF CHRISTMAS
FRIGATE BIRD. MANEESH KUMAR P.
and MANOJ KUMAR P. 1/415,
Pushpanjali, Kalpathy, Palakkad 678
003
Bordering the district Malapuram
(Kerala) lies our lucky site
Puduponnani Estuary. On 29.8,93 at
114
Newsletter for Birdwatchers
3.00 pm, watching the gulls and terns passing by, we were
astonished at the sight of a long black bird that emerged
from the flocks of white gulls. Its long slender wings and
deeply forked tail helped us to recognise it unmistakably as a
frigate bird. And when the bird neared us its orangish bill
curved at the end and the prominent white patch at its belly
were conspicuous.
Further on the information gathered aided us to identify it
as Christmas frigate bird - Fregata andrewsi.
Soon after it made a wonderful display in the open,
frequently attacking the Brahmini kites and making elegant
dives in to the sea, Often it flew at sea level to procure its
food, and after an hour of activity near the shore it flew away
over the sea.
Not more than a couple of sightings of this bird are
recorded in Kerala. The checklist of birds found in Kerala as
per 'THE BOOK OF KERALA BIRDS" excludes the
"CHRISTMAS FRIGATE BIRD". Hence their sighting is
valuable.
BLAGK-NECKED GREBES and GREAT CRESTED
GREBES IN GUJARAT. S.THEODORE BASKARAN, 1,
Sanchar, Ahmedabad 380 006
In the western tip of Gujarat is the pilgrimage town
Dwaraka. When you take the road from Jamnagar to
Dwaraka, you have to cross a stretch of marshy mud flat,
which is in fact an intrusion of the Gulf of Kutch. This spot is
known as Charkla and here Tata Chemicals have vast
stretches of salt pans, to supply raw materials to their factory
in Mithapur, about 50 km away. Sea water is pumped into the
pans and there form large bodies of water, of uniform depth.
They attracts large number of birds, including flamingos.
On 20.11.96 we were driving across this stretch when
we noticed the congregation of birds and stopped to watch.
We sighted a number of species but the star attraction for us
was a flock of black-necked grebes {Podiceps nigricollis).
There were 51 of them and were feeding in one corner of a
pan, where water was being pumped in. The birds stuck to
the area where water was falling from a large pipe and were
actively feeding. They did not fly at our approach but merely
moved a few metres away, in a tight group. I was able to take
pictures easily. Slightly bigger than little grebes, these birds
breed in Central Europe and West Asia and winter in India.
The straight, black neck, white under parts and the group
formation can be the identifying factors in the field. The red
iris will confirm the identification. The Handbook describes
this bird as "uncommon". When we reached Jamnagar, one
from our group contacted Shatrusalya Singh {a keen birder,
former Raja of Jamnagar and popularly known as Jam
Saheb) and he said the he has seen this bird in a few other
spots in Gujarat.
This spot is extraordinarily rewarding for a birder. We
saw flocks of flamingos, both varieties, spoonbills, avocets,
reef herons, grey herons, large egrets, brown headed gulls,
lems, Dalmatian pelicans and many waaers.
One from our group spotted a dead Dalmatian pelican
with a ring. I will persuade her to share the story with the
readers of the Newsletter.
THE GREAT CRESTED GREBES OF PARI YE J LAKE
Pariyej is a village on 20th km of the Kheda-Khambhat
road, which branches off from the National highway number
8 connecting Ahmedabad with Vadodara. To the south-west
of the village lies a sprawling lake, which irrigates the fields
around. The lake is fed by a canal and so is full the year
around. And for this reason quite a few waterfowl breed here.
It sustains a large number of waterfowl and in one census it
was as high as 20,000. On 5.9.96, a group of us from the
WWF had gone to this lake. We sighted a pair of
great-crested grebe and watched them for more than two
hours, intermittently. What is significant was that the birds
were in breeding plumage, evidence of the fact that they
breed here. Other birders from the Agricultural University of
Anand who were with us confirmed that they had sighted at
least three pairs of these handsome birds in breeding outfit,
in the past. In Gujarat the breeding of this bird has been
recorded in Jamnagar and near Bhuj, I myself have set my
eyes on this bird only once previously and that was at
Barapani lake, near shillong in Megalaya in 1978.
