Nov-Dec 2005

Newsletter for Birdwatchers, 45 (6), 2005 95

96 Newsletter for Birdwatchers, 45 (6), 2005

S. Theodore Baskaran

Dr. A.M.K. BharosHarish R. BhatDr. S.P. BhatnagarDr. A.K. Chakravarthy

Dr. S. DevasahayamDr. Joseph George

B.S. Kulkarni

Arvind MishraFl.Lt. S. Rangaswami (Retd.)K. Mrutumjaya RaoA.N. Yellappa ReddyDr. Rajiv SaxenaS. SridharDr. Abraham Verghese

Publisher : S. Sridhar

Editorial Board

A Note from the PublisherDear fellow birdwatchers,

The Second National Seminar on Bird Ecology andConservation was a historic occasion that provided avaluable opportunity to the birders to showcase their researchfindings and to interact with their counterparts from otherstates. A heartening trend over the past few years is thesteady increase in the will to protect the natural habitats ofour country. The credit for this trend should go to theNewsletter for Birdwatchers which has come a long way,professing bird conservation, among the young and the old,the novice and the peer. The community of Indian birdwatchersmust be complimented for their sustained support to theNewsletter for Birdwatchers.

In order to galvanize this trend to the benefit of birds, thisnational seminar was organized. Also, in view of the factthat the forest department is empowered to formulatepolicies for the protection and conservation of wildlife andto advise the Government, involving the department isimperative to all conservation related issues. Accordinglytop officials of the forest department were involved from theplanning stage itself. The Bangalore Statement on NewInitiatives for Bird Conservation has demonstrated that Indianbirdwatchers are a strong and credible force to reckon with.The Statement has also manifested that the majority of thebirders have fairly judged the ground realities. The ecologicalproblems were dealt with a firm and consistent manner atthe seminar and the delegates were able to develop theirinteractions and deliberations in a comprehensive manner.Their art iculations have considerably helped us tounderstand complex conservation issues and thesensitivities needed to tackle them. Consequently we couldformulate clear and lucid recommendations. Since the PCCF(Wildlife), PCCF (EWPRT) and the President of INCERTdrafted the recommendations of the seminar in consultationwith the delegates; these recommendations are expectedto carry adequate weight.

It is by now accepted wisdom that diversity of birds is bestunderstood by amateur birdwatchers in India, who deemengagement in such productive pursuits are not only satisfyingbut also rewarding. These well-informed birders are strivingsteadfastly for the ecological progress of the country and tobridge the gap between the stake holders, who are otherwisebusy crossing swords. The seminar was another milestone,in our all out struggle against habitat destruction and effortsto save the gridlock of our country's ecological structure. Itwas also exceedingly gratifying to note that several studentshad the temerity to put forth incisive and searching questionsto the presenters at the seminar. The vision and directionworked out at the seminar could well be the basis for thesuccess of conservation movement in the decades to come.And for those who missed the seminar; they have reallymissed a golden event.

Thanking you,

Yours in bird conservationS. SridharPublisher, NLBW

Vol. 45 No. 6 Nov. - Dec. 2005

CONTENTS

A Note from the Publisher

Report

Second National Seminar on Bird Ecology andConservation by Dr. A.K. Chakravarthy andHarish R. Bhat

Articles

The Distribution, habitat and status of GreenAvadavat Amandva formosa (Latham, 1790) in MountAbu Aravalli hills, Rajasthan, India by J.K. Tiwari andAnupama Tiwari

Correspondence

Birds feeding on Rice at Malda, West Bengal byArunayan Sharma,

Ultimate Parental Care by Karthik G.K.

Sighting of Goliath Heron (Ardea goliath) atPulicat Lake by Ranjan Kumar Das and Md. Imran.

Cover: Pictures taken on the occasion of the Second National Seminaron Bird Ecology and Conservation, BangalorePhotos by Mr. A.N. Sringeswara and K.S. Rajashekara.

Address for Correspondence :Newsletter for BirdwatchersNo 10, Sirur Park B Street, Seshadripuram,Bangalore 560 020, India. Tel. 080 2336 4142, 2336 4682E-mail : <[email protected]>

Printed and Published bi-monthly by S. Sridhar at NavbharathEnterprises, Seshadripuram, Bangalore - 560 020, India.

For Private Circulation Only.

Enroll a FriendIf every Newsletter Member could enrol just

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SECOND NATIONAL SEMINAR ON BIRD ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION12th - 14th November, 2005, Bangalore

SEMINAR EXECUTIVE COMMITTEES

Patron of the Seminar Sri. R.M. Ray, IFS, PCCF

Executive Committee Chairpersons Sri. A.K. Varma, IFS, PCCF (Wildlife)Sri. A.N. Yellappa Reddy, IFS (Retd)

Members Sri. Anur Reddy, IFS, CF & Sri Harish R. Bhat

Organising Committee Chairman Dr. Dilip Kumar, IFS, PCCFConvenors Sri. S. Sridhar and Dr. A.K. Chakravarthy

Reception Committee Chairman Sri. Shivanna, IFS,Members Sri. Gangadhar Maddikeri, Sri. S. Shreyas

Ms. M.S. Sudha, Dr. K. Sreedevi

Technical Committee Chairpersons Dr. N.S. Leela and Dr. Abraham VergheseMembers Dr. K. Praveen Karanth and Dr. A.C. Girish

Programme Committee Chairman Dr. Balakrishna GowdaMembers Dr. Sringesh, Dr. S. Sreevatsa

Sri. L. Vijayakumar

Souvenir Committee Chairman Sri. Jayaraman

Catering, Transport & Chairman Sri. Nagaraj Hampole, IFS, CFAccom. Committee Members Sri. Parmeshwar, IFS, DCF

(Catering) Sri. Keshava Murthy

Members Sri. V. Doreswamy, Sri. B. S. Srinatha(Accommodation) Sri. Keshava Murthy, IFS, DCF

Members Sri. N.L. Shantha Kumar, IFS, DCF(Transport) Sri. Chandra Shekar

Press & Publicity Chairman Sri. A K Varma, IFS, PCCF (Wildlife)Committee Members Sri. Anur Reddy, IFS, CF

Sri. B. Eshwar PrasadSeminar Field Trip Chairpersons Dr. Ravichandra Reddy,Committee Dr. Shakunthala Katre

Members Sri. R.S. Haruve, Sri. Paresh U. KarmarkarSri. Karthik

Seminar Help-desk Chairperson Ms. Madhuri DeodarMembers Ms. C. Vimala Srinivasan

Ms. Shoba AnandMs. Kalavathi Srinivasa RajuSri. M. Dakshnina Murthy


The proceedings of the National Seminar on Bird Ecology and Conservation titled

�NEW INITIATIVES FOR BIRD CONSERVATION�Editors

Abraham Verghese, S. Sridhar, A. K. Chakravarthy, Harish R. Bhat and Praveen K. Karanth

Preface

�Datyuharati Vikrandaihi Pumpskokilaruthairapi�(On the onset of spring the waterfowls are attiring in their new robes and the cuckoos are singing)

(Kiskindhakanda, Valmiki Ramayana)

These lines provide ample proof of the existence of birdwatching in India, since the days of Valmiki. Thanks to some Britishinitiatives, birdwatching took firmer roots by the 18th century and flourished till independence. Later Dr. Salim Ali gave amajor thrust with his �Book of Indian Birds�, which was published by the Bombay Natural History Society. The launching of

�Newsletter for Birdwatchers� by Mr. Zafar Futehally, in 1960 gave a much needed fillip to the birdwatching movement in

India. The Newsletter continues to generate interest among 2000 bird enthusiasts in the country, many of them havinggraduated as professional ornithologists.

