May-June 2007

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Vol. 47 No. 3 May - June 2007 Vol. 47 No. 3 May - June 2007

description

Newsletter for Birdwatchers

Transcript of May-June 2007

Page 1: May-June  2007

Vol 47 No 3 May - June 2007

Vol 47 No 3 May - June 2007

S Theodore BaskaranDr AMK BharosHarish R BhatDr SP BhatnagarDr AK ChakravarthyDr Ranjan Kumar DasDr S DevasahayamBS KulkarniArvind Mishra

Publisher S Sridhar

Editorial Board

CONTENTS

Note from the Publisher

Extreme adaptation presents a challenge to darters

Articles

Birds of Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary by KumudGhosh

Studies on the role of partners in Nest Building Activityof the Wire Tailed Swallow (Hirundo smithii) inKodiyampalayam area near Pichavaram Mangrovesby S Sandilyan K Thiyagesan and S Saravanan

A day at Sirumalai in Palni Hills by S Ashok Kumar

A pilgrimage to Chilika - the Birding Kashi by

A Shivaprakash T Girija and A Sharath

Correspondence

An ethical perspective and prevention of Bird-fluby Lt Gen (Retd) Baljit Singh

Prevalence of some mythological beliefs amongrural communities of Gujarat A case study of Crow(Corvus sp) by Hiren Soni Ashok and Rita Patel

Vol 47 No 3 May - June 2007

Dr Geeta S PadateProf S RangaswamiK Mrutumjaya RaoAN Yellappa ReddyDr Rajiv SaxenaDr AB ShanbhagArunayan SharmaS SridharDr Abraham Verghese FRES (London)

The darters arrow like beak a foot long neck and its giftedunderwater fishing techniques are all precisely evolved to be mosteffective in a given environment Armed with this javelin like arsenalthe darter swims underwater with its neck coiled close to its breastand stealthily approaches a shoal of fish Fishes also maintain asafe distance from their foe and will be under the impression thatthey are beyond the striking distance of the predator Needless tosay that they will be unaware of the darters long neck Takingadvantage of its preys ignorance the darter springs its sharpbeak and pierces one of its unsuspecting victims in a jiffy Thedarter has thus perfected its resource exploitation techniqueImagine the situation when all waterfowls were attempting tooptimize their hunting skills They were interfering with each otherin such a way that it became more profitable for the darter toprogressively develop a long neck and comfortably exploit theprey of its choice where other waterfowls could not compete dueto the limitations in neck length and fishing methods

One of Charles Darwins regrets was that he had not paid moreattention to the direct impact of the environment independent ofNatural Selection This he had confessed as his greatest mistakePerhaps the darters are frustrated at not being able to cope upwith the sudden impact of environment which is being alteredradically by man In highly polluted mud-colored waters of ouraquatic ecosystems the darters visibility gets acutely diminishedand consequently its specialized apparatus and ambushing skillsbecome utterly worthless The darter appears to be vanishingdue to the dearth of crystal clear aquatic habitats that determinesits livelihood and oversees its fishing fortunes Its predicamentcan be likened to a blindfolded apprentice aimlessly dartingknives at an artiste in a big top circus Here is an illustration ofhow adaptation presents a challenge to a family of birds andextreme adaptation presents extreme challenge to a speciesMay be some day we will regret as much as Darwin did that weblindly destroyed the wetland habitats and pitilessly banishedkey waterfowl species forever The darter and other waterfowlspecies are fighting for survival against innumerable factors bothsequentially and simultaneously Their battle for survival may endeventually with a tragic and poignant note Nonetheless the aquaticdenizens that are suffering ecological convulsions are seeminglyunaware of the terminal problems and continue to fight withfortitude in our troubled waters

The darters of course need ideal habitats to feed and safe nestinghabitats to raise a family They indeed serve as indicators of waterquality in wetlands Pragmatically the most important indirectfunction of waterfowl in relation to human-dominated systems isthat they serve as environmental monitors The resurgence ofpollution in Indian wetlands is clearly signaled by the drowning ofdarters and the departure of key waterfowl species Such earlywarnings by birders are subsequently corroborated by expertswho spend significant amounts of money and time collectingdata on stream water quality pesticide residues radionuclidecontamination wetland acidification laboratory analysis etc Inbrief renewed and recurrent visits to key habitats bybirders are helpful in the timely detection of themalady in a given habitat that can be brought tothe notice of the authorities for remedial action

Thanking youYours in bird conservationSSridhar Publisher NLBW

Note from the Publisher

Dear fellow Birdwatchers

Extreme adaptation presentsa challenge to darters

Birdwatchers of India have visited almost every nook and cornerof our country and have been reporting the perceptible changesaffecting the avian diversity Among the species of birds in thechecklist of Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary by Kumud Ghosh thedarter merits a special mention in my note Some two decadesago the Ranganathitoo Bird Sanctuary (Karnataka) was the mostfavoured destination for a darter to nest But today the darter hasbecome is a shadow of itself with hardly any member of thisspecies nesting in the sanctuary The darter seems to becompletely overawed by pollution habitat loss disturbances atfeeding and nesting colonies and hunting pressure It is estimatedthat no more than 4000 individuals of this species exist in SouthAsia According to the recent Asian Waterbird Census resultsthe highest count totals for darters in South Asia is 746 (in 2001)of which 617 (83) has been reported from India (mainly fromNortheast) followed by Pakistan (71) Sri Lanka (45) Nepal (12)and Bangladesh (1) (see map on page 48)

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 35

arctoides) Northern Pig-tailed macaque (Macaca lenina)Eastern Assamese macaque (Macaca assamensisassamensis) Slow loris (Nycticebus bengalensis) IndianRhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta mulatta) Orange-bellied Capped Leaf Monkey (Trachypithecus pileatusdurga) Hog Deer (Axis porcinus) Sambar (Cervusunicolor) Wild Boar Albino Boar Porcupine (Hystrixindica) Tiger (Panthera tigris) Leopard (Panthera pardus)Jungle Cat (Felis chaus) Large Indian Civet (Viverrazivetha) Small Indian Civet (Viverra Indica) Common PalmCivet (Poradoxurus bermaphroditus) Malayan GiantSquirrel (Ratufa bicolor) Hoary Bellied Himalayan Squirrel(Callosciurus pygerythrus) Three Stripped Palm Squirrel(Funambulus palmarum) Five Stripped Palm Squirrel(Funambulus pennanti) Indian Python (Python molurus)Cat snake (Boiga trigonata) Indian Cobra (Naja Naja)Common rat snake (Pitas mucosus) Indian Elephant(Elephas maximus) Marbled Cat (Felis marmorata)Leopard Cat (Felis bengalensis) Common Mongoose(Herpestes edwardsi) Common Indian Mongoose(Herpestes auropunctatus) Indian Fox (Vulpesbengalensis) Jackal (Canis aureus) W ild Boar(Sus scrofa) etc

It is very interesting to note that the birdlife of HGS is richand diverse and its natural bounty is enhanced by thepresence of a wide variety of Hill Birds Moreover Nagalandwhich has a unique avian diversity is not very far from thisSanctuary So the Check-list will highlight those birds whichare actually hill birds

Objectives of the study

HGS is well known among the wildlife lovers of India andabroad for its non-human primates diversity To draw the

attention of the birdwatchers and to convince them to visitthis sanctuary for bird-watching is an objective of this study

To prepare an up-to-date checklist of the birds in and aroundthe sanctuary Till now none has prepared a checklist of thebirds of the sanctuary

To help the authorities and others interested in conservationof this unique habitat to not only appreciate but also torecognize and protect the rich bird diversity of the sanctuary

To encourage the local people and students to conserve birds

Methodology

I monitored the bird diversity in and around HGS from17-3-2006 to 16-3-2007 A series of transects that were laidin the sanctuary for intensive survey and behavioral study ofnon-human primates were used Besides this birds wererecorded by point count methods in the major vegetation

Birds of Hoollongapar Gibbon SanctuaryKumud Ghosh

Lecturer Education Department Nakachari College Nakachari - 785635 Jorhat-AssamE-mail kumud_ghosh29yahoocoin

Introduction

Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary lies between 90deg20shy

- 90deg25

east and 26deg40 26deg45 north and it covers an area of 2098sq km (including the area under the control of the IndianArmy) at Jorhat district of Assam The Hoollongapar GibbonSanctuary has its early history in Hoollongapar Forest

during British period in 1881 The Government of Assamhas notified it as a Wildlife Sanctuary on 30th of July 1997vide notification no FRS 379731 and since then it cameto be known as Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary But on 25th May2004 through the notification no FRP 379720 of AssamGovt it was renamed as Hoollongapar Gibbon SanctuaryThis Sanctuary is situated varying from 100 to 120 metersaltitude and the average annual rainfall is 249 cm

Flora and fauna of the sanctuary

The sanctuary is dominated by Ou Tenga (Dillenia indicia)Amari (Aglaia spectabilis) Gahorisopa (Magnolia griffithii)Borhamthuri (Magnolia hodgsonii) Bandardima (Dysoxylumsp) Titachapa (Michelia baillonii) Bhelekor (Aristolochiatagala) Chalmogra (Hydnocarpus kurzii) Bhelu (Tetramelesnudiflora) Bon Aam (Mangifera sylvatica) Bonpetha(Chrysophyllum roxburghii) Borpat (Ailanthus integrifolia)Nahor (Mesua ferrea) Hollong (Dipterocarpus macrocarpus)Garjan (Dipterocarpus turbinatus) Himolu (Bombax ceiba) Selleng (Sapium baccatum) Rudraksha (Eleaeocarpussphaericus) Dewa Sam (Artocarpus lacucha) Dhuna(Canarium bengalense) Amora (Spondias pinnata) Moj(Pithecellobium monadelphum) Arjun (Terminalia arjuna)Halakh (Terminalia myriocarpa) Kendu (Diospyrosembryopteris) Sationa (Alstonia scholaris) Sachi (Aqualariaagolacha) Cham Kothal (Artocarpus chama) Kath Badam(Mansonia dipikae)Gamari (Gmelia arborea) Hingari(Castanopsis indica) Lemtem (Gynocordia odorata) Paroli(Stereospermum chelonoides) etc

Some important climbers of the sanctuary are Mamoilata(Gnetaceae montanum) Bonjalika (Clematis cadmia)Hoolooklata (Pycnarrhena pleniflora) Tubukilata(Cissampelos pareira) Tikanibaruwal (Byttneria grandifolia)Chepatalata (Cayratia trifolia) Harjodralata (Cissusquadrangularis) Panilata (Vitis planicaulis) Bakalbih(Millettia pachycarpa) Bandor Kankora (Mucuna pruriens)Kalmow (Ipomea aquatica) Raghumola (Cascuta reflexa)Aaownipan (Peperomia thomsonii) etc

Several species of cane and more than hundred species ofherb shrub under shrub lianas bamboo and grass provethe rich bio-diversity of the sanctuary

The main fauna of HGS includes Western Hoolock Gibbon(Hoolock hoolock) Stump-tailed Macaque (Macaca

36 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

types as well as at the water bodies in and around thesanctuary On the other hand a few birds were recordedduring the behavioral study of non-human primates withDr Dilip Chetry Apart from this chance encounters werealso recorded while studying the movements of butterfliesaround HGS with Miss Monimala Saikia Furthermore birdswere also recorded while working as a voluntary guide for anumber of wildlife lovers The identifications were based onS Ali (2002) AU Choudhury (2000) RK Das (2006)R Grimmett C Inskipp T Inskipp (1999) Eric Simms(1990) H Edwin Barnes (1981) Hugh Whistler (1986) JoelCarl Wetly (Third Edition) Bruce Campbell Donald Waston(1984) Frank Finn (1981) Arthur A Allen (1961) RA Hinde(1969) Jean Dorst (1974) Vishwa Mohan Tiwari (2002) KrysKazmierczak (2003) B Grewal B Harvey P Fister (2002)

Limitations of the survey

There werent any previous checklists of the birds of HGS

High density canopy cover was another problem for datacollection inside the sanctuary In many cases accurateidentification of birds hinged on listening to bird callsalso Therefore bird calls were also very much essential fordata collection

Moreover there are some other problems like inclementweather and potential threats from wild Elephants TigersLeopards King Cobras and Pythons etc

The presence of leeches in good numbers also disturbedand broke the concentration of study during rainy season

Physico- ecological set up of the sanctuary

Topographically the surface of the sanctuary is gentlesloping down from south-east to north-west whichessentially exhibits a very smooth and continuousinteraction of down slope and high slope ecosystem withinthe sanctuary The westward shifting river Bhogdoi adinterimcreates a waterlogged area along the periphery of thesanctuary which is yet to be brought under the jurisdictionof the sanctuary But the sanctuarys diverse topography

is yet to be clearly studied before delineating it on the basisof its micro level difference in slope characteristics anddistribution of flora Semi hydrophytic plants are dominantin the down slope region while no hydrophytic plants growin the up slope zone of the sanctuary On the other handthe low-lying patch formed by the shifting of Bhogdoi Riverat the west exhibits a distinctly different ecological set upThe sanctuary therefore consists of three zones of microecosystems Those are (a) Up slope zone (90-96 mts)(b) Down slope zone (885-90 mts) (c) Flood prone zone(lt 885 mts)

Conservation Problems

There are more than five villages and four tea gardens around

the sanctuary inhabited by more than ten thousand peopleMost of the people of those villages and tea gardens dependupon the Sanctuary for their daily firewood traditionalmedicine and forest produce At the same time there aremore then twenty Cattle Khuties near the river BhogdoiThe owners of those Khuties generally collect huge

quantities of grass and leaves from the Sanctuary for theircattle On the other hand a group of people illegally collectwood for wood-coal which is used by washer-men of nearestcity and town Herbicides and pesticides used by the teagardeners for higher yields of tea by and large tricklesthrough the drains to the sanctuary during the rainy season

Suggestions

It is necessary to include fallow government lands underthe jurisdiction of the Sanctuary and this will certainly enlargethe space for the birds

Waterlogged area created by river Bhogdoi should also bebrought under the jurisdiction of the sanctuary This area isan important place for wetland birds

Emphasis should be given to develop a more viable andfeasible dense forest cover to provide food and shelter forthe inhabitants of the sanctuary

The route of the drains of the tea gardens bordering thesanctuary should be changed Otherwise they will createmore and more problems for the wildlife in the coming years

By providing alternate resources to the livelihood and bycreating awareness among people of neighboring villagesand tea gardens the destruction of the forest could bebrought down significantly

Checklist of the Birds ofHoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary

The following checklist includes all 219 species that have beenrecorded by the author in and around the sanctuary

The following abbreviations have been used for species status symbols

BR = Breeding Resident R = Resident WV = Winter visitorP = Passage migrant L = Local amp altitudinal migrant C = CommonS = Stray or Vagrant U = Uncommon O = Occasional SV= SummerVisitor

Habitat A = Aerial D = Distributed areas (including cultivation ampTea Gardens) G = Grasses under shrub OA = Open areasSF = Semi-evergreen forest WT = Water bodies (including theriver Bhogdoi amp the drains inside the Sanctuary)

Threat category according to Birdlife International (2001) has beengiven as below

EN = Endangered VU = Vulnerable DD = Data deficient NT = Nearthreatened RR = Restricted range

The common English and scientific names are followed by statussymbols threat category and type of habitant

Order Galliformes Family PhasianidaePheasants

1 Red Junglefowl Gallus gallus BR C SF2 Kalij Pheasant Lophura leucomelanos BRC G SF

Order Anseriformes Family AcaridaeDucks

3 Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea WV U WT4 Common Teal Anas crecca WV C WT5 Common Pochard Aythya ferina WV U WT

Order Piciformes Family Picidae

Piculets Woodpeckers

6 Speckled Piculet Picumnus innominatus RC SF

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 37

7 White-Browed Piculet Sasia ochracea R C SF8 Rufous Woodpecker Celeus brachyurus BR C SF9 Grey-Capped Pygmy woodpecker

Dendrocoposcanicapillus RU SF10 Fulvous-Breasted Woodpecker Dendrocopos macei R C SF11 Lesser Yellownape Picus chlorolophus BR C SF12 Greater Yellownape Picus flavinucha BR C SF13 Streak-Throated Woodpecker Picus xanthopygaeus BR U SF14 Grey-Headed Woodpecker Picus canus R U SF15 Himalayan flameback Dinopium shorii R U SF16 Common Flameback Dinopium javanense R U SF17 Greater Flameback Chrysocolaptes lucidus BR C SF

Order Piciformes Megalaimidae Family Capitonidae

Barbets

18 Lineated Barbet Megalaima lineata BR C SF19 Golden-Throated Barbet Megalaima franklinii BR U SF20 Blue-Throated Barbet Megalaima asiatica Br C SF21 Blue-Eared Barbet Megalaima australis BR U SF22 Coppersmith Barbet Megalaima haemacephala BR C SF

Order Coraciiformes Bucerotiformes Family Bucerotidae

Hornbills

23 Oriental Pied Hornbill Anthracoceros albirostris BR C SF24 Great Hornbill Buceros bicornis BRUNT SF

Order Coraciiformes Upupiformes Family Upupidae

Hoopoe

25 Common Hoopoe Upupa epops BRLCOA SF D

Order Trogoniformes Family Trogonidae

Trogon

26 Red-Headed Trogon Harpactes erythrocephalus L C SF

Order Coraciiformes Family Coraciidae

Rollers

27 Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis BRC OASF D28 Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis R C OA SF D

Order Coraciiformes Family Alcedinidae Halcyonidae Cerylydae

Kingfishers

29 Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis BR C WT30 Stork-Billed Kingfisher Halcyon capensis BR U WT31 White-Throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis BR C OA WT D32 Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis BR C WT

Order Coraciiformes Family Meropidae

Bee-eaters

33 Blue-Bearded Bee-eater Nyctyornis athertoni R L U OA SF D34 Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis R C OASF35 Blue-Tailed Bee-eater Merops philippinus R L C OA SF36 Chestnut-Headed Bee-eater Merops leschenaulti R L U OASF

Order Cuculiformes Family Cuculidae Centropodidae

Cuckoos

37 Pied Cuckoo Clamator jacobinus U SF38 Chestnut-Winged Cuckoo Clamator coromandus O SV U SF39 Common Hawk Cuckoo Hierococcyx varius O SF40 Indian cuckoo Cuculus micropterus P C SF41 Plaintive Cuckoo Cacomantis merulinus R C SF42 Asian Emerald Cuckoo Chrysococcyx maculatus P U SF43 Drongo Cuckoo Surniculus lugubris P U SF44 Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopacea R L C SF45 Greater Coucal Centropus sinensis BR U SF46 Lesser Coucal Centropus bengalensis BR C SF

Order Psittaciformes FAMILY PsittacidaeParrots

47 Alexandrine Parakeet Psittacula eupatria R C SF48 Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri BR C SF49 Red-Breasted Parakeet Psittacula alexandri BR C SF50 Blossom-Headed Parakeet Psittacula roseate U SF

Order Apodiformes Family ApodidaeSwifts

51 Himalayan Swiftlet Collocalia brevirostris P U A52 Asian Palm Swift Cypsiurus balasiensis R U A53 House Swift Apus affinis R U A

Order Strigiformes Family Strigidae TytonidaeOwls

54 Mountain scops owl Otus spilocephalus O SF55 Oriental Scops Owl Otus sunia WV U SF56 Collared Scops Owl Otus bakkamoena R U SF57 Brown Fish Owl Ketupa zeylonensis R U OA SF58 Collared Owlet Glaucidium brodiei R C SF59 Asian Barred Owlet Glaucidium cuculoides BR L C SF OA60 Spotted Owlet Athene brama BR C OA SF61 Brown Hawk Owl Ninox scutulata R C SF

Order Caprimulgiformes Family CaprimulgidaeNightjars

62 Grey Nightjar Caprimulgus indicus O G63 Large-Tailed Nightjar Caprimulgus macrurus BR L C G

Order Columbiformes Family ColumbidaePigeons Doves

64 Ashy Wood Pigeon Columba pulchricollis U SF65 Green Imperial Pigeon Ducula aenea BR C SF66 Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis BR C OA SF

67 Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis BR C OA SF68 Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica BR C SF69 Pompadour Green pigeon Treron pompadora O SF70 Yellow-Footed Green Pigeon Treron phoenicoptera R C SF

Order Gruiformes Family RallidaeRails

71 White-Breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus BR C WT D72 Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio BRC WT73 Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus BR C WT

Order CharadriiformesCiconiiformesFamily CharadriidaeScolopacidae

Snipes Sandpipers Plover74 Common snipe Gallinago gallinago WV C WT OA75 Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia WV C WT76 Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola WV C WT77 Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos WV C WT78 Little Ring Plover Charadrius dubius WVC WT79 Red-Wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus BR C WT OA

Order CharadriiformesCiconiiformes Family JacanidaeJacana80 Pheasant-tailed Jacana Hydrophasianus chirurgus BR C WT81 Bronze-Winged Jacana Metopidius indicus BR C WT

Order CharadriiformesCiconiiformes Family LaridaeTern82 River Tern Sterna aurantia R C WT

Order Falconiformes Ciconiiformes Family AccipitridaeEagles83 Black Baza Aviceda leuphotes R L U OA84 Black kite Milvus migrans R C OA

38 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

85 Grey-Headed Fish Eagle Ichtyophaga ichthyaetus BR C NT WT86 Crested Serprent Eagle Spilornis cheela BR C OA SF87 Pied Harrier Circus melanoleucos WVU OAWT88 Shikra Accipiter badius R C OA A89 Black-shouldered kite Elanus caeruleus BR C OA

Order Pelecaniformes CiconiiformesFamily Phalacrocoracidae Anhingidae

Cormorants

90 Darter Anhinga melanogaster U NT WT91 Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger BR C WT92 Indian Cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscicollis R U WT93 Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo L U WT

Order Ciconiformes Ciconiiformes Family Ardeidae

Egrets Herons

94 Little Egret Egretta garzetta BR C WT95 Great Egret Casmerodius albus R C WT96 Intermediate Egret Mesophoyx intermedia R C WT97 Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis BR C OA D98 Indian Pond Heron Ardeola grayii R C WT99 Little Heron Butorides striatus BR C WT100 Black-Crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax BR C WT

Order Ciconiformes Ciconiiformes Family Ciconiidae

Storks

101 Asian Openbill Anastomus oscitans BR C WT102 Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus RLC VU WT

Order Passeriformes Family Zosteropidae

White-eye

103 Orienta White-eye Zosterops palpebrosus BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Family Irenidae Corvidae

Ioras Leafbirds

104 Asian Fairy Bluebird Irena puella U SF105 Golden-Fronted Leafbird Chloropsis aurifrons R C SF106 Orange-Bellied Leafbird Chloropsis hardwickii R U SF107 Common Iora Aegithina tiphia BRCSF

Order Passeriformes Family LaniidaeShrikes

108 Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus WV C OASF109 Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach WVC OA SF110 Grey-backed Shrike Lanius tephronotus WVCOA SF

Order Passeriformes Family CorvidaeMagpies Crows

111 Rufous Treepie Dendrocitta vagabunda BR C SF112 Grey Treepie Dendrocitta formosae R L U SF113 Collared Treepie Dendrocitta frontalis U SF114 House Crow Corvus splendens BR C OA115 Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos BR C OA SF

Order Passeriformes Family Oriolidae CorvidaeOrioles

116 Black-hooded Oriole Oriolus xanthornus BRC SF117 Maroon Oriole Oriolus traillii U SF

Order Passeriformes Family Campephagidae CorvidaeCuckoo-shrikes Minivets

118 Large Cuckoo-shrike Coracina macei R C SF119 Black-winged Cuckoo-shrike Coracina melaschistos L U SF120 Rosy Minivet Pericrocotus roseus R U SF121 Small Minivet Pericrocotus cinnamomeus R U SF122 Long-tailed Minivet Pericrocotus ethologus U SF123 Short-billed Minivet Pericrocotus brevirostris L C SF

124 Scarlet Minivet Pericrocotus flammeus R C SF125 Black-naped Monarch Hypothymis azurea BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Family DicruridaeCorvidae

Drongos

126 Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus BR C OA SF127 Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus RWVCOA SF128 Bronzed Drongo Dicrurus aeneus LWVCOA SF129 Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo Dicrurus remifer BR C SF130 Spangled Drongo Dicrurus hottentottus R C SF131 Greater Racket-tailed Drongo Dicrurus paradiseus R C SF

Order Passeriformes Family MuscicapidaeCorvidaeSub-family Muscicapinae

Flycatcher

132 Ferruginous Flycatcher Muscicapa ferruginea R C SF133 Red-throated Flycatcher Ficedula parva WV C SF134 Little Pied Flycatcher Ficedula westermanni L C SF135 Slaty-blue Flycatcher Ficedula tricolor WV C SF137 Verditer Flycatcher Eumyias thalassina WV C SF137 Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica U SF138 White-throated Fantail Rhipidura albicollis C SF139 Large Niltava Niltava grandis WVC SF140 Small Niltava Niltava macgrigoriae WVC SF141 Rufous-bellied Niltava Niltava sundara L C SF142 Pale-chinned Flycatcher Cyornis poliogenys R U SF143 Blue-throated Flycatcher Cyornis rubeculoides WV U SF144 Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher

Culicicapa ceylonensis WV C SF145 Asian Paradise-flycatcher Terpsiphone paradisi BR U SF

Order Passpriformes Family Muscicapidae Sub-family Turdinae

Thrushes Chats

146 White-tailed Rubythroat Luscinia pectoralis WV C SF147 Oriental Magpie Robin Copsychus saularis BR C OA SF148 White-rumped Shama Copychus malabaricus BR C SF149 Daurian Redstart Phoenicurus auroreus WV C SF150 White-tailed Robin Myiomela leucura WV O SF151 Common Stonechat Saxicola torquata WV C OA152 Grey Bushchat Saxicola ferrea WV U G SF153 Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius BR U SF154 Scaly Thrush Zoothera dauma BR C SF155 Black-breasted Thrush Turdus dissimilis R C SF156 Dark-throated Thrush Turdus ruficollis BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Family Sturnidae

Starlings Mynas

157 Spot-winged Starling Saroglossa spiloptera WV C SF158 Chestnut-tailed Starling Sturnus malabaricus R C OA SF159 Asian Pied Starling Sturnus contra BR C SF160 Brahminy Starling Sturnus pagodarum S SF161 Common Myna Acridotheres tristis BRCOAG SF162 Bank Myna Acridotheres ginginianus S OA SF163 Jungle Myna Acridotheres fuscus BR C OA SF164 White-vented Myna Acridotheres cinereus BR C OA SF165 Hill Myna Gracula religiosa BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Family SittidaeCertihiidae

Nuthatches and Creeper

166 Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch Sitta castanea R C SF167 Velvet-fronted Nuthatch Sitta frontalis R U SF

Order Passeriformes Family Paridae

Tits or Titimice

168 Great Tit Parus major L U SF169 Sultan Tit Melanochlora sultanea BR C SF

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 39

Order Passeriformes Family Hirundinidae

Swallows

170 Plain Martin Riparia paludicola R L C A SF171 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica L A WT

Order Passeriformes Family Pycnonotidae

Bulbuls

172 Red-whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus BR C SF173 Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer BR C SF174 White-throated Bulbul Alophoixus flaveolus R L C SF175 Ashy Bulbul Hemixos flavala O SF176 Black Bulbul Hypsipetes leucocephalus WV C SF

Order PasseriformesFamily MuscicapidaeSylviidaeCistioolidae

Warblers

177 Grey-brested Prinia Prinia hodgsonii O G178 Yellow-bellied Prinia Prinia flaviventris R C G179 Slaty-bellied Tesia Tesia olivea L C SF180 Pale-footed Bush Warbler Cettia pallidipes WV O G181 Grey-sided Bush Warbler Cettia brunnifrons WV U G182 Paddy Field Warbler Acrocephalus agricola WV C G183 Common Tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius RCGOASF184 Dusky Warbler Phylloscopus fuscatus WV C G SF185 Smoky Warbler Phylloscopus fuligiventer WV C G SF186 Tickells Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus affinis WV C G SF187 Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides WV C SF188 Yellow-vented Warbler Phylloscopus cantator WV U G SF189 White-spectacled Warbler Zosterops palpebrosus C G SF

Order Passeriformes Family MuscicapidaeSylviidaeSub-family Timaliinae

Babblers

190 Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush Garrulax monileger R C SF191 Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush Garrulax pectoralis R C SF192 Rofous Necked Laughingthrush Garrulax ruficollis BR C SF193 Abbotts Babbler Malacocincla abbotti U G SF194 Buff-breasted Babbler Pellorneum tickelli R U SF195 Puff-throated Babbler Pellorneum ruficeps BR C SF196 White-browed Scimitar Babbler

Pomatorhinus schisticeps R C G SF197 Chestnut- Capped Babbler Timalia pileata BR U G198 Grey-thorated Babbler Stachyris nigriceps L C SF199 Striped Tit Babbler Macronous gularis BR C SF200 Yellow-eyed Babbler Chrysomma sinense U G SF201 Chestnut-capped Babbler Timalia pileata BR C G202 Rufous-winged Bushlark Mirafra assamica BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Family Dicaeidae Nectariniidae