WATERFOWL CENSUS AROUND SURAT, GUJARAT.
SNEHAL PATEL and AKSHAY JOSHt, Nature Club Surat,
81, Sarjan Society, Surat 395007, Gujarat
Our Club carried out the annual waterfowl census at 11
sites this year. All the seven sites counted in the previous
years were counted. In addition the four new sites included
were significant. The highlight of the census this year was a
weir on the river Tapi, in Surat. The new site supported about
35,000 waterforwl, which was extraordinary despite the
extreme disturbances along the shore. The area upstream of
the weir, had a large population of twenty-eight thousand
coots, where the water is fresh. Downstream of the weir
where water is brackish was predominantly occupied by
ducks. Although the coverage was only three kilometers of
the river, for the first time, such large concentration of
waterfowl has been observed.
The other important site counted this year was Ukai Dam
on river Tapi 105 Kms, east of Surat. This reservoir totaling
about 200 Sq Km, could of course not be completely
covered. However, in the small region covered (less than
5%) some 7,000 waterfowl were observed of which there
were 4,000 pochards and 2,000 tufted ducks. These birds
were observed at least half a km away. The identification
was possible only with the help of a powerful telescope. This
count however was carried out on 26th December, 1 995.
This year a higher number of waterfowl were observed
compared to previous years at all lakes in the South Gujarat
region. No explanation however can be made, for this. In fact
many species of ducks were observed at lakes, where they
have not seen observed earlier in last ten years.
Newsletter for Birdwatchers
115
In conclusion, the weir at river Tapi, turned out to be a
new site for very large congregation or waterfowl.
Throughout the winter the weir supported such large number
of waterfowl.
However about hundred people have started trapping
these birds using crude traps. The weir being located in very
populous part of the city, is constantly disturbed, along the
shore. Efforts are being made by our club to prevent this
poaching of birds and provide protection with the help of
forest department. Whether this new site becomes a
permanent wintering ground will be clear in the years to
come.
We are pleased to inform the readers of newsletter that
a forest department official accompanied us in plain clothes
and coots trapped by fishermen were bought at their selling
rate of 35 Rupees and the trappers were caught red-handed
and booked for trapping and selling wild birds under the wild
life act. Since then the trapping activity has decreased.
Jointly with forest department we are planning to put up
boards along the river indicating that trapping of birds is
illegal and trappers can be jailed.
many flowering plants like varieties of rose, jasmine,
hibiscus, allamanda and lantana. Sunbirds, flower-peckers,
tailor birds and bulbuls are always to be seen here.
There is no water around here as far as I know. In order
to irrigate our many coconut palms and plantains, we have
attached pipes to carry used water from washbasins, sinks
and bathrooms. Sometimes huge puddles are formed on the
ground because of this. Many birds come to drink from these
puddles - wagtails, white-throated ground thrushes, etc.
Birds like parakeets, lorikeets, muni as and chloropsis
come in flocks and are seen only in the mornings and
evenings. Mtnrvets and cuckoo-shrikes too are occasional
visitors.
An areca tree near our gate has been converted into a
multistoreyed building by the birds. There are four nest-holes
in this tree built one above the other giving the tree the
appearance of a flute. The original hole was made by a
golden-backed woodpecker. I am not sure about the
architects of the remaining three holes. The holes are
occupied by different birds • woodpecker, barbet and myna.
Some of the holes are probably connected. Once I watched
a woodpecker going into one hole and reappearing from the
one above it after a few seconds.
KESTRELS IN RAN1KHET. JASEEM BAKHSH, Centre for
Wildlife & Ornithology, AMU, Aligarh 202 002
On 13th April 1996, I was birding near the Mall road,
China View in Ranikhet range of West Almora Forest
Division in Uttar Pradesh, I came across two kestrels
possibly of East Himalayan race (Faico tinnuncuius
interstitus). They were catching winged termites emerging
from the wet ground.