The first �National Seminar on Bird Ecology and Conservation� organized in Bangalore in 1993, was an outcome of these

encouraging developments. This seminar was attended by over 250 delegates and two publications were brought out viz.�Bird Conservation Strategies for the Nineties and Beyond� and �Bird Diversity and Conservation - Thrusts for the Ninetiesand Beyond�. They formed a valuable foundation beyond the frontiers of birdwatching to active conservation. Later, it was

felt that another conclave of birdwatchers, ornithologists and ecologists for sustaining the momentum and starting newinitiatives under one umbrella was overdue. So a second National Seminar on Bird Ecology and Conservation, on 12th and13th November, 2005, was proposed and papers were invited. This Book is a collection of papers on �New Initiatives for Bird

Conservation� encompassing a broad spectrum of forestry, biodiversity, agriculture, human health and allied themes.

The seminar papers cover a wide range of relevant topics. Forty-two papers are categorised under six sections. Wetlandsand Waterfowl section consists of eight papers, majority of which are waterbird surveys. These papers recommend thedeclaration of certain wetlands as protected areas and discuss conservation strategies for the water bodies. Bird Diversityand Conservation section consists of fourteen papers and a majority of them are taxa specific that look at status andconservation of vultures, bustards, peafowl and babblers. The remaining papers are on avifaunal diversity in the WesternGhats. There are four papers in the Applied Ornithology section, three of which look at avian communities in agro-ecosystems and the fourth deals with the feeding patterns of two vulture species.

Four papers in Bird Biology and Behaviour section look at feeding, roosting and locomotory behaviour among raptorsand waterfowl. In the Current Issues section, five articles on bird flu, mining, tsunami and avian biogeography, which areof interest to birdwatchers and the general public alike, are included. Therefore, this seminar can be termed as eventful, forit not only focuses on birds but also takes a stimulating look at the implications on environment, conservation and publichealth. Further, the seminar has received seven papers from college students. To provide young researchers with aplatform for presenting and discussing their works, a Student Session is published as a supplement.

We thank Dr. N.S. Leela, the Chairperson of the Technical and Students Session, for her untiring support and guidance, Mr.L. Vijay Kumar, Dr. A.C. Girish, (Research Scholars) UAS, GKVK, Bangalore and Mr. Pramod Subbarao for their editorialassistance. We also thank the publisher for critically reviewing the papers. We specially thank Mr. R. Ravishankar,Ms. Vimala Srinivasan, Ms. Shoba Anand, Ms. Kalavathi Srinivas, Ms. Prameela Girish, Mr. B. S. Srinatha, Mr. A. Sridhar,Mr. Narayanaswamy, Mr. Ratheesh and Mr. Shivalingaiah for rendering technical support.

The support of Forest Department; Karnataka State Biodiversity Board; Department of Forestry and Environmental Sciences,UAS, Bangalore; Bangalore University; Eco-Watch, Bangalore and Institute of Wood Science and Technology, Bangalore isgreatly appreciated. We extend our sincere gratitude to all those who have helped us in this timely and purposeful endeavor.

5th November 2005, Bangalore Editors

Please contact NLBW for your copy of the proceedings


The Second National Seminar on Bird Ecology andConservation held between 12th and 14th November 2005at Aranya Bhavan, Bangalore, coincided with the 110th

birth anniversary of Dr. Salim Ali, the renownedornithologist who popularized bird study and conservationin India, through his pioneering works. The theme of theseminar was �New Initiatives for Bird Conservation�. Adecade earlier, the first national seminar had beenconvened at the same venue and therefore, this initiativewas taken to conduct a similar seminar at the same venue,not only to renew the enthusiasm and provide a platformfor the bird enthusiasts to showcase their findings butalso to exchange bird information and conservation relatedtopics with birdwatchers from all over the country.

The grand event commenced at 10.00 am with a melodiousinvocation by Ms. K. S. Manorama and Ms. Rekha,followed by devot ional songs by AIR art ists.Shri Parameshwar, Deputy Conservator of Forests(Bangalore Urban) welcomed the dignitaries and thedelegates. Shri Gurupadappa Nagamarpalli, Hon�ble

Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment, Govt. ofKarnataka, inaugurated the seminar by garlanding theportrait of Dr. Salim Ali and presented the LifetimeAchievement Award to the well-known bird conservationist,Dr. J. C. Uttangi. The Hon�ble minister in his inaugural

address stressed the importance of bird conservation andemphasized the need for habitat protection for the survivalof birds. Ms. Nalini Dhawan unveiled the portrait of lateProf. Satish Dhawan. Prof. K. R. Y. Simha, Chairman,CSIC, I ISc, delivered the keynote address�Dr. Satish Dhawan�s Contribution to Conservation�.

Prof. Simha listed a number of research contributions ofProf Dhawan in understanding the mechanism of birdflight. He also dwelt at length on Dr. Dhawan�s initiatives

to conserve the natural heritage of India. Dr. V. K. Aatre,Former Scientific Advisor to the Raksha Manthri, in hisguest lecture also spoke on the flight mechanism in birds.Shri R. M. Ray, PCCF, Karnataka Forest Dept.,Dr. P. J. Dilip Kumar, PCCF(EWPRT), Karnataka ForestDept., President of INCERT Shri A. N. Yellappa Reddy,Shri A. K. Varma, PCCF(Wildlife), Karnataka Forest Dept.were the guests of honour. Shri Harish Bhat delivered thevote of thanks. The entire inaugural session was deftlycompered by Ms. Sumangala Mummigatti of All IndiaRadio, Bangalore.

The technical sessions began with paper presentations.There were about 200 delegates from 17 states. Therewere five sessions viz., 1. Bird Diversity and Conservation;2. Bird Population Dynamics; 3. Bird Biology andBehaviour; 4. Wetlands and Waterfowl; and 5. CurrentIssues. A parallel session exclusively for students washeld at the adjacent �Institute for Wood Science and

Technology� Seminar Hall. Each session was chaired by

an expert who was ably assisted by two raporteurs.