Flowerpeckers

203 Pale-bellied Flowerpecker Dicaeum erythrorhynchos R L CSF204 Plain Flowerpecker Dicaeum concolor R C SF205 Scarlet-backed Flowerpecer Dicaeum cruentatum R C SF206 Thick-billed Flowerpecker Dicaeum agile C SF

Order Passeriformes Family Nectarinidae

Sunbirds

207 Ruby-cheeked Sunbird Anthreptes singalensis L C SF208 Purple Sunbird Nectarinia asiatica R U SF209 Crimson Sunbird Aethopyga siparaja BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Sub-family Passerinae

Sparrows

210 House Sparrow Passer domesticus BR C OA D211 Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus R C SF

Order Passeriformes Family MotacillidaePasseridae

Wagtails amp Pipits

212 White Wagtail Motacilla alba WVCOAWTD213 Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea WVCOAWT214 Paddyfield Pipit Anthus rufulus R C OA D215 Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni WV C SF216 Rosy Pipit Anthus roseatus WV C OA G

Order Passeriformes Sub-amily EstrildinaePasseridae

Munias

217 White-rumped Munia Lonchura striata BR U G218 Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata BR U G219 Black-headed Munia Lonchura malacca BR U G

Acknowledgements

I acknowledge with gratitude for the formal permission givento me by Mr AK Das DFO Jorhat Forest DivisionJorhat Assam to conduct this study I also acknowledgewith gratitude for his continuous encouragement given byMr G Saikia ACF Jorhat Forest Division Jorhat Assam

I am extremely grateful to Mr Ranjan Kumar Das ofTinsukia Mr BP Lahkar of Aaranyak and Mr Sanjay Das

of Guijan (Tinsukia) with whom I have had the opportunitiesto discuss about the identification of birds and I thank them

for their constant encouragement

I am also thankful to the Range Officer of Mariani Mr JBaruah and Beat Officer of the Meleng Beat Mr Haidar Aliand Mr Deepak Bordoloi for their help during the study

I am extremely thankful to Dr Dilip Chetry for without hisequipment and moral support I could not have completedthis work I am thankful to Mr Bhupendranath GoswamiLecturer of Mariani College for permitting me to use themaps drawn by him during my study

Finally special thanks to the members of GibbonConservation Centre Hoollongapar Natures Society ForestStaff of Meleng Beat Teachers and Student friends ofNakachari College Manjit Bora Co-ordinator of AaranyakUpper Assam Circle Arnab Bora of Tinsukia and MonimalaSaikia of AAU Jorhat Assam

ReferencesAli S (2002) The Book of Indian Birds 13th Edition BNHS Oxford

Bombay

Allen A A (1961) The Book of Bird Life D Van Nostrand CompanyINC

Barness H E (1981) The Birds of India Cosmo Publication NewDelhi

Campbell B Watson D (1984) The Illustrated Book of Birds PeerageBooks

Choudhury A U (2002) The Birds of Assam Gibbon Books WWF

Das R (2006) Pokhir Kakolit Dibru-Saikhowa Minivet PublicationsTinsukia Assam

Dorst J (Translated by I C J Galbraith 1974) The life of Birds Vol-2 Weidenfeld and Nicolson London

Finn F (1981) Garden Birds of India Cosmo Publications New delhi

Girmmett R Inskipp C Inskipp T (2000) Pocket Guide to the Birdsof Indian Subcontinent Oxford University Press

40 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

Goswami B Sarmah P (1994-2004) Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary anapproach for Sustainable development Mariani College Magazine

Grewal B Harvey B and Fister OP (2002) A Photographic Guide

to the Birds of India amp the Indian Subcontinent including PakistanNepal Bhutan Bangladesh Sri Lanka amp Maldives (HK) LimitedPeriplus Editions

Hinde R A Edited (1969) Birds Vocalizations Cambridge UniversityPress

Kazmierczak K (2003) A Field Guide to the Birds of India Sri LankaPakistan Nepal Bhutan Bangladesh and the Maldives Om BookService

141 endemic species New species are continually beingadded to the regions list

Even though Indian subcontinent has good bird diversityscientific studies on a number of birds their general biologyreproduction and behavioral ecology have not beenundertaken so far or even attempted The Wire tailed Swallow(Hirundo smithii) is one among them According to IUCN2003 it is one of the threatened birds of India

Wire tailed Swallow is a small passerine bird in theHirundinidae family All the Swallows belong to the orderPasseriformes Birds of this order are the most highly evolvedof all birds and are highly adaptative to all terrestrial terrainsThis order has the largest number of bird species with over5100 different kinds of birds In this order the birds havefragile bones and as a result they are rarely fossilized andgive few clues to their evolution (Encyclopedia Britannica)

World wide 89 swallow species are recorded We can seeswallows in every continent except Antarctica In the caseof Wire tailed Swallow two species have been recordedthe African form (Hirundo smithii filifer) and the Asian form(Hirundo smithii) These two species of Wire - tailed Swallowbreed in Africa south of Sahara and in tropical southern Asiafrom the Indian subcontinent to Southeast Asia respectivelyA number of swallows are migrant but the Wire tailed Swallowis a resident species The species gets the name from itsvery long filamentous outermost tail feathers which trailbehind like two wires (www 1)

The color of birds their songs shapes habitats and behaviorare all fascinating However a little more effort will showanother much-varied dimension of the bird world their

nests They construct their nests from a variety of materialand in a variety of locations (www 2)Key words Wire tailed swallow Mud nest Soil texture

Studies on the role of partners in Nest BuildingActivity of the Wire Tailed Swallow (Hirundo smithii)

in Kodiyampalayam area near Pichavaram MangrovesS Sandilyan K Thiyagesan and S Saravanan

Division of Wildlife biology AVCCollege Mannampandal Mayiladuthurai - 609305 Tamil Nadu India6A18c No 5 New Street Mayiladuthurai - 609001 Tamil Nadu India

e-mail ssandilyangmailcom

Wire tailed Swallows (Hirundo smithii) construct mud nestscomposed of sand silt and clay and plant materials Theirnests were found under the bridges in the Kodiyampalayamarea near the Pichavaram Mangrove Tamilnadu India Boththe partners are involved in nest building The proportiontest shows there was no significant difference in the timespent on nest building between the male and female(Z = 0452 P gt 005) The breeding pair had contributedequal amounts of time for nest construction The completednest was 55 cm wide projecting away from the verticalsurface the length was 92 cm and the circumference was28 cm

Introduction

Aves are a familiar feature of our environment and everyone notices them It is small wonder that birdwatching issuch a popular pastime the world over Due to their variedlifestyles conspicuousness diurnal habits and interestingplumage and calls birds are also regarded as good subjectsfor exploring a number of questions of ecological andconservation significance (Urfi 2003) They are also idealbioindicators and useful models for studying a variety of

environmental problems Presently more attention is beinggiven to conservation monitoring and ecological studies(Newton 1995)

Indian subcontinent is rich in avian species This is partlybecause of its wide altitudinal range extending from sealevel up to summit of the Himalayas Another reason is thehighly varied climate and associated diversity of vegetation(Grimmett R 1999) As many as 13 of the worlds birds

have been recorded in the Indian subcontinent This includes

Saikia G (2002) A Brochure on Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary JorhatForest Division

Simms E (1990) Woodland Birds Bloomsbury Books LondonTiwari V M (2002) Joy of Bird Watching NBT IndiaWelty J C (Third Edition) The Life of Birds Saunder College PubishingWhistler H (1986) Handbook of Indian Birds Cosmo Publications

New Delhi

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 41

Birds build nests in many shapes sizes and locations from tree holes to tunnels from twig platforms to tiny cupsof mud but all provide security warmth and safety for

their eggs and young Nest building is an inherited skill thatbirds have developed to improve the chances of the survivalof their progeny The variety of design and constructionreflects the differing needs of each species and theiradaptability to the habitats and utilization of availablematerials (www 3)

In the case of wire tailed swallow studies about their nestingbehavior nest material preferences and the contribution ofbreeding partners for nest building had not been attemptedso far in South Indian conditions In order to fill the lacunathe current study was designed

The present study describes the nesting behavior ofwire-tailed swallow especially the time spent by each

partner for constructing the mud nest in between

Pichavaram to Kodiyampalayam area (N 1139deg and

E 7979deg) which has a unique mangrove habitat After a long

period of survey in this area 4 nest sites of wire tailedswallows were identified under the bridges in a 4 Km stretchThe birds fixed their half bowl mud nest under the bridgesAmong the 4 nests studied one was so high that it couldnot be reached and the remaining three were accessible

The main objectives of the present study are

To study the nesting site preferences of wire tailedswallow in Pichavaram Mangrove region

Study the contributions of each partner in building themud nest in the study area

Record the time spent by each partner to construct themud nest and

To provide general information on this species andto identify additional opportunities for research onthis species

Study Area

The present study was carried out in between Pichavaramto Kodiyampalayam which covers a distance of 4 Km Thestudy area is located in (N 1139deg and E79deg) in Tamilnadu

India The first 3 Km stretch comes under the Cuddaloredistrict and the remaining 1 Km area area comes under theNagai district of Tamilnadu The temperature in and aroundPichavaram mangrove ranges between 20degC and 37degC The

study area receives rainfall mostly during southwestmonsoon (July to September) The total annual rainfall isabout 1300 mm (Sampath 1993)

3 nests were recorded in the Nagai district of the studyarea and remaining nest was recorded in the Cuddaloredistrict One of the nests in the Nagai district was at aconsiderable height which was inaccessible

The first nest ie towards Pichavaram to Kodiyampalayamis surrounded by agriculture lands emerging mangrove andactive aqua farms the second and third bridges are surroundedby well developed mangrove and the fourth nest wassurrounded by mangrove vegetation as well as thorny bushes

The entire data was collected form the first nest in thestudy area

Materials amp MethodsThe study was carried out between November 2006 andMarch 2007 Data was collected on all week ends (Saturdayand Sunday) during the study period However during theactual nest building period (December) data was collectedon all the 13 days of nest construction

The birds were observed directly or with the aid of binoculars(7 X 50) depending on the distance from the nest

Nest measurements include height above the groundprojection from the vertical surface and the length of thenest using a centimeter scale A thread was used to measurethe circumference of the nest

For identifying the bird the field guides (Ali 2002 andGrimmett 1999) were used

Observation and Results

The wire tailed swallow is a highly territorial bird and confinedto the neighborhoods of water (Ali 2002) Repeated surveyswere made in the study area from the initial survey 7 smallbridges and 4 big bridges were identified and they wereregularly watched for the presence of swallows

After a long period of survey 4 pairs of wire-tailed swallowsthat had occupied 4 big bridges were selected for closerobservation in the study area Among the 4 bridges 2 areinaccessible and the remaining 2 are easy to study thenesting behaviour of the bird Due to lack of manpowernesting data was collected only from the nest located inthe first bridge

Location of the Nest

The swallows started nest construction during the last weekof December 2006 Small mud balls were pasted by thebirds on the vertical wall of the bridge They placed the mudballs 66 cm above the water surface and 2 cm below theceiling The nest was exactly placed 1895 meters from theeast and 3155 meters from the west Most of the time thebirds used the western side for entering into the nestingsite and flew out of the eastern side of the bridge

Nest Building Activity

From the first day itself the nest building activity was observedand the time spent by each partner for nest constructionwas recorded periodically

For the first two days each partner spent equal time forconstruction (18 minutes) the third day the male contributed5937 (19 min) the female 4062 (13 min) the fourthday the male spent 4545 (10 min) female 5454(12 min) the fifth day the male invested 5348 (23 min)female 4654 (20 min) the sixth day male contributed375 (3 min) female 625 (5 min) the seventh day themale spent 6363 (14 min) female 3636 (8 min) the 8th

day male spent 7142 (15min) female 2857 (6 min)the 9th day male contributed 4444 (4 min) female 5555

42 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

(5 min) the 10 th day male spent 6111 (11 min)female 3888 (7 min) the 11th day male spent 6190(13 min) female 3809 ( 8 min) the 12th day male spent2148 (6 min) female 7857 (22 min) and on the 13th daymale spent 2631 (5 min) female spent 7368 (14 min)(Table 1)

On the last two days the female spent more time comparedto male Totally the pair took 13 days to complete the nestand they spent 315 minutes

The proportion test shows there was no significant differencein the time spent on nest building between the male andfemale (Z = 0452 P gt 005) Both sexes had contributedequal amount of time for nest construction The completenest was 55 cm projected away from the vertical surfacethe length was 92 cm and the circumference was 28 cm

DiscussionAn important behavioral reproductive decision of a bird iswhere to place the nest (Cody 1985 Johnson 1994) Birdsuse their nests chiefly to protect themselves their eggsand developing young by constructing nests that areinaccessible armored camouflaged or built in colonies thatprovide safety from predators (Burger and Gochfled 1968Welty 1982)

Nest building behaviour is often associated with courtshipand pair formation in birds it may signal the reproductivecondition of individuals and physiologically stimulate a partner(Collias 1964) There is very little information on the importanceof nest itself and its role in the mate choice (Hoi et al1994)

Soler et al (1998) showed that bird species in which bothsexes build the nest have larger nests than those in whichonly the female builds Nest size (relative to body size) waspositively correlated with the amount of parental investmentNest size indicate the willingness of males to invest inreproduction and it could therefore be a post -mating sexuallyselection trait

Soler et al (1998) discussed that several studies have shownthat nest building ability of males is related to female matechoice and the reproductive success of the pair The femalePenduline tits (Remiz pendulinus) choose the partners basedon the nest quality The nest may indicate the parentalquality experience or genetic quality and female couldtherefore benefit from mating with a superior nest builder

Swallow species especially those that build mud nest areclosely related and have similar nesting behaviors (winklerand shelden 1993) An earlier study in the case of Branswallows (Hirundo rustica) and cliff swallows (Hirundopyrrhonota) showed that they need or expect 4 basicconditions for nest site selection 1) An open area forforaging 2) A suitable surface for nest attachment3) A supply of mud of proper consistency for nest buildingand 4) A body of fresh water for drinking (www 3) Here inour study all the conditions required for nesting were present

According to Winkler and Shelden 1993 Swallow speciesespecially those that build mud nest are closely relatedand have similar nesting behaviors Studies by Moller (1994)in the case of Barn swallows showed that both sexesparticipate in nest building but there is considerable variationin the males contribution which is negatively related to

males tail length Short tailed males invest more in nest

building than long tailed males So investigation on thisaspect is also required in the case of wire tailed swallow Toget a complete picture about the nesting behaviour of thisspecies a long-term scholarly study is required It is a mustin the case of Wire tailed swallow because in 2003 IUCNhas declared that it is one of the threatened birds of India

Summary

The Study was carried out from November 2006 March

2007 in between Pichavaram to Kodiyampalayam roadsidewhich covers a distance of 4 Km With in the 4 Km stretchit has a mixed habitat of agricultural lands emerging andwell developed mangroves and aquaculture ponds

The data was collected from a nest located under the firstbridge from the first day of commencement of nest buildingactivity

Acknowledgewments

We thank our principal DrMVaratharajan and ourManagement for supporting and providing necessary facilitiesto carryout the studies

ReferencesAli Salim 2002 The Book of Indian Birds Bombay Natural History

Society BombayBirds The New Encyclopedia Britannica Macropedia 15th Edition

Chicago IllinoisEncyclopedia Britannica IncBurger J and MGochfled 1988 Nest site selection by Roseate Terns in

Two Tropical Colonies on Culebra Puetro Rico Condor 90 843 851Cody ML 1985 Habitat selection in the sylvine Warblers of Western

Europe and North Africa Page 86 129 In Cody ML (Ed) Habitatselection in Birds Academic press New York

ColliasNE amp ColliasEC 1984 Nest Building Behaviour Princeton NewJersey Princeton University Press

Table 1 Time spent by male and female wire-tailedswallows towards nest building activities

Days Time spent Time spent Contribution Contributionby male in by female of Male of Femaleminutes in minutes in in

27-Dec 18 18 50 50

28-Dec 18 18 50 50

29-Dec 19 13 594 406

30-Dec 10 12 455 545

31-Dec 23 20 535 465

1-Jan 3 5 375 625

2-Jan 14 8 636 364

3-Jan 15 6 714 286

4-Jan 4 5 444 556

5-Jan 11 7 611 389

6-Jan 13 8 619 381

7-Jan 6 22 214 786

8-Jan 5 14 263 737

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 43

Johnson PN 1994Selection and use of nest site by Barn Owls inNorfolk England Raptor Res 28 149 153

GrimmettR and CInskipp 1999 Birds of the Indian Subcontinent Oxford

University press New DelhiHoiH SchleicherB amp ValeraF 1994 Female mate Choice and nest

Desertion in penduline tits Remiz pendulinus the importance Nestquality Animal Behaviour 48 743 746

Newton I 1995 The Contribution of some recent research on birds toecological Understanding JAnim Ecol 64 675 696

Sampath K and KKrishnamurthy 1993 Birds of Pichavaram mangrovesand the Adjoining costal environs JEcolSoc 6 23 28

SolerJJMollerAPamp LindenM1996 Nest building sexual selection andparental investment Evolutionary Ecology12 427 441

Urfi AJ 2003 Breeding ecology of Birds Why do some species nestsingly while others are colonial Resonance 20038 22 32

Welty CJ 1982 The Life of Birds WB Saunders Co LondonWinkler DW and Fh Sheldow 1993 Evolution of nest construction in

swallows (Hirundinidae) a molecular phylogenetic prespectiveProcNatl

Web Based Referenceshttp enwikipediaorgwikiwire-tailed_swallowhttpwwwexplorebiodiversitycomBIRDS Birds of WorldFamilies

Passeriformeshtm

httpladywildlifecomanimalhowbirdsbuildtheirnestshtml

mixed with forested tracts pepper estates banana andcitrus plantations come into view The ensemble of barbetsgreeted us and their choir floated across the forestresounded and reverberated in the surrounding tranquilvalleys as the birds celebrated the advent of yet anotherday The music concert of these Beethovens of the forestwent on till dusk with hardly any respite

While trekking on a bridle path between forest and coffeeplantation we witnessed a male Asian Paradise-Flycatchervigorously patrolling its territory in the coffee plantation whilea juvenile male Asian Paradise-Flycatcher was lurking inthe forest on the opposite side This went on for full onehour and we had to retreat as dusk was descending

Sirumalai hills and the surrounding areas are rich in bird lifeand according to Palani Hills Birdwatchers Society more

than 250 species have been recorded so far We chancedupon the biggest butterfly of South India the SouthernBirdwing butterfly We trekked to Agasthyipuram the earliesthuman settlement in the hills and enroute recorded severalspecies of birds and butterflies such as Chocolate pansyCommon sailor Glad-eye Bush brown Common CerulianSilverstreak blue Angled castor Common Jezebel Crimsonrose Common Bushbrown and Striped Blue tiger

The following is the systematic list of birds observed in Gandhigram Rural

University Campus (GU) Athoor Dam (A) Vadakarai Tank (V) and Sirumalai

Hills (S)

Grebes Podicipedidae

Little grebe (V) Tachybaptus ruficollis (Pallas 1964)

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Great Cormorant (V) Phalacrocorax carbo (Linnaeus 1758)

Darters Anhingidae

Darter (V) Anhinga melanogaster (Pennant 1969)

Herons Egrets and Ardeidae

Bitterns

Little egret (V) Egretta garzetta (Linnaeus 1966)

Large Egret (V) Casmerodius albus (Linnaeus 1758)

Cattle egret (V) Bubulcus ibis (Linnaeus 1758)

Grey heron (V) Ardea cinerea (Linnaeus 1758)

Purple heron (V) Ardea purpurea (Linnaeus 1766)

Indian Pond-heron (V) Ardeola grayii (Sykes 1832)

A Day at Sirumalai in Palni HillsS Ashok Kumar

Plot No 491 Road No 10 Jubilee Hills Hyderabad 500 033

The Palani Hills Birdwatchers Society had organized the

2nd South Indian Birdwatchers Fair in Gandhigram Rural

Universtiy Dindigul from 23rd to 25th February 2007 Duringthe Fair Birdwatching field trips to Athoor dam Vadakaraitank Sirumalai Hills and Gandhigram University Campuswere conducted for the delegates and participants

Our team consisted of Prabhu Asian Wildlife FoundationRahman Education Officer WWF AP Office Hyderabadand myself While travelling in Vaigai Express we sighted10 spot billed pelicans over 200 cattle egrets and 4 greyherons in Chenulpet lake Large extents of the lake marginare invaded by Eichhornia crassipes

Palani hills forming the eastern spur of the Western Ghatsis divided into Upper Palnis in the West covering an area of385 sq kms with an altitude of 2200 mts and the LowerPalanis covering 1683 sq kms with an altitude of 1600 mtslying below Kodaikanal Palani hills region is recognized asa biodiversity hot spot

Sirumalais meaning small hills lie in Lower Palani hillslocated between 10deg07 10deg18N and 77deg55 78deg12 E

with an altitude of 800 mts The hills are rectangular in outlinecovering an area of 317 sq kms The mountain ridge slopesdown North-East on which the only motorable ghat road islaid There are other ridges sloping towards South South-East and East Mullupanrimalai Vellimalai Kalugumalai andMadagamalai are the main peaks Mullapanrimalai beingthe highest (1379 mts) Sattiar Kalankaluviar andSirumalaiar are the three rivulets which flow down the hills

The vegetation consists of tropical dry deciduous forest type(Champion 1936) dry evergreen forests riparian forests andthorn forest with thorny thickets NE monsoon brings thebulk of the annual rainfall while the SW monsoon bringssporadic rains So far 895 floral species belonging to 536 generahave been recorded as a result of systematic exploration

The dales and valleys on either side of the ghat road areclothed with dense forests bisected by jungle streamletsAs we approach Sirumalai Pudur village coffee plantations

44 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

Storks Ciconiidae

Painted stork (V) Mycteria leucocephala (Pennant 1769)

Asian Open-bill stork (V) Anastomus oscitans (Boddaert 1783)

White-necked stork (V) Ciconia episcopus (Boddaert 1783)

Geese amp Ducks Anatidae

Comb duck (V) Sarkidiornis melanotos (Pennant 1969)

Northern Shoveller (V) Anas clypeata (Linnaeus 1758)

Common Pochard (V) Aythya ferina (Linnaeus 1758)

Spot-billed duck (V) Anas acuta (Linnaeus 19581781)

Garganey (V) Anas querquedula (Linnaeus 1958)

Eurasian Wigeon (V) Anas penelope (Linnaeus 1758)

Lesser whistling teal (V) Dendrocygna javanica (Horsfield 1821)

Hawks eagles kites etc Accipitridae

Shikra (GR S) Accipiter badius (Gmelin 1788)

Crested serpent eagle (S) Spilornis cheela (Latham 1790)

Mountain hawk eagle (S) Spizaetus nipalensis (Hodgson 1836)

Black-shouldered kite (GUS) Elanus caeruleus (Desfontaine 1789)

Brahminy kite (V) Haliastur indus (Boddaert 1783)

Pheasants Partridges amp Phasianidae

Quails

Grey Junglefowl (S) Gallus sonneratii (Temminck 1813)

Grey Francolin (A) Francolinus pondicerianus (Gmelin 1789)

Rails Crakes Moorhens Rallidae

coots

White-breasted Waterhen (A) Amaurornis phoenicurus (Pennant 1858)

Purple moorhen (V) Porphyrio porphyrio (Linnaeus 1758)

Common coot (V) Fulica atra (Linnaeus 1758)

Jacanas Jacanidae

Peasant-tailed Jacana (V) Hydrophasianus chirurgus (Scopoli 1786)

Plovers Lapwings etc Charadriidae

Red-wattled Lapwing (A V) Vanellus gregarious (Pallas 1771)

Sandpipers Snipes etc Scolopacidae

Common snipe (V) Gallinago gallinago (Linnaeus 1758)

Common green Shank (V) Tringa nebularia (Gunner 1767)

Common sandpiper (V) Actitis hypoleucos (Linnaeus 1758)

Ibisbill Avocets amp Stilts Recurvirostridae

Black-winged atilt (V) Himantopus himantopus (Linnaeus 1758)

Gulls Terns etc Laridae

Gull-billed Tern (V) Gelochelidon nilotica (Gmelin 1789)

Pigeons amp Doves Columbidae

Spotted dove (S) Streptopelia chinensis (Scopoli 1786)

Emerald dove (A) Chalcophaps indica (Linnaeus 1758)

Parakeets etc Psittacidae

Blue-winged parakeet (S) Psittacula columboides (Vigors 1830)

Cuckoos Malkohas amp Cuculidae

Coucals

Indian plaintive cuckoo (A) Cacomantis passerinus (Vhai 1797)

Pied Crested cuckoo (GU) Clamator jacobinus (Boddaert 1783)

Brainfever Bird (A GU) Hierococcyx varius (Vahl 1797)

Large Greenbilled Malkoha (V) Phaenicophaeus tristis (Lesson 1830)

Greater Coucal (GU A S) Centropus sinensis (Stephens 1815)

Asian Koel (GU A) Eudynamys scolopacea (Linnaeus 1758)

Owis Strigidae

Spotted Owlet (GU) Athene brama (Temminck 1821)

Swifts Apodidae

Alpine swift (S) Tachymarptis melba (Linnaeus 1758)

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

White-breasted King-fisher Halcyon smyrnensis (Linnaeus 1758)

( V S G U )

Small Blue Kingfisher (A) Alcedo atthis (Linnaeus 1758)

Pied kingfisher (V) Lesser Ceryle rudis (Linnaeus 1758)

Bee-eaters Meropidae

Small Bee-eater (S V) Merops orientalis (Latham 1801)

Blue-tailed Bee-eater (V) Merops philippinus (Linnaeus 1766)

Rollers Coraciidae

Indian Roller (GU) Coracias benghalensis (Linnaeus 1758)

Hoopoes Upupidae

Common hoopoe (VS) Upupa epops (Linnaeus 1758)

Barbets Capitonidae

Coppersmith barbet (GUAVS) Megalaima haemacephala (PL Smuller 1776)

White-checked barbet (S) Megalaima viridis (Boddaert 1783)

Great barbet (S) Megalaima virens (Boddaert 1783)

Woodpeckers Picidae

Brown-capped Pigmy

woodpecker (S) Dendrocopos nanus (Vigors 1832)

Black-shouldered

Woodpecker (S) Chrysocolaptes festivus (Boddaert 1783)

Wagtails amp Pipits Motacillidae

Large Pied Wagtail (V S) Motacilla maderaspatensis (Gmelin 1789)

Grey wagtail (S) Motacilla cinerea (Tunstall 1771)

Paddyfield Pipit (V) Anthus rufulus (Vieillot 1818)

Cuckoo-shrikes Campephagidae

Minivets etc

Common Woodshrike (S) Tephrodornis pondicerianus (Gmelin 1789)

Long-tailed Minivet (S) Pericrocotus ethologus (Bangs amp Phillips 1914)

Black-headed cuckoo-Shrike

( G U ) Coracina melanoptera (Ruppell 1839)

Bulbuls Finchbills Pycnonotidae

Red-whiskered bulbul (AS) Pycnonotus jocosus (Linnaeus 1758)

Red-vented bulbul (AS) Pycnonotus cafer (Linnaeus 1766)

White-browed bulbul (AVS) Pycnonotus luteolus (Lesson 1841)

Ioras Leafbird Irenidae

Fairy-Bluebird

Common Iora (GU) Aegithina tiphia (Linnaeus 1758)

Asian Fairy-Bluebird (S) Irena puella (Latham 1790)

Shrikes Laniidae

Bay-backed shrike (GU) Lanius vittatus (Valenciennes 1826)

Thrushes Robins etc Turdinae

Indian Robin (GU) Saxicoloides fulicata (Linnaeus 1776)

Black Redstart (V) Phoenicurus ochruros (Gmelin 1774)

Oriental Magpie-Robin (VRS) Copsychus saularis (Linnaeus 1758)

Pied Bushchat (S) Saxicola caprata (Linnaeus 1766)

Babblers Barwings etc Timaliinae

White-headed babbler (GU) Turdoides affinis (Jerdon 1847)

Prinias Warblers etc Sylviinae

Greenish Leaf-Warbler (S) Phylloscopus trochiloides (Sundevall 1837)

Flycatchers Muscicapinae

Verditer Flycatcher (V S) Eumyias thalassina (Swainson 1838)

Nilgiri Flycatcher (S) Eumyias albicaudata (Jerdon 1840)

Monarch amp Monarchinae

Paradise Flycatchers

Asian Paradise-Flycatcher

(GU A S) Terpsiphone paradisi (Linnaeus 1758)

Sunbirds amp Spiderhunters Nectariniidae

Purple-rumped Sunbird (GU) Nectarinia zeylonica (Linnaeus 1766)

Purple Sunbird (GU) Nectarinia asiatica (Latham 1790)

Little Spiderhunter (GU) Arachnothera longirostra (Latham 1790)

White-eyes Zosteropidae

Oriental White-eye (S) Zosterops palpebrosus (Temminck 1824)

Munias Estrildidae

White-throated Munia (VS) Lonchura malabarica (Linnaeus 1758)

Spotted Munia (V) Lonchura punctulata (Linnaeus 1758)

Starlings amp Mynas Sturnidae

Common Myna (GU) Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus 1766)

Orioles Oriolidae

Eurasian Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus (Linnaeus 1758)