The sky was cloudy and most of the diurnal birds were
about to retire. I was fascinated to see that the kestrels were
catching insects by air-sallying.
BIRDS OF SAMPE (MYSORE). Mrs. PRAGATI NAYAK,
"Aashirwad", Sampe, P.O. Aryapu, Puttur 574210
We live in the country - a few kilometers away from the
town of Puttur. My family owns a saw-mill and we live next to
it. Cut logs are stacked behind the mill and there are plenty
of birds which remain in the vicinity of the logs - mainly
robins, magpie-robins, woodpeckers, coucals and
kingfishers. In the mango and jackfruit trees near the mill one
sees drongos and racket-tailed drongos, doves and orioles.
Unfortunately, I do not know the botanical names of the
many trees and shrubs here. One particularly huge tree
(locally called "golimara") attracts many birds - bee-eaters,
flycatchers (paradise, grey-headed, blacknaped), barbets
and woodpeckers. There are plenty of insects like
dragonflies here which is why probably so many birds come
here.
Our house is surrounded on all sides by coconut and
areca palms and plantains. There are many fruit-trees like
mango, guava, chikoo, papaya and jackfruit. We also have
BLACK BREASTED WEAVER BIRDS. AASHEESH PITTIE,
8-2-545 "Prem Parvat", Road No. 7, Banjara Hills,
Hyderabad 500 034, India
I will send a note shortly, on the Blackbreasted Weaver
Ploceus benghaiensis nesting in Hyderabad area, for the
Newsletter. The interesting point about this note is not just
the nesting of the birds (which extends their breeding range),
but the plumage of the males. They have got white faces (to
put it crudely) vis-avis the brown-faced birds illustrated and
described in our references books! Some preliminary
research has revealed that a couple of authors, Jerdon and
also Oates (over a hundred years ago!) have described this
plumage. But why have subsequent works (the Handbook
and also the Fauna!) ignored it completely? Exciting
possibilities tempt us! New sub-species (! ?) being the most
fantastic. Perhaps it is just a forgotten plumage. It will take
some time before any conclusion can be reached.
(Specimens have been sent to the bird room at BNHS and
have been seen by Mr. Abdulali). In the meantime,
birdwatchers in the country can keep their binoculars handy !
Since a week, there is suddenly, an influx of birds in the
garden. Paradise flycatchers, a flashy blueheded rock thrush
(!), the ethereal music of Tickell's blue flycatchers, grey and
whitebellied drongos, and just now, as I write and glance out
of the window, a booted eagle, riding thermals between here
and the airport, parrying dives by a pariah kite, miraculous
and enigmatic in its appearance, spreading gladness in the
heart that the world still ticks to a mysterious clock, the
rhythm of whose pendulum is unfathomable ! I would that
"conferences" were made of these more than anything else.
116
Newsletter for Birdwatchers
THE SILENCE OF THE SONGBIRDS
HARK, HARK, the lark at heaven's gate sings, but these
days it's getting harder to hear one. The Royal Society lor
the Protection of Birds and seven other leading conservation
bodies last week warned that 23 species are now in the
highest category of concern in Britain {where there has been
a 50 per cent reduction in breeding population or range over
the past 25 years), including for the first time farmland birds
such as the turtle dove, tree sparrow, bulfinch, reed bunting,
song thrush - and the favourite skylark. A previous survey,
from the last 1 980's, listed just eight species in the category.
Pinning down the exact cause of decline is not always
possible, but there are some obvious suspects. Farming has
become much more intensive, producing a tidier countryside
which is less bird-friendly. Pesticides kill off insects and seed
producing weeds. The grey partridge's chicks can no longer
find the fat juicy insects which they need. Seed-seeking
species such as the buntings and finches suffer. Rotational
cereal planting, with stubble fields ploughed up instead of
being left through the winter, creates a sterile environment.