TECHNICAL SESSION I � Topic : �Bird Diversity and

Conservation� Chairperson of the First half session -

Dr. G. S. Padate. Chairperson of the Second Half sessionDr. Joseph J. Kavoor. The following papers were presented.

First Half session:

1. Vulture Conservation Breeding Programme inSouth AsiaDevojit Das and Vibhu Prakash

2. Conservation priority for Black-breasted Parrotbill,Marsh Babbler and Jerdon�s Babbler at the Dibru-

Saikhowa Biosphere ReserveRanjan Kumar Das, Prasanta Saikia and AbaniKumar Bhagawati

3. Bird Community in the High Altitude Grassland,Upper Bhavani, NilgirisUma J Vinod and Lalitha Vijayan

4. Rehabilitating the Great Indian Bustard at the

Ranibennur SanctuaryS.G. Neginhal

5. Status of Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps)at Ranebennur Blackbuck SanctuaryHarish Bhat, Karthik, G.K, Rajendra Hasbhavi andA.K. Varma

Second Half session:

6. Present Status of Vulture in Mahuva District

Bhavnagar, GujaratP.P. Dodia

7. Avifaunal Diversity in Different Vegetation Types ofCentral Western Ghats, IndiaC.B. Prakash, N.A. Prakash and C.G. Kushalappa

SECOND NATIONAL SEMINAR

ON BIRD ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION

THEME : NEW INITIATIVES FOR BIRD CONSERVATION

12th - 14th November, 2005, BangaloreA Report by Dr. A. K. Chakravarthy and Harish R. Bhat


8. Birds of Bandipur National Park, Survey Report2002-2003Rajkumar. D

9. Nest Monitoring of Indian White-backed Vultures(Gyps bengalensis) in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Statusand Conservation of Vultures (Gyps) in Gujarat State.Kartik Shastri

10. Jurong Birdpark Model: An excellent concept forBird Conservation, Education and EcotourismAbraham Verghese

11. Bankapur Mayur Vana - an Abode of Peacocks

Madhuri Deodar

12. Monitoring of Nesting Colonies of Gyps Vultures inIndiaS. Saravanan, Sachin Ranade, Kartik Shastri,Viswas Kadtare, Sashikumar, B. Raha,Koustubh Sharma and Vibhu Prakash

TECHNICAL SESSION � II. Topic �Current Issues�

Chaired by Col. R. T. Chacko. The following paperswere presented.

13. Tsunami, Mangroves and Wetlands: An appraisalA.K. Chakravarthy and S. Sridhar

14. A Brief About the Bird FluJ. G. Deodhar

15. Bird Flu: An UpdateS. Sridhar and A.K. Chakravarthy

16. Impact of Copper Mining on Water Birds atMalanjkhand Copper - Project: A Case StudyRavi Shanker Kanoje

17. Molecular Phylogenetic Approaches in the Study ofAvian Disjunct Distributions and Double InvasionsPraveen Karanth. K.

There was a brief video presentation by Karthik Sastryfrom Gujarat, on Vulture protection, rehabilitation andon the injury caused by kite festivals on various birdsin general and raptors in particular.

13th November 2005

The next day began with a fascinating and refreshingmusical power point presentation on Bird Conservationby Dr. N.S. Leela & All India Radio artists.

TECHNICAL SESSION - III Chaired by Mr. Ravi ShankarKanoje with the topic �Bird Biology and Behaviour �

and 4 papers were presented:

18. The Food Habits of Two species of Plovers atNalabana Island, Chilika Lagoon, OrissaSmita Acharya, K. Bohidar and S. K. Kar

19. Food of the White Ibis (Threskiornismelanocephalus Latham) at Bhavnagar, GujaratI.R.Gadhvi and V.C.Soni

20. Roost Habitat use of Harriers Wintering in Westernand Southern IndiaAshok Verma

21. Biped Locomotion in Birds: An EvolutionaryConundrumJairaj Kumar C and Arunachalam Kumar

TECHNICAL SESSION � IV. Topic �Wetlands and

Waterfowl�. Chairman Prof. A. B. Shanbagh. The

following papers were presented.

22. Conservation of Wetlands of Kerala with Special

Reference to Ramsar sitesP.O. Nameer

23. Avifauna of Ramanakere, Cheelur, DavanagereDistrictDayananda, G.Y. and B.B. Hosetti

24. An Account of Heronries and Other BreedingWaterbirds of Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, IndiaS. Sivakumar and Ranjit Manakadan

25. Water Bird Diversity at the Tanks of NorthBangaloreManjunath P, Pramod Subbarao, Harish Bhat

26. Wadhvana - a Wetland of International SignificanceSonal Deshkar, Rathod Jagruti and Padate. G. S.

27. Diversity, Richness and Monitoring of Waterbirds atthe First Conservation Reserve of the Country(Asan Wetland, Uttaranchal, India)Arun Kumar

28. Studies on Bird Diversity of Anekere Wetland ofKarkala, Udupi District, KarnatakaIshwara Bhat P and B.B. Hosetti

29. Avifauna of the Dr. Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary atChorao � an Estuarine Wetland of Goa, India

Sonali D. Borges and A. B. Shanbhag

Mr. Abdul Samad from Bellary shared hisexperience with the Greater Flamingos that hadvisited Daroji Tank in Hospet.

Mr. Shyamal, presented the software �Bird Spot�,

developed by him on the Geographical Distributionof Birding areas in India.

TECHNICAL SESSION � V Topic �Applied Ornithology�.

Chairman Dr. Indra Kumar Gadvi. The following paperswere presented.

30. Avian Life in Monoculture Plantations in Goa, India�Minal Desai and A. B. Shanbhag

31. Peacock Feeding on Crops and their Conservation

Issues in Karnataka�Thyagaraj, N.E. and A. K. Chakravarthy


32. �Feeding Potential of Two Species of Vultures�

R. B. Singh, A. K. Chakravarthy and

R. K. Bhatnagar

33. �Bird Community Characteristics of Selected

Cultivated Tracts in Mandya, South Karnataka�A. K. Chakravarthy, Girish, A. C. and Vijay Kumar, L.

A parallel session, exclusively for students was arrangedon 12th November 2005, at seminar hall of the Institutefor Wood Science and Technology, adjacent to the AranyaBhavan. This session was chaired by Dr. N. S. Leela.The following seven papers were presented at the Students�session.