(GU A S)

Black-beaded Oriole (S) Oriolus xanthornus (Linnaeus 1758)

Drongos Dicruridae

Black Drongo (S GU) Dicrurus macrocercus (Vieillot 1817)

Ashy Drongo (S GU) Dicrurus leucophaeus (Vieillot 1817)

White-bellied Drongo (A amp S) Dicrurus caerulescens (Linnaeus 1758)

Greater Racket-tailed Dicrurus paradiseus (Linnaeus 1766)

Drongo (S)

Crows amp Treepies Corvidae

Indian Treepie (GU S) Dendrocitta formosae (Swinhoe 1863)

Jungle Crow (GU) Corvus macrorhynchos (Wagler 1827)

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 45

Pulicat and Point Calimere at different times And also thetheory that species recorded here has some definite linkbetween south Indian wintering birds appears to be truthfulwith the increased population of Pied Avocets Recurvirostraavosetta in Chil ika and in south Indian wetlands(Balachandran et al 2005 Sahana et al 2007)

The pressure on lagoon is immense like encroachmentincreased siltation extensive fishing and tourism Over twolakh fishermen are depending on the lakes resources fortheir livelihood (CDA 2006) The disturbance to the birds isa common sight due to intensive f ishing activitiesrecreational disturbance and the use of mechanized boatsThe constant disturbance discourages foraging costingfeeding time and amplified escape activities and drains muchof the birds energy Eventually it might result in decreasedenergy reserves late arrivallate dispersal to breedinggrounds and in the end reduced reproductive-success(Michael and Kenneth 1984)

An estimated one lakh tourists visit the lake every year (CDA2006) Many boatmen have equipped the small tourist boatswith high wattage loud-speakers with music systemproducing much noise is a common sight Though plastic isbanned one can see a lot of floating wrappers in the lakediscarded by the tourists It is sickening to watch fishesbeing killed by metal blades of crudely mechanized boatsSmall population of Irrawaddy dolphins Orcaella brevirostrisfound in the outer channel are more vulnerable Though ChilikaDevelopment Authority has rejuvenated the lake extraordinarilywell policing and implementation of many defined regulationsare falling short of standard due to (local as well as visiting)publics apathy

With all these hassles the living lagoon is at its bestthroughout the year compared to any other wetland in India(Sathiyaselvam Pers Com) due to its uniqueness And ofcourse has an added advantage of the degradation of manywintering sites in southern sojourn these birds were earlierdependent

Some noteworthy sightings are as follows

d In all 102 identified bird species and a few un-identifiedSnipes and Larger Gulls

d A solitary Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus in thesouth-east waters of Nalaban and a Goliath Heron Ardeagoliath at northern tip of Nalaban

d Huge flocks(5 -10K) of Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelopeGadwall A strepera Northern Pintail A acuta NorthernShoveller A clypeata and Ferruginous Pochard Aythyanyroca

A pilgrimage to Chilika - the Birding Kashi

A Shivaprakash T Girija and A Sharath478 3rd Cross 8th Main Ramakrishna Nagar H Block Mysore - 570022

e-mail adavannerediffmailcom

Chilika with the assemblage of marine brackish andfreshwater ecosystem is recognized as largest water birdscongregation location in Indian subcontinent that hosts 43species of 1 biogeographically known population (Islam andRahmani 2005) Totally 52 rivers and rivulets provide freshwater augmentation to the brackish bay Rich diversity anddensity of avifauna is due to the vast size (1100 sq Km)variation in salinity preferred water depths and rich sediment

We had planned our birding visits at Barkul Nalaban Islandsmudflats of Satpada New sea mouth and Rajhans Island during13th to 18th December 2006 The itinerary was based on thelocations mentioned in the Final report of Habitat evaluation ofChilika lake (Balachandran et al 2005) on the guidance of DrPKRay Scientist-in charge Regional Museum of NaturalHistory Bhubaneswar and Mr Sathiyaselvam Research FellowChilika Project Chandrabani We have spent 32 hours birdingincluding 10 hours on board non-mechanized boats and reston foot Observation was made with a Field scope (Geoma65mm x 20) and a pair of binoculars (Pentex 10 x 25 andTasco 8 x 30)

Barkul shoreline forms western part of lake attracts goodnumber of waders Nalabana Island is situated in the CentralSector of the lake and is said to be hosting 75 of the totalbird population wintering in Chilika Though large flocks ofbirds scatter in many parts of the Lake the major congregationof diverse species was in and around Nalabana IslandExposed mudflats of Satpada provide foraging ground for largecongregation of waders Gregarious Gulls and Terns galleryis displayed in the new sea mouth opened up in the outerchannel recently to provide necessary salinity to Chilika

Our plan of staying entire day and night at Nalaban Islandsbased on A birdwatchers guide to India (Krys and Raj 2001)was later modified due to Orissa Forest Departmentsrestrictions on visitors The entry of mechanized boats intothe Nalaban Islands zone is strictly restricted The island zoneis marked with red polls erected all around that are visible froma quite distance indicating the protected zone Moreover entryto the lake is prohibited to tourists and is strictly enforcedThis measure is safeguarding the interests of avifauna and itshabitat With a rowing boat and a field scope one can watchnumerous birds with ease The congregation of waterfowl isamazing and runs into a few thousands

The waders recorded here are almost similar to those inPulicat Lake and Point Calimere The waders congregationis simply unimaginable It is interesting that the BNHSreport (Balachandran et al 2005) has concluded that withinthe same wintering season the same population of birdsutilise three major water bodies of eastern coast - Chilika

46 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

CORRESPONDENCE

d Smaller flocks(100 -1K) of Common Pochard Aythyaferina Red crested Pochard Rhodonessa rufinaGarganey Anas querquedula Cotton Teal Nettapuscoromandelianus Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosaLittle Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius and Little StintCalidris minuta

d Smaller flocks(lt100) of Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterusruber (Eastern part of Nalaban Island) Spot-billed PelicanPelecanus philippensis Bar-headed Goose Anserindicus Ruddy Shelduck Tadoma ferruginea CommonTeal Anas crecca Spot billed Duck A poecilorhynchaLesser Whistling Teal Dendrocygna javanica CommonRed Shank Tringa totanus Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialisfulva Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus TemminksStint Calidris temminckii Sanderling Calidris alba Brownheaded Gull Larus brunnicephalus and Whiskered TernChlidonias hybridus

d Smaller nos of (lt10) of Asian Open-bill Anastomusoscitans Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata CommonGreen Shank Tringa nebularia Ruff Philomachus pugnaxCaspian Tern Sterna caspia Indian River Tern S aurantiaLittle Tern S albifrons White-winged Tern C leucopterusand Gull billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica

d Few Individuals like Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris Broadbilled Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus and Citrine WagtailMotacillaccitreola

d Raptors l ike White bell ied Sea Eagle Haliaeetusleucogaster (commoner) Pal las Fish Eagle Hleucoryphus (Rajhans Island)

d New terrestrial bird for us -Bank Myna Acridotheresginginianus Asian Pied Sterl ing Sturnus contra(commoner)

Footnote Back from wonderful birding we came across abad news of the death of birds from Chilika (Indian GreenFile 2006) The paper clipping of published article of the AsianAge newspaper dated 12-12-2006 was reprinted in theDecember issue of Indian Green File The report said out ofdead 82 birds 69 were Pintails rest were Shovellers GadwalsBar-headed Goose and Sea eagles and 277 birds werereportedly sick

Acknowledgement

We are indebted to Dr PKRay Scientist-in charge RegionalMuseum of Natural History Bhubaneswar and MrSathiyaselvam Research Fellow Chilika Project Chandrabanifor guidance And we are grateful to Kum Vijayalaxmi andKishendasKR Mysore for their logistic support

ReferencesBalachandarnS RahmaniAR and SathiyaselvamP 2005 Final report

of Habitat evaluation of Chilika Lake with special reference to birdsas bio-indicators Bombay Natural History Society

CDA 2006 Chilika a living lagoon A booklet prepared and circulated byChilika Development Authority Bhubaneswar

Islam MZ and AR Rahmani 2005 Important Bird Areas in India Prioritysites for conservation Mumbai Indian Bird Conservation NetworkBombay Natural History Society and BirdLife International (UK) Pp574-575

Krys Kazmierczak and Raj Singh 2001 A Birdwatchers guide to IndiaOxford University press New Delhi

Michael R Miller Kenneth J Reinecke Nov 1984 Proper Expression ofMetabolizable Energy in Avian Energetics The Condor Vol 86 No4 pp 396-400

SahanaM Kishen DasKR and TanujaDH 2007 Occurrence of PiedAvocet Recurvirostra avosetta near Mysore Karnataka Newsletterfor Birdwatchers Vol 43(1) Pp 14-15

Indian Green File No 228 December 2006 Published by Centre forScience amp environment New Delhi Page 24

poultry that creepeth upon the Earth it is a rare case of

convergence of interests of man and bird against one commonfoe Viewing from this moral high ground the focus of all overefforts must be to contain the spread to isolate the infectedhost organisms and ultimately in the long run neutralizealtogether the H5N1 virus Both the print and the visual mediahave the onerous task to publish thoroughly researched andbalanced reports which are informative and motivating but notpanic-generating

As of now the primary and exclusive host of the H5N1 virus area few species of wild waterfowl and perhaps the entire range ofdomesticated poultry birds though so far only chicken and turkeyare reported infected There is no unanimity among the scientistcommunity yet on the primary source of this virus When it firstmanifested in Taiwan China Hong Kong and Thailand in2001-2003 it was surmised that the primary host are the poultrybirds Quite logically this led to the wholesale culling of about

AN ETHICAL PERSPECTIVE AND PREVENTION OF BIRDFLU Lt Gen (Retd) BALJIT SINGH House 219 Sector 16-AChandigarh 160 015 Ph 2770619

The Bible tells us And God said let us make man in our

image after our likeness and let them have dominion over thefish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over the cattleand over all the Earth and over every creeping thing thatcreepeth upon the Earth

So in the very scheme of evolution man was conceived as theprimary and dominant species Explicit with that privilegedstatus comes mans obligation of dominion implying watch

and ward over the weaker creatures that inhabit his planet ForGod did create man in our image after our likeness whichpresupposed that he would be just and compassionate Andin the instant case where a hitherto unchartered virus H5N1has raised its ugly head with lethal potential both to man andtwo of the meekest of his wards namely the fowl of the air and

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 47

three million birds in these countries Even when in 2004 a fewdead species of the migratory wild water fowl in their breedingareas in China Kazakhstan and Siberia also tested positivethe weight of opinion still maintained that the vector was thedomestic poultry and not the free ranging wild birds

Be that as it may the fact of the matter is that as of now both thewild waterfowl and the domestic poultry are the vectors Whenthis non-discriminating virus enters the host it is of the lowpathogen grade which is non-lethal But once transmitted thevirus begins to mutate and attains snow-balling dimensionsThat is the stage that it becomes a killer and the infected birddies within 2 to 3 days Now where wild bird assemblages areconcerned fortunately they remain fairly scattered and the virustransmission process is comparatively of the lower scale Andin the scheme of Nature there are no recorded cases wherean entire species has been wiped out by an epidemicGenerally up to 70 percent of the virus host species may perishand the remainder in all probability will develop immunity ascreatures in the wild are apparently better equipped to do soHopefully and over a long period of time the subject specieswill regain its optimum population levels

On the other hand where commercial poultry industry isconcerned the birds l ive check by jowl and the virustransmission process is like an inferno At that stage theprobability of infection spreading to human beings is genuineand of a high order Fortunately so far there is no proven caseof transmission of the virus from man to man Neverthelessindividual human beings will be at risk of infection either throughthe aerosol medium (breathing) or through ingestion of aninfected bird or by touch The last two risks can be easilycountered by avoiding poultry from diet for a short while andthis is where media can again play a positive role by arousingconsciousness of all segments of the society

As for the aerosol risk here the State will have the dominantrole All the commercial poultry farms and small scale poultrykeepers and even pigeon fanciers will have to be placed underperiodic and regular surveillance checks by qualified vetsInfected units will have to be shut down and decontaminatedThe industry may even have to be compensated for loss ofrevenue The common man will have to be advised on thesafe buffer-zone to be maintained from all such facilitiesand where that is not feasible to wear face and breathingmasks Even though the counter measures may appearelementary their rigid implementation will test out the measure

of vision and management skills of the government at theCentre and State

Concurrently the migratory and resident water fowlassemblages in the Country will also need monitoring on war-footing Fortunately these sites are all listed out in the NationalDirectory of Wetlands and they number just 145 For instancein Punjab there are three sites only (Ropar Harike and Kanjli)two in Haryana (Sultanpur and Bhindawas) three in Himachal(Pong Renuka and Govindsagar) and just one in UTChandigarh the Sukhna Lake Admittedly there will be manysmaller water-bodies dotting the country-side but for the presentthey need not be put under the scanner

It might be mentioned here that on the face of it the threat frommigratory Waterfowl as vectors of H5N1 to India may be of lowgrade This becomes evident when we look at the migratorypattern of the Bar-headed goose (one of the identified vectors)already mapped out by the wildlife department of the AligarhMuslim University through an on-going project using telemetrytools The time taken by most birds to reach their winteringgrounds in India can vary from 10 to 12 days inclusive of timespent on the stop-over sites enroute Most infected birds willperish in migration before entering India But healthy birdswhich get infected at the last stop-over before India may wellsucceed in bringing the virus

No strategy to combat the H5N1 virus will succeed unless wealso have in place effective and adequate preventive andcurative medicine Fortunately Tamiflu vaccine is claimed tobe a positive safeguard where humans are concerned But thefight against the bird flu will be inconclusive until a veterinaryvariant of Tamiflu is developed on war-footing to provideimmunity to poultry This is where the print and visual mediaare best suited to spread awareness among poultry keepersand pet owners to immunize the birds with same commitmentas we do for infants against polio and small pox

Central to the formulation of plans to combat the crisis shouldbe the fact that the bird was the first and still remains the mostpredominant prey of the virus At this juncture it is the bird whichis beleaguered and it deserves mans empathy much more

than is evident at the moment Given the common resolveeffective management strategies will emerge sooner than laterAnd at the end of it all we would have contained and ultimatelyvanquished the danger of bird flu pandemic both to humankindand to the birds one of mans dominos

d d d

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48 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

PREVALENCE OF SOME MYTHOLOGICAL BELIEFS AMONGRURAL COMMUNITIES OF GUJARAT A CASE STUDY OFCROW (CORVUS Sp) HIREN SONI ASHOK and RITA PATELInstitute of Integrated Study amp Research in Biotechnology ampAllied Sciences (ARIBAS) ADIT Campus New Vidyanagar -388 121 (Gujarat) E-mail hirensoniyahoocom

In the present technocrat world still some cryptic mythologiesin scriptures and Vedas are prevalent among some ruralcommunities of Gujarat They were authoured by our ancestorsbased on their own experience Such mythological beliefs aredirectly or indirectly connected with different types of rites ritualstaboos and traditions of tribesmen in the form of variousastrological paradigms folklores proverbs and quotablequotes in ancient literature In prehistoric times our Kings andBaronets used to take the guidance of priests to predict andprepare for the natural calamities such as cyclones faminesflood and heavy rainfalls They were often referred to asForecasting of Future During such times various types of

prophecies were inferred by deciphering various birdcalls theirbehaviour nesting location and feeding patterns According tosome mythological beliefs crows act as a good forecasteramong birds and are also indicators of good or bad omens(Jadav 2004) Some of the well-known inferences from variousproverbs are as follows

1 A crow builds its nest on eastern side of a tree on topbranch in the month of May - Heavy rainfall good quality ofcrop and a good omen for any religious ceremony

2 Nest on western side of a tree - Better rain and bettercrop-yield but grave epidemics

3 Nest on top canopy of a tree - Moderate rain4 Nest in middle canopy of a tree - Insufficient rainfall and

scarcity of water5 Nest on north or north-west side of a tree Overall good year

6 Crows search for food in dust instead of open grounds andgarbage - Hike in prices of cereals crops grains and othercommodities

7 Crow gives harsh calls from a dry tree Insufficient rain

and scarcity of water8 Nest on south-east corner of a tree - Famine starvation

water crisis food shortage and theft of eatables and othercommon commodities

9 Nest on the stem of a tree instead of its branch - Scantyrain paucity of water spreading of some contagiousdisease and theft of livelihood goods

10 Nest on north-west corner of a tree - Possibility of cycloneshurricanes and thunderstorms increase in population ofrodents in houses and crop-fields scarcity of food fodderfuelwood and fiber

11 Nest on south-east corner of a tree - Late arrival of monsoonwith cyclones and storms with low rainfall famine robberyand mass-scale war Cover Jungle Myna (Acridotheres fuscus) Probably every

Indian knows either one or other of our two common mynas Junglemynas perch in pairs or trios on their favorite trees or walk along theground with rapid determined steps stopping occasionally to preenor bob heads stiffly to utter warning notes Throughout the daymynas maintain a varied rollick of high pitched grackles or pleasantliquid notes to express their diverse moods such as delight fearresentment or anguish Being omnivores they feed on grubs fruitsgrains crumbs and morsels They nest in tree holes cracks inwalls chimneys and thatched roofs Mynas at times are branded asreckless usurpers of the nests of other birds Photo S Shreyas

Address for Correspondence

Newsletter for BirdwatchersNo 10 Sirur Park B Street SeshadripuramBangalore 560 020 India Tel 080 2356 1142 2346 4682E-mail ltnavbaratgmailcomgtPrinted and Published bi-monthly by S Sridhar atNavbharath Enterprises Seshadripuram Bangalore - 560 020 IndiaFor Private Circulation Only

12 Nest towards the south - Epidemic and battle among localtribes

13 Nest on dome of temple old fort crematorium or flat ground- Heavy drought deadly epidemics robbery and anarchy

14 Nest on dead or dry tree - Political dilemma dispute amongbaronets and large-scale destruction of crops due to heavyflood

15 Crow gives frequent calls in front of the door Brings prestige

and wealth to the owner of that house16 Crow sits on top of the front door with rigorous flapping -

House will be damaged by fire within a week17 Crow sits on latch or hanging garland of the door and call

erratically with sideways movement of its body - Owner ofthat house and his neighboring person will be wealthierwithin a short period

Thus behaviour calls display feeding patterns nestinglocations and other allied activities of crows form an integralpart in lives of many village inhabitants of Gujarat State Similartypes of literature hunt associated with field trials on callingpatterns behaviour nesting sites and feeding practices in otherbirds also would be an additional adage and will be a goodsubject for methodical evaluation of these beliefs in future

ReferenceJadav J (2004) Crows The Forecasters of Future In The Pearls of

Folklore Gujarat Samachar (18th July 2004) Sunday Supplement P 3

Distribution map of Oriental Darter Dot sizes are proportional tothe maximum species counts between 1997-2001

Source Numbers and distribution of waterbirds and wetlandsin the Asia-Pacific region Results of the Asian WaterbirdCensus 1997-2001 Wetland International Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Page 2: May-June  2007

S Theodore BaskaranDr AMK BharosHarish R BhatDr SP BhatnagarDr AK ChakravarthyDr Ranjan Kumar DasDr S DevasahayamBS KulkarniArvind Mishra

Publisher S Sridhar

Editorial Board

CONTENTS

Note from the Publisher

Extreme adaptation presents a challenge to darters

Articles

Birds of Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary by KumudGhosh

Studies on the role of partners in Nest Building Activityof the Wire Tailed Swallow (Hirundo smithii) inKodiyampalayam area near Pichavaram Mangrovesby S Sandilyan K Thiyagesan and S Saravanan

A day at Sirumalai in Palni Hills by S Ashok Kumar

A pilgrimage to Chilika - the Birding Kashi by

A Shivaprakash T Girija and A Sharath

Correspondence

An ethical perspective and prevention of Bird-fluby Lt Gen (Retd) Baljit Singh

Prevalence of some mythological beliefs amongrural communities of Gujarat A case study of Crow(Corvus sp) by Hiren Soni Ashok and Rita Patel

Vol 47 No 3 May - June 2007

Dr Geeta S PadateProf S RangaswamiK Mrutumjaya RaoAN Yellappa ReddyDr Rajiv SaxenaDr AB ShanbhagArunayan SharmaS SridharDr Abraham Verghese FRES (London)

The darters arrow like beak a foot long neck and its giftedunderwater fishing techniques are all precisely evolved to be mosteffective in a given environment Armed with this javelin like arsenalthe darter swims underwater with its neck coiled close to its breastand stealthily approaches a shoal of fish Fishes also maintain asafe distance from their foe and will be under the impression thatthey are beyond the striking distance of the predator Needless tosay that they will be unaware of the darters long neck Takingadvantage of its preys ignorance the darter springs its sharpbeak and pierces one of its unsuspecting victims in a jiffy Thedarter has thus perfected its resource exploitation techniqueImagine the situation when all waterfowls were attempting tooptimize their hunting skills They were interfering with each otherin such a way that it became more profitable for the darter toprogressively develop a long neck and comfortably exploit theprey of its choice where other waterfowls could not compete dueto the limitations in neck length and fishing methods

One of Charles Darwins regrets was that he had not paid moreattention to the direct impact of the environment independent ofNatural Selection This he had confessed as his greatest mistakePerhaps the darters are frustrated at not being able to cope upwith the sudden impact of environment which is being alteredradically by man In highly polluted mud-colored waters of ouraquatic ecosystems the darters visibility gets acutely diminishedand consequently its specialized apparatus and ambushing skillsbecome utterly worthless The darter appears to be vanishingdue to the dearth of crystal clear aquatic habitats that determinesits livelihood and oversees its fishing fortunes Its predicamentcan be likened to a blindfolded apprentice aimlessly dartingknives at an artiste in a big top circus Here is an illustration ofhow adaptation presents a challenge to a family of birds andextreme adaptation presents extreme challenge to a speciesMay be some day we will regret as much as Darwin did that weblindly destroyed the wetland habitats and pitilessly banishedkey waterfowl species forever The darter and other waterfowlspecies are fighting for survival against innumerable factors bothsequentially and simultaneously Their battle for survival may endeventually with a tragic and poignant note Nonetheless the aquaticdenizens that are suffering ecological convulsions are seeminglyunaware of the terminal problems and continue to fight withfortitude in our troubled waters

The darters of course need ideal habitats to feed and safe nestinghabitats to raise a family They indeed serve as indicators of waterquality in wetlands Pragmatically the most important indirectfunction of waterfowl in relation to human-dominated systems isthat they serve as environmental monitors The resurgence ofpollution in Indian wetlands is clearly signaled by the drowning ofdarters and the departure of key waterfowl species Such earlywarnings by birders are subsequently corroborated by expertswho spend significant amounts of money and time collectingdata on stream water quality pesticide residues radionuclidecontamination wetland acidification laboratory analysis etc Inbrief renewed and recurrent visits to key habitats bybirders are helpful in the timely detection of themalady in a given habitat that can be brought tothe notice of the authorities for remedial action

Thanking youYours in bird conservationSSridhar Publisher NLBW

Note from the Publisher

Dear fellow Birdwatchers

Extreme adaptation presentsa challenge to darters

Birdwatchers of India have visited almost every nook and cornerof our country and have been reporting the perceptible changesaffecting the avian diversity Among the species of birds in thechecklist of Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary by Kumud Ghosh thedarter merits a special mention in my note Some two decadesago the Ranganathitoo Bird Sanctuary (Karnataka) was the mostfavoured destination for a darter to nest But today the darter hasbecome is a shadow of itself with hardly any member of thisspecies nesting in the sanctuary The darter seems to becompletely overawed by pollution habitat loss disturbances atfeeding and nesting colonies and hunting pressure It is estimatedthat no more than 4000 individuals of this species exist in SouthAsia According to the recent Asian Waterbird Census resultsthe highest count totals for darters in South Asia is 746 (in 2001)of which 617 (83) has been reported from India (mainly fromNortheast) followed by Pakistan (71) Sri Lanka (45) Nepal (12)and Bangladesh (1) (see map on page 48)

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 35

arctoides) Northern Pig-tailed macaque (Macaca lenina)Eastern Assamese macaque (Macaca assamensisassamensis) Slow loris (Nycticebus bengalensis) IndianRhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta mulatta) Orange-bellied Capped Leaf Monkey (Trachypithecus pileatusdurga) Hog Deer (Axis porcinus) Sambar (Cervusunicolor) Wild Boar Albino Boar Porcupine (Hystrixindica) Tiger (Panthera tigris) Leopard (Panthera pardus)Jungle Cat (Felis chaus) Large Indian Civet (Viverrazivetha) Small Indian Civet (Viverra Indica) Common PalmCivet (Poradoxurus bermaphroditus) Malayan GiantSquirrel (Ratufa bicolor) Hoary Bellied Himalayan Squirrel(Callosciurus pygerythrus) Three Stripped Palm Squirrel(Funambulus palmarum) Five Stripped Palm Squirrel(Funambulus pennanti) Indian Python (Python molurus)Cat snake (Boiga trigonata) Indian Cobra (Naja Naja)Common rat snake (Pitas mucosus) Indian Elephant(Elephas maximus) Marbled Cat (Felis marmorata)Leopard Cat (Felis bengalensis) Common Mongoose(Herpestes edwardsi) Common Indian Mongoose(Herpestes auropunctatus) Indian Fox (Vulpesbengalensis) Jackal (Canis aureus) W ild Boar(Sus scrofa) etc

It is very interesting to note that the birdlife of HGS is richand diverse and its natural bounty is enhanced by thepresence of a wide variety of Hill Birds Moreover Nagalandwhich has a unique avian diversity is not very far from thisSanctuary So the Check-list will highlight those birds whichare actually hill birds

Objectives of the study

HGS is well known among the wildlife lovers of India andabroad for its non-human primates diversity To draw the

attention of the birdwatchers and to convince them to visitthis sanctuary for bird-watching is an objective of this study

To prepare an up-to-date checklist of the birds in and aroundthe sanctuary Till now none has prepared a checklist of thebirds of the sanctuary

To help the authorities and others interested in conservationof this unique habitat to not only appreciate but also torecognize and protect the rich bird diversity of the sanctuary

To encourage the local people and students to conserve birds

Methodology

I monitored the bird diversity in and around HGS from17-3-2006 to 16-3-2007 A series of transects that were laidin the sanctuary for intensive survey and behavioral study ofnon-human primates were used Besides this birds wererecorded by point count methods in the major vegetation

Birds of Hoollongapar Gibbon SanctuaryKumud Ghosh

Lecturer Education Department Nakachari College Nakachari - 785635 Jorhat-AssamE-mail kumud_ghosh29yahoocoin

Introduction

Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary lies between 90deg20shy

- 90deg25

east and 26deg40 26deg45 north and it covers an area of 2098sq km (including the area under the control of the IndianArmy) at Jorhat district of Assam The Hoollongapar GibbonSanctuary has its early history in Hoollongapar Forest

during British period in 1881 The Government of Assamhas notified it as a Wildlife Sanctuary on 30th of July 1997vide notification no FRS 379731 and since then it cameto be known as Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary But on 25th May2004 through the notification no FRP 379720 of AssamGovt it was renamed as Hoollongapar Gibbon SanctuaryThis Sanctuary is situated varying from 100 to 120 metersaltitude and the average annual rainfall is 249 cm

Flora and fauna of the sanctuary

The sanctuary is dominated by Ou Tenga (Dillenia indicia)Amari (Aglaia spectabilis) Gahorisopa (Magnolia griffithii)Borhamthuri (Magnolia hodgsonii) Bandardima (Dysoxylumsp) Titachapa (Michelia baillonii) Bhelekor (Aristolochiatagala) Chalmogra (Hydnocarpus kurzii) Bhelu (Tetramelesnudiflora) Bon Aam (Mangifera sylvatica) Bonpetha(Chrysophyllum roxburghii) Borpat (Ailanthus integrifolia)Nahor (Mesua ferrea) Hollong (Dipterocarpus macrocarpus)Garjan (Dipterocarpus turbinatus) Himolu (Bombax ceiba) Selleng (Sapium baccatum) Rudraksha (Eleaeocarpussphaericus) Dewa Sam (Artocarpus lacucha) Dhuna(Canarium bengalense) Amora (Spondias pinnata) Moj(Pithecellobium monadelphum) Arjun (Terminalia arjuna)Halakh (Terminalia myriocarpa) Kendu (Diospyrosembryopteris) Sationa (Alstonia scholaris) Sachi (Aqualariaagolacha) Cham Kothal (Artocarpus chama) Kath Badam(Mansonia dipikae)Gamari (Gmelia arborea) Hingari(Castanopsis indica) Lemtem (Gynocordia odorata) Paroli(Stereospermum chelonoides) etc

Some important climbers of the sanctuary are Mamoilata(Gnetaceae montanum) Bonjalika (Clematis cadmia)Hoolooklata (Pycnarrhena pleniflora) Tubukilata(Cissampelos pareira) Tikanibaruwal (Byttneria grandifolia)Chepatalata (Cayratia trifolia) Harjodralata (Cissusquadrangularis) Panilata (Vitis planicaulis) Bakalbih(Millettia pachycarpa) Bandor Kankora (Mucuna pruriens)Kalmow (Ipomea aquatica) Raghumola (Cascuta reflexa)Aaownipan (Peperomia thomsonii) etc