So does the continuing shrinkage of hedgerows, which
deprives the linnet and other species of safe nest-building
sites. Villages and town suburbs are becoming zones of
refuge for birds driven off the hostile land.
Most of the these birds are not yet rare : the RSPB's
efficient monitoring system reckons there are still a million
song-thrushes around. But 25 years ago there were 2 million
and the pace of decline is probably increasing. Nature - as
we have seen in the beef disaster - exacts a high price for
being tampered with. To confuse its enemies, the lark
descends in silence for the last few metres. We shall know
how much we have lost when it is silent all the way.
Guardian Weekly, April 28, 1996.
for a hobby newsletter and does not fall into the category of a
technical report. It certainly made no claim to being a
scientific article, though I will vouch for the accuracy of my
observations contained therein. The confusion seems to be
due to the application of a yardstick meant for a research
paper, quite inappropriate here.
Painting by Lady Gwillim
An account of the acquisition of Lady Gwillim's
bird-paintings that Dr. S. Subramanya came upon at McGill
University {Vol. 34 No.4) is given by Casey A. Wood who
bought them for the university, in an article titled "Lady
{"Elizabeth) Gwillim, Artist and Ornithologist" in the Journal of
the Bombay Natural History (Volume 31, pages 486-489).
Wood goes on in his article to describe the paintings
themselves, and also his search for information about the
artist. It is very interesting to compare Dr. Subramanya's and
Wood's descriptions of their individual discoveries of the
same works of art, spaced some seventy years apart.
Domestic Ducks feeding on Houseflies
I remember an occasion, when many years ago, as a
boy I went along with my father to a wedding at
Virudhunagar, about fifty kilometres south of Madurai. The
house where the wedding was taking place was full and we
were seated on chairs in the lane outside. Open gutters at
the sides lent a certain atmosphere to the setting. No doubt
the numerous houseflies thought it a wonderful place.
Presently, our attention was drawn to a small group of
domestic ducks in our vicinity These ducks seemed to be
making swift pecks at the ground. Closer observation
revealed that they were deftly poking up houseflies that
settled on the ground. Apart from the unexpected food item,
the dexterity of the ducks was remarkable. We watched tor
some time, and they were busy "flycatching" throughout.
They were surprisingly accurate, not once did we see them
miss.
COLOURS, PAINTINGS & DUCKS. KUMARAN
SATHASIVAM, 29, Jadumani Koil Street Madurai 625 001
Terms used to describe colours in natural history
Since writing my previous article on shikras with red
eyes and definition of colours {Vol. 36 No.3), I have come
across references to a publication, the title of which
suggests that it would be useful to have at hand when
putting names to colours in natural history. The publication
is:
SMITHE, F.B, (1975) : Naturalist's Colour Guide,
Amer.Mus.Nat.Hist., New York.
' If any readers are familiar with this work, could they
please provide details about it?
I was surprised to find my article referred to by Mr. Rahul
Purandare (Vol.36 No.5) as an example of a scientific article
that is not clear in its pupose. I feel it is quite clear that the
article is in the nature of observations and musings written
COMMENTARY ON THE NEWSLETTER. KUMAR
GHORPADE, 186 Rethel Street, St Thomas Town,
Bangalore 560 084
The present issue of the Newsletter for Birdwatchers is
the 50th printed number (337 nos in all brought out during
the last 36 years) and is thus a landmark of sorts. From
humble beginnings, as a mimeographed newsletter mailed to
bird watchers known to him in December 1960 by our
tireless and long-lasting editor, Zafar Futehally, we now
receive a very attractive, computer typeset, offset printed
edition with a coloured bird photograph on its front cover
'snapped' by S. Sridhar, who also deserves great credit for
printing and publishing this now bi-monthly harbinger of
'stray feathers' on our very diverse avifauna.