1. �People�s Participation in the Management of Bird

Sanctuary�R.V. Karnan

2. �The Vanishing Kings of the Sky � Oriental White-

backed Vultures �D. David Camus

3. �Bird Conservation and Biodiversity In Forest

College, Mettupalayam�

R. Ramkumar and M. Ganesh Karthick

4. �Migratory Birds in Forest College and Research

Institute, Mettupalayam�Arthanari. P

5. �Loss of Bird Habitats in the Nilgiris�

R. Dhanapal and K. Nesamani

6. �The Vanishing Lily of Birds � The Population

Dynamism of Siberian Crane in Keoladeo GhanaNational Park- Bharathpur �S. Narayanan

7. �Breeding Biology of the Small Green Bee-eater

Merops Orientalis �S. Asokan, A. Mohamed Samsoor Ali,G. Thomas Nithiyanandam and M. Chakravarthi

Around one hundred students participated in the students�session. This session saw a progressive discussion whichculminated with concrete proposals and suggestions foraction oriented conservation plans. Students alsoparticipated in the technical session held on the secondday ( 13th Nov) and they were given an opportunity tointeract with experts and specialists from all spheres.The experts cheerfully answered all the questions put forthby the students, which provided the much neededencouragement to the budding birders. Dr. N. A.Madhyastha, a noted ornithologist also addressed thestudents. The students besieged him with severalinteresting questions and a lively debate ensued.

The plenary session was held in the evening on 13thNovember 2005. This session was chaired by Dr. P. J.

Dilip Kumar, PCCF (EWPRT), Shri A. K. Varma PCCF(Wildlife) and Shri A. N. Yellappa Reddy. Varioussuggestions and recommendations put forth by thechairpersons of the sessions were thoroughly discussedwith the active participation of the delegates. This wasfollowed by the valedictory function wherein, theresolutions and recommendations that were passed duringthe plenary session were formally submitted to Shri A. K.Varma, IFS, PCCF (Wildlife) with a request to put forththe same to the State and Central governments forconsideration and suitable action.

During the concluding session the delegates, dignitaries,sponsors, the media and the organizers werecomplimented for the success of the seminar.

The next day (14th Nov) a field trip to Jnanabharathi Campusof the Bangalore University was organized for studying thechanges in the composition of the avifauna, linking to theafforestation and habitat rejuvenation programme underwayat the campus. Shri Nagaraj Hampole, Conservator ofForests, Bangalore Circle and Shri Parameshwar, DeputyConservator of Forests, Bangalore Urban coordinated thefield visit. The participants were divided into four teamsand were sent to various sections of the campus with ateam leader in each team. After interesting forays into thenooks and corners of the campus, the four teams alongwith their leaders gathered at the Senate Hall to sharetheir findings. They also submitted their suggestions forthe improvement and the interventions needed for attractinga wider range of birds to the campus to Dr. Thimmappa,Hon�ble Vice-chancellor of the Bangalore University,

A. N. Yellappa Reddy and the Heads of Zoology andEnvironment Departments. Mr. Yellappa Reddy spoke atlength about the tree planting and water harvesting projectstaken up at the University Campus, which has resulted inthe reappearance of some rare species of birds, insects,reptiles and small mammals.

The field visit and the interaction with the Vice Chancellorwas followed by a lunch hosted by the BangaloreUniversity. In the afternoon, the delegates visited Sri VaniScience Park at Bapagram, off Magadi Road. ShriSharma, Curator of the park welcomed the delegates andtook them around the science park, botanical garden,rock garden and the orchidarium maintained within thecampus. A male black-redstart seemed to be delightingitself with constant flitting of its tail and kept company ofthe delegates until dusk. The exhilarating field tripconcluded after a high tea and the delegates were ferriedback to Aranya Bhavan, Bangalore.


A National Seminar on Bird Ecology and Conservation,held at the Aranya Bhavan, Bangalore, India, on 12th

and 13th November 2005, Organised by Institute forNatural Resources Conservation, Education, Researchand Training (INCERT), Newsletter for Birdwatchers(NLBW), in Collaboration with the Forest Department,Government of Karnataka, was inaugurated by theMinister for Forests, Ecology and Environment,Government of Karnataka. The Seminar was supportedby The Karnataka State Biodiversity Board,Department of Forestry & Environmental Science, UAS,Bangalore, Department of Zoology, BangaloreUniversity, Institute of Wood Science & Technology(ICFRE) and Eco-Watch, Bangalore, with over 200delegates drawn from 17 states.

THE BANGALORE STATEMENT ONNEW INITIATIVES FOR BIRD CONSERVATION

RECOGNISING that Black-breasted Parrotbill, MarshBabbler, Jerdon�s Babbler, Nilgiri Pipit, Great Indian Bustard,

Gyps Vultures, Flamingos and both migratory and residentwater birds of the country, as endangered;

CONCEDING in all honesty that the population of some ofthe above named species have either declined or becomerare on account of loss of congenial habitats with very fewindividuals surviving (as in the case of Great Indian Bustard);

UNDERSCORING the need for initiating urgent measuressuch as preventing overgrazing and poisoning of fish in thewater bodies to protect rare, endemic and threatenedspecies like the Black-breasted Parrotbill, Marsh Babblerand Jerdon�s Babbler of the DSBR (Dibru-Saikhowa

Biosphere Reserve).

STRESSING the immediate need to conserve and protectthe grasslands along the Western Ghats and the adjoiningbuffer areas;

APPRECIATING the initiative to launch a �National Bustard

Project� through habitat restoration activities of the erstwhile

Bustard habitats and sharing traditional knowledge of thelocal communities and understanding grassland functionsand values; in order to ensure the survival of the few survivingBustards,

CONCERNED PRIMARILY by the rapid decline in vulturepopulations across the country, due to factors like shortageof food (cattle carcasses), loss of habitats, huntingpressures, viral disease, pesticide use and reckless use ofveterinary drugs like diclofenac;

DISTURBED profoundly over the recurrent deaths of wildanimals and birds on the Highways, which cut across theprotected forests of Karnataka;

NATIONAL SEMINAR ON BIRD ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION12th - 13th November, 2005, Bangalore, India

THE BANGALORE STATEMENT ON NEW INITIATIVES FOR BIRD CONSERVATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

ACKNOWLEDGING the paramount need to include �Basic

Life Science Subjects�, in the curriculums of engineering,

medical, commerce and arts disciplines at both highersecondary and college levels;

REALIZING with good reason that mangroves and coral reefsalone can redouble as bio-shields, to protect properties andnatural resources from tsunami waves;

BEING AWARE of the imminent threat to humans, poultryand wild birds from the H5N1 strain of �Bird flu virus�;

the loss of several wetlands in Bangalore and elsewheredue to encroachments and lopsided development schemes;

the continuing traditional custom of ritual hunting which iscontributing to decline of many rare and endangered species;

FURTHER RECALLING that anthropogenic activities suchas poaching, encroachment, poisoning, pollution, habitatdeterioration, and scarcity of appropriate nutritional regimesare primarily responsible for the drastic decline of manyendangered and rare bird species;

CALLING ATTENTION to the fact that species such as theGreat Indian Bustard, Black-breasted Parrot bill, MarshBabbler, Jerdon�s Babbler, Nilgiri Pipit, Gyps Vultures and

Flamingos are legally protected in India;

WELCOMING the Government of India�s timely measure to

protect rare and threatened birds by establishing newSanctuaries;

The Seminar urges governments, Non-governmentalorganizations, regional ecological societies, the publicand others to work collectively to prevent further lossand damage to the avian habitats, to ensure theprotection of birds and their habitats alike and to monitor,maintain, restore and justly enrich Bird diversity.