Several species of cane and more than hundred species ofherb shrub under shrub lianas bamboo and grass provethe rich bio-diversity of the sanctuary

The main fauna of HGS includes Western Hoolock Gibbon(Hoolock hoolock) Stump-tailed Macaque (Macaca

36 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

types as well as at the water bodies in and around thesanctuary On the other hand a few birds were recordedduring the behavioral study of non-human primates withDr Dilip Chetry Apart from this chance encounters werealso recorded while studying the movements of butterfliesaround HGS with Miss Monimala Saikia Furthermore birdswere also recorded while working as a voluntary guide for anumber of wildlife lovers The identifications were based onS Ali (2002) AU Choudhury (2000) RK Das (2006)R Grimmett C Inskipp T Inskipp (1999) Eric Simms(1990) H Edwin Barnes (1981) Hugh Whistler (1986) JoelCarl Wetly (Third Edition) Bruce Campbell Donald Waston(1984) Frank Finn (1981) Arthur A Allen (1961) RA Hinde(1969) Jean Dorst (1974) Vishwa Mohan Tiwari (2002) KrysKazmierczak (2003) B Grewal B Harvey P Fister (2002)

Limitations of the survey

There werent any previous checklists of the birds of HGS

High density canopy cover was another problem for datacollection inside the sanctuary In many cases accurateidentification of birds hinged on listening to bird callsalso Therefore bird calls were also very much essential fordata collection

Moreover there are some other problems like inclementweather and potential threats from wild Elephants TigersLeopards King Cobras and Pythons etc

The presence of leeches in good numbers also disturbedand broke the concentration of study during rainy season

Physico- ecological set up of the sanctuary

Topographically the surface of the sanctuary is gentlesloping down from south-east to north-west whichessentially exhibits a very smooth and continuousinteraction of down slope and high slope ecosystem withinthe sanctuary The westward shifting river Bhogdoi adinterimcreates a waterlogged area along the periphery of thesanctuary which is yet to be brought under the jurisdictionof the sanctuary But the sanctuarys diverse topography

is yet to be clearly studied before delineating it on the basisof its micro level difference in slope characteristics anddistribution of flora Semi hydrophytic plants are dominantin the down slope region while no hydrophytic plants growin the up slope zone of the sanctuary On the other handthe low-lying patch formed by the shifting of Bhogdoi Riverat the west exhibits a distinctly different ecological set upThe sanctuary therefore consists of three zones of microecosystems Those are (a) Up slope zone (90-96 mts)(b) Down slope zone (885-90 mts) (c) Flood prone zone(lt 885 mts)

Conservation Problems

There are more than five villages and four tea gardens around

the sanctuary inhabited by more than ten thousand peopleMost of the people of those villages and tea gardens dependupon the Sanctuary for their daily firewood traditionalmedicine and forest produce At the same time there aremore then twenty Cattle Khuties near the river BhogdoiThe owners of those Khuties generally collect huge

quantities of grass and leaves from the Sanctuary for theircattle On the other hand a group of people illegally collectwood for wood-coal which is used by washer-men of nearestcity and town Herbicides and pesticides used by the teagardeners for higher yields of tea by and large tricklesthrough the drains to the sanctuary during the rainy season

Suggestions

It is necessary to include fallow government lands underthe jurisdiction of the Sanctuary and this will certainly enlargethe space for the birds

Waterlogged area created by river Bhogdoi should also bebrought under the jurisdiction of the sanctuary This area isan important place for wetland birds

Emphasis should be given to develop a more viable andfeasible dense forest cover to provide food and shelter forthe inhabitants of the sanctuary

The route of the drains of the tea gardens bordering thesanctuary should be changed Otherwise they will createmore and more problems for the wildlife in the coming years

By providing alternate resources to the livelihood and bycreating awareness among people of neighboring villagesand tea gardens the destruction of the forest could bebrought down significantly

Checklist of the Birds ofHoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary

The following checklist includes all 219 species that have beenrecorded by the author in and around the sanctuary

The following abbreviations have been used for species status symbols

BR = Breeding Resident R = Resident WV = Winter visitorP = Passage migrant L = Local amp altitudinal migrant C = CommonS = Stray or Vagrant U = Uncommon O = Occasional SV= SummerVisitor

Habitat A = Aerial D = Distributed areas (including cultivation ampTea Gardens) G = Grasses under shrub OA = Open areasSF = Semi-evergreen forest WT = Water bodies (including theriver Bhogdoi amp the drains inside the Sanctuary)

Threat category according to Birdlife International (2001) has beengiven as below

EN = Endangered VU = Vulnerable DD = Data deficient NT = Nearthreatened RR = Restricted range

The common English and scientific names are followed by statussymbols threat category and type of habitant

Order Galliformes Family PhasianidaePheasants

1 Red Junglefowl Gallus gallus BR C SF2 Kalij Pheasant Lophura leucomelanos BRC G SF

Order Anseriformes Family AcaridaeDucks

3 Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea WV U WT4 Common Teal Anas crecca WV C WT5 Common Pochard Aythya ferina WV U WT

Order Piciformes Family Picidae

Piculets Woodpeckers

6 Speckled Piculet Picumnus innominatus RC SF

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 37

7 White-Browed Piculet Sasia ochracea R C SF8 Rufous Woodpecker Celeus brachyurus BR C SF9 Grey-Capped Pygmy woodpecker

Dendrocoposcanicapillus RU SF10 Fulvous-Breasted Woodpecker Dendrocopos macei R C SF11 Lesser Yellownape Picus chlorolophus BR C SF12 Greater Yellownape Picus flavinucha BR C SF13 Streak-Throated Woodpecker Picus xanthopygaeus BR U SF14 Grey-Headed Woodpecker Picus canus R U SF15 Himalayan flameback Dinopium shorii R U SF16 Common Flameback Dinopium javanense R U SF17 Greater Flameback Chrysocolaptes lucidus BR C SF

Order Piciformes Megalaimidae Family Capitonidae

Barbets

18 Lineated Barbet Megalaima lineata BR C SF19 Golden-Throated Barbet Megalaima franklinii BR U SF20 Blue-Throated Barbet Megalaima asiatica Br C SF21 Blue-Eared Barbet Megalaima australis BR U SF22 Coppersmith Barbet Megalaima haemacephala BR C SF

Order Coraciiformes Bucerotiformes Family Bucerotidae

Hornbills

23 Oriental Pied Hornbill Anthracoceros albirostris BR C SF24 Great Hornbill Buceros bicornis BRUNT SF

Order Coraciiformes Upupiformes Family Upupidae

Hoopoe

25 Common Hoopoe Upupa epops BRLCOA SF D

Order Trogoniformes Family Trogonidae

Trogon

26 Red-Headed Trogon Harpactes erythrocephalus L C SF

Order Coraciiformes Family Coraciidae

Rollers

27 Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis BRC OASF D28 Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis R C OA SF D

Order Coraciiformes Family Alcedinidae Halcyonidae Cerylydae

Kingfishers

29 Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis BR C WT30 Stork-Billed Kingfisher Halcyon capensis BR U WT31 White-Throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis BR C OA WT D32 Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis BR C WT

Order Coraciiformes Family Meropidae

Bee-eaters

33 Blue-Bearded Bee-eater Nyctyornis athertoni R L U OA SF D34 Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis R C OASF35 Blue-Tailed Bee-eater Merops philippinus R L C OA SF36 Chestnut-Headed Bee-eater Merops leschenaulti R L U OASF

Order Cuculiformes Family Cuculidae Centropodidae

Cuckoos

37 Pied Cuckoo Clamator jacobinus U SF38 Chestnut-Winged Cuckoo Clamator coromandus O SV U SF39 Common Hawk Cuckoo Hierococcyx varius O SF40 Indian cuckoo Cuculus micropterus P C SF41 Plaintive Cuckoo Cacomantis merulinus R C SF42 Asian Emerald Cuckoo Chrysococcyx maculatus P U SF43 Drongo Cuckoo Surniculus lugubris P U SF44 Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopacea R L C SF45 Greater Coucal Centropus sinensis BR U SF46 Lesser Coucal Centropus bengalensis BR C SF

Order Psittaciformes FAMILY PsittacidaeParrots

47 Alexandrine Parakeet Psittacula eupatria R C SF48 Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri BR C SF49 Red-Breasted Parakeet Psittacula alexandri BR C SF50 Blossom-Headed Parakeet Psittacula roseate U SF

Order Apodiformes Family ApodidaeSwifts

51 Himalayan Swiftlet Collocalia brevirostris P U A52 Asian Palm Swift Cypsiurus balasiensis R U A53 House Swift Apus affinis R U A

Order Strigiformes Family Strigidae TytonidaeOwls

54 Mountain scops owl Otus spilocephalus O SF55 Oriental Scops Owl Otus sunia WV U SF56 Collared Scops Owl Otus bakkamoena R U SF57 Brown Fish Owl Ketupa zeylonensis R U OA SF58 Collared Owlet Glaucidium brodiei R C SF59 Asian Barred Owlet Glaucidium cuculoides BR L C SF OA60 Spotted Owlet Athene brama BR C OA SF61 Brown Hawk Owl Ninox scutulata R C SF

Order Caprimulgiformes Family CaprimulgidaeNightjars

62 Grey Nightjar Caprimulgus indicus O G63 Large-Tailed Nightjar Caprimulgus macrurus BR L C G

Order Columbiformes Family ColumbidaePigeons Doves

64 Ashy Wood Pigeon Columba pulchricollis U SF65 Green Imperial Pigeon Ducula aenea BR C SF66 Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis BR C OA SF

67 Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis BR C OA SF68 Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica BR C SF69 Pompadour Green pigeon Treron pompadora O SF70 Yellow-Footed Green Pigeon Treron phoenicoptera R C SF

Order Gruiformes Family RallidaeRails

71 White-Breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus BR C WT D72 Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio BRC WT73 Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus BR C WT

Order CharadriiformesCiconiiformesFamily CharadriidaeScolopacidae

Snipes Sandpipers Plover74 Common snipe Gallinago gallinago WV C WT OA75 Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia WV C WT76 Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola WV C WT77 Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos WV C WT78 Little Ring Plover Charadrius dubius WVC WT79 Red-Wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus BR C WT OA

Order CharadriiformesCiconiiformes Family JacanidaeJacana80 Pheasant-tailed Jacana Hydrophasianus chirurgus BR C WT81 Bronze-Winged Jacana Metopidius indicus BR C WT

Order CharadriiformesCiconiiformes Family LaridaeTern82 River Tern Sterna aurantia R C WT

Order Falconiformes Ciconiiformes Family AccipitridaeEagles83 Black Baza Aviceda leuphotes R L U OA84 Black kite Milvus migrans R C OA

38 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

85 Grey-Headed Fish Eagle Ichtyophaga ichthyaetus BR C NT WT86 Crested Serprent Eagle Spilornis cheela BR C OA SF87 Pied Harrier Circus melanoleucos WVU OAWT88 Shikra Accipiter badius R C OA A89 Black-shouldered kite Elanus caeruleus BR C OA

Order Pelecaniformes CiconiiformesFamily Phalacrocoracidae Anhingidae

Cormorants

90 Darter Anhinga melanogaster U NT WT91 Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger BR C WT92 Indian Cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscicollis R U WT93 Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo L U WT

Order Ciconiformes Ciconiiformes Family Ardeidae

Egrets Herons

94 Little Egret Egretta garzetta BR C WT95 Great Egret Casmerodius albus R C WT96 Intermediate Egret Mesophoyx intermedia R C WT97 Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis BR C OA D98 Indian Pond Heron Ardeola grayii R C WT99 Little Heron Butorides striatus BR C WT100 Black-Crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax BR C WT

Order Ciconiformes Ciconiiformes Family Ciconiidae

Storks

101 Asian Openbill Anastomus oscitans BR C WT102 Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus RLC VU WT

Order Passeriformes Family Zosteropidae

White-eye

103 Orienta White-eye Zosterops palpebrosus BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Family Irenidae Corvidae

Ioras Leafbirds

104 Asian Fairy Bluebird Irena puella U SF105 Golden-Fronted Leafbird Chloropsis aurifrons R C SF106 Orange-Bellied Leafbird Chloropsis hardwickii R U SF107 Common Iora Aegithina tiphia BRCSF

Order Passeriformes Family LaniidaeShrikes

108 Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus WV C OASF109 Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach WVC OA SF110 Grey-backed Shrike Lanius tephronotus WVCOA SF

Order Passeriformes Family CorvidaeMagpies Crows

111 Rufous Treepie Dendrocitta vagabunda BR C SF112 Grey Treepie Dendrocitta formosae R L U SF113 Collared Treepie Dendrocitta frontalis U SF114 House Crow Corvus splendens BR C OA115 Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos BR C OA SF

Order Passeriformes Family Oriolidae CorvidaeOrioles

116 Black-hooded Oriole Oriolus xanthornus BRC SF117 Maroon Oriole Oriolus traillii U SF

Order Passeriformes Family Campephagidae CorvidaeCuckoo-shrikes Minivets

118 Large Cuckoo-shrike Coracina macei R C SF119 Black-winged Cuckoo-shrike Coracina melaschistos L U SF120 Rosy Minivet Pericrocotus roseus R U SF121 Small Minivet Pericrocotus cinnamomeus R U SF122 Long-tailed Minivet Pericrocotus ethologus U SF123 Short-billed Minivet Pericrocotus brevirostris L C SF

124 Scarlet Minivet Pericrocotus flammeus R C SF125 Black-naped Monarch Hypothymis azurea BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Family DicruridaeCorvidae

Drongos

126 Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus BR C OA SF127 Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus RWVCOA SF128 Bronzed Drongo Dicrurus aeneus LWVCOA SF129 Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo Dicrurus remifer BR C SF130 Spangled Drongo Dicrurus hottentottus R C SF131 Greater Racket-tailed Drongo Dicrurus paradiseus R C SF

Order Passeriformes Family MuscicapidaeCorvidaeSub-family Muscicapinae

Flycatcher

132 Ferruginous Flycatcher Muscicapa ferruginea R C SF133 Red-throated Flycatcher Ficedula parva WV C SF134 Little Pied Flycatcher Ficedula westermanni L C SF135 Slaty-blue Flycatcher Ficedula tricolor WV C SF137 Verditer Flycatcher Eumyias thalassina WV C SF137 Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica U SF138 White-throated Fantail Rhipidura albicollis C SF139 Large Niltava Niltava grandis WVC SF140 Small Niltava Niltava macgrigoriae WVC SF141 Rufous-bellied Niltava Niltava sundara L C SF142 Pale-chinned Flycatcher Cyornis poliogenys R U SF143 Blue-throated Flycatcher Cyornis rubeculoides WV U SF144 Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher

Culicicapa ceylonensis WV C SF145 Asian Paradise-flycatcher Terpsiphone paradisi BR U SF

Order Passpriformes Family Muscicapidae Sub-family Turdinae

Thrushes Chats

146 White-tailed Rubythroat Luscinia pectoralis WV C SF147 Oriental Magpie Robin Copsychus saularis BR C OA SF148 White-rumped Shama Copychus malabaricus BR C SF149 Daurian Redstart Phoenicurus auroreus WV C SF150 White-tailed Robin Myiomela leucura WV O SF151 Common Stonechat Saxicola torquata WV C OA152 Grey Bushchat Saxicola ferrea WV U G SF153 Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius BR U SF154 Scaly Thrush Zoothera dauma BR C SF155 Black-breasted Thrush Turdus dissimilis R C SF156 Dark-throated Thrush Turdus ruficollis BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Family Sturnidae

Starlings Mynas

157 Spot-winged Starling Saroglossa spiloptera WV C SF158 Chestnut-tailed Starling Sturnus malabaricus R C OA SF159 Asian Pied Starling Sturnus contra BR C SF160 Brahminy Starling Sturnus pagodarum S SF161 Common Myna Acridotheres tristis BRCOAG SF162 Bank Myna Acridotheres ginginianus S OA SF163 Jungle Myna Acridotheres fuscus BR C OA SF164 White-vented Myna Acridotheres cinereus BR C OA SF165 Hill Myna Gracula religiosa BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Family SittidaeCertihiidae

Nuthatches and Creeper

166 Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch Sitta castanea R C SF167 Velvet-fronted Nuthatch Sitta frontalis R U SF

Order Passeriformes Family Paridae

Tits or Titimice

168 Great Tit Parus major L U SF169 Sultan Tit Melanochlora sultanea BR C SF

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 39

Order Passeriformes Family Hirundinidae

Swallows

170 Plain Martin Riparia paludicola R L C A SF171 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica L A WT

Order Passeriformes Family Pycnonotidae

Bulbuls

172 Red-whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus BR C SF173 Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer BR C SF174 White-throated Bulbul Alophoixus flaveolus R L C SF175 Ashy Bulbul Hemixos flavala O SF176 Black Bulbul Hypsipetes leucocephalus WV C SF

Order PasseriformesFamily MuscicapidaeSylviidaeCistioolidae

Warblers

177 Grey-brested Prinia Prinia hodgsonii O G178 Yellow-bellied Prinia Prinia flaviventris R C G179 Slaty-bellied Tesia Tesia olivea L C SF180 Pale-footed Bush Warbler Cettia pallidipes WV O G181 Grey-sided Bush Warbler Cettia brunnifrons WV U G182 Paddy Field Warbler Acrocephalus agricola WV C G183 Common Tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius RCGOASF184 Dusky Warbler Phylloscopus fuscatus WV C G SF185 Smoky Warbler Phylloscopus fuligiventer WV C G SF186 Tickells Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus affinis WV C G SF187 Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides WV C SF188 Yellow-vented Warbler Phylloscopus cantator WV U G SF189 White-spectacled Warbler Zosterops palpebrosus C G SF

Order Passeriformes Family MuscicapidaeSylviidaeSub-family Timaliinae

Babblers

190 Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush Garrulax monileger R C SF191 Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush Garrulax pectoralis R C SF192 Rofous Necked Laughingthrush Garrulax ruficollis BR C SF193 Abbotts Babbler Malacocincla abbotti U G SF194 Buff-breasted Babbler Pellorneum tickelli R U SF195 Puff-throated Babbler Pellorneum ruficeps BR C SF196 White-browed Scimitar Babbler

Pomatorhinus schisticeps R C G SF197 Chestnut- Capped Babbler Timalia pileata BR U G198 Grey-thorated Babbler Stachyris nigriceps L C SF199 Striped Tit Babbler Macronous gularis BR C SF200 Yellow-eyed Babbler Chrysomma sinense U G SF201 Chestnut-capped Babbler Timalia pileata BR C G202 Rufous-winged Bushlark Mirafra assamica BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Family Dicaeidae Nectariniidae

Flowerpeckers

203 Pale-bellied Flowerpecker Dicaeum erythrorhynchos R L CSF204 Plain Flowerpecker Dicaeum concolor R C SF205 Scarlet-backed Flowerpecer Dicaeum cruentatum R C SF206 Thick-billed Flowerpecker Dicaeum agile C SF

Order Passeriformes Family Nectarinidae

Sunbirds

207 Ruby-cheeked Sunbird Anthreptes singalensis L C SF208 Purple Sunbird Nectarinia asiatica R U SF209 Crimson Sunbird Aethopyga siparaja BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Sub-family Passerinae

Sparrows

210 House Sparrow Passer domesticus BR C OA D211 Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus R C SF

Order Passeriformes Family MotacillidaePasseridae

Wagtails amp Pipits

212 White Wagtail Motacilla alba WVCOAWTD213 Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea WVCOAWT214 Paddyfield Pipit Anthus rufulus R C OA D215 Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni WV C SF216 Rosy Pipit Anthus roseatus WV C OA G

Order Passeriformes Sub-amily EstrildinaePasseridae

Munias

217 White-rumped Munia Lonchura striata BR U G218 Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata BR U G219 Black-headed Munia Lonchura malacca BR U G

Acknowledgements

I acknowledge with gratitude for the formal permission givento me by Mr AK Das DFO Jorhat Forest DivisionJorhat Assam to conduct this study I also acknowledgewith gratitude for his continuous encouragement given byMr G Saikia ACF Jorhat Forest Division Jorhat Assam

I am extremely grateful to Mr Ranjan Kumar Das ofTinsukia Mr BP Lahkar of Aaranyak and Mr Sanjay Das

of Guijan (Tinsukia) with whom I have had the opportunitiesto discuss about the identification of birds and I thank them

for their constant encouragement

I am also thankful to the Range Officer of Mariani Mr JBaruah and Beat Officer of the Meleng Beat Mr Haidar Aliand Mr Deepak Bordoloi for their help during the study

I am extremely thankful to Dr Dilip Chetry for without hisequipment and moral support I could not have completedthis work I am thankful to Mr Bhupendranath GoswamiLecturer of Mariani College for permitting me to use themaps drawn by him during my study

Finally special thanks to the members of GibbonConservation Centre Hoollongapar Natures Society ForestStaff of Meleng Beat Teachers and Student friends ofNakachari College Manjit Bora Co-ordinator of AaranyakUpper Assam Circle Arnab Bora of Tinsukia and MonimalaSaikia of AAU Jorhat Assam

ReferencesAli S (2002) The Book of Indian Birds 13th Edition BNHS Oxford

Bombay

Allen A A (1961) The Book of Bird Life D Van Nostrand CompanyINC

Barness H E (1981) The Birds of India Cosmo Publication NewDelhi

Campbell B Watson D (1984) The Illustrated Book of Birds PeerageBooks

Choudhury A U (2002) The Birds of Assam Gibbon Books WWF

Das R (2006) Pokhir Kakolit Dibru-Saikhowa Minivet PublicationsTinsukia Assam

Dorst J (Translated by I C J Galbraith 1974) The life of Birds Vol-2 Weidenfeld and Nicolson London

Finn F (1981) Garden Birds of India Cosmo Publications New delhi

Girmmett R Inskipp C Inskipp T (2000) Pocket Guide to the Birdsof Indian Subcontinent Oxford University Press

40 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

Goswami B Sarmah P (1994-2004) Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary anapproach for Sustainable development Mariani College Magazine

Grewal B Harvey B and Fister OP (2002) A Photographic Guide

to the Birds of India amp the Indian Subcontinent including PakistanNepal Bhutan Bangladesh Sri Lanka amp Maldives (HK) LimitedPeriplus Editions

Hinde R A Edited (1969) Birds Vocalizations Cambridge UniversityPress

Kazmierczak K (2003) A Field Guide to the Birds of India Sri LankaPakistan Nepal Bhutan Bangladesh and the Maldives Om BookService

141 endemic species New species are continually beingadded to the regions list

Even though Indian subcontinent has good bird diversityscientific studies on a number of birds their general biologyreproduction and behavioral ecology have not beenundertaken so far or even attempted The Wire tailed Swallow(Hirundo smithii) is one among them According to IUCN2003 it is one of the threatened birds of India

Wire tailed Swallow is a small passerine bird in theHirundinidae family All the Swallows belong to the orderPasseriformes Birds of this order are the most highly evolvedof all birds and are highly adaptative to all terrestrial terrainsThis order has the largest number of bird species with over5100 different kinds of birds In this order the birds havefragile bones and as a result they are rarely fossilized andgive few clues to their evolution (Encyclopedia Britannica)

World wide 89 swallow species are recorded We can seeswallows in every continent except Antarctica In the caseof Wire tailed Swallow two species have been recordedthe African form (Hirundo smithii filifer) and the Asian form(Hirundo smithii) These two species of Wire - tailed Swallowbreed in Africa south of Sahara and in tropical southern Asiafrom the Indian subcontinent to Southeast Asia respectivelyA number of swallows are migrant but the Wire tailed Swallowis a resident species The species gets the name from itsvery long filamentous outermost tail feathers which trailbehind like two wires (www 1)

The color of birds their songs shapes habitats and behaviorare all fascinating However a little more effort will showanother much-varied dimension of the bird world their

nests They construct their nests from a variety of materialand in a variety of locations (www 2)Key words Wire tailed swallow Mud nest Soil texture

Studies on the role of partners in Nest BuildingActivity of the Wire Tailed Swallow (Hirundo smithii)

in Kodiyampalayam area near Pichavaram MangrovesS Sandilyan K Thiyagesan and S Saravanan

Division of Wildlife biology AVCCollege Mannampandal Mayiladuthurai - 609305 Tamil Nadu India6A18c No 5 New Street Mayiladuthurai - 609001 Tamil Nadu India

e-mail ssandilyangmailcom

Wire tailed Swallows (Hirundo smithii) construct mud nestscomposed of sand silt and clay and plant materials Theirnests were found under the bridges in the Kodiyampalayamarea near the Pichavaram Mangrove Tamilnadu India Boththe partners are involved in nest building The proportiontest shows there was no significant difference in the timespent on nest building between the male and female(Z = 0452 P gt 005) The breeding pair had contributedequal amounts of time for nest construction The completednest was 55 cm wide projecting away from the verticalsurface the length was 92 cm and the circumference was28 cm

Introduction

Aves are a familiar feature of our environment and everyone notices them It is small wonder that birdwatching issuch a popular pastime the world over Due to their variedlifestyles conspicuousness diurnal habits and interestingplumage and calls birds are also regarded as good subjectsfor exploring a number of questions of ecological andconservation significance (Urfi 2003) They are also idealbioindicators and useful models for studying a variety of

environmental problems Presently more attention is beinggiven to conservation monitoring and ecological studies(Newton 1995)

Indian subcontinent is rich in avian species This is partlybecause of its wide altitudinal range extending from sealevel up to summit of the Himalayas Another reason is thehighly varied climate and associated diversity of vegetation(Grimmett R 1999) As many as 13 of the worlds birds

have been recorded in the Indian subcontinent This includes

Saikia G (2002) A Brochure on Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary JorhatForest Division

Simms E (1990) Woodland Birds Bloomsbury Books LondonTiwari V M (2002) Joy of Bird Watching NBT IndiaWelty J C (Third Edition) The Life of Birds Saunder College PubishingWhistler H (1986) Handbook of Indian Birds Cosmo Publications

New Delhi

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 41

Birds build nests in many shapes sizes and locations from tree holes to tunnels from twig platforms to tiny cupsof mud but all provide security warmth and safety for

their eggs and young Nest building is an inherited skill thatbirds have developed to improve the chances of the survivalof their progeny The variety of design and constructionreflects the differing needs of each species and theiradaptability to the habitats and utilization of availablematerials (www 3)

In the case of wire tailed swallow studies about their nestingbehavior nest material preferences and the contribution ofbreeding partners for nest building had not been attemptedso far in South Indian conditions In order to fill the lacunathe current study was designed

The present study describes the nesting behavior ofwire-tailed swallow especially the time spent by each

partner for constructing the mud nest in between

Pichavaram to Kodiyampalayam area (N 1139deg and

E 7979deg) which has a unique mangrove habitat After a long

period of survey in this area 4 nest sites of wire tailedswallows were identified under the bridges in a 4 Km stretchThe birds fixed their half bowl mud nest under the bridgesAmong the 4 nests studied one was so high that it couldnot be reached and the remaining three were accessible

The main objectives of the present study are

To study the nesting site preferences of wire tailedswallow in Pichavaram Mangrove region

Study the contributions of each partner in building themud nest in the study area

Record the time spent by each partner to construct themud nest and

To provide general information on this species andto identify additional opportunities for research onthis species

Study Area

The present study was carried out in between Pichavaramto Kodiyampalayam which covers a distance of 4 Km Thestudy area is located in (N 1139deg and E79deg) in Tamilnadu

India The first 3 Km stretch comes under the Cuddaloredistrict and the remaining 1 Km area area comes under theNagai district of Tamilnadu The temperature in and aroundPichavaram mangrove ranges between 20degC and 37degC The

study area receives rainfall mostly during southwestmonsoon (July to September) The total annual rainfall isabout 1300 mm (Sampath 1993)

3 nests were recorded in the Nagai district of the studyarea and remaining nest was recorded in the Cuddaloredistrict One of the nests in the Nagai district was at aconsiderable height which was inaccessible

The first nest ie towards Pichavaram to Kodiyampalayamis surrounded by agriculture lands emerging mangrove andactive aqua farms the second and third bridges are surroundedby well developed mangrove and the fourth nest wassurrounded by mangrove vegetation as well as thorny bushes

The entire data was collected form the first nest in thestudy area

Materials amp MethodsThe study was carried out between November 2006 andMarch 2007 Data was collected on all week ends (Saturdayand Sunday) during the study period However during theactual nest building period (December) data was collectedon all the 13 days of nest construction

The birds were observed directly or with the aid of binoculars(7 X 50) depending on the distance from the nest

Nest measurements include height above the groundprojection from the vertical surface and the length of thenest using a centimeter scale A thread was used to measurethe circumference of the nest

For identifying the bird the field guides (Ali 2002 andGrimmett 1999) were used

Observation and Results

The wire tailed swallow is a highly territorial bird and confinedto the neighborhoods of water (Ali 2002) Repeated surveyswere made in the study area from the initial survey 7 smallbridges and 4 big bridges were identified and they wereregularly watched for the presence of swallows

After a long period of survey 4 pairs of wire-tailed swallowsthat had occupied 4 big bridges were selected for closerobservation in the study area Among the 4 bridges 2 areinaccessible and the remaining 2 are easy to study thenesting behaviour of the bird Due to lack of manpowernesting data was collected only from the nest located inthe first bridge