This occasion demands some appropriate action and I
have finally decided to inaugurate what I have had in mind
for many years now. This article will hopefully begin a series
of regular commentaries on the contents of NLBW which
may be of some use to readers. Feedback, especially from
•r for Birdwatchers
117
h'tZ i~z experienced seniors (who are usually too busy
at fieir ages), on published papers and notes, clarifying or
-g to data presented, is very important The
: t- -dependence issue of the J.B.N.H.S. used to carry a lot
of such interaction on points of Natural History by its readers,
who invariably were members of the unique, centurion,
Society. Such cross fertilization of ideas and opinions would
*x3t only bring in quality manuscripts for our editor and
renter-publisher but also act as a badly needed check on
what is Printed in the NLBW.
First, of standards, both of editing and printing. Having
been in this business for the past two decades, I can
.. — en( W j tn courage, conviction and objectivity.
Complaints on editorial sagacity and judgement by three
serious younger readers (Santharam, Purandare,
Kazmierczak (NLBW 36 : 91-94) prompted Zafar to put in an
edftorial note. I continue to be terribly impressed by Zafar's
smgte-minded dedication and timing in bringing out this
-e.vsletter, without a break, over the last three and a half
trades. In early years, when NLBW was printed and mailed
"cm Bombay (now Mumbai to natives!) he had help from
ocal bird watchers and an impressive Editorial Board to
boot. In these days of electronic marvels at our disposal, it is
a pity that Zafar indicates his lack of such help. What he
■•squires is a 'specialist' for whom this kind of editing and
pnnting back-up would be 'no problem'. Like I have said
cefore, and proved with some 'guest-editing', I would myself
~e too willing and happy to lend a concerned and efficient
hand at re-typing MSS, proofing them and seeing them
■*-ough the print process with Sridhar's help. And this at no
cost whatever.
If Zafar and Sridhar would like it, I will contribute
:ontinuing parts of this commentary for every forthcoming
ssue of the NLBW where besides reviewing its contents for
scientific truth (or ignorance!), I will also write on our Natural
History (birds and their ecology) and highlight the badly
needed protection of our undisturbed ecosystems as well as
restoration of our disturbed (urban and cultivated) areas. As
my friend and his very talented group in Delhi imply (NLBW
36 : 97-98) it is only by action of the common people of our
land that can save what biodiversity still exists. But how do
we go about doing it? That is where the wisdom of the
biological scientist, the expert ones, is critical. But, as T.S.
Eliot wondered, let us ot come to a stage where we all join
him in his lament — "Where is the wisdom that we have lost
in knowledge?"
CHANGE OF ADDRESS
Review
Wetlands International
Marijkeweg 11
PO Box 7002
6700CAWageningen
The Netherlands
telephone: +31 317 474711
fax: +31 317 474712
SMALL AND BEAUTIFUL : SULTANPUR NATIONAL
PARK. Published by KALPAVRIKSH, New Delhi. Reviewed
by ASHEESH PITTIE
The book under review, is published by Kalpavriksh, with an
aim to make the reader realize that even tiny protected areas like
Sultanpur, harbour a bewildering and fragile diversity of life
which need to be sensibly managed and treated with respect by
the visiting public. It comprises of 69 pages of text (including 5
Appendices and a Fact Sheet), a Contents page, a title page, 3
maps, 19 black and white photographs and numerous delightful
line drawings by Pratibha Pande. Several people are credited for
having helped with this book, but the main work has bee done by
Ghazala Shahabuddin, Ranjit Lai and Pratibha Pande.
Though the books is heavily weighted with bird-related data,
there are chapters on Sultanpur's flora, other animals found in
the area {mammals, reptiles, fish, amphibians and insects), and
one devoted to the future of the jheel, mainly dealing with
management aspects relating to internal as well as external
phenomena and problems. The Appendices comprise of lists of
plants (Appendix 1), manimals (App 2), birds (App 3), reptiles
and amphibians (App 4) and butterflies (App. 5). As a general
reference work on the ecology of the jheel, aimed at a target
audience of the lay 'un-formed' public, the information given in
the book is ample and well presented. The write-ups are snappy,
descriptive and lyrical (almost like a film commentary at times I),
creating exquisite verbal vignettes of the ecology of this area.