RECOMMENDATIONSThe NATIONAL SEMINAR ON BIRD ECOLOGY ANDCONSERVATION, Bangalore, Karnataka State, India, duringits Concluding Session on 13th November 2005, Chaired byDr. P.J. Dilip Kumar, IFS, PCCF (EWPRT), Mr. A. K. Varma,IFS, PCCF (Wildlife) and Mr. A. N. Yellappa Reddy, IFS(Retd), has Recommended:

1. To immediately stop cattle grazing and fish poisoningat the Dibru-Saikhowa Biosphere Reserve (DSBR) ;

2. To put an end to the mining activities in and around thegrasslands of Western Ghats ;

3. To immediately launch the �National Bustard Project�

as envisaged by the State Government;

4. To continually lookout for the critical causative factorsresponsible for the decline of vulture populations, tomonitor vulture colonies, to initiate additional


conservation measures and to legally act upon theAirport Authority of India�s (AAI) tendering system to

eliminate raptors, protected under the Wildlife(Protection) Act 1972;

5. To construct road humps and speed breakers toregulate movement of vehicles speeding on the highwaysthat cut across the protected areas and to restrictvehicular movement during the night time;

6. To incorporate �Basic Life Science Subjects� at higher

secondary and college levels;

7. To restore and revamp the lost mangroves and coralreefs, which can redouble as bio-shields and protectproperties and natural resources from tsunami waves ;

8. To immediately launch a national awareness campaignabout the imminent threat to humans, poultry and wildbirds from the H5N1 strain of �Bird flu virus� and to

sanitize various poultries, to keep poultry birdssegregated from the wild birds and to constantly monitorthe migratory bird population for any tell tale symptomsof the disease;

9. To initiate DNA Bar coding for all species of birds inIndia as a reliable tool for species identification, as well

as a dependable forensic evidence material in wildlifejurisprudence ;

10. To take steps to demarcate the boundaries, to clearthe encroachments, to fence and to provide watch andward around lakes and ponds of Karnataka in generaland Bangalore in particular. To undertake scientificmethods of de-siltation, to provide protection to residentand migratory waterfowl and to encourage them to nestand roost by planting trees;

11. To declare Hebbal, Puttenahalli and Madivala Tanks asavian hotspots and protected areas ;

12. To intensify awareness campaigns around the villages,hitherto practising ritual hunting of wild animals andbirds, to give up their traditional custom of ritual hunting.

With these recommendations, The NATIONAL SEMINARON BIRD ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION hasunequivocally appealed to all the concerned authorities toimplement them without further delay and protect the birdpopulation of the country.

Place: Date: 13th November, 2005Aranya Bhavan 18th Cross,Malleswaram, Bangalore

The Distribution, habitat and status of Green AvadavatAmandava formosa (Latham, 1790) in Mount Abu

Aravalli hills, Rajasthan, IndiaJ.K. TIWARI and ANUPAMA TIWARI,

Ecologist, Seawater Farms Eritrea, Po Box 406 Massawa, Eritrea, E. Africa

The Green Avadavat Amandava formosa is globallythreatened and endemic to India. Locally common inMount Abu Aravalli hills in open grasslands and Lantanacamara (exotic weed) dominated areas. Does not mixwith other Munias eg. Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchurapunctulata and Indian Silverbill Lonchura malabarica.Shy in nature, moves in flocks of 4 to 35. Main threatappears to be grassland and bush fire. Absent in plainsand foothills 20-30 km away from Mt. Abu.

INTRODUCTIONMount Abu in Rajasthan, India is a detached hill of Aravallirange between 24 �31 � and 24� 43 N latitude and 72 �38� and

72�53 � E longitude. It rises suddenly from the flat plains like

a rocky island lying off the seacoast of a continent. TheMt. Abu range is 1219 m above the Sea level about 19 km inlength and 5-8 km in breadth. Mount Abu has a rich floralbiodiversity starting with xeromorphic subtropical thorn forestat the foot hills to subtropical evergreen forest along watercourses and valleys at higher altitudes. Green Avadavat isa globally threatened species, endemic and resident inIndia. Butler described Green Avadavat as a commonspecies at Mount Abu, he did not come across this speciesin the plains and described it as an Abu specialty.

Devarshi and Trigunayat (1989) listed 82 species of birdsfrom Mount Abu seen during their various short surveys.They have surprisingly missed this species in their list.Ishwar Prakash and Pratap Singh (1995) in their checklistof 136 species from Mount Abu mention having seen onepair of Green Avadavat at Oriya village.

Satish Kumar Sharma and Chandresh Lodhiya (2004) intheir online checklist of birds 246 species from Mt. Abu(delhibird The Northern India Bird network) have mentionedGreen Avadavat being found in Mount Abu.

During the search for the White-naped Tit Parus nuchalis inOctober 1996, the first author came across the GreenAvadavat at Mount Abu and Taranga hills (Tiwari & Varu 1999).

A detailed study of status and distribution of Green Avadavatwas started from May 2004 at the Mount Abu WildlifeSanctuary and surrounding area. Maximum 67 Green Avadavatwere spotted in Sunrise valley. One nest was found in October2004.

Butler in his paper �Notes on the Avifauna of Mount Abu�

mentions the forest in Mount Abu as dense and impenetrable(Lantana weed does not find any mention in his paper), thepresent scenario is different, weeds like Lantana andParthenium have formed impenetrable thickets. The local flora


competes with the weed, secondary growth or addition in thefloral density is scanty. There are 16 villages in the 328 sq.km Mt. Abu Wildlife Sanctuary (notified in 1960), the cattlegrazing is seen all over the Sanctuary, human movementand impact is evident in almost all parts except in some verysteppe slopes. It is our observation that Lantana is now sucha serious problem that if eradication is done thoughtlessly, itwill lead to serious soil erosion problems in Mt.Abu. Theweed is now a part of the ecosystem. The frugivorous birdslike Red-vented Bulbuls, Red Whiskered Bulbuls profuselyfeed on the Lantana seed. Red vented Bulbul numbers haveincreased due to Lantana camara weed.

S.P. Mehra and Sarita Sharma have seen Green Avadavatat a few locations in Mt. Abu eg. Teacher�s Training Centre

(4birds, date not mentioned) Palanpur point (2 birds on 11June 2004), Pandav caves (6 birds on 12 June 2004) and atAchalgarh (12 + 50 birds, date not mentioned).

STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION ; Vulnerable A1a, c, d, ;A2b, c. dIn Mt. Abu Green Avadavat is seen at a few locations (seetable). In one year at least 400 hrs were spent in searchand study of Green Avadavat. The hills of Mt.Abu werescanned beginning from Abu road, Taelhti, Manpur,Rishikesh, Anadra, Girver, Chandela (all at the foothills ofMt. Abu). The areas like Chippaberi was visited 30 timesto look for the Green Avadavat.

It was found that the Green Avadavat is confined to certainlocalities of Mt. Abu and the best habitat was Oriya villagebarns, Kulghar valley, Sunrise valley, Budhivihar, Honeymoonpoint and Sunset point areas, Salgaon, Dilwara around AVMschool and teacher�s training centre, Trevor�s tank area, Tiger

path (old cart road) Sitavan and Sambhar valley .

The Green Avadavat is common on the little hill oasis of Mt.Abu. Distribution is confined to small areas about 64 sq.kmranging from Oriya to Kulghar and Sunrise valley and Sunsetpoint to Honeymoon point.

Distribution of Green Avadavat is confined to the villagebarns and open country bordered with Lantana camarabushes. The Green Avadavat prefers to feed close toLantana bushes where on little disturbance they take shelterby perching on the branches and then getting in the innercanopy of the bushes. In the dense forest and Bamboothickets they do not venture. Generally the Green Avadavatform their own flocks, they do not feed with other MuniasLike Lonchura malabarica and Lonchura punctulata.

REPORTS FROM OTHER PARTS OF RAJASTHAN ANDGUJARATGreen Avadavat in Rajasthan ; Taal Chappar WildlifeSanctuary, Churu district March 1991, Rahmani 1996c);between Sultanpur Jheel Haryana and Keoladeo Nationalpark Bharatpur, near Deeg, Desert National Park in Sudasrienclosure, Kumbhalgarh K.Kazmierczak in litt 1999, 10-15 January 1999. Records in March and July 1868 andMay 1875 (Three specimens in BMNH, Butler 1875-1877)at Oriya in 1949 specimen in (FMNH). A flock of 7 GreenAvadavat was sighted 10 km south of Udaipur city in

Rajasthan on June 17th 2004. Raza H.Tehsin and SaadatH.Tehsin.

S.P. Mehra sighted 6- 10 Green Avadavat at Dekonathji,site near Wolkem Industries, Sirohi in Rajasthan.

In Gujarat : Taranga hil ls 21 May 1996 � 9 birds

(Tiwari & Varu 1999) Ali (1955) reported the Green Avadavatfrom Palanpur, Navagam and Dedhiapara. Samot roadand Moti Singloti March 1946, (four specimens in USNM,Ali 1954-1955) ; Monga and Naoroji (1984) have seenthrice the Green Avadavat in the low vegetation along Mozdariver in Dedhiapara. On 6 th June 1999 Aeshita Mukerjeeand C.K. Borad reported 2 Green Avadavat near Baroda.Balaram and Ambaji Wildlife Sanctuary areas were surveyedin 1996, 1999 and 2004-2005, but Green Avadavat wasnot seen. Jessore Sloth Bear Sanctuary was visited on13th March 2005, Green Avadavat was not seen.

HABITAT, FOOD AND FEEDING

Green Avadavat is seen in open grasslands, village barns(where grass is stacked for the cattle) and areas with thickbushes of Lantana camara. The flock of Green Avadavat isseen feeding in close association and keep emitting contactcalls; they are seen feeding spread over 20-30 m area andon slight suspicion of danger they take off to nearby bushes.Once they perch on bushes, they keep moving in the innercanopy of the bush.

On approaching the bush they fly a few meters, makingsweet chirp before landing in another bush. Green Avadavatwere observed moving in the green foliage of Mango Mangiferaindica and Jamun Eugenia jambolina trees in the hotafternoon for resting.

In all the observations made so far Green Avadavat wasseen feeding on the grass seeds fallen on the ground, theywere seen going in deep gullies and little gaps in the bushesof Lantana for feeding. On one occasion they were seenfeeding on the seeds of Parthenium �a weed. We think

the Green Avadavat also feeds on the fallen seeds of Lantana.

BREEDING AND MOVEMENT WITHIN MT. ABU

Only one nest was located in a Lantana bush on 26 October2004 at Honeymoon point. The nest was located at 3 mheight in the inner canopy of the bush. Both the birds wereobserved bringing dry grass straws and soft material forbuilding the nest. In 15 minutes 8-10 sorties were made byeach bird and the nesting materials collected were from 20m away from the nest site. The male bird had a prominentred bill and zebra stripes bright in color could be noticed inthe male. The birds abandoned the nest after 5 days. Thereason could not be ascertained.

Surprisingly there were no sightings of Green Avadavat after27 th August to 28 October 2005. More than 100 hourswere spent in two months searching for the Green Avadavatin all the habitats. The absence for two months withinMount Abu hills may probably be explained . They perhapsmove to foothills where agriculture is prominent in the villageslike Anadra, Chandela, Girvar, Revdar.


ROOSTING BEHAVOIUR : Green Avadavat settle to roostin the inner canopies of Lantana , Carissa , Wild RoseRosa involucrata bushes. They roost in small flocks whichmay consist of 4 birds to 22 birds. Roosting birds emitsweet chirp ptsee- ptsee calls to keep in contact with eachother. On slightest suspicion of danger the roosting birdscome out and perch on outer canopy of bushes and theentire flock takes off making ptswee calls. Afternoon andevening roosts were observed. In the evening the birds settleto roost between 1800 and 1830 hrs., in March and April.The morning activities could be observed before the sunrisein March and April.

CONSERVATIONThe disturbed nature of birds is due to excessive humanand vehicular disturbance (1.5 million tourist and chain ofhonking vehicles). Forest fires in the months of March toMay are main reason of habitat destruction. Once on2nd April 2005, six Green Avadavat were seen near anactive forest fire in Sunrise valley. On 14 th April a massiveforest fire was observed in Sitavan and Tiger path area(Green Avadavat sighting area), About 1000 hectaresof prime forest were burnt. We spent eight hours there tostudy the bird and animal behavior and specially the behaviorof Green Avadavat. Very interestingly 35 Green Avadavatwere observed calling loudly and flying a few meter awayfrom the smoke of fire and feeding about 10 metersaway from the active fire. All the time the Green Avadavatwere calling and not staying at one place for two minutes,the flock was remaining intact and vocal, moving away fromthe advancing fire. Trade is considered a major threat togreen Avadavat in other parts of India (Ahmed A. 1997),but not in Mount Abu. No trapping, killing or use of thisspecies in medicine was observed . Mehra S.P. and SharmaSarita 2004, mention use of Green Avadavat in medicineand kil l ing of this species by stoning. We did notcome across such incidents during our study period.Owing to small size and agile nature Green Avadavats arehardly noticed by people other than the birdwatchers.The birds maintain a distance of 20-30 meter, thebeauty of Green Avadavat can only be seen with the help ofBinoculars. Local people are least concerned about smallpasserines.