Location of the Nest

The swallows started nest construction during the last weekof December 2006 Small mud balls were pasted by thebirds on the vertical wall of the bridge They placed the mudballs 66 cm above the water surface and 2 cm below theceiling The nest was exactly placed 1895 meters from theeast and 3155 meters from the west Most of the time thebirds used the western side for entering into the nestingsite and flew out of the eastern side of the bridge

Nest Building Activity

From the first day itself the nest building activity was observedand the time spent by each partner for nest constructionwas recorded periodically

For the first two days each partner spent equal time forconstruction (18 minutes) the third day the male contributed5937 (19 min) the female 4062 (13 min) the fourthday the male spent 4545 (10 min) female 5454(12 min) the fifth day the male invested 5348 (23 min)female 4654 (20 min) the sixth day male contributed375 (3 min) female 625 (5 min) the seventh day themale spent 6363 (14 min) female 3636 (8 min) the 8th

day male spent 7142 (15min) female 2857 (6 min)the 9th day male contributed 4444 (4 min) female 5555

42 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

(5 min) the 10 th day male spent 6111 (11 min)female 3888 (7 min) the 11th day male spent 6190(13 min) female 3809 ( 8 min) the 12th day male spent2148 (6 min) female 7857 (22 min) and on the 13th daymale spent 2631 (5 min) female spent 7368 (14 min)(Table 1)

On the last two days the female spent more time comparedto male Totally the pair took 13 days to complete the nestand they spent 315 minutes

The proportion test shows there was no significant differencein the time spent on nest building between the male andfemale (Z = 0452 P gt 005) Both sexes had contributedequal amount of time for nest construction The completenest was 55 cm projected away from the vertical surfacethe length was 92 cm and the circumference was 28 cm

DiscussionAn important behavioral reproductive decision of a bird iswhere to place the nest (Cody 1985 Johnson 1994) Birdsuse their nests chiefly to protect themselves their eggsand developing young by constructing nests that areinaccessible armored camouflaged or built in colonies thatprovide safety from predators (Burger and Gochfled 1968Welty 1982)

Nest building behaviour is often associated with courtshipand pair formation in birds it may signal the reproductivecondition of individuals and physiologically stimulate a partner(Collias 1964) There is very little information on the importanceof nest itself and its role in the mate choice (Hoi et al1994)

Soler et al (1998) showed that bird species in which bothsexes build the nest have larger nests than those in whichonly the female builds Nest size (relative to body size) waspositively correlated with the amount of parental investmentNest size indicate the willingness of males to invest inreproduction and it could therefore be a post -mating sexuallyselection trait

Soler et al (1998) discussed that several studies have shownthat nest building ability of males is related to female matechoice and the reproductive success of the pair The femalePenduline tits (Remiz pendulinus) choose the partners basedon the nest quality The nest may indicate the parentalquality experience or genetic quality and female couldtherefore benefit from mating with a superior nest builder

Swallow species especially those that build mud nest areclosely related and have similar nesting behaviors (winklerand shelden 1993) An earlier study in the case of Branswallows (Hirundo rustica) and cliff swallows (Hirundopyrrhonota) showed that they need or expect 4 basicconditions for nest site selection 1) An open area forforaging 2) A suitable surface for nest attachment3) A supply of mud of proper consistency for nest buildingand 4) A body of fresh water for drinking (www 3) Here inour study all the conditions required for nesting were present

According to Winkler and Shelden 1993 Swallow speciesespecially those that build mud nest are closely relatedand have similar nesting behaviors Studies by Moller (1994)in the case of Barn swallows showed that both sexesparticipate in nest building but there is considerable variationin the males contribution which is negatively related to

males tail length Short tailed males invest more in nest

building than long tailed males So investigation on thisaspect is also required in the case of wire tailed swallow Toget a complete picture about the nesting behaviour of thisspecies a long-term scholarly study is required It is a mustin the case of Wire tailed swallow because in 2003 IUCNhas declared that it is one of the threatened birds of India

Summary

The Study was carried out from November 2006 March

2007 in between Pichavaram to Kodiyampalayam roadsidewhich covers a distance of 4 Km With in the 4 Km stretchit has a mixed habitat of agricultural lands emerging andwell developed mangroves and aquaculture ponds

The data was collected from a nest located under the firstbridge from the first day of commencement of nest buildingactivity

Acknowledgewments

We thank our principal DrMVaratharajan and ourManagement for supporting and providing necessary facilitiesto carryout the studies

ReferencesAli Salim 2002 The Book of Indian Birds Bombay Natural History

Society BombayBirds The New Encyclopedia Britannica Macropedia 15th Edition

Chicago IllinoisEncyclopedia Britannica IncBurger J and MGochfled 1988 Nest site selection by Roseate Terns in

Two Tropical Colonies on Culebra Puetro Rico Condor 90 843 851Cody ML 1985 Habitat selection in the sylvine Warblers of Western

Europe and North Africa Page 86 129 In Cody ML (Ed) Habitatselection in Birds Academic press New York

ColliasNE amp ColliasEC 1984 Nest Building Behaviour Princeton NewJersey Princeton University Press

Table 1 Time spent by male and female wire-tailedswallows towards nest building activities

Days Time spent Time spent Contribution Contributionby male in by female of Male of Femaleminutes in minutes in in

27-Dec 18 18 50 50

28-Dec 18 18 50 50

29-Dec 19 13 594 406

30-Dec 10 12 455 545

31-Dec 23 20 535 465

1-Jan 3 5 375 625

2-Jan 14 8 636 364

3-Jan 15 6 714 286

4-Jan 4 5 444 556

5-Jan 11 7 611 389

6-Jan 13 8 619 381

7-Jan 6 22 214 786

8-Jan 5 14 263 737

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 43

Johnson PN 1994Selection and use of nest site by Barn Owls inNorfolk England Raptor Res 28 149 153

GrimmettR and CInskipp 1999 Birds of the Indian Subcontinent Oxford

University press New DelhiHoiH SchleicherB amp ValeraF 1994 Female mate Choice and nest

Desertion in penduline tits Remiz pendulinus the importance Nestquality Animal Behaviour 48 743 746

Newton I 1995 The Contribution of some recent research on birds toecological Understanding JAnim Ecol 64 675 696

Sampath K and KKrishnamurthy 1993 Birds of Pichavaram mangrovesand the Adjoining costal environs JEcolSoc 6 23 28

SolerJJMollerAPamp LindenM1996 Nest building sexual selection andparental investment Evolutionary Ecology12 427 441

Urfi AJ 2003 Breeding ecology of Birds Why do some species nestsingly while others are colonial Resonance 20038 22 32

Welty CJ 1982 The Life of Birds WB Saunders Co LondonWinkler DW and Fh Sheldow 1993 Evolution of nest construction in

swallows (Hirundinidae) a molecular phylogenetic prespectiveProcNatl

Web Based Referenceshttp enwikipediaorgwikiwire-tailed_swallowhttpwwwexplorebiodiversitycomBIRDS Birds of WorldFamilies

Passeriformeshtm

httpladywildlifecomanimalhowbirdsbuildtheirnestshtml

mixed with forested tracts pepper estates banana andcitrus plantations come into view The ensemble of barbetsgreeted us and their choir floated across the forestresounded and reverberated in the surrounding tranquilvalleys as the birds celebrated the advent of yet anotherday The music concert of these Beethovens of the forestwent on till dusk with hardly any respite

While trekking on a bridle path between forest and coffeeplantation we witnessed a male Asian Paradise-Flycatchervigorously patrolling its territory in the coffee plantation whilea juvenile male Asian Paradise-Flycatcher was lurking inthe forest on the opposite side This went on for full onehour and we had to retreat as dusk was descending

Sirumalai hills and the surrounding areas are rich in bird lifeand according to Palani Hills Birdwatchers Society more

than 250 species have been recorded so far We chancedupon the biggest butterfly of South India the SouthernBirdwing butterfly We trekked to Agasthyipuram the earliesthuman settlement in the hills and enroute recorded severalspecies of birds and butterflies such as Chocolate pansyCommon sailor Glad-eye Bush brown Common CerulianSilverstreak blue Angled castor Common Jezebel Crimsonrose Common Bushbrown and Striped Blue tiger

The following is the systematic list of birds observed in Gandhigram Rural

University Campus (GU) Athoor Dam (A) Vadakarai Tank (V) and Sirumalai

Hills (S)

Grebes Podicipedidae

Little grebe (V) Tachybaptus ruficollis (Pallas 1964)

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Great Cormorant (V) Phalacrocorax carbo (Linnaeus 1758)

Darters Anhingidae

Darter (V) Anhinga melanogaster (Pennant 1969)

Herons Egrets and Ardeidae

Bitterns

Little egret (V) Egretta garzetta (Linnaeus 1966)

Large Egret (V) Casmerodius albus (Linnaeus 1758)

Cattle egret (V) Bubulcus ibis (Linnaeus 1758)

Grey heron (V) Ardea cinerea (Linnaeus 1758)

Purple heron (V) Ardea purpurea (Linnaeus 1766)

Indian Pond-heron (V) Ardeola grayii (Sykes 1832)

A Day at Sirumalai in Palni HillsS Ashok Kumar

Plot No 491 Road No 10 Jubilee Hills Hyderabad 500 033

The Palani Hills Birdwatchers Society had organized the

2nd South Indian Birdwatchers Fair in Gandhigram Rural

Universtiy Dindigul from 23rd to 25th February 2007 Duringthe Fair Birdwatching field trips to Athoor dam Vadakaraitank Sirumalai Hills and Gandhigram University Campuswere conducted for the delegates and participants

Our team consisted of Prabhu Asian Wildlife FoundationRahman Education Officer WWF AP Office Hyderabadand myself While travelling in Vaigai Express we sighted10 spot billed pelicans over 200 cattle egrets and 4 greyherons in Chenulpet lake Large extents of the lake marginare invaded by Eichhornia crassipes

Palani hills forming the eastern spur of the Western Ghatsis divided into Upper Palnis in the West covering an area of385 sq kms with an altitude of 2200 mts and the LowerPalanis covering 1683 sq kms with an altitude of 1600 mtslying below Kodaikanal Palani hills region is recognized asa biodiversity hot spot

Sirumalais meaning small hills lie in Lower Palani hillslocated between 10deg07 10deg18N and 77deg55 78deg12 E

with an altitude of 800 mts The hills are rectangular in outlinecovering an area of 317 sq kms The mountain ridge slopesdown North-East on which the only motorable ghat road islaid There are other ridges sloping towards South South-East and East Mullupanrimalai Vellimalai Kalugumalai andMadagamalai are the main peaks Mullapanrimalai beingthe highest (1379 mts) Sattiar Kalankaluviar andSirumalaiar are the three rivulets which flow down the hills

The vegetation consists of tropical dry deciduous forest type(Champion 1936) dry evergreen forests riparian forests andthorn forest with thorny thickets NE monsoon brings thebulk of the annual rainfall while the SW monsoon bringssporadic rains So far 895 floral species belonging to 536 generahave been recorded as a result of systematic exploration

The dales and valleys on either side of the ghat road areclothed with dense forests bisected by jungle streamletsAs we approach Sirumalai Pudur village coffee plantations

44 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

Storks Ciconiidae

Painted stork (V) Mycteria leucocephala (Pennant 1769)

Asian Open-bill stork (V) Anastomus oscitans (Boddaert 1783)

White-necked stork (V) Ciconia episcopus (Boddaert 1783)

Geese amp Ducks Anatidae

Comb duck (V) Sarkidiornis melanotos (Pennant 1969)

Northern Shoveller (V) Anas clypeata (Linnaeus 1758)

Common Pochard (V) Aythya ferina (Linnaeus 1758)

Spot-billed duck (V) Anas acuta (Linnaeus 19581781)

Garganey (V) Anas querquedula (Linnaeus 1958)

Eurasian Wigeon (V) Anas penelope (Linnaeus 1758)

Lesser whistling teal (V) Dendrocygna javanica (Horsfield 1821)

Hawks eagles kites etc Accipitridae

Shikra (GR S) Accipiter badius (Gmelin 1788)

Crested serpent eagle (S) Spilornis cheela (Latham 1790)

Mountain hawk eagle (S) Spizaetus nipalensis (Hodgson 1836)

Black-shouldered kite (GUS) Elanus caeruleus (Desfontaine 1789)

Brahminy kite (V) Haliastur indus (Boddaert 1783)

Pheasants Partridges amp Phasianidae

Quails

Grey Junglefowl (S) Gallus sonneratii (Temminck 1813)

Grey Francolin (A) Francolinus pondicerianus (Gmelin 1789)

Rails Crakes Moorhens Rallidae

coots

White-breasted Waterhen (A) Amaurornis phoenicurus (Pennant 1858)

Purple moorhen (V) Porphyrio porphyrio (Linnaeus 1758)

Common coot (V) Fulica atra (Linnaeus 1758)

Jacanas Jacanidae

Peasant-tailed Jacana (V) Hydrophasianus chirurgus (Scopoli 1786)

Plovers Lapwings etc Charadriidae

Red-wattled Lapwing (A V) Vanellus gregarious (Pallas 1771)

Sandpipers Snipes etc Scolopacidae

Common snipe (V) Gallinago gallinago (Linnaeus 1758)

Common green Shank (V) Tringa nebularia (Gunner 1767)

Common sandpiper (V) Actitis hypoleucos (Linnaeus 1758)

Ibisbill Avocets amp Stilts Recurvirostridae

Black-winged atilt (V) Himantopus himantopus (Linnaeus 1758)

Gulls Terns etc Laridae

Gull-billed Tern (V) Gelochelidon nilotica (Gmelin 1789)

Pigeons amp Doves Columbidae

Spotted dove (S) Streptopelia chinensis (Scopoli 1786)

Emerald dove (A) Chalcophaps indica (Linnaeus 1758)

Parakeets etc Psittacidae

Blue-winged parakeet (S) Psittacula columboides (Vigors 1830)

Cuckoos Malkohas amp Cuculidae

Coucals

Indian plaintive cuckoo (A) Cacomantis passerinus (Vhai 1797)

Pied Crested cuckoo (GU) Clamator jacobinus (Boddaert 1783)

Brainfever Bird (A GU) Hierococcyx varius (Vahl 1797)

Large Greenbilled Malkoha (V) Phaenicophaeus tristis (Lesson 1830)

Greater Coucal (GU A S) Centropus sinensis (Stephens 1815)

Asian Koel (GU A) Eudynamys scolopacea (Linnaeus 1758)

Owis Strigidae

Spotted Owlet (GU) Athene brama (Temminck 1821)

Swifts Apodidae

Alpine swift (S) Tachymarptis melba (Linnaeus 1758)

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

White-breasted King-fisher Halcyon smyrnensis (Linnaeus 1758)

( V S G U )

Small Blue Kingfisher (A) Alcedo atthis (Linnaeus 1758)

Pied kingfisher (V) Lesser Ceryle rudis (Linnaeus 1758)

Bee-eaters Meropidae

Small Bee-eater (S V) Merops orientalis (Latham 1801)

Blue-tailed Bee-eater (V) Merops philippinus (Linnaeus 1766)

Rollers Coraciidae

Indian Roller (GU) Coracias benghalensis (Linnaeus 1758)

Hoopoes Upupidae

Common hoopoe (VS) Upupa epops (Linnaeus 1758)

Barbets Capitonidae

Coppersmith barbet (GUAVS) Megalaima haemacephala (PL Smuller 1776)

White-checked barbet (S) Megalaima viridis (Boddaert 1783)

Great barbet (S) Megalaima virens (Boddaert 1783)

Woodpeckers Picidae

Brown-capped Pigmy

woodpecker (S) Dendrocopos nanus (Vigors 1832)

Black-shouldered

Woodpecker (S) Chrysocolaptes festivus (Boddaert 1783)

Wagtails amp Pipits Motacillidae

Large Pied Wagtail (V S) Motacilla maderaspatensis (Gmelin 1789)

Grey wagtail (S) Motacilla cinerea (Tunstall 1771)

Paddyfield Pipit (V) Anthus rufulus (Vieillot 1818)

Cuckoo-shrikes Campephagidae

Minivets etc

Common Woodshrike (S) Tephrodornis pondicerianus (Gmelin 1789)

Long-tailed Minivet (S) Pericrocotus ethologus (Bangs amp Phillips 1914)

Black-headed cuckoo-Shrike

( G U ) Coracina melanoptera (Ruppell 1839)

Bulbuls Finchbills Pycnonotidae

Red-whiskered bulbul (AS) Pycnonotus jocosus (Linnaeus 1758)

Red-vented bulbul (AS) Pycnonotus cafer (Linnaeus 1766)

White-browed bulbul (AVS) Pycnonotus luteolus (Lesson 1841)

Ioras Leafbird Irenidae

Fairy-Bluebird

Common Iora (GU) Aegithina tiphia (Linnaeus 1758)

Asian Fairy-Bluebird (S) Irena puella (Latham 1790)

Shrikes Laniidae

Bay-backed shrike (GU) Lanius vittatus (Valenciennes 1826)

Thrushes Robins etc Turdinae

Indian Robin (GU) Saxicoloides fulicata (Linnaeus 1776)

Black Redstart (V) Phoenicurus ochruros (Gmelin 1774)

Oriental Magpie-Robin (VRS) Copsychus saularis (Linnaeus 1758)

Pied Bushchat (S) Saxicola caprata (Linnaeus 1766)

Babblers Barwings etc Timaliinae

White-headed babbler (GU) Turdoides affinis (Jerdon 1847)

Prinias Warblers etc Sylviinae

Greenish Leaf-Warbler (S) Phylloscopus trochiloides (Sundevall 1837)

Flycatchers Muscicapinae

Verditer Flycatcher (V S) Eumyias thalassina (Swainson 1838)

Nilgiri Flycatcher (S) Eumyias albicaudata (Jerdon 1840)

Monarch amp Monarchinae

Paradise Flycatchers

Asian Paradise-Flycatcher

(GU A S) Terpsiphone paradisi (Linnaeus 1758)

Sunbirds amp Spiderhunters Nectariniidae

Purple-rumped Sunbird (GU) Nectarinia zeylonica (Linnaeus 1766)

Purple Sunbird (GU) Nectarinia asiatica (Latham 1790)

Little Spiderhunter (GU) Arachnothera longirostra (Latham 1790)

White-eyes Zosteropidae

Oriental White-eye (S) Zosterops palpebrosus (Temminck 1824)

Munias Estrildidae

White-throated Munia (VS) Lonchura malabarica (Linnaeus 1758)

Spotted Munia (V) Lonchura punctulata (Linnaeus 1758)

Starlings amp Mynas Sturnidae

Common Myna (GU) Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus 1766)

Orioles Oriolidae

Eurasian Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus (Linnaeus 1758)

(GU A S)

Black-beaded Oriole (S) Oriolus xanthornus (Linnaeus 1758)

Drongos Dicruridae

Black Drongo (S GU) Dicrurus macrocercus (Vieillot 1817)

Ashy Drongo (S GU) Dicrurus leucophaeus (Vieillot 1817)

White-bellied Drongo (A amp S) Dicrurus caerulescens (Linnaeus 1758)

Greater Racket-tailed Dicrurus paradiseus (Linnaeus 1766)

Drongo (S)

Crows amp Treepies Corvidae

Indian Treepie (GU S) Dendrocitta formosae (Swinhoe 1863)

Jungle Crow (GU) Corvus macrorhynchos (Wagler 1827)

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 45

Pulicat and Point Calimere at different times And also thetheory that species recorded here has some definite linkbetween south Indian wintering birds appears to be truthfulwith the increased population of Pied Avocets Recurvirostraavosetta in Chil ika and in south Indian wetlands(Balachandran et al 2005 Sahana et al 2007)

The pressure on lagoon is immense like encroachmentincreased siltation extensive fishing and tourism Over twolakh fishermen are depending on the lakes resources fortheir livelihood (CDA 2006) The disturbance to the birds isa common sight due to intensive f ishing activitiesrecreational disturbance and the use of mechanized boatsThe constant disturbance discourages foraging costingfeeding time and amplified escape activities and drains muchof the birds energy Eventually it might result in decreasedenergy reserves late arrivallate dispersal to breedinggrounds and in the end reduced reproductive-success(Michael and Kenneth 1984)

An estimated one lakh tourists visit the lake every year (CDA2006) Many boatmen have equipped the small tourist boatswith high wattage loud-speakers with music systemproducing much noise is a common sight Though plastic isbanned one can see a lot of floating wrappers in the lakediscarded by the tourists It is sickening to watch fishesbeing killed by metal blades of crudely mechanized boatsSmall population of Irrawaddy dolphins Orcaella brevirostrisfound in the outer channel are more vulnerable Though ChilikaDevelopment Authority has rejuvenated the lake extraordinarilywell policing and implementation of many defined regulationsare falling short of standard due to (local as well as visiting)publics apathy

With all these hassles the living lagoon is at its bestthroughout the year compared to any other wetland in India(Sathiyaselvam Pers Com) due to its uniqueness And ofcourse has an added advantage of the degradation of manywintering sites in southern sojourn these birds were earlierdependent

Some noteworthy sightings are as follows

d In all 102 identified bird species and a few un-identifiedSnipes and Larger Gulls

d A solitary Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus in thesouth-east waters of Nalaban and a Goliath Heron Ardeagoliath at northern tip of Nalaban

d Huge flocks(5 -10K) of Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelopeGadwall A strepera Northern Pintail A acuta NorthernShoveller A clypeata and Ferruginous Pochard Aythyanyroca

A pilgrimage to Chilika - the Birding Kashi

A Shivaprakash T Girija and A Sharath478 3rd Cross 8th Main Ramakrishna Nagar H Block Mysore - 570022

e-mail adavannerediffmailcom

Chilika with the assemblage of marine brackish andfreshwater ecosystem is recognized as largest water birdscongregation location in Indian subcontinent that hosts 43species of 1 biogeographically known population (Islam andRahmani 2005) Totally 52 rivers and rivulets provide freshwater augmentation to the brackish bay Rich diversity anddensity of avifauna is due to the vast size (1100 sq Km)variation in salinity preferred water depths and rich sediment

We had planned our birding visits at Barkul Nalaban Islandsmudflats of Satpada New sea mouth and Rajhans Island during13th to 18th December 2006 The itinerary was based on thelocations mentioned in the Final report of Habitat evaluation ofChilika lake (Balachandran et al 2005) on the guidance of DrPKRay Scientist-in charge Regional Museum of NaturalHistory Bhubaneswar and Mr Sathiyaselvam Research FellowChilika Project Chandrabani We have spent 32 hours birdingincluding 10 hours on board non-mechanized boats and reston foot Observation was made with a Field scope (Geoma65mm x 20) and a pair of binoculars (Pentex 10 x 25 andTasco 8 x 30)

Barkul shoreline forms western part of lake attracts goodnumber of waders Nalabana Island is situated in the CentralSector of the lake and is said to be hosting 75 of the totalbird population wintering in Chilika Though large flocks ofbirds scatter in many parts of the Lake the major congregationof diverse species was in and around Nalabana IslandExposed mudflats of Satpada provide foraging ground for largecongregation of waders Gregarious Gulls and Terns galleryis displayed in the new sea mouth opened up in the outerchannel recently to provide necessary salinity to Chilika

Our plan of staying entire day and night at Nalaban Islandsbased on A birdwatchers guide to India (Krys and Raj 2001)was later modified due to Orissa Forest Departmentsrestrictions on visitors The entry of mechanized boats intothe Nalaban Islands zone is strictly restricted The island zoneis marked with red polls erected all around that are visible froma quite distance indicating the protected zone Moreover entryto the lake is prohibited to tourists and is strictly enforcedThis measure is safeguarding the interests of avifauna and itshabitat With a rowing boat and a field scope one can watchnumerous birds with ease The congregation of waterfowl isamazing and runs into a few thousands

The waders recorded here are almost similar to those inPulicat Lake and Point Calimere The waders congregationis simply unimaginable It is interesting that the BNHSreport (Balachandran et al 2005) has concluded that withinthe same wintering season the same population of birdsutilise three major water bodies of eastern coast - Chilika

46 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

CORRESPONDENCE

d Smaller flocks(100 -1K) of Common Pochard Aythyaferina Red crested Pochard Rhodonessa rufinaGarganey Anas querquedula Cotton Teal Nettapuscoromandelianus Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosaLittle Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius and Little StintCalidris minuta

d Smaller flocks(lt100) of Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterusruber (Eastern part of Nalaban Island) Spot-billed PelicanPelecanus philippensis Bar-headed Goose Anserindicus Ruddy Shelduck Tadoma ferruginea CommonTeal Anas crecca Spot billed Duck A poecilorhynchaLesser Whistling Teal Dendrocygna javanica CommonRed Shank Tringa totanus Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialisfulva Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus TemminksStint Calidris temminckii Sanderling Calidris alba Brownheaded Gull Larus brunnicephalus and Whiskered TernChlidonias hybridus

d Smaller nos of (lt10) of Asian Open-bill Anastomusoscitans Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata CommonGreen Shank Tringa nebularia Ruff Philomachus pugnaxCaspian Tern Sterna caspia Indian River Tern S aurantiaLittle Tern S albifrons White-winged Tern C leucopterusand Gull billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica

d Few Individuals like Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris Broadbilled Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus and Citrine WagtailMotacillaccitreola

d Raptors l ike White bell ied Sea Eagle Haliaeetusleucogaster (commoner) Pal las Fish Eagle Hleucoryphus (Rajhans Island)

d New terrestrial bird for us -Bank Myna Acridotheresginginianus Asian Pied Sterl ing Sturnus contra(commoner)

Footnote Back from wonderful birding we came across abad news of the death of birds from Chilika (Indian GreenFile 2006) The paper clipping of published article of the AsianAge newspaper dated 12-12-2006 was reprinted in theDecember issue of Indian Green File The report said out ofdead 82 birds 69 were Pintails rest were Shovellers GadwalsBar-headed Goose and Sea eagles and 277 birds werereportedly sick

Acknowledgement

We are indebted to Dr PKRay Scientist-in charge RegionalMuseum of Natural History Bhubaneswar and MrSathiyaselvam Research Fellow Chilika Project Chandrabanifor guidance And we are grateful to Kum Vijayalaxmi andKishendasKR Mysore for their logistic support

ReferencesBalachandarnS RahmaniAR and SathiyaselvamP 2005 Final report

of Habitat evaluation of Chilika Lake with special reference to birdsas bio-indicators Bombay Natural History Society

CDA 2006 Chilika a living lagoon A booklet prepared and circulated byChilika Development Authority Bhubaneswar

Islam MZ and AR Rahmani 2005 Important Bird Areas in India Prioritysites for conservation Mumbai Indian Bird Conservation NetworkBombay Natural History Society and BirdLife International (UK) Pp574-575

Krys Kazmierczak and Raj Singh 2001 A Birdwatchers guide to IndiaOxford University press New Delhi

Michael R Miller Kenneth J Reinecke Nov 1984 Proper Expression ofMetabolizable Energy in Avian Energetics The Condor Vol 86 No4 pp 396-400

SahanaM Kishen DasKR and TanujaDH 2007 Occurrence of PiedAvocet Recurvirostra avosetta near Mysore Karnataka Newsletterfor Birdwatchers Vol 43(1) Pp 14-15

Indian Green File No 228 December 2006 Published by Centre forScience amp environment New Delhi Page 24

poultry that creepeth upon the Earth it is a rare case of

convergence of interests of man and bird against one commonfoe Viewing from this moral high ground the focus of all overefforts must be to contain the spread to isolate the infectedhost organisms and ultimately in the long run neutralizealtogether the H5N1 virus Both the print and the visual mediahave the onerous task to publish thoroughly researched andbalanced reports which are informative and motivating but notpanic-generating

As of now the primary and exclusive host of the H5N1 virus area few species of wild waterfowl and perhaps the entire range ofdomesticated poultry birds though so far only chicken and turkeyare reported infected There is no unanimity among the scientistcommunity yet on the primary source of this virus When it firstmanifested in Taiwan China Hong Kong and Thailand in2001-2003 it was surmised that the primary host are the poultrybirds Quite logically this led to the wholesale culling of about

AN ETHICAL PERSPECTIVE AND PREVENTION OF BIRDFLU Lt Gen (Retd) BALJIT SINGH House 219 Sector 16-AChandigarh 160 015 Ph 2770619

The Bible tells us And God said let us make man in our

image after our likeness and let them have dominion over thefish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over the cattleand over all the Earth and over every creeping thing thatcreepeth upon the Earth

So in the very scheme of evolution man was conceived as theprimary and dominant species Explicit with that privilegedstatus comes mans obligation of dominion implying watch

and ward over the weaker creatures that inhabit his planet ForGod did create man in our image after our likeness whichpresupposed that he would be just and compassionate Andin the instant case where a hitherto unchartered virus H5N1has raised its ugly head with lethal potential both to man andtwo of the meekest of his wards namely the fowl of the air and

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 47

three million birds in these countries Even when in 2004 a fewdead species of the migratory wild water fowl in their breedingareas in China Kazakhstan and Siberia also tested positivethe weight of opinion still maintained that the vector was thedomestic poultry and not the free ranging wild birds