The line drawings (what good are such books without pictures!)
enliven the text on almost every page. Three cheers for Pratibha
Pande's artwork I (Indeed the Newsletter could benefit from her
skills if she is approached by the Editor, to sketch birds for future
issues !) The photographs however, are of poor quality. Sharper
pictures with better contrast should have been used (perhaps
keeping the sale price as low as possible was the constraint on
the publishers), A set of three habitat shots (pps. 10,19,21),
depicting the change of seasons, is a good idea. The year of
publication is not mentioned. The weakest link of the book is its
binding which gives way no sooner the book is opened I
It is perhaps a fitting tribute to the diversity, beauty and
visibility of our avian friends, and their resulting popularity among
humans, that data and text of the bird sections comprises almost
half of the book I A chapter called 'Birds of the Season' describes
a full bird-year in the national park, with many anthropomorphic
(please note that this is what the general public likes to read!)
observations of bird behavior. Some (rare) liberties (poetic
license?) have also been taken with (a) bird descriptions, e.g.,
Lesser Whitethroats are "small off-white birds, with light gray
caps" (p. 12), and (b) bird behavior e.g., feeding behavior of
Shovellers, 'they share their time between foraging comically
(bottoms up and twirling slowly!)..." (p. 12), vis-a-vis the
commoner method of dabbling and sifting in shallow water
swinging bill from side to side on the surface. Another chapter,
"Sultanpur Specialities" deals with 5 species of birds, Flamingo,
Blacknecked stork, Sarus Crane, Osprey and Sirkeer Cuckoo.
The authors lament the decline in the number of the flamingos
over the years, confessing that "the exact reasons for this are
not known" (p,24). Perhaps the answer lies in the following
quote, recording the changes which have taken place after
'active management 7 of the jheel commenced by maintaining
water levels artificially with the help of pumped water from bore
wells. 'The result of this activity has been to convert a seasonal
saline wetland into a perennial fresh one. There has been a
corresponding alteration in the avifauna, with a reduction in use
by flamingos Phoenicopterus and an increase in pelicans
Pelecanus. Use of the area by ducks has switched from mainly
roosting, towards use for feeding. Cormorants Phalacrocorax
and egrets use the trees for breeding (egrets used to breed in
one of the other jheels, but that colony was abandoned after
drainage). On the other hand, the long grass that extends right to
the water precludes the use of the water for drinking by
sandgrouse Pterocles and the large flights seen formerly no
longer appear. Shorebirds of open shorelines (e.g. Temminck's
Stint Calidris temminckii) have been replaced by those of wet
meadows (e.g. Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus)," (Gaston
1994, cautioning against 'active management', resulting in the
loss of indigenous ecosystems).
The list of birds observed in and around the jheel in the
National Park, during a monthly census by Kalpavriksh
members, over a period of 9 years, is an impressive tally of 247
species, listed in Appendix 3 (pps. 49-63), along with their status
and frequency of sightings. A review of literature reveals that in
the past various authors have reported lists of more than 250
species (Kothari 1988) and around 300 species (Lai 1991) from
here. The value and veracity of the present list notwithstanding,
inclusion of sightings over the years by other observers would
have made the exercise more complete and comprehensive. It
would also have served as a litmus of change in the avifauna
and environmental status of the jheel's area under development
pressure (which should be a useful tool for administration and
management decisions). Sightings like Whitetailed Sea Eagle on
12-1-1974 (Slater 1974), Whitebellied Heron on 4-4-1976
(Futehalfy 1976), and Rednecked Phalarope on 6-12-1980 (Jay
1981). Agra and Bharatpurby Humayun Abdulaii and Jamshed
D. Panday (1978) (A & P), though not strictly pertinent to. the
area, reveals some interesting statistics. A & P compiled a list of
434 species and sub-species for the Delhi area, of which 111
were reported from Delhi only (not Agra and Bharatpur). Of
these latter, 28 were doubtful and required further confirmation.