Trapping of Grey Jungle Fowl Gallus sonneratii and RedSpurfowl Galloperdix spadicea by the local tribals was seen.They sell the trapped Jungle fowls to some rich people for thetable in Mount Abu. It was observed that group of 12-20Gunmen (Garasia) tribals move in the forest ofMount Abu, they are the main poachers involved in killing of allWild mammals and also involved in robbery of tourists. Suchpoachers are suspected to be active in animal skin trade also.

Sightings of Green Avadavat in Mount Abu

Sl. Date Place of Nos. RemarksNo. sightings seen

1. 15-6-2004 Achalgarh 7 One flock grasslandmix Lantana

2. 18-6-2004 Salim Ali 5 grassland mix Watchtower Lantana bush

3. 19-6-2004 Achalgarh 12 grassland mixLantana

4. 25-6-2004 Dilwara 2 grassland mixLantana

5. 10-6-2004 Budhi Vihar 12 Open grassland nearagriculture fields

6. 11-7-2004 Sunset road 2 Lantana bushnear road

7. 11-7-2004 Arsh Gurukulam 4 along the road8. 16-7-2004 Adhardevi road 2 along the road

near Lantana9. 19-7-2004 AVM School 6 feeding on ground

compound in slight drizzleweather

10. 20-7-2004 Peace park 20 in a garden lawn11. 23-7-2004 Honeymoon 6 Lantana bush

point12. 23-7-2004 Sunrise valley 67 open grasslands

and nullah in fourflocks

13. 24-7-2004 AVM School 12 Lantana areain two flocks

14. 30-7-2004 Oriya village 22 in one flockbarn

15. 01-8-2004 Sunset road 4 near road16. 15-8-2004 Mini-Nakki 4 Lantana bush area17. 25-8-2004 Veerbavji area 4 in a Valley18. 27-8-2004 AVM area 219. 27-8-2004 AVM area 4 feeding on Parthenium

weed-seeds20. 26-10-2004 Honeymoon 2 Nesting in

point Lantana bush21. 6-12-2004 Oriya 22 Village barn22. 9-12-2004 Oriya fields 62 in four flocks

in agriculture area23. 9-12-2004 Trevor�s tank 26 Near a nullah area24. 15-12-2004 Trevor�s 6 Lanata bush area

tank25. 17-1-2005 Budhivihar 12 with Uffe Sorensen

of WWF Denmark26. 18-2-2005 Oriya 10 Village barn27. 12-3-2005 Trevor�s tank 12 With S.N. Varu28. 16-3-2005 Oriya Barn 29 in two flocks29. 25-3-2005 oriya Barn 12 evening roost in

Lantana bush Seenwith Dr. Bakul Trivedi

30. 2-4-2005 Sunrise valley 6 seen in flight duringthe active forest fire,all calling

31. 6-4-2005 Sambhar valley 5 on Lantana bushes inthick wooded area

32. 6-4-2005 Tiger path 6 Erithrina indica forestwith (old cart road)Lantana bushes

33. 8-4-2005 AVM School 6 In Lantana bushescalling

34. 12-4-2005 St. Mary School 5 in Lantana bush


35. 14-4-2005 Sitavan a flock of 35 feeding near Lantanabushes just ten meteraway from a massiveforest fire that burnt1000 hectare forest

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We are thankful to Kiran Chavda, Shailesh Patel, Anil Mathur,Mahi Pal Mathur Devisingh of Arana village, ShankarChoudhary of St. Mary School, S.N. Varu, Dr. Bakul Trivedi,Uffe Sorensen and the villagers of Oriya, Arna, Hetamji,Jawai, for their kind help in the survey.

References:Ali, S. (1995): Birds of Gujarat part II. JBNHS. 53 (4) : 735-802Aeshita Mukherjee and C.K. Borad 2000. Green Munia Newsletter

for Birdwatchers Vol 40. No. 3 pp 40.Ahmed, A. 1997. Some observations of the green Avadavat in

the Indian bird trade. O.B.C. Bull. 27: 21-25.Butler E.A. 1875-1877. Notes on the Avifauna of Mount Abu and northern

Guzerat. Stray Feathers. III:437-500; iv 1-41 V 207-235.Devarishi. D and Trigunayat. M.M 1989. Checklist of the Birds of

Mount Abu Pavo. 27. 59-63.

Grimmett R., Carol Inskipp and Tim Inskipp. 1998. Birds of theIndian Subcontinent. London. Christopher Helm.

Lodhiya, C (1999). Sightings of Green Munia at Mt. Abu NLBW. 39(4) : 61

Mehra Satya Prakash and Sharma Sarita (2004) ; Additional siterecords of Green Avadavat Amandava Formosa (Latham,1790) from Mount Abu, Rajasthan, India. Newsletter forOrnithologists Vol. 1 No. 6 (November-December 2004) pp84-85.

Monga, S.G. and Naoroji R.K. (1984). Birds of Rajpipla forest.South Gujarat. JBNHS. 80 (3) ; 575-612.

Prakash I. and Singh Pratap 1995. Some observations on theBirds of Abu hill Aravalli ranges. Pavo Vol. 33 Nos. 1 & 2 pp99-110.

Satya prakash Mehra and Sarita Sharma (2004) ; Additional sightrecords of Green Avadavat Amandava formosa (Latham1790), from Mount Abu, Rajasthan, India. Newsletter forOrnithologists. Vol 1. No. 6 November � December 2004.

Tiwari, J.K. and S.N. Varu. 1999. Sightings of Green MuniaEstrilda Formosa in Gujarat an Rajasthan. Newsletter forbirdwatchers 39:29-30

J.K. Tiwari and Anupama Tiwari , Centre for Desert and Ocean,Po- Moti-Virani, Taluka-Nakhtrana, District-Kutch, Gujarat, India370665 [email protected]

BIRDS FEEDING ON RICE AT MALDA, WEST BENGAL.ARUNAYAN SHARMA, Centre for Ecological Engineering,Netaji Subhash Road, In front of T.O.P., Malda � 732101,

West Bengal. E-mail : [email protected]

Watching birds is always fascinating, be it in their naturalhabitats or even outside such areas, even if they arearti f ic ial ly created. As natural habitats are fastdisappearing, it is little wonder that birds fly into cities insearch of food and shelter though they are essentiallyconcrete jungles. Birds exhibit highly adaptive skills bychoosing to breed in spots of their choice. Their behavioraladaptations offer scope for research, specially when theybecome human-friendly. Even the food habits show signsof change, depending on variations in the availability offood items since these vary from place to place separatedby time and space. Even the garden in the backyard ofmy house in Malda town attracts birds never seen before,thus making it an interesting spot for watching birds,specially those which choose to feed on grains of rice -the food common in many parts of India, West Bengalbeing one. Even the garbage from houses, contain plentyof rice and this attracts many granivorous birds. Myfeeling is, many birds choose to live on such discardedrice in order to survive.