Be that as it may the fact of the matter is that as of now both thewild waterfowl and the domestic poultry are the vectors Whenthis non-discriminating virus enters the host it is of the lowpathogen grade which is non-lethal But once transmitted thevirus begins to mutate and attains snow-balling dimensionsThat is the stage that it becomes a killer and the infected birddies within 2 to 3 days Now where wild bird assemblages areconcerned fortunately they remain fairly scattered and the virustransmission process is comparatively of the lower scale Andin the scheme of Nature there are no recorded cases wherean entire species has been wiped out by an epidemicGenerally up to 70 percent of the virus host species may perishand the remainder in all probability will develop immunity ascreatures in the wild are apparently better equipped to do soHopefully and over a long period of time the subject specieswill regain its optimum population levels

On the other hand where commercial poultry industry isconcerned the birds l ive check by jowl and the virustransmission process is like an inferno At that stage theprobability of infection spreading to human beings is genuineand of a high order Fortunately so far there is no proven caseof transmission of the virus from man to man Neverthelessindividual human beings will be at risk of infection either throughthe aerosol medium (breathing) or through ingestion of aninfected bird or by touch The last two risks can be easilycountered by avoiding poultry from diet for a short while andthis is where media can again play a positive role by arousingconsciousness of all segments of the society

As for the aerosol risk here the State will have the dominantrole All the commercial poultry farms and small scale poultrykeepers and even pigeon fanciers will have to be placed underperiodic and regular surveillance checks by qualified vetsInfected units will have to be shut down and decontaminatedThe industry may even have to be compensated for loss ofrevenue The common man will have to be advised on thesafe buffer-zone to be maintained from all such facilitiesand where that is not feasible to wear face and breathingmasks Even though the counter measures may appearelementary their rigid implementation will test out the measure

of vision and management skills of the government at theCentre and State

Concurrently the migratory and resident water fowlassemblages in the Country will also need monitoring on war-footing Fortunately these sites are all listed out in the NationalDirectory of Wetlands and they number just 145 For instancein Punjab there are three sites only (Ropar Harike and Kanjli)two in Haryana (Sultanpur and Bhindawas) three in Himachal(Pong Renuka and Govindsagar) and just one in UTChandigarh the Sukhna Lake Admittedly there will be manysmaller water-bodies dotting the country-side but for the presentthey need not be put under the scanner

It might be mentioned here that on the face of it the threat frommigratory Waterfowl as vectors of H5N1 to India may be of lowgrade This becomes evident when we look at the migratorypattern of the Bar-headed goose (one of the identified vectors)already mapped out by the wildlife department of the AligarhMuslim University through an on-going project using telemetrytools The time taken by most birds to reach their winteringgrounds in India can vary from 10 to 12 days inclusive of timespent on the stop-over sites enroute Most infected birds willperish in migration before entering India But healthy birdswhich get infected at the last stop-over before India may wellsucceed in bringing the virus

No strategy to combat the H5N1 virus will succeed unless wealso have in place effective and adequate preventive andcurative medicine Fortunately Tamiflu vaccine is claimed tobe a positive safeguard where humans are concerned But thefight against the bird flu will be inconclusive until a veterinaryvariant of Tamiflu is developed on war-footing to provideimmunity to poultry This is where the print and visual mediaare best suited to spread awareness among poultry keepersand pet owners to immunize the birds with same commitmentas we do for infants against polio and small pox

Central to the formulation of plans to combat the crisis shouldbe the fact that the bird was the first and still remains the mostpredominant prey of the virus At this juncture it is the bird whichis beleaguered and it deserves mans empathy much more

than is evident at the moment Given the common resolveeffective management strategies will emerge sooner than laterAnd at the end of it all we would have contained and ultimatelyvanquished the danger of bird flu pandemic both to humankindand to the birds one of mans dominos

d d d

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PREVALENCE OF SOME MYTHOLOGICAL BELIEFS AMONGRURAL COMMUNITIES OF GUJARAT A CASE STUDY OFCROW (CORVUS Sp) HIREN SONI ASHOK and RITA PATELInstitute of Integrated Study amp Research in Biotechnology ampAllied Sciences (ARIBAS) ADIT Campus New Vidyanagar -388 121 (Gujarat) E-mail hirensoniyahoocom

In the present technocrat world still some cryptic mythologiesin scriptures and Vedas are prevalent among some ruralcommunities of Gujarat They were authoured by our ancestorsbased on their own experience Such mythological beliefs aredirectly or indirectly connected with different types of rites ritualstaboos and traditions of tribesmen in the form of variousastrological paradigms folklores proverbs and quotablequotes in ancient literature In prehistoric times our Kings andBaronets used to take the guidance of priests to predict andprepare for the natural calamities such as cyclones faminesflood and heavy rainfalls They were often referred to asForecasting of Future During such times various types of

prophecies were inferred by deciphering various birdcalls theirbehaviour nesting location and feeding patterns According tosome mythological beliefs crows act as a good forecasteramong birds and are also indicators of good or bad omens(Jadav 2004) Some of the well-known inferences from variousproverbs are as follows

1 A crow builds its nest on eastern side of a tree on topbranch in the month of May - Heavy rainfall good quality ofcrop and a good omen for any religious ceremony

2 Nest on western side of a tree - Better rain and bettercrop-yield but grave epidemics

3 Nest on top canopy of a tree - Moderate rain4 Nest in middle canopy of a tree - Insufficient rainfall and

scarcity of water5 Nest on north or north-west side of a tree Overall good year

6 Crows search for food in dust instead of open grounds andgarbage - Hike in prices of cereals crops grains and othercommodities

7 Crow gives harsh calls from a dry tree Insufficient rain

and scarcity of water8 Nest on south-east corner of a tree - Famine starvation

water crisis food shortage and theft of eatables and othercommon commodities

9 Nest on the stem of a tree instead of its branch - Scantyrain paucity of water spreading of some contagiousdisease and theft of livelihood goods

10 Nest on north-west corner of a tree - Possibility of cycloneshurricanes and thunderstorms increase in population ofrodents in houses and crop-fields scarcity of food fodderfuelwood and fiber

11 Nest on south-east corner of a tree - Late arrival of monsoonwith cyclones and storms with low rainfall famine robberyand mass-scale war Cover Jungle Myna (Acridotheres fuscus) Probably every

Indian knows either one or other of our two common mynas Junglemynas perch in pairs or trios on their favorite trees or walk along theground with rapid determined steps stopping occasionally to preenor bob heads stiffly to utter warning notes Throughout the daymynas maintain a varied rollick of high pitched grackles or pleasantliquid notes to express their diverse moods such as delight fearresentment or anguish Being omnivores they feed on grubs fruitsgrains crumbs and morsels They nest in tree holes cracks inwalls chimneys and thatched roofs Mynas at times are branded asreckless usurpers of the nests of other birds Photo S Shreyas

Address for Correspondence

Newsletter for BirdwatchersNo 10 Sirur Park B Street SeshadripuramBangalore 560 020 India Tel 080 2356 1142 2346 4682E-mail ltnavbaratgmailcomgtPrinted and Published bi-monthly by S Sridhar atNavbharath Enterprises Seshadripuram Bangalore - 560 020 IndiaFor Private Circulation Only

12 Nest towards the south - Epidemic and battle among localtribes

13 Nest on dome of temple old fort crematorium or flat ground- Heavy drought deadly epidemics robbery and anarchy

14 Nest on dead or dry tree - Political dilemma dispute amongbaronets and large-scale destruction of crops due to heavyflood

15 Crow gives frequent calls in front of the door Brings prestige

and wealth to the owner of that house16 Crow sits on top of the front door with rigorous flapping -

House will be damaged by fire within a week17 Crow sits on latch or hanging garland of the door and call

erratically with sideways movement of its body - Owner ofthat house and his neighboring person will be wealthierwithin a short period

Thus behaviour calls display feeding patterns nestinglocations and other allied activities of crows form an integralpart in lives of many village inhabitants of Gujarat State Similartypes of literature hunt associated with field trials on callingpatterns behaviour nesting sites and feeding practices in otherbirds also would be an additional adage and will be a goodsubject for methodical evaluation of these beliefs in future

ReferenceJadav J (2004) Crows The Forecasters of Future In The Pearls of

Folklore Gujarat Samachar (18th July 2004) Sunday Supplement P 3

Distribution map of Oriental Darter Dot sizes are proportional tothe maximum species counts between 1997-2001

Source Numbers and distribution of waterbirds and wetlandsin the Asia-Pacific region Results of the Asian WaterbirdCensus 1997-2001 Wetland International Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Page 3: May-June  2007

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 35

arctoides) Northern Pig-tailed macaque (Macaca lenina)Eastern Assamese macaque (Macaca assamensisassamensis) Slow loris (Nycticebus bengalensis) IndianRhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta mulatta) Orange-bellied Capped Leaf Monkey (Trachypithecus pileatusdurga) Hog Deer (Axis porcinus) Sambar (Cervusunicolor) Wild Boar Albino Boar Porcupine (Hystrixindica) Tiger (Panthera tigris) Leopard (Panthera pardus)Jungle Cat (Felis chaus) Large Indian Civet (Viverrazivetha) Small Indian Civet (Viverra Indica) Common PalmCivet (Poradoxurus bermaphroditus) Malayan GiantSquirrel (Ratufa bicolor) Hoary Bellied Himalayan Squirrel(Callosciurus pygerythrus) Three Stripped Palm Squirrel(Funambulus palmarum) Five Stripped Palm Squirrel(Funambulus pennanti) Indian Python (Python molurus)Cat snake (Boiga trigonata) Indian Cobra (Naja Naja)Common rat snake (Pitas mucosus) Indian Elephant(Elephas maximus) Marbled Cat (Felis marmorata)Leopard Cat (Felis bengalensis) Common Mongoose(Herpestes edwardsi) Common Indian Mongoose(Herpestes auropunctatus) Indian Fox (Vulpesbengalensis) Jackal (Canis aureus) W ild Boar(Sus scrofa) etc

It is very interesting to note that the birdlife of HGS is richand diverse and its natural bounty is enhanced by thepresence of a wide variety of Hill Birds Moreover Nagalandwhich has a unique avian diversity is not very far from thisSanctuary So the Check-list will highlight those birds whichare actually hill birds

Objectives of the study

HGS is well known among the wildlife lovers of India andabroad for its non-human primates diversity To draw the

attention of the birdwatchers and to convince them to visitthis sanctuary for bird-watching is an objective of this study

To prepare an up-to-date checklist of the birds in and aroundthe sanctuary Till now none has prepared a checklist of thebirds of the sanctuary

To help the authorities and others interested in conservationof this unique habitat to not only appreciate but also torecognize and protect the rich bird diversity of the sanctuary

To encourage the local people and students to conserve birds

Methodology

I monitored the bird diversity in and around HGS from17-3-2006 to 16-3-2007 A series of transects that were laidin the sanctuary for intensive survey and behavioral study ofnon-human primates were used Besides this birds wererecorded by point count methods in the major vegetation

Birds of Hoollongapar Gibbon SanctuaryKumud Ghosh

Lecturer Education Department Nakachari College Nakachari - 785635 Jorhat-AssamE-mail kumud_ghosh29yahoocoin

Introduction

Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary lies between 90deg20shy

- 90deg25

east and 26deg40 26deg45 north and it covers an area of 2098sq km (including the area under the control of the IndianArmy) at Jorhat district of Assam The Hoollongapar GibbonSanctuary has its early history in Hoollongapar Forest

during British period in 1881 The Government of Assamhas notified it as a Wildlife Sanctuary on 30th of July 1997vide notification no FRS 379731 and since then it cameto be known as Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary But on 25th May2004 through the notification no FRP 379720 of AssamGovt it was renamed as Hoollongapar Gibbon SanctuaryThis Sanctuary is situated varying from 100 to 120 metersaltitude and the average annual rainfall is 249 cm

Flora and fauna of the sanctuary

The sanctuary is dominated by Ou Tenga (Dillenia indicia)Amari (Aglaia spectabilis) Gahorisopa (Magnolia griffithii)Borhamthuri (Magnolia hodgsonii) Bandardima (Dysoxylumsp) Titachapa (Michelia baillonii) Bhelekor (Aristolochiatagala) Chalmogra (Hydnocarpus kurzii) Bhelu (Tetramelesnudiflora) Bon Aam (Mangifera sylvatica) Bonpetha(Chrysophyllum roxburghii) Borpat (Ailanthus integrifolia)Nahor (Mesua ferrea) Hollong (Dipterocarpus macrocarpus)Garjan (Dipterocarpus turbinatus) Himolu (Bombax ceiba) Selleng (Sapium baccatum) Rudraksha (Eleaeocarpussphaericus) Dewa Sam (Artocarpus lacucha) Dhuna(Canarium bengalense) Amora (Spondias pinnata) Moj(Pithecellobium monadelphum) Arjun (Terminalia arjuna)Halakh (Terminalia myriocarpa) Kendu (Diospyrosembryopteris) Sationa (Alstonia scholaris) Sachi (Aqualariaagolacha) Cham Kothal (Artocarpus chama) Kath Badam(Mansonia dipikae)Gamari (Gmelia arborea) Hingari(Castanopsis indica) Lemtem (Gynocordia odorata) Paroli(Stereospermum chelonoides) etc

Some important climbers of the sanctuary are Mamoilata(Gnetaceae montanum) Bonjalika (Clematis cadmia)Hoolooklata (Pycnarrhena pleniflora) Tubukilata(Cissampelos pareira) Tikanibaruwal (Byttneria grandifolia)Chepatalata (Cayratia trifolia) Harjodralata (Cissusquadrangularis) Panilata (Vitis planicaulis) Bakalbih(Millettia pachycarpa) Bandor Kankora (Mucuna pruriens)Kalmow (Ipomea aquatica) Raghumola (Cascuta reflexa)Aaownipan (Peperomia thomsonii) etc

Several species of cane and more than hundred species ofherb shrub under shrub lianas bamboo and grass provethe rich bio-diversity of the sanctuary

The main fauna of HGS includes Western Hoolock Gibbon(Hoolock hoolock) Stump-tailed Macaque (Macaca

36 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

types as well as at the water bodies in and around thesanctuary On the other hand a few birds were recordedduring the behavioral study of non-human primates withDr Dilip Chetry Apart from this chance encounters werealso recorded while studying the movements of butterfliesaround HGS with Miss Monimala Saikia Furthermore birdswere also recorded while working as a voluntary guide for anumber of wildlife lovers The identifications were based onS Ali (2002) AU Choudhury (2000) RK Das (2006)R Grimmett C Inskipp T Inskipp (1999) Eric Simms(1990) H Edwin Barnes (1981) Hugh Whistler (1986) JoelCarl Wetly (Third Edition) Bruce Campbell Donald Waston(1984) Frank Finn (1981) Arthur A Allen (1961) RA Hinde(1969) Jean Dorst (1974) Vishwa Mohan Tiwari (2002) KrysKazmierczak (2003) B Grewal B Harvey P Fister (2002)

Limitations of the survey

There werent any previous checklists of the birds of HGS

High density canopy cover was another problem for datacollection inside the sanctuary In many cases accurateidentification of birds hinged on listening to bird callsalso Therefore bird calls were also very much essential fordata collection

Moreover there are some other problems like inclementweather and potential threats from wild Elephants TigersLeopards King Cobras and Pythons etc

The presence of leeches in good numbers also disturbedand broke the concentration of study during rainy season

Physico- ecological set up of the sanctuary

Topographically the surface of the sanctuary is gentlesloping down from south-east to north-west whichessentially exhibits a very smooth and continuousinteraction of down slope and high slope ecosystem withinthe sanctuary The westward shifting river Bhogdoi adinterimcreates a waterlogged area along the periphery of thesanctuary which is yet to be brought under the jurisdictionof the sanctuary But the sanctuarys diverse topography

is yet to be clearly studied before delineating it on the basisof its micro level difference in slope characteristics anddistribution of flora Semi hydrophytic plants are dominantin the down slope region while no hydrophytic plants growin the up slope zone of the sanctuary On the other handthe low-lying patch formed by the shifting of Bhogdoi Riverat the west exhibits a distinctly different ecological set upThe sanctuary therefore consists of three zones of microecosystems Those are (a) Up slope zone (90-96 mts)(b) Down slope zone (885-90 mts) (c) Flood prone zone(lt 885 mts)

Conservation Problems

There are more than five villages and four tea gardens around

the sanctuary inhabited by more than ten thousand peopleMost of the people of those villages and tea gardens dependupon the Sanctuary for their daily firewood traditionalmedicine and forest produce At the same time there aremore then twenty Cattle Khuties near the river BhogdoiThe owners of those Khuties generally collect huge

quantities of grass and leaves from the Sanctuary for theircattle On the other hand a group of people illegally collectwood for wood-coal which is used by washer-men of nearestcity and town Herbicides and pesticides used by the teagardeners for higher yields of tea by and large tricklesthrough the drains to the sanctuary during the rainy season

Suggestions

It is necessary to include fallow government lands underthe jurisdiction of the Sanctuary and this will certainly enlargethe space for the birds

Waterlogged area created by river Bhogdoi should also bebrought under the jurisdiction of the sanctuary This area isan important place for wetland birds

Emphasis should be given to develop a more viable andfeasible dense forest cover to provide food and shelter forthe inhabitants of the sanctuary

The route of the drains of the tea gardens bordering thesanctuary should be changed Otherwise they will createmore and more problems for the wildlife in the coming years

By providing alternate resources to the livelihood and bycreating awareness among people of neighboring villagesand tea gardens the destruction of the forest could bebrought down significantly

Checklist of the Birds ofHoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary

The following checklist includes all 219 species that have beenrecorded by the author in and around the sanctuary

The following abbreviations have been used for species status symbols

BR = Breeding Resident R = Resident WV = Winter visitorP = Passage migrant L = Local amp altitudinal migrant C = CommonS = Stray or Vagrant U = Uncommon O = Occasional SV= SummerVisitor

Habitat A = Aerial D = Distributed areas (including cultivation ampTea Gardens) G = Grasses under shrub OA = Open areasSF = Semi-evergreen forest WT = Water bodies (including theriver Bhogdoi amp the drains inside the Sanctuary)

Threat category according to Birdlife International (2001) has beengiven as below

EN = Endangered VU = Vulnerable DD = Data deficient NT = Nearthreatened RR = Restricted range

The common English and scientific names are followed by statussymbols threat category and type of habitant

Order Galliformes Family PhasianidaePheasants

1 Red Junglefowl Gallus gallus BR C SF2 Kalij Pheasant Lophura leucomelanos BRC G SF

Order Anseriformes Family AcaridaeDucks

3 Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea WV U WT4 Common Teal Anas crecca WV C WT5 Common Pochard Aythya ferina WV U WT

Order Piciformes Family Picidae

Piculets Woodpeckers

6 Speckled Piculet Picumnus innominatus RC SF

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 37

7 White-Browed Piculet Sasia ochracea R C SF8 Rufous Woodpecker Celeus brachyurus BR C SF9 Grey-Capped Pygmy woodpecker

Dendrocoposcanicapillus RU SF10 Fulvous-Breasted Woodpecker Dendrocopos macei R C SF11 Lesser Yellownape Picus chlorolophus BR C SF12 Greater Yellownape Picus flavinucha BR C SF13 Streak-Throated Woodpecker Picus xanthopygaeus BR U SF14 Grey-Headed Woodpecker Picus canus R U SF15 Himalayan flameback Dinopium shorii R U SF16 Common Flameback Dinopium javanense R U SF17 Greater Flameback Chrysocolaptes lucidus BR C SF

Order Piciformes Megalaimidae Family Capitonidae

Barbets

18 Lineated Barbet Megalaima lineata BR C SF19 Golden-Throated Barbet Megalaima franklinii BR U SF20 Blue-Throated Barbet Megalaima asiatica Br C SF21 Blue-Eared Barbet Megalaima australis BR U SF22 Coppersmith Barbet Megalaima haemacephala BR C SF

Order Coraciiformes Bucerotiformes Family Bucerotidae

Hornbills

23 Oriental Pied Hornbill Anthracoceros albirostris BR C SF24 Great Hornbill Buceros bicornis BRUNT SF

Order Coraciiformes Upupiformes Family Upupidae

Hoopoe

25 Common Hoopoe Upupa epops BRLCOA SF D

Order Trogoniformes Family Trogonidae

Trogon

26 Red-Headed Trogon Harpactes erythrocephalus L C SF

Order Coraciiformes Family Coraciidae

Rollers

27 Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis BRC OASF D28 Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis R C OA SF D

Order Coraciiformes Family Alcedinidae Halcyonidae Cerylydae

Kingfishers

29 Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis BR C WT30 Stork-Billed Kingfisher Halcyon capensis BR U WT31 White-Throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis BR C OA WT D32 Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis BR C WT

Order Coraciiformes Family Meropidae

Bee-eaters

33 Blue-Bearded Bee-eater Nyctyornis athertoni R L U OA SF D34 Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis R C OASF35 Blue-Tailed Bee-eater Merops philippinus R L C OA SF36 Chestnut-Headed Bee-eater Merops leschenaulti R L U OASF

Order Cuculiformes Family Cuculidae Centropodidae

Cuckoos

37 Pied Cuckoo Clamator jacobinus U SF38 Chestnut-Winged Cuckoo Clamator coromandus O SV U SF39 Common Hawk Cuckoo Hierococcyx varius O SF40 Indian cuckoo Cuculus micropterus P C SF41 Plaintive Cuckoo Cacomantis merulinus R C SF42 Asian Emerald Cuckoo Chrysococcyx maculatus P U SF43 Drongo Cuckoo Surniculus lugubris P U SF44 Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopacea R L C SF45 Greater Coucal Centropus sinensis BR U SF46 Lesser Coucal Centropus bengalensis BR C SF

Order Psittaciformes FAMILY PsittacidaeParrots

47 Alexandrine Parakeet Psittacula eupatria R C SF48 Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri BR C SF49 Red-Breasted Parakeet Psittacula alexandri BR C SF50 Blossom-Headed Parakeet Psittacula roseate U SF

Order Apodiformes Family ApodidaeSwifts

51 Himalayan Swiftlet Collocalia brevirostris P U A52 Asian Palm Swift Cypsiurus balasiensis R U A53 House Swift Apus affinis R U A

Order Strigiformes Family Strigidae TytonidaeOwls

54 Mountain scops owl Otus spilocephalus O SF55 Oriental Scops Owl Otus sunia WV U SF56 Collared Scops Owl Otus bakkamoena R U SF57 Brown Fish Owl Ketupa zeylonensis R U OA SF58 Collared Owlet Glaucidium brodiei R C SF59 Asian Barred Owlet Glaucidium cuculoides BR L C SF OA60 Spotted Owlet Athene brama BR C OA SF61 Brown Hawk Owl Ninox scutulata R C SF

Order Caprimulgiformes Family CaprimulgidaeNightjars

62 Grey Nightjar Caprimulgus indicus O G63 Large-Tailed Nightjar Caprimulgus macrurus BR L C G

Order Columbiformes Family ColumbidaePigeons Doves

64 Ashy Wood Pigeon Columba pulchricollis U SF65 Green Imperial Pigeon Ducula aenea BR C SF66 Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis BR C OA SF

67 Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis BR C OA SF68 Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica BR C SF69 Pompadour Green pigeon Treron pompadora O SF70 Yellow-Footed Green Pigeon Treron phoenicoptera R C SF

Order Gruiformes Family RallidaeRails

71 White-Breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus BR C WT D72 Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio BRC WT73 Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus BR C WT

Order CharadriiformesCiconiiformesFamily CharadriidaeScolopacidae

Snipes Sandpipers Plover74 Common snipe Gallinago gallinago WV C WT OA75 Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia WV C WT76 Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola WV C WT77 Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos WV C WT78 Little Ring Plover Charadrius dubius WVC WT79 Red-Wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus BR C WT OA

Order CharadriiformesCiconiiformes Family JacanidaeJacana80 Pheasant-tailed Jacana Hydrophasianus chirurgus BR C WT81 Bronze-Winged Jacana Metopidius indicus BR C WT

Order CharadriiformesCiconiiformes Family LaridaeTern82 River Tern Sterna aurantia R C WT

Order Falconiformes Ciconiiformes Family AccipitridaeEagles83 Black Baza Aviceda leuphotes R L U OA84 Black kite Milvus migrans R C OA

38 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

85 Grey-Headed Fish Eagle Ichtyophaga ichthyaetus BR C NT WT86 Crested Serprent Eagle Spilornis cheela BR C OA SF87 Pied Harrier Circus melanoleucos WVU OAWT88 Shikra Accipiter badius R C OA A89 Black-shouldered kite Elanus caeruleus BR C OA

Order Pelecaniformes CiconiiformesFamily Phalacrocoracidae Anhingidae

Cormorants

90 Darter Anhinga melanogaster U NT WT91 Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger BR C WT92 Indian Cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscicollis R U WT93 Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo L U WT

Order Ciconiformes Ciconiiformes Family Ardeidae

Egrets Herons

94 Little Egret Egretta garzetta BR C WT95 Great Egret Casmerodius albus R C WT96 Intermediate Egret Mesophoyx intermedia R C WT97 Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis BR C OA D98 Indian Pond Heron Ardeola grayii R C WT99 Little Heron Butorides striatus BR C WT100 Black-Crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax BR C WT

Order Ciconiformes Ciconiiformes Family Ciconiidae

Storks

101 Asian Openbill Anastomus oscitans BR C WT102 Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus RLC VU WT

Order Passeriformes Family Zosteropidae

White-eye

103 Orienta White-eye Zosterops palpebrosus BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Family Irenidae Corvidae

Ioras Leafbirds

104 Asian Fairy Bluebird Irena puella U SF105 Golden-Fronted Leafbird Chloropsis aurifrons R C SF106 Orange-Bellied Leafbird Chloropsis hardwickii R U SF107 Common Iora Aegithina tiphia BRCSF

Order Passeriformes Family LaniidaeShrikes

108 Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus WV C OASF109 Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach WVC OA SF110 Grey-backed Shrike Lanius tephronotus WVCOA SF

Order Passeriformes Family CorvidaeMagpies Crows

111 Rufous Treepie Dendrocitta vagabunda BR C SF112 Grey Treepie Dendrocitta formosae R L U SF113 Collared Treepie Dendrocitta frontalis U SF114 House Crow Corvus splendens BR C OA115 Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos BR C OA SF

Order Passeriformes Family Oriolidae CorvidaeOrioles

116 Black-hooded Oriole Oriolus xanthornus BRC SF117 Maroon Oriole Oriolus traillii U SF

Order Passeriformes Family Campephagidae CorvidaeCuckoo-shrikes Minivets

118 Large Cuckoo-shrike Coracina macei R C SF119 Black-winged Cuckoo-shrike Coracina melaschistos L U SF120 Rosy Minivet Pericrocotus roseus R U SF121 Small Minivet Pericrocotus cinnamomeus R U SF122 Long-tailed Minivet Pericrocotus ethologus U SF123 Short-billed Minivet Pericrocotus brevirostris L C SF

124 Scarlet Minivet Pericrocotus flammeus R C SF125 Black-naped Monarch Hypothymis azurea BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Family DicruridaeCorvidae

Drongos

126 Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus BR C OA SF127 Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus RWVCOA SF128 Bronzed Drongo Dicrurus aeneus LWVCOA SF129 Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo Dicrurus remifer BR C SF130 Spangled Drongo Dicrurus hottentottus R C SF131 Greater Racket-tailed Drongo Dicrurus paradiseus R C SF

Order Passeriformes Family MuscicapidaeCorvidaeSub-family Muscicapinae

Flycatcher

132 Ferruginous Flycatcher Muscicapa ferruginea R C SF133 Red-throated Flycatcher Ficedula parva WV C SF134 Little Pied Flycatcher Ficedula westermanni L C SF135 Slaty-blue Flycatcher Ficedula tricolor WV C SF137 Verditer Flycatcher Eumyias thalassina WV C SF137 Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica U SF138 White-throated Fantail Rhipidura albicollis C SF139 Large Niltava Niltava grandis WVC SF140 Small Niltava Niltava macgrigoriae WVC SF141 Rufous-bellied Niltava Niltava sundara L C SF142 Pale-chinned Flycatcher Cyornis poliogenys R U SF143 Blue-throated Flycatcher Cyornis rubeculoides WV U SF144 Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher

Culicicapa ceylonensis WV C SF145 Asian Paradise-flycatcher Terpsiphone paradisi BR U SF

Order Passpriformes Family Muscicapidae Sub-family Turdinae

Thrushes Chats

146 White-tailed Rubythroat Luscinia pectoralis WV C SF147 Oriental Magpie Robin Copsychus saularis BR C OA SF148 White-rumped Shama Copychus malabaricus BR C SF149 Daurian Redstart Phoenicurus auroreus WV C SF150 White-tailed Robin Myiomela leucura WV O SF151 Common Stonechat Saxicola torquata WV C OA152 Grey Bushchat Saxicola ferrea WV U G SF153 Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius BR U SF154 Scaly Thrush Zoothera dauma BR C SF155 Black-breasted Thrush Turdus dissimilis R C SF156 Dark-throated Thrush Turdus ruficollis BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Family Sturnidae

