KANNUR: It was an exciting weekend for them, a group of birdwatchers from the region, who spent two days off the coast here on board a boat for the ‘first Pelagic seabird survey' in the State. The boat trip, up to 30 km from the coast, underlined the importance of organising more such trips to different places in different months for regular monitoring of seabirds.
On September 26, the expedition started from Azhikkal and concluded at Dharmadam.
The next day, the trip commenced again from Azhikkal. It took a different route.
“We had a wonderful first day and an average second day,” said J. Praveen, co-ordinator of the KeralaBirders, an Internet discussion group on the birds of Kerala, which joined the Malabar Natural History Society, in this initiative to survey the seabirds of the region.
According to Jafer Palot, co-ordinator of the survey, it was for the first time that wild species of seabirds were sighted in the sea in the State. All earlier surveys had recorded wind-blown and vagrant species of seabirds, he informed.
Sightings
Among the birds sighted during the trip included three Masked Booby birds including one juvenile which gave ample photo opportunity to the group which included Aralam Wildlife Warden K.V. Uthaman.
This also showed them that the juvenile of this bird was similar to that of Brown Booby, Mr. Praveen said. They also sighted a group of Arctic (Parasitic) Skuas as also Flesh-footed Shearwater, most numerous seabird sighted during the trip. The latter were common around fishing boats and schools of mackerel, the participants in the trip noted.
Birds were less common on the second day of the trip. “We were on the lookout for a Wedge-tailed Shearwater but none could be spotted,” said Dinesh Cheruvat, Deputy Director of Fisheries.
The other species spotted included Bridled Tern, which is known to migrate in large numbers across the West Coast; the Greater Crested Tern, Lesser Crested Tern, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Whiskered Tern and White-bellied Sea Eagle, among others.
Also sighted were three butterfly species migrating in the sea, small groups of Wandering Glider, a type of dragon fly.
The team included Dipu Karuthedathu, Mike Prince, Sathyan Meppayur, Vinay Das, H. Sreekumar, Guruprasad Timmappur, K.G. Bimal Nath, Sachin Shurpali, Sandeep Das, Shashank Dalvi, Vijay Ramachandran, V.C. Ajay Shekar, Balakrishnan, P.C. Rajeevan, Jayan Thomas, Khaleel Chovva and A.K. Raju.
Source:The Hindu, 30-9-2010
On September 26, the expedition started from Azhikkal and concluded at Dharmadam.
The next day, the trip commenced again from Azhikkal. It took a different route.
“We had a wonderful first day and an average second day,” said J. Praveen, co-ordinator of the KeralaBirders, an Internet discussion group on the birds of Kerala, which joined the Malabar Natural History Society, in this initiative to survey the seabirds of the region.
According to Jafer Palot, co-ordinator of the survey, it was for the first time that wild species of seabirds were sighted in the sea in the State. All earlier surveys had recorded wind-blown and vagrant species of seabirds, he informed.
Sightings
Among the birds sighted during the trip included three Masked Booby birds including one juvenile which gave ample photo opportunity to the group which included Aralam Wildlife Warden K.V. Uthaman.
This also showed them that the juvenile of this bird was similar to that of Brown Booby, Mr. Praveen said. They also sighted a group of Arctic (Parasitic) Skuas as also Flesh-footed Shearwater, most numerous seabird sighted during the trip. The latter were common around fishing boats and schools of mackerel, the participants in the trip noted.
Birds were less common on the second day of the trip. “We were on the lookout for a Wedge-tailed Shearwater but none could be spotted,” said Dinesh Cheruvat, Deputy Director of Fisheries.
The other species spotted included Bridled Tern, which is known to migrate in large numbers across the West Coast; the Greater Crested Tern, Lesser Crested Tern, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Whiskered Tern and White-bellied Sea Eagle, among others.
Also sighted were three butterfly species migrating in the sea, small groups of Wandering Glider, a type of dragon fly.
The team included Dipu Karuthedathu, Mike Prince, Sathyan Meppayur, Vinay Das, H. Sreekumar, Guruprasad Timmappur, K.G. Bimal Nath, Sachin Shurpali, Sandeep Das, Shashank Dalvi, Vijay Ramachandran, V.C. Ajay Shekar, Balakrishnan, P.C. Rajeevan, Jayan Thomas, Khaleel Chovva and A.K. Raju.
Source:The Hindu, 30-9-2010
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