Of these 111 birds, the present work records 23 from Sultanpur.
Some observations oh the list are : The Kestrel Falco
tinnunculus is missing. However Lesser Kestrel F. naumanni is
reported as a migrant. A & P's checklist does not fist the latter.
So is the case with Spotted Sandgrouse Pterocles senegallus,
which Is listed as a migrant and was seen thrice by the authors.
Does P. exustus really not exist in the area ? It is rather
surprising that nightjars Caprimulgus have not been recorded
and neither has been the lora Aegithina tiphia. A couple of
prominent typos are a repetition of "Family Pelecanidae :
Pelicans" on p.62, amidst the wagtails, and the caption for the
first sketch on p.20, which should read "Blackwinged Stilt...".
All in aft, besides being the information -packed, low-priced
booklet that it is, it carries an important message for informed
readers. It illustrates what can be achieved by the long-term
study of an ecosystem. Diligence, persistence and cooperation
among bird-watchers and wildtifers (mainly amateurs) has
produced a substantial first document of the ecology of a local
area, the Sultanpur National Park. A document which wit! be
useful in every future study of the jheel and its vicinity. A
document which shows how such studies could be done by
birdwatchers individually or organised as 'societies' throughout
the country, willing to shoulder the special responsibility of
nurturing and safeguarding (against 'enlightened' development)
an open universal university for future generations.
References
Futehally, S. (1976): A day at Sultanpur. NLBW 16(7); 1-3.
Gaston, A J. (1 994): To the editor: Some comments on the 'revival' of
Sultanpur Lake. OBC BULLETIN No. 20:49-50.
JAY, M.H. (1981): The Rednecked Phalarope at Sultanpur jheel,
Haryana. HORNBiLL 1981 No. 3:33
Kpthari, Ashish (1988): Save the Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary.
SANCTUARY 8(3)-.69-72.
Lai, Ranjit (1991): Sultanpur: jheel of many parts. SANCTUARY
11 (2): 34-39.
Slater, R.E. (1978): An additional record of the Whitetailed Sea Eagle
Haliaeetus aibicilla (Linnaeus) in north-western India. JBNHS
74(3):526.
Announcement
16th Maharashtra State Friends of Birds Meet
The Vihang Mandal, Solapur, will be organising the 16th
MSFBM at the Nutan Marathi Vidyalaya, Solapur, Maharashtra
between 11th and 13th January 1997. This meet offers golden
opportunity for the bird lovers of India to establish contacts and
exchange views. The central theme of the conference is
"peoples sanctuary". In this conference lectures, seminars,
discussions and exhibition on birdlife have been arranged.
Registration fees Rs 300/-, Lodging & Boarding arrangements
for ail the delegates will be done by the organisers.
For further details contact :
Prof Dr Ninad V Shah
16th MSFBM, 94 Siddheshware Peth,
Umbajre Building
Solapur413 001.Tel. No. (0217)20615
Editor : ZAFAR FUTEHALLY, No. 2205, Oakwood Apartments,
J akka sandra Layout. Koramangala 3rd Block, 8th Main,
Bangalore 560 034.
Pfinted and Published Bi-monthly by S, Sridhar at Navbharath
Enterprises. Seshadripuram, Bangalore 560 020. for Private
Circulation Only,
Tel. : 33641 42 Fax : 3364682
E -M a ii : <s rid har.n avb rat @ axcess . ne t . i n :>
Cover : Curlew {Numenius arquata) The largest and the
longest billed wader in Europe, is a winter visitor to India.
Forages along the mud flats and the seashore at low tide,
probing for marine worms, tiny crabs and molluscs. Its long bill is
designed to secure food that is oul ot reach of other waders. 11
has a liquid note 'cour-li, cour-li', that starts slowly and ends in a
prolonged bub ling trill.
Photo : S Theodore Baskaran
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