Starlings Mynas

157 Spot-winged Starling Saroglossa spiloptera WV C SF158 Chestnut-tailed Starling Sturnus malabaricus R C OA SF159 Asian Pied Starling Sturnus contra BR C SF160 Brahminy Starling Sturnus pagodarum S SF161 Common Myna Acridotheres tristis BRCOAG SF162 Bank Myna Acridotheres ginginianus S OA SF163 Jungle Myna Acridotheres fuscus BR C OA SF164 White-vented Myna Acridotheres cinereus BR C OA SF165 Hill Myna Gracula religiosa BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Family SittidaeCertihiidae

Nuthatches and Creeper

166 Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch Sitta castanea R C SF167 Velvet-fronted Nuthatch Sitta frontalis R U SF

Order Passeriformes Family Paridae

Tits or Titimice

168 Great Tit Parus major L U SF169 Sultan Tit Melanochlora sultanea BR C SF

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 39

Order Passeriformes Family Hirundinidae

Swallows

170 Plain Martin Riparia paludicola R L C A SF171 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica L A WT

Order Passeriformes Family Pycnonotidae

Bulbuls

172 Red-whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus BR C SF173 Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer BR C SF174 White-throated Bulbul Alophoixus flaveolus R L C SF175 Ashy Bulbul Hemixos flavala O SF176 Black Bulbul Hypsipetes leucocephalus WV C SF

Order PasseriformesFamily MuscicapidaeSylviidaeCistioolidae

Warblers

177 Grey-brested Prinia Prinia hodgsonii O G178 Yellow-bellied Prinia Prinia flaviventris R C G179 Slaty-bellied Tesia Tesia olivea L C SF180 Pale-footed Bush Warbler Cettia pallidipes WV O G181 Grey-sided Bush Warbler Cettia brunnifrons WV U G182 Paddy Field Warbler Acrocephalus agricola WV C G183 Common Tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius RCGOASF184 Dusky Warbler Phylloscopus fuscatus WV C G SF185 Smoky Warbler Phylloscopus fuligiventer WV C G SF186 Tickells Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus affinis WV C G SF187 Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides WV C SF188 Yellow-vented Warbler Phylloscopus cantator WV U G SF189 White-spectacled Warbler Zosterops palpebrosus C G SF

Order Passeriformes Family MuscicapidaeSylviidaeSub-family Timaliinae

Babblers

190 Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush Garrulax monileger R C SF191 Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush Garrulax pectoralis R C SF192 Rofous Necked Laughingthrush Garrulax ruficollis BR C SF193 Abbotts Babbler Malacocincla abbotti U G SF194 Buff-breasted Babbler Pellorneum tickelli R U SF195 Puff-throated Babbler Pellorneum ruficeps BR C SF196 White-browed Scimitar Babbler

Pomatorhinus schisticeps R C G SF197 Chestnut- Capped Babbler Timalia pileata BR U G198 Grey-thorated Babbler Stachyris nigriceps L C SF199 Striped Tit Babbler Macronous gularis BR C SF200 Yellow-eyed Babbler Chrysomma sinense U G SF201 Chestnut-capped Babbler Timalia pileata BR C G202 Rufous-winged Bushlark Mirafra assamica BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Family Dicaeidae Nectariniidae

Flowerpeckers

203 Pale-bellied Flowerpecker Dicaeum erythrorhynchos R L CSF204 Plain Flowerpecker Dicaeum concolor R C SF205 Scarlet-backed Flowerpecer Dicaeum cruentatum R C SF206 Thick-billed Flowerpecker Dicaeum agile C SF

Order Passeriformes Family Nectarinidae

Sunbirds

207 Ruby-cheeked Sunbird Anthreptes singalensis L C SF208 Purple Sunbird Nectarinia asiatica R U SF209 Crimson Sunbird Aethopyga siparaja BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Sub-family Passerinae

Sparrows

210 House Sparrow Passer domesticus BR C OA D211 Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus R C SF

Order Passeriformes Family MotacillidaePasseridae

Wagtails amp Pipits

212 White Wagtail Motacilla alba WVCOAWTD213 Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea WVCOAWT214 Paddyfield Pipit Anthus rufulus R C OA D215 Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni WV C SF216 Rosy Pipit Anthus roseatus WV C OA G

Order Passeriformes Sub-amily EstrildinaePasseridae

Munias

217 White-rumped Munia Lonchura striata BR U G218 Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata BR U G219 Black-headed Munia Lonchura malacca BR U G

Acknowledgements

I acknowledge with gratitude for the formal permission givento me by Mr AK Das DFO Jorhat Forest DivisionJorhat Assam to conduct this study I also acknowledgewith gratitude for his continuous encouragement given byMr G Saikia ACF Jorhat Forest Division Jorhat Assam

I am extremely grateful to Mr Ranjan Kumar Das ofTinsukia Mr BP Lahkar of Aaranyak and Mr Sanjay Das

of Guijan (Tinsukia) with whom I have had the opportunitiesto discuss about the identification of birds and I thank them

for their constant encouragement

I am also thankful to the Range Officer of Mariani Mr JBaruah and Beat Officer of the Meleng Beat Mr Haidar Aliand Mr Deepak Bordoloi for their help during the study

I am extremely thankful to Dr Dilip Chetry for without hisequipment and moral support I could not have completedthis work I am thankful to Mr Bhupendranath GoswamiLecturer of Mariani College for permitting me to use themaps drawn by him during my study

Finally special thanks to the members of GibbonConservation Centre Hoollongapar Natures Society ForestStaff of Meleng Beat Teachers and Student friends ofNakachari College Manjit Bora Co-ordinator of AaranyakUpper Assam Circle Arnab Bora of Tinsukia and MonimalaSaikia of AAU Jorhat Assam

ReferencesAli S (2002) The Book of Indian Birds 13th Edition BNHS Oxford

Bombay

Allen A A (1961) The Book of Bird Life D Van Nostrand CompanyINC

Barness H E (1981) The Birds of India Cosmo Publication NewDelhi

Campbell B Watson D (1984) The Illustrated Book of Birds PeerageBooks

Choudhury A U (2002) The Birds of Assam Gibbon Books WWF

Das R (2006) Pokhir Kakolit Dibru-Saikhowa Minivet PublicationsTinsukia Assam

Dorst J (Translated by I C J Galbraith 1974) The life of Birds Vol-2 Weidenfeld and Nicolson London

Finn F (1981) Garden Birds of India Cosmo Publications New delhi

Girmmett R Inskipp C Inskipp T (2000) Pocket Guide to the Birdsof Indian Subcontinent Oxford University Press

40 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

Goswami B Sarmah P (1994-2004) Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary anapproach for Sustainable development Mariani College Magazine

Grewal B Harvey B and Fister OP (2002) A Photographic Guide

to the Birds of India amp the Indian Subcontinent including PakistanNepal Bhutan Bangladesh Sri Lanka amp Maldives (HK) LimitedPeriplus Editions

Hinde R A Edited (1969) Birds Vocalizations Cambridge UniversityPress

Kazmierczak K (2003) A Field Guide to the Birds of India Sri LankaPakistan Nepal Bhutan Bangladesh and the Maldives Om BookService

141 endemic species New species are continually beingadded to the regions list

Even though Indian subcontinent has good bird diversityscientific studies on a number of birds their general biologyreproduction and behavioral ecology have not beenundertaken so far or even attempted The Wire tailed Swallow(Hirundo smithii) is one among them According to IUCN2003 it is one of the threatened birds of India

Wire tailed Swallow is a small passerine bird in theHirundinidae family All the Swallows belong to the orderPasseriformes Birds of this order are the most highly evolvedof all birds and are highly adaptative to all terrestrial terrainsThis order has the largest number of bird species with over5100 different kinds of birds In this order the birds havefragile bones and as a result they are rarely fossilized andgive few clues to their evolution (Encyclopedia Britannica)

World wide 89 swallow species are recorded We can seeswallows in every continent except Antarctica In the caseof Wire tailed Swallow two species have been recordedthe African form (Hirundo smithii filifer) and the Asian form(Hirundo smithii) These two species of Wire - tailed Swallowbreed in Africa south of Sahara and in tropical southern Asiafrom the Indian subcontinent to Southeast Asia respectivelyA number of swallows are migrant but the Wire tailed Swallowis a resident species The species gets the name from itsvery long filamentous outermost tail feathers which trailbehind like two wires (www 1)

The color of birds their songs shapes habitats and behaviorare all fascinating However a little more effort will showanother much-varied dimension of the bird world their

nests They construct their nests from a variety of materialand in a variety of locations (www 2)Key words Wire tailed swallow Mud nest Soil texture

Studies on the role of partners in Nest BuildingActivity of the Wire Tailed Swallow (Hirundo smithii)

in Kodiyampalayam area near Pichavaram MangrovesS Sandilyan K Thiyagesan and S Saravanan

Division of Wildlife biology AVCCollege Mannampandal Mayiladuthurai - 609305 Tamil Nadu India6A18c No 5 New Street Mayiladuthurai - 609001 Tamil Nadu India

e-mail ssandilyangmailcom

Wire tailed Swallows (Hirundo smithii) construct mud nestscomposed of sand silt and clay and plant materials Theirnests were found under the bridges in the Kodiyampalayamarea near the Pichavaram Mangrove Tamilnadu India Boththe partners are involved in nest building The proportiontest shows there was no significant difference in the timespent on nest building between the male and female(Z = 0452 P gt 005) The breeding pair had contributedequal amounts of time for nest construction The completednest was 55 cm wide projecting away from the verticalsurface the length was 92 cm and the circumference was28 cm

Introduction

Aves are a familiar feature of our environment and everyone notices them It is small wonder that birdwatching issuch a popular pastime the world over Due to their variedlifestyles conspicuousness diurnal habits and interestingplumage and calls birds are also regarded as good subjectsfor exploring a number of questions of ecological andconservation significance (Urfi 2003) They are also idealbioindicators and useful models for studying a variety of

environmental problems Presently more attention is beinggiven to conservation monitoring and ecological studies(Newton 1995)

Indian subcontinent is rich in avian species This is partlybecause of its wide altitudinal range extending from sealevel up to summit of the Himalayas Another reason is thehighly varied climate and associated diversity of vegetation(Grimmett R 1999) As many as 13 of the worlds birds

have been recorded in the Indian subcontinent This includes

Saikia G (2002) A Brochure on Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary JorhatForest Division

Simms E (1990) Woodland Birds Bloomsbury Books LondonTiwari V M (2002) Joy of Bird Watching NBT IndiaWelty J C (Third Edition) The Life of Birds Saunder College PubishingWhistler H (1986) Handbook of Indian Birds Cosmo Publications

New Delhi

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 41

Birds build nests in many shapes sizes and locations from tree holes to tunnels from twig platforms to tiny cupsof mud but all provide security warmth and safety for

their eggs and young Nest building is an inherited skill thatbirds have developed to improve the chances of the survivalof their progeny The variety of design and constructionreflects the differing needs of each species and theiradaptability to the habitats and utilization of availablematerials (www 3)

In the case of wire tailed swallow studies about their nestingbehavior nest material preferences and the contribution ofbreeding partners for nest building had not been attemptedso far in South Indian conditions In order to fill the lacunathe current study was designed

The present study describes the nesting behavior ofwire-tailed swallow especially the time spent by each

partner for constructing the mud nest in between

Pichavaram to Kodiyampalayam area (N 1139deg and

E 7979deg) which has a unique mangrove habitat After a long

period of survey in this area 4 nest sites of wire tailedswallows were identified under the bridges in a 4 Km stretchThe birds fixed their half bowl mud nest under the bridgesAmong the 4 nests studied one was so high that it couldnot be reached and the remaining three were accessible

The main objectives of the present study are

To study the nesting site preferences of wire tailedswallow in Pichavaram Mangrove region

Study the contributions of each partner in building themud nest in the study area

Record the time spent by each partner to construct themud nest and

To provide general information on this species andto identify additional opportunities for research onthis species

Study Area

The present study was carried out in between Pichavaramto Kodiyampalayam which covers a distance of 4 Km Thestudy area is located in (N 1139deg and E79deg) in Tamilnadu

India The first 3 Km stretch comes under the Cuddaloredistrict and the remaining 1 Km area area comes under theNagai district of Tamilnadu The temperature in and aroundPichavaram mangrove ranges between 20degC and 37degC The

study area receives rainfall mostly during southwestmonsoon (July to September) The total annual rainfall isabout 1300 mm (Sampath 1993)

3 nests were recorded in the Nagai district of the studyarea and remaining nest was recorded in the Cuddaloredistrict One of the nests in the Nagai district was at aconsiderable height which was inaccessible

The first nest ie towards Pichavaram to Kodiyampalayamis surrounded by agriculture lands emerging mangrove andactive aqua farms the second and third bridges are surroundedby well developed mangrove and the fourth nest wassurrounded by mangrove vegetation as well as thorny bushes

The entire data was collected form the first nest in thestudy area

Materials amp MethodsThe study was carried out between November 2006 andMarch 2007 Data was collected on all week ends (Saturdayand Sunday) during the study period However during theactual nest building period (December) data was collectedon all the 13 days of nest construction

The birds were observed directly or with the aid of binoculars(7 X 50) depending on the distance from the nest

Nest measurements include height above the groundprojection from the vertical surface and the length of thenest using a centimeter scale A thread was used to measurethe circumference of the nest

For identifying the bird the field guides (Ali 2002 andGrimmett 1999) were used

Observation and Results

The wire tailed swallow is a highly territorial bird and confinedto the neighborhoods of water (Ali 2002) Repeated surveyswere made in the study area from the initial survey 7 smallbridges and 4 big bridges were identified and they wereregularly watched for the presence of swallows

After a long period of survey 4 pairs of wire-tailed swallowsthat had occupied 4 big bridges were selected for closerobservation in the study area Among the 4 bridges 2 areinaccessible and the remaining 2 are easy to study thenesting behaviour of the bird Due to lack of manpowernesting data was collected only from the nest located inthe first bridge

Location of the Nest

The swallows started nest construction during the last weekof December 2006 Small mud balls were pasted by thebirds on the vertical wall of the bridge They placed the mudballs 66 cm above the water surface and 2 cm below theceiling The nest was exactly placed 1895 meters from theeast and 3155 meters from the west Most of the time thebirds used the western side for entering into the nestingsite and flew out of the eastern side of the bridge

Nest Building Activity

From the first day itself the nest building activity was observedand the time spent by each partner for nest constructionwas recorded periodically

For the first two days each partner spent equal time forconstruction (18 minutes) the third day the male contributed5937 (19 min) the female 4062 (13 min) the fourthday the male spent 4545 (10 min) female 5454(12 min) the fifth day the male invested 5348 (23 min)female 4654 (20 min) the sixth day male contributed375 (3 min) female 625 (5 min) the seventh day themale spent 6363 (14 min) female 3636 (8 min) the 8th

day male spent 7142 (15min) female 2857 (6 min)the 9th day male contributed 4444 (4 min) female 5555

42 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

(5 min) the 10 th day male spent 6111 (11 min)female 3888 (7 min) the 11th day male spent 6190(13 min) female 3809 ( 8 min) the 12th day male spent2148 (6 min) female 7857 (22 min) and on the 13th daymale spent 2631 (5 min) female spent 7368 (14 min)(Table 1)

On the last two days the female spent more time comparedto male Totally the pair took 13 days to complete the nestand they spent 315 minutes

The proportion test shows there was no significant differencein the time spent on nest building between the male andfemale (Z = 0452 P gt 005) Both sexes had contributedequal amount of time for nest construction The completenest was 55 cm projected away from the vertical surfacethe length was 92 cm and the circumference was 28 cm

DiscussionAn important behavioral reproductive decision of a bird iswhere to place the nest (Cody 1985 Johnson 1994) Birdsuse their nests chiefly to protect themselves their eggsand developing young by constructing nests that areinaccessible armored camouflaged or built in colonies thatprovide safety from predators (Burger and Gochfled 1968Welty 1982)

Nest building behaviour is often associated with courtshipand pair formation in birds it may signal the reproductivecondition of individuals and physiologically stimulate a partner(Collias 1964) There is very little information on the importanceof nest itself and its role in the mate choice (Hoi et al1994)

Soler et al (1998) showed that bird species in which bothsexes build the nest have larger nests than those in whichonly the female builds Nest size (relative to body size) waspositively correlated with the amount of parental investmentNest size indicate the willingness of males to invest inreproduction and it could therefore be a post -mating sexuallyselection trait

Soler et al (1998) discussed that several studies have shownthat nest building ability of males is related to female matechoice and the reproductive success of the pair The femalePenduline tits (Remiz pendulinus) choose the partners basedon the nest quality The nest may indicate the parentalquality experience or genetic quality and female couldtherefore benefit from mating with a superior nest builder

Swallow species especially those that build mud nest areclosely related and have similar nesting behaviors (winklerand shelden 1993) An earlier study in the case of Branswallows (Hirundo rustica) and cliff swallows (Hirundopyrrhonota) showed that they need or expect 4 basicconditions for nest site selection 1) An open area forforaging 2) A suitable surface for nest attachment3) A supply of mud of proper consistency for nest buildingand 4) A body of fresh water for drinking (www 3) Here inour study all the conditions required for nesting were present

According to Winkler and Shelden 1993 Swallow speciesespecially those that build mud nest are closely relatedand have similar nesting behaviors Studies by Moller (1994)in the case of Barn swallows showed that both sexesparticipate in nest building but there is considerable variationin the males contribution which is negatively related to

males tail length Short tailed males invest more in nest

building than long tailed males So investigation on thisaspect is also required in the case of wire tailed swallow Toget a complete picture about the nesting behaviour of thisspecies a long-term scholarly study is required It is a mustin the case of Wire tailed swallow because in 2003 IUCNhas declared that it is one of the threatened birds of India

Summary

The Study was carried out from November 2006 March

2007 in between Pichavaram to Kodiyampalayam roadsidewhich covers a distance of 4 Km With in the 4 Km stretchit has a mixed habitat of agricultural lands emerging andwell developed mangroves and aquaculture ponds

The data was collected from a nest located under the firstbridge from the first day of commencement of nest buildingactivity

Acknowledgewments

We thank our principal DrMVaratharajan and ourManagement for supporting and providing necessary facilitiesto carryout the studies

ReferencesAli Salim 2002 The Book of Indian Birds Bombay Natural History

Society BombayBirds The New Encyclopedia Britannica Macropedia 15th Edition

Chicago IllinoisEncyclopedia Britannica IncBurger J and MGochfled 1988 Nest site selection by Roseate Terns in

Two Tropical Colonies on Culebra Puetro Rico Condor 90 843 851Cody ML 1985 Habitat selection in the sylvine Warblers of Western

Europe and North Africa Page 86 129 In Cody ML (Ed) Habitatselection in Birds Academic press New York

ColliasNE amp ColliasEC 1984 Nest Building Behaviour Princeton NewJersey Princeton University Press

Table 1 Time spent by male and female wire-tailedswallows towards nest building activities

Days Time spent Time spent Contribution Contributionby male in by female of Male of Femaleminutes in minutes in in

27-Dec 18 18 50 50

28-Dec 18 18 50 50

29-Dec 19 13 594 406

30-Dec 10 12 455 545

31-Dec 23 20 535 465

1-Jan 3 5 375 625

2-Jan 14 8 636 364

3-Jan 15 6 714 286

4-Jan 4 5 444 556

5-Jan 11 7 611 389

6-Jan 13 8 619 381

7-Jan 6 22 214 786

8-Jan 5 14 263 737

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 43

Johnson PN 1994Selection and use of nest site by Barn Owls inNorfolk England Raptor Res 28 149 153

GrimmettR and CInskipp 1999 Birds of the Indian Subcontinent Oxford

University press New DelhiHoiH SchleicherB amp ValeraF 1994 Female mate Choice and nest

Desertion in penduline tits Remiz pendulinus the importance Nestquality Animal Behaviour 48 743 746

Newton I 1995 The Contribution of some recent research on birds toecological Understanding JAnim Ecol 64 675 696

Sampath K and KKrishnamurthy 1993 Birds of Pichavaram mangrovesand the Adjoining costal environs JEcolSoc 6 23 28

SolerJJMollerAPamp LindenM1996 Nest building sexual selection andparental investment Evolutionary Ecology12 427 441

Urfi AJ 2003 Breeding ecology of Birds Why do some species nestsingly while others are colonial Resonance 20038 22 32

Welty CJ 1982 The Life of Birds WB Saunders Co LondonWinkler DW and Fh Sheldow 1993 Evolution of nest construction in

swallows (Hirundinidae) a molecular phylogenetic prespectiveProcNatl

Web Based Referenceshttp enwikipediaorgwikiwire-tailed_swallowhttpwwwexplorebiodiversitycomBIRDS Birds of WorldFamilies

Passeriformeshtm

httpladywildlifecomanimalhowbirdsbuildtheirnestshtml

mixed with forested tracts pepper estates banana andcitrus plantations come into view The ensemble of barbetsgreeted us and their choir floated across the forestresounded and reverberated in the surrounding tranquilvalleys as the birds celebrated the advent of yet anotherday The music concert of these Beethovens of the forestwent on till dusk with hardly any respite

While trekking on a bridle path between forest and coffeeplantation we witnessed a male Asian Paradise-Flycatchervigorously patrolling its territory in the coffee plantation whilea juvenile male Asian Paradise-Flycatcher was lurking inthe forest on the opposite side This went on for full onehour and we had to retreat as dusk was descending

Sirumalai hills and the surrounding areas are rich in bird lifeand according to Palani Hills Birdwatchers Society more

than 250 species have been recorded so far We chancedupon the biggest butterfly of South India the SouthernBirdwing butterfly We trekked to Agasthyipuram the earliesthuman settlement in the hills and enroute recorded severalspecies of birds and butterflies such as Chocolate pansyCommon sailor Glad-eye Bush brown Common CerulianSilverstreak blue Angled castor Common Jezebel Crimsonrose Common Bushbrown and Striped Blue tiger

The following is the systematic list of birds observed in Gandhigram Rural

University Campus (GU) Athoor Dam (A) Vadakarai Tank (V) and Sirumalai

Hills (S)

Grebes Podicipedidae

Little grebe (V) Tachybaptus ruficollis (Pallas 1964)

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Great Cormorant (V) Phalacrocorax carbo (Linnaeus 1758)

Darters Anhingidae

Darter (V) Anhinga melanogaster (Pennant 1969)

Herons Egrets and Ardeidae

Bitterns

Little egret (V) Egretta garzetta (Linnaeus 1966)

Large Egret (V) Casmerodius albus (Linnaeus 1758)

Cattle egret (V) Bubulcus ibis (Linnaeus 1758)

Grey heron (V) Ardea cinerea (Linnaeus 1758)

Purple heron (V) Ardea purpurea (Linnaeus 1766)

Indian Pond-heron (V) Ardeola grayii (Sykes 1832)

A Day at Sirumalai in Palni HillsS Ashok Kumar

Plot No 491 Road No 10 Jubilee Hills Hyderabad 500 033

The Palani Hills Birdwatchers Society had organized the

2nd South Indian Birdwatchers Fair in Gandhigram Rural

Universtiy Dindigul from 23rd to 25th February 2007 Duringthe Fair Birdwatching field trips to Athoor dam Vadakaraitank Sirumalai Hills and Gandhigram University Campuswere conducted for the delegates and participants

Our team consisted of Prabhu Asian Wildlife FoundationRahman Education Officer WWF AP Office Hyderabadand myself While travelling in Vaigai Express we sighted10 spot billed pelicans over 200 cattle egrets and 4 greyherons in Chenulpet lake Large extents of the lake marginare invaded by Eichhornia crassipes

Palani hills forming the eastern spur of the Western Ghatsis divided into Upper Palnis in the West covering an area of385 sq kms with an altitude of 2200 mts and the LowerPalanis covering 1683 sq kms with an altitude of 1600 mtslying below Kodaikanal Palani hills region is recognized asa biodiversity hot spot

Sirumalais meaning small hills lie in Lower Palani hillslocated between 10deg07 10deg18N and 77deg55 78deg12 E

with an altitude of 800 mts The hills are rectangular in outlinecovering an area of 317 sq kms The mountain ridge slopesdown North-East on which the only motorable ghat road islaid There are other ridges sloping towards South South-East and East Mullupanrimalai Vellimalai Kalugumalai andMadagamalai are the main peaks Mullapanrimalai beingthe highest (1379 mts) Sattiar Kalankaluviar andSirumalaiar are the three rivulets which flow down the hills

The vegetation consists of tropical dry deciduous forest type(Champion 1936) dry evergreen forests riparian forests andthorn forest with thorny thickets NE monsoon brings thebulk of the annual rainfall while the SW monsoon bringssporadic rains So far 895 floral species belonging to 536 generahave been recorded as a result of systematic exploration

The dales and valleys on either side of the ghat road areclothed with dense forests bisected by jungle streamletsAs we approach Sirumalai Pudur village coffee plantations

44 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

Storks Ciconiidae

Painted stork (V) Mycteria leucocephala (Pennant 1769)

Asian Open-bill stork (V) Anastomus oscitans (Boddaert 1783)

White-necked stork (V) Ciconia episcopus (Boddaert 1783)

Geese amp Ducks Anatidae

Comb duck (V) Sarkidiornis melanotos (Pennant 1969)

Northern Shoveller (V) Anas clypeata (Linnaeus 1758)

Common Pochard (V) Aythya ferina (Linnaeus 1758)

Spot-billed duck (V) Anas acuta (Linnaeus 19581781)

Garganey (V) Anas querquedula (Linnaeus 1958)

Eurasian Wigeon (V) Anas penelope (Linnaeus 1758)

Lesser whistling teal (V) Dendrocygna javanica (Horsfield 1821)

Hawks eagles kites etc Accipitridae

Shikra (GR S) Accipiter badius (Gmelin 1788)

Crested serpent eagle (S) Spilornis cheela (Latham 1790)

Mountain hawk eagle (S) Spizaetus nipalensis (Hodgson 1836)

Black-shouldered kite (GUS) Elanus caeruleus (Desfontaine 1789)

Brahminy kite (V) Haliastur indus (Boddaert 1783)

Pheasants Partridges amp Phasianidae

Quails

Grey Junglefowl (S) Gallus sonneratii (Temminck 1813)

Grey Francolin (A) Francolinus pondicerianus (Gmelin 1789)

Rails Crakes Moorhens Rallidae

coots

White-breasted Waterhen (A) Amaurornis phoenicurus (Pennant 1858)

Purple moorhen (V) Porphyrio porphyrio (Linnaeus 1758)

Common coot (V) Fulica atra (Linnaeus 1758)

Jacanas Jacanidae

Peasant-tailed Jacana (V) Hydrophasianus chirurgus (Scopoli 1786)

Plovers Lapwings etc Charadriidae

Red-wattled Lapwing (A V) Vanellus gregarious (Pallas 1771)

Sandpipers Snipes etc Scolopacidae

Common snipe (V) Gallinago gallinago (Linnaeus 1758)

Common green Shank (V) Tringa nebularia (Gunner 1767)

Common sandpiper (V) Actitis hypoleucos (Linnaeus 1758)

Ibisbill Avocets amp Stilts Recurvirostridae

Black-winged atilt (V) Himantopus himantopus (Linnaeus 1758)

Gulls Terns etc Laridae

Gull-billed Tern (V) Gelochelidon nilotica (Gmelin 1789)

Pigeons amp Doves Columbidae

Spotted dove (S) Streptopelia chinensis (Scopoli 1786)

Emerald dove (A) Chalcophaps indica (Linnaeus 1758)

Parakeets etc Psittacidae

Blue-winged parakeet (S) Psittacula columboides (Vigors 1830)

Cuckoos Malkohas amp Cuculidae

Coucals

Indian plaintive cuckoo (A) Cacomantis passerinus (Vhai 1797)

Pied Crested cuckoo (GU) Clamator jacobinus (Boddaert 1783)

Brainfever Bird (A GU) Hierococcyx varius (Vahl 1797)

Large Greenbilled Malkoha (V) Phaenicophaeus tristis (Lesson 1830)

Greater Coucal (GU A S) Centropus sinensis (Stephens 1815)

Asian Koel (GU A) Eudynamys scolopacea (Linnaeus 1758)

Owis Strigidae

Spotted Owlet (GU) Athene brama (Temminck 1821)

Swifts Apodidae

Alpine swift (S) Tachymarptis melba (Linnaeus 1758)

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

White-breasted King-fisher Halcyon smyrnensis (Linnaeus 1758)

( V S G U )

Small Blue Kingfisher (A) Alcedo atthis (Linnaeus 1758)

Pied kingfisher (V) Lesser Ceryle rudis (Linnaeus 1758)

Bee-eaters Meropidae

Small Bee-eater (S V) Merops orientalis (Latham 1801)

Blue-tailed Bee-eater (V) Merops philippinus (Linnaeus 1766)

Rollers Coraciidae

Indian Roller (GU) Coracias benghalensis (Linnaeus 1758)

Hoopoes Upupidae

Common hoopoe (VS) Upupa epops (Linnaeus 1758)

Barbets Capitonidae

Coppersmith barbet (GUAVS) Megalaima haemacephala (PL Smuller 1776)

White-checked barbet (S) Megalaima viridis (Boddaert 1783)

Great barbet (S) Megalaima virens (Boddaert 1783)

Woodpeckers Picidae

Brown-capped Pigmy

woodpecker (S) Dendrocopos nanus (Vigors 1832)