During the years 1999-2005, I have been making a specialstudy of such birds which choose to feed on rice in theabsence of other food varieties and have been listing themespecially, those which feed on rice in the afternoons (2to 4 P.M.). In fact this mode of feeding goes on throughoutthe year, specially so due to the fact that such garbage

is dumped after lunch time. A stage has been reachedwhen it looks as though the birds are waiting for suchtimings. The early birds have their pick leaving little forlate arrivals. I have also observed quite interestingly, keencompetitions among them, even resulting in fights. Toquiten them, I even throw some rice and watch theirreaction. Even insectivorous ones seem to prefer rice,since it involves less effort.

House crows (Corvus splendens) seem to show preferencefor rice more noticeably than the other species. They areopportunistic, is a well known fact. Then comes the HouseSparrow (Passer domesticus). These two species top thelist of rice consumers. Jungle babbler (Turdoides striatus)is an occasional feeder. The Asian pied starling (Sturnuscontra) and Common myna (Acridotheres tristis) alsohave been seen feeding on rice together frequently.Surprisingly, occasionally though, White breastedWaterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus) feed on rice. Theother birds which feed on rice regularly are spotted dove(Streptopelia chinensis) and Magpie robin (Copsychussaularis)

A list of birds found feeding on rice at Malda, West Bengal

Sl. Common Name Scientific NameNo.

1. Rock pigeon Columba livia2. Spotted dove Streptopelia chinensis3. Eurasian collared dove Streptopelia decaocto4. White-breasted waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus5. House crow Corvus splendens

CORRESPONDENCE

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


6. Oriental magpie robin Copsychus saularis7. Asian pied starling Sturnus contra8. Common myna Acridotheres tristis9. Jungle myna Acridotheres fuscus10. Redvented bulbul Pycnonotus cafer11. Jungle babbler Turdoides striatus12. House sparrow Passer domesticus

ULTIMATE PARENTAL CARE. KARTHIK G.K.,NISARGA, # 286, 12th �B� Cross, 2nd Stage, West of

Chord Road, Bangalore - 560086

It was a bright Sunday on 23rd of October 2005. The sunrose just as any other day. After a long bus journeypenetrating the concrete jungle, I reached BannerghattaBiological Park, my work place. As usual I went on mymorning rounds inside the zoo premises to meet my wildfriends, in whose eyes I could see a ray of hope for a newlease of life. Being a weekend day, the park was fullycrowded as if the entire Bangalore crowd had marched in.

At around noon as I was talking to a 10th Standard boywho was keen to learn how to handle snakes, I heard afrantic voice from the other part of the office, enquiring forsomeone who takes care of animals. Sensing the urgencyI rushed to them and told them that I was the one theyare in search of. Then they revealed a small hatchlingwhich they were holding in their palm and narrated theentire story about how they found it and how theysnatched it from the hands of a monkey on the prowlinside the park premises. I paused for a while, glanced atthe bird and realized it was a juvenile of Purple RumpedSunbird which had just fledged from its nest. The guyswere wondering whether I could rear it. I was blank for amoment and then smiled with assurance. At that verymoment I recalled a small incident which I had read inNewsletter for Birdwatchers, where a Baya weaver bird�schicks were replaced in their nest and the adults startedfeeding the chicks. At that very instant, I asked the guysto take me to the place where they had found the chickso that I can make an attempt to locate the nest, as Iwas familiar with Sunbird nests. They guided me to thearea where they had found the fledgling and I could noticethat they were wondering what I was upto. At the spotpointed by them, I looked at all the over hanging branchesbut my efforts to locate the nest were in vain. We wereat that spot for more than 15 minutes when the chick inmy hand suddenly started uttering its distress calls,gathering all the last bit of energy in it. For a moment Iloosened my grip wondering if that was the reason for itsdiscomfort. but soon I could hear the call of an adultSunbird right from the top of the tree under which we werestanding. After a quick look, I could see the adult pairfrantically trying to locate their chick, amidst the millingcrowd, which had just made a distress call. It is sometimes believed that once a chick is touched by humans,the birds will not accept them back. Half heartedly I

released the young bird on to a small branch. Within notime as we were all observing from a distance, the femalesunbird came down to the branch pecked on the back ofthe chick and flew to the next tree and the obedient chickfollowed its mother. Soon both the parents started feedingthe young one as they managed to take the bird awayfrom us. We were so delighted by the reunion of the family.However we were also concerned about the threat fromthe crows and monkeys around. Both the responsibleparents managed to take the young one to a safe placeand continued to feed it.

This entire event lasted around twenty minutes, buttransformed just another day to a memorable day which Iwill cherish for the rest of my life.

SIGHTING OF GOLIATH HERON (Ardea goliath) ATPULICAT LAKE. RANJAN KUMAR DAS and MD. IMRAN.Senior Lecturer, Dept. of Geography, Tinsukia College,Tinsukia - 786125, Assam.

It was Thursday, the 17 November 2005 on our return journeyfrom Bangalore, after attending the National Seminar on BirdEcology and Conservation, organized by Newsletter forBirdwatchers and INCERT, when we had a rare opportunityof watching a Goliath Heron Ardea goliath wading in thePulicat Lake. In fact we saw the heron from the Bangalore-Guwahati special summer train when it was moving veryslowly on the lake bund. The water of the lake was veryclose to the railway track as heavy rains were lashing thearea for months. It was around 11.35 in the sunny morningand Imran was having a nap, when I (Das) shouted �Look-

Imaran Goliath Heron!� and he virtually jumped in excitement

and looked through the window at once. Our co-passengersin the compartment looked askance at us. We could notbelieve our eyes. For us it was for the first time we hadcome across this species. Though the bird was wading about50m from us, we were amazed to notice its huge size. Weimmediately tried to confirm the exact location and just after10 minutes, the train crossed the Tada railway station.

Luckily, we had with us the �A birdwatchers� guide to India�

by Krys Kazmierczak and Raj Singh and in the page no 247there was a beautiful map of Pulicat Lake where even theTada station was shown very clearly. As per the map theheron was found wading at the southern half of the lake, whichwas around 5 km south of Tada station. We had gone throughthe book and could not find the species in the bird list ofPulicat. Most probably, it was the first sighting record of GoliathHeron Ardea goliath in this part of the country. We were quitehappy because we had some superb time at the seminarthat was so very professionally organized. In addition as wehad some rich birding experience in and around the Bangalorecity, and at Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary. As a whole, it wasmemorable birding trip to Bangalore and Mysore, which wewill ever cherish in our life!


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Nov-Dec 2005