Black-shouldered

Woodpecker (S) Chrysocolaptes festivus (Boddaert 1783)

Wagtails amp Pipits Motacillidae

Large Pied Wagtail (V S) Motacilla maderaspatensis (Gmelin 1789)

Grey wagtail (S) Motacilla cinerea (Tunstall 1771)

Paddyfield Pipit (V) Anthus rufulus (Vieillot 1818)

Cuckoo-shrikes Campephagidae

Minivets etc

Common Woodshrike (S) Tephrodornis pondicerianus (Gmelin 1789)

Long-tailed Minivet (S) Pericrocotus ethologus (Bangs amp Phillips 1914)

Black-headed cuckoo-Shrike

( G U ) Coracina melanoptera (Ruppell 1839)

Bulbuls Finchbills Pycnonotidae

Red-whiskered bulbul (AS) Pycnonotus jocosus (Linnaeus 1758)

Red-vented bulbul (AS) Pycnonotus cafer (Linnaeus 1766)

White-browed bulbul (AVS) Pycnonotus luteolus (Lesson 1841)

Ioras Leafbird Irenidae

Fairy-Bluebird

Common Iora (GU) Aegithina tiphia (Linnaeus 1758)

Asian Fairy-Bluebird (S) Irena puella (Latham 1790)

Shrikes Laniidae

Bay-backed shrike (GU) Lanius vittatus (Valenciennes 1826)

Thrushes Robins etc Turdinae

Indian Robin (GU) Saxicoloides fulicata (Linnaeus 1776)

Black Redstart (V) Phoenicurus ochruros (Gmelin 1774)

Oriental Magpie-Robin (VRS) Copsychus saularis (Linnaeus 1758)

Pied Bushchat (S) Saxicola caprata (Linnaeus 1766)

Babblers Barwings etc Timaliinae

White-headed babbler (GU) Turdoides affinis (Jerdon 1847)

Prinias Warblers etc Sylviinae

Greenish Leaf-Warbler (S) Phylloscopus trochiloides (Sundevall 1837)

Flycatchers Muscicapinae

Verditer Flycatcher (V S) Eumyias thalassina (Swainson 1838)

Nilgiri Flycatcher (S) Eumyias albicaudata (Jerdon 1840)

Monarch amp Monarchinae

Paradise Flycatchers

Asian Paradise-Flycatcher

(GU A S) Terpsiphone paradisi (Linnaeus 1758)

Sunbirds amp Spiderhunters Nectariniidae

Purple-rumped Sunbird (GU) Nectarinia zeylonica (Linnaeus 1766)

Purple Sunbird (GU) Nectarinia asiatica (Latham 1790)

Little Spiderhunter (GU) Arachnothera longirostra (Latham 1790)

White-eyes Zosteropidae

Oriental White-eye (S) Zosterops palpebrosus (Temminck 1824)

Munias Estrildidae

White-throated Munia (VS) Lonchura malabarica (Linnaeus 1758)

Spotted Munia (V) Lonchura punctulata (Linnaeus 1758)

Starlings amp Mynas Sturnidae

Common Myna (GU) Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus 1766)

Orioles Oriolidae

Eurasian Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus (Linnaeus 1758)

(GU A S)

Black-beaded Oriole (S) Oriolus xanthornus (Linnaeus 1758)

Drongos Dicruridae

Black Drongo (S GU) Dicrurus macrocercus (Vieillot 1817)

Ashy Drongo (S GU) Dicrurus leucophaeus (Vieillot 1817)

White-bellied Drongo (A amp S) Dicrurus caerulescens (Linnaeus 1758)

Greater Racket-tailed Dicrurus paradiseus (Linnaeus 1766)

Drongo (S)

Crows amp Treepies Corvidae

Indian Treepie (GU S) Dendrocitta formosae (Swinhoe 1863)

Jungle Crow (GU) Corvus macrorhynchos (Wagler 1827)

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 45

Pulicat and Point Calimere at different times And also thetheory that species recorded here has some definite linkbetween south Indian wintering birds appears to be truthfulwith the increased population of Pied Avocets Recurvirostraavosetta in Chil ika and in south Indian wetlands(Balachandran et al 2005 Sahana et al 2007)

The pressure on lagoon is immense like encroachmentincreased siltation extensive fishing and tourism Over twolakh fishermen are depending on the lakes resources fortheir livelihood (CDA 2006) The disturbance to the birds isa common sight due to intensive f ishing activitiesrecreational disturbance and the use of mechanized boatsThe constant disturbance discourages foraging costingfeeding time and amplified escape activities and drains muchof the birds energy Eventually it might result in decreasedenergy reserves late arrivallate dispersal to breedinggrounds and in the end reduced reproductive-success(Michael and Kenneth 1984)

An estimated one lakh tourists visit the lake every year (CDA2006) Many boatmen have equipped the small tourist boatswith high wattage loud-speakers with music systemproducing much noise is a common sight Though plastic isbanned one can see a lot of floating wrappers in the lakediscarded by the tourists It is sickening to watch fishesbeing killed by metal blades of crudely mechanized boatsSmall population of Irrawaddy dolphins Orcaella brevirostrisfound in the outer channel are more vulnerable Though ChilikaDevelopment Authority has rejuvenated the lake extraordinarilywell policing and implementation of many defined regulationsare falling short of standard due to (local as well as visiting)publics apathy

With all these hassles the living lagoon is at its bestthroughout the year compared to any other wetland in India(Sathiyaselvam Pers Com) due to its uniqueness And ofcourse has an added advantage of the degradation of manywintering sites in southern sojourn these birds were earlierdependent

Some noteworthy sightings are as follows

d In all 102 identified bird species and a few un-identifiedSnipes and Larger Gulls

d A solitary Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus in thesouth-east waters of Nalaban and a Goliath Heron Ardeagoliath at northern tip of Nalaban

d Huge flocks(5 -10K) of Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelopeGadwall A strepera Northern Pintail A acuta NorthernShoveller A clypeata and Ferruginous Pochard Aythyanyroca

A pilgrimage to Chilika - the Birding Kashi

A Shivaprakash T Girija and A Sharath478 3rd Cross 8th Main Ramakrishna Nagar H Block Mysore - 570022

e-mail adavannerediffmailcom

Chilika with the assemblage of marine brackish andfreshwater ecosystem is recognized as largest water birdscongregation location in Indian subcontinent that hosts 43species of 1 biogeographically known population (Islam andRahmani 2005) Totally 52 rivers and rivulets provide freshwater augmentation to the brackish bay Rich diversity anddensity of avifauna is due to the vast size (1100 sq Km)variation in salinity preferred water depths and rich sediment

We had planned our birding visits at Barkul Nalaban Islandsmudflats of Satpada New sea mouth and Rajhans Island during13th to 18th December 2006 The itinerary was based on thelocations mentioned in the Final report of Habitat evaluation ofChilika lake (Balachandran et al 2005) on the guidance of DrPKRay Scientist-in charge Regional Museum of NaturalHistory Bhubaneswar and Mr Sathiyaselvam Research FellowChilika Project Chandrabani We have spent 32 hours birdingincluding 10 hours on board non-mechanized boats and reston foot Observation was made with a Field scope (Geoma65mm x 20) and a pair of binoculars (Pentex 10 x 25 andTasco 8 x 30)

Barkul shoreline forms western part of lake attracts goodnumber of waders Nalabana Island is situated in the CentralSector of the lake and is said to be hosting 75 of the totalbird population wintering in Chilika Though large flocks ofbirds scatter in many parts of the Lake the major congregationof diverse species was in and around Nalabana IslandExposed mudflats of Satpada provide foraging ground for largecongregation of waders Gregarious Gulls and Terns galleryis displayed in the new sea mouth opened up in the outerchannel recently to provide necessary salinity to Chilika

Our plan of staying entire day and night at Nalaban Islandsbased on A birdwatchers guide to India (Krys and Raj 2001)was later modified due to Orissa Forest Departmentsrestrictions on visitors The entry of mechanized boats intothe Nalaban Islands zone is strictly restricted The island zoneis marked with red polls erected all around that are visible froma quite distance indicating the protected zone Moreover entryto the lake is prohibited to tourists and is strictly enforcedThis measure is safeguarding the interests of avifauna and itshabitat With a rowing boat and a field scope one can watchnumerous birds with ease The congregation of waterfowl isamazing and runs into a few thousands

The waders recorded here are almost similar to those inPulicat Lake and Point Calimere The waders congregationis simply unimaginable It is interesting that the BNHSreport (Balachandran et al 2005) has concluded that withinthe same wintering season the same population of birdsutilise three major water bodies of eastern coast - Chilika

46 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

CORRESPONDENCE

d Smaller flocks(100 -1K) of Common Pochard Aythyaferina Red crested Pochard Rhodonessa rufinaGarganey Anas querquedula Cotton Teal Nettapuscoromandelianus Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosaLittle Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius and Little StintCalidris minuta

d Smaller flocks(lt100) of Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterusruber (Eastern part of Nalaban Island) Spot-billed PelicanPelecanus philippensis Bar-headed Goose Anserindicus Ruddy Shelduck Tadoma ferruginea CommonTeal Anas crecca Spot billed Duck A poecilorhynchaLesser Whistling Teal Dendrocygna javanica CommonRed Shank Tringa totanus Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialisfulva Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus TemminksStint Calidris temminckii Sanderling Calidris alba Brownheaded Gull Larus brunnicephalus and Whiskered TernChlidonias hybridus

d Smaller nos of (lt10) of Asian Open-bill Anastomusoscitans Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata CommonGreen Shank Tringa nebularia Ruff Philomachus pugnaxCaspian Tern Sterna caspia Indian River Tern S aurantiaLittle Tern S albifrons White-winged Tern C leucopterusand Gull billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica

d Few Individuals like Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris Broadbilled Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus and Citrine WagtailMotacillaccitreola

d Raptors l ike White bell ied Sea Eagle Haliaeetusleucogaster (commoner) Pal las Fish Eagle Hleucoryphus (Rajhans Island)

d New terrestrial bird for us -Bank Myna Acridotheresginginianus Asian Pied Sterl ing Sturnus contra(commoner)

Footnote Back from wonderful birding we came across abad news of the death of birds from Chilika (Indian GreenFile 2006) The paper clipping of published article of the AsianAge newspaper dated 12-12-2006 was reprinted in theDecember issue of Indian Green File The report said out ofdead 82 birds 69 were Pintails rest were Shovellers GadwalsBar-headed Goose and Sea eagles and 277 birds werereportedly sick

Acknowledgement

We are indebted to Dr PKRay Scientist-in charge RegionalMuseum of Natural History Bhubaneswar and MrSathiyaselvam Research Fellow Chilika Project Chandrabanifor guidance And we are grateful to Kum Vijayalaxmi andKishendasKR Mysore for their logistic support

ReferencesBalachandarnS RahmaniAR and SathiyaselvamP 2005 Final report

of Habitat evaluation of Chilika Lake with special reference to birdsas bio-indicators Bombay Natural History Society

CDA 2006 Chilika a living lagoon A booklet prepared and circulated byChilika Development Authority Bhubaneswar

Islam MZ and AR Rahmani 2005 Important Bird Areas in India Prioritysites for conservation Mumbai Indian Bird Conservation NetworkBombay Natural History Society and BirdLife International (UK) Pp574-575

Krys Kazmierczak and Raj Singh 2001 A Birdwatchers guide to IndiaOxford University press New Delhi

Michael R Miller Kenneth J Reinecke Nov 1984 Proper Expression ofMetabolizable Energy in Avian Energetics The Condor Vol 86 No4 pp 396-400

SahanaM Kishen DasKR and TanujaDH 2007 Occurrence of PiedAvocet Recurvirostra avosetta near Mysore Karnataka Newsletterfor Birdwatchers Vol 43(1) Pp 14-15

Indian Green File No 228 December 2006 Published by Centre forScience amp environment New Delhi Page 24

poultry that creepeth upon the Earth it is a rare case of

convergence of interests of man and bird against one commonfoe Viewing from this moral high ground the focus of all overefforts must be to contain the spread to isolate the infectedhost organisms and ultimately in the long run neutralizealtogether the H5N1 virus Both the print and the visual mediahave the onerous task to publish thoroughly researched andbalanced reports which are informative and motivating but notpanic-generating

As of now the primary and exclusive host of the H5N1 virus area few species of wild waterfowl and perhaps the entire range ofdomesticated poultry birds though so far only chicken and turkeyare reported infected There is no unanimity among the scientistcommunity yet on the primary source of this virus When it firstmanifested in Taiwan China Hong Kong and Thailand in2001-2003 it was surmised that the primary host are the poultrybirds Quite logically this led to the wholesale culling of about

AN ETHICAL PERSPECTIVE AND PREVENTION OF BIRDFLU Lt Gen (Retd) BALJIT SINGH House 219 Sector 16-AChandigarh 160 015 Ph 2770619

The Bible tells us And God said let us make man in our

image after our likeness and let them have dominion over thefish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over the cattleand over all the Earth and over every creeping thing thatcreepeth upon the Earth

So in the very scheme of evolution man was conceived as theprimary and dominant species Explicit with that privilegedstatus comes mans obligation of dominion implying watch

and ward over the weaker creatures that inhabit his planet ForGod did create man in our image after our likeness whichpresupposed that he would be just and compassionate Andin the instant case where a hitherto unchartered virus H5N1has raised its ugly head with lethal potential both to man andtwo of the meekest of his wards namely the fowl of the air and

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 47

three million birds in these countries Even when in 2004 a fewdead species of the migratory wild water fowl in their breedingareas in China Kazakhstan and Siberia also tested positivethe weight of opinion still maintained that the vector was thedomestic poultry and not the free ranging wild birds

Be that as it may the fact of the matter is that as of now both thewild waterfowl and the domestic poultry are the vectors Whenthis non-discriminating virus enters the host it is of the lowpathogen grade which is non-lethal But once transmitted thevirus begins to mutate and attains snow-balling dimensionsThat is the stage that it becomes a killer and the infected birddies within 2 to 3 days Now where wild bird assemblages areconcerned fortunately they remain fairly scattered and the virustransmission process is comparatively of the lower scale Andin the scheme of Nature there are no recorded cases wherean entire species has been wiped out by an epidemicGenerally up to 70 percent of the virus host species may perishand the remainder in all probability will develop immunity ascreatures in the wild are apparently better equipped to do soHopefully and over a long period of time the subject specieswill regain its optimum population levels

On the other hand where commercial poultry industry isconcerned the birds l ive check by jowl and the virustransmission process is like an inferno At that stage theprobability of infection spreading to human beings is genuineand of a high order Fortunately so far there is no proven caseof transmission of the virus from man to man Neverthelessindividual human beings will be at risk of infection either throughthe aerosol medium (breathing) or through ingestion of aninfected bird or by touch The last two risks can be easilycountered by avoiding poultry from diet for a short while andthis is where media can again play a positive role by arousingconsciousness of all segments of the society

As for the aerosol risk here the State will have the dominantrole All the commercial poultry farms and small scale poultrykeepers and even pigeon fanciers will have to be placed underperiodic and regular surveillance checks by qualified vetsInfected units will have to be shut down and decontaminatedThe industry may even have to be compensated for loss ofrevenue The common man will have to be advised on thesafe buffer-zone to be maintained from all such facilitiesand where that is not feasible to wear face and breathingmasks Even though the counter measures may appearelementary their rigid implementation will test out the measure

of vision and management skills of the government at theCentre and State

Concurrently the migratory and resident water fowlassemblages in the Country will also need monitoring on war-footing Fortunately these sites are all listed out in the NationalDirectory of Wetlands and they number just 145 For instancein Punjab there are three sites only (Ropar Harike and Kanjli)two in Haryana (Sultanpur and Bhindawas) three in Himachal(Pong Renuka and Govindsagar) and just one in UTChandigarh the Sukhna Lake Admittedly there will be manysmaller water-bodies dotting the country-side but for the presentthey need not be put under the scanner

It might be mentioned here that on the face of it the threat frommigratory Waterfowl as vectors of H5N1 to India may be of lowgrade This becomes evident when we look at the migratorypattern of the Bar-headed goose (one of the identified vectors)already mapped out by the wildlife department of the AligarhMuslim University through an on-going project using telemetrytools The time taken by most birds to reach their winteringgrounds in India can vary from 10 to 12 days inclusive of timespent on the stop-over sites enroute Most infected birds willperish in migration before entering India But healthy birdswhich get infected at the last stop-over before India may wellsucceed in bringing the virus

No strategy to combat the H5N1 virus will succeed unless wealso have in place effective and adequate preventive andcurative medicine Fortunately Tamiflu vaccine is claimed tobe a positive safeguard where humans are concerned But thefight against the bird flu will be inconclusive until a veterinaryvariant of Tamiflu is developed on war-footing to provideimmunity to poultry This is where the print and visual mediaare best suited to spread awareness among poultry keepersand pet owners to immunize the birds with same commitmentas we do for infants against polio and small pox

Central to the formulation of plans to combat the crisis shouldbe the fact that the bird was the first and still remains the mostpredominant prey of the virus At this juncture it is the bird whichis beleaguered and it deserves mans empathy much more

than is evident at the moment Given the common resolveeffective management strategies will emerge sooner than laterAnd at the end of it all we would have contained and ultimatelyvanquished the danger of bird flu pandemic both to humankindand to the birds one of mans dominos

d d d

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48 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

PREVALENCE OF SOME MYTHOLOGICAL BELIEFS AMONGRURAL COMMUNITIES OF GUJARAT A CASE STUDY OFCROW (CORVUS Sp) HIREN SONI ASHOK and RITA PATELInstitute of Integrated Study amp Research in Biotechnology ampAllied Sciences (ARIBAS) ADIT Campus New Vidyanagar -388 121 (Gujarat) E-mail hirensoniyahoocom

In the present technocrat world still some cryptic mythologiesin scriptures and Vedas are prevalent among some ruralcommunities of Gujarat They were authoured by our ancestorsbased on their own experience Such mythological beliefs aredirectly or indirectly connected with different types of rites ritualstaboos and traditions of tribesmen in the form of variousastrological paradigms folklores proverbs and quotablequotes in ancient literature In prehistoric times our Kings andBaronets used to take the guidance of priests to predict andprepare for the natural calamities such as cyclones faminesflood and heavy rainfalls They were often referred to asForecasting of Future During such times various types of

prophecies were inferred by deciphering various birdcalls theirbehaviour nesting location and feeding patterns According tosome mythological beliefs crows act as a good forecasteramong birds and are also indicators of good or bad omens(Jadav 2004) Some of the well-known inferences from variousproverbs are as follows

1 A crow builds its nest on eastern side of a tree on topbranch in the month of May - Heavy rainfall good quality ofcrop and a good omen for any religious ceremony

2 Nest on western side of a tree - Better rain and bettercrop-yield but grave epidemics

3 Nest on top canopy of a tree - Moderate rain4 Nest in middle canopy of a tree - Insufficient rainfall and

scarcity of water5 Nest on north or north-west side of a tree Overall good year

6 Crows search for food in dust instead of open grounds andgarbage - Hike in prices of cereals crops grains and othercommodities

7 Crow gives harsh calls from a dry tree Insufficient rain

and scarcity of water8 Nest on south-east corner of a tree - Famine starvation

water crisis food shortage and theft of eatables and othercommon commodities

9 Nest on the stem of a tree instead of its branch - Scantyrain paucity of water spreading of some contagiousdisease and theft of livelihood goods

10 Nest on north-west corner of a tree - Possibility of cycloneshurricanes and thunderstorms increase in population ofrodents in houses and crop-fields scarcity of food fodderfuelwood and fiber

11 Nest on south-east corner of a tree - Late arrival of monsoonwith cyclones and storms with low rainfall famine robberyand mass-scale war Cover Jungle Myna (Acridotheres fuscus) Probably every

Indian knows either one or other of our two common mynas Junglemynas perch in pairs or trios on their favorite trees or walk along theground with rapid determined steps stopping occasionally to preenor bob heads stiffly to utter warning notes Throughout the daymynas maintain a varied rollick of high pitched grackles or pleasantliquid notes to express their diverse moods such as delight fearresentment or anguish Being omnivores they feed on grubs fruitsgrains crumbs and morsels They nest in tree holes cracks inwalls chimneys and thatched roofs Mynas at times are branded asreckless usurpers of the nests of other birds Photo S Shreyas

Address for Correspondence

Newsletter for BirdwatchersNo 10 Sirur Park B Street SeshadripuramBangalore 560 020 India Tel 080 2356 1142 2346 4682E-mail ltnavbaratgmailcomgtPrinted and Published bi-monthly by S Sridhar atNavbharath Enterprises Seshadripuram Bangalore - 560 020 IndiaFor Private Circulation Only

12 Nest towards the south - Epidemic and battle among localtribes

13 Nest on dome of temple old fort crematorium or flat ground- Heavy drought deadly epidemics robbery and anarchy

14 Nest on dead or dry tree - Political dilemma dispute amongbaronets and large-scale destruction of crops due to heavyflood

15 Crow gives frequent calls in front of the door Brings prestige

and wealth to the owner of that house16 Crow sits on top of the front door with rigorous flapping -

House will be damaged by fire within a week17 Crow sits on latch or hanging garland of the door and call

erratically with sideways movement of its body - Owner ofthat house and his neighboring person will be wealthierwithin a short period

Thus behaviour calls display feeding patterns nestinglocations and other allied activities of crows form an integralpart in lives of many village inhabitants of Gujarat State Similartypes of literature hunt associated with field trials on callingpatterns behaviour nesting sites and feeding practices in otherbirds also would be an additional adage and will be a goodsubject for methodical evaluation of these beliefs in future

ReferenceJadav J (2004) Crows The Forecasters of Future In The Pearls of

Folklore Gujarat Samachar (18th July 2004) Sunday Supplement P 3

Distribution map of Oriental Darter Dot sizes are proportional tothe maximum species counts between 1997-2001

Source Numbers and distribution of waterbirds and wetlandsin the Asia-Pacific region Results of the Asian WaterbirdCensus 1997-2001 Wetland International Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Page 4: May-June  2007

36 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

types as well as at the water bodies in and around thesanctuary On the other hand a few birds were recordedduring the behavioral study of non-human primates withDr Dilip Chetry Apart from this chance encounters werealso recorded while studying the movements of butterfliesaround HGS with Miss Monimala Saikia Furthermore birdswere also recorded while working as a voluntary guide for anumber of wildlife lovers The identifications were based onS Ali (2002) AU Choudhury (2000) RK Das (2006)R Grimmett C Inskipp T Inskipp (1999) Eric Simms(1990) H Edwin Barnes (1981) Hugh Whistler (1986) JoelCarl Wetly (Third Edition) Bruce Campbell Donald Waston(1984) Frank Finn (1981) Arthur A Allen (1961) RA Hinde(1969) Jean Dorst (1974) Vishwa Mohan Tiwari (2002) KrysKazmierczak (2003) B Grewal B Harvey P Fister (2002)

Limitations of the survey

There werent any previous checklists of the birds of HGS

High density canopy cover was another problem for datacollection inside the sanctuary In many cases accurateidentification of birds hinged on listening to bird callsalso Therefore bird calls were also very much essential fordata collection

Moreover there are some other problems like inclementweather and potential threats from wild Elephants TigersLeopards King Cobras and Pythons etc

The presence of leeches in good numbers also disturbedand broke the concentration of study during rainy season

Physico- ecological set up of the sanctuary

Topographically the surface of the sanctuary is gentlesloping down from south-east to north-west whichessentially exhibits a very smooth and continuousinteraction of down slope and high slope ecosystem withinthe sanctuary The westward shifting river Bhogdoi adinterimcreates a waterlogged area along the periphery of thesanctuary which is yet to be brought under the jurisdictionof the sanctuary But the sanctuarys diverse topography

is yet to be clearly studied before delineating it on the basisof its micro level difference in slope characteristics anddistribution of flora Semi hydrophytic plants are dominantin the down slope region while no hydrophytic plants growin the up slope zone of the sanctuary On the other handthe low-lying patch formed by the shifting of Bhogdoi Riverat the west exhibits a distinctly different ecological set upThe sanctuary therefore consists of three zones of microecosystems Those are (a) Up slope zone (90-96 mts)(b) Down slope zone (885-90 mts) (c) Flood prone zone(lt 885 mts)

Conservation Problems

There are more than five villages and four tea gardens around

the sanctuary inhabited by more than ten thousand peopleMost of the people of those villages and tea gardens dependupon the Sanctuary for their daily firewood traditionalmedicine and forest produce At the same time there aremore then twenty Cattle Khuties near the river BhogdoiThe owners of those Khuties generally collect huge

quantities of grass and leaves from the Sanctuary for theircattle On the other hand a group of people illegally collectwood for wood-coal which is used by washer-men of nearestcity and town Herbicides and pesticides used by the teagardeners for higher yields of tea by and large tricklesthrough the drains to the sanctuary during the rainy season

Suggestions

It is necessary to include fallow government lands underthe jurisdiction of the Sanctuary and this will certainly enlargethe space for the birds

Waterlogged area created by river Bhogdoi should also bebrought under the jurisdiction of the sanctuary This area isan important place for wetland birds

Emphasis should be given to develop a more viable andfeasible dense forest cover to provide food and shelter forthe inhabitants of the sanctuary

The route of the drains of the tea gardens bordering thesanctuary should be changed Otherwise they will createmore and more problems for the wildlife in the coming years

By providing alternate resources to the livelihood and bycreating awareness among people of neighboring villagesand tea gardens the destruction of the forest could bebrought down significantly

Checklist of the Birds ofHoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary

The following checklist includes all 219 species that have beenrecorded by the author in and around the sanctuary

The following abbreviations have been used for species status symbols

BR = Breeding Resident R = Resident WV = Winter visitorP = Passage migrant L = Local amp altitudinal migrant C = CommonS = Stray or Vagrant U = Uncommon O = Occasional SV= SummerVisitor

Habitat A = Aerial D = Distributed areas (including cultivation ampTea Gardens) G = Grasses under shrub OA = Open areasSF = Semi-evergreen forest WT = Water bodies (including theriver Bhogdoi amp the drains inside the Sanctuary)

Threat category according to Birdlife International (2001) has beengiven as below

EN = Endangered VU = Vulnerable DD = Data deficient NT = Nearthreatened RR = Restricted range

The common English and scientific names are followed by statussymbols threat category and type of habitant

Order Galliformes Family PhasianidaePheasants

1 Red Junglefowl Gallus gallus BR C SF2 Kalij Pheasant Lophura leucomelanos BRC G SF

Order Anseriformes Family AcaridaeDucks

3 Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea WV U WT4 Common Teal Anas crecca WV C WT5 Common Pochard Aythya ferina WV U WT

Order Piciformes Family Picidae

Piculets Woodpeckers

6 Speckled Piculet Picumnus innominatus RC SF

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 37

7 White-Browed Piculet Sasia ochracea R C SF8 Rufous Woodpecker Celeus brachyurus BR C SF9 Grey-Capped Pygmy woodpecker

Dendrocoposcanicapillus RU SF10 Fulvous-Breasted Woodpecker Dendrocopos macei R C SF11 Lesser Yellownape Picus chlorolophus BR C SF12 Greater Yellownape Picus flavinucha BR C SF13 Streak-Throated Woodpecker Picus xanthopygaeus BR U SF14 Grey-Headed Woodpecker Picus canus R U SF15 Himalayan flameback Dinopium shorii R U SF16 Common Flameback Dinopium javanense R U SF17 Greater Flameback Chrysocolaptes lucidus BR C SF

Order Piciformes Megalaimidae Family Capitonidae

Barbets

18 Lineated Barbet Megalaima lineata BR C SF19 Golden-Throated Barbet Megalaima franklinii BR U SF20 Blue-Throated Barbet Megalaima asiatica Br C SF21 Blue-Eared Barbet Megalaima australis BR U SF22 Coppersmith Barbet Megalaima haemacephala BR C SF

Order Coraciiformes Bucerotiformes Family Bucerotidae

Hornbills

23 Oriental Pied Hornbill Anthracoceros albirostris BR C SF24 Great Hornbill Buceros bicornis BRUNT SF

Order Coraciiformes Upupiformes Family Upupidae

Hoopoe

25 Common Hoopoe Upupa epops BRLCOA SF D

Order Trogoniformes Family Trogonidae

Trogon

26 Red-Headed Trogon Harpactes erythrocephalus L C SF

Order Coraciiformes Family Coraciidae

Rollers

27 Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis BRC OASF D28 Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis R C OA SF D

Order Coraciiformes Family Alcedinidae Halcyonidae Cerylydae

Kingfishers

29 Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis BR C WT30 Stork-Billed Kingfisher Halcyon capensis BR U WT31 White-Throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis BR C OA WT D32 Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis BR C WT

Order Coraciiformes Family Meropidae

Bee-eaters

33 Blue-Bearded Bee-eater Nyctyornis athertoni R L U OA SF D34 Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis R C OASF35 Blue-Tailed Bee-eater Merops philippinus R L C OA SF36 Chestnut-Headed Bee-eater Merops leschenaulti R L U OASF

Order Cuculiformes Family Cuculidae Centropodidae

Cuckoos

37 Pied Cuckoo Clamator jacobinus U SF38 Chestnut-Winged Cuckoo Clamator coromandus O SV U SF39 Common Hawk Cuckoo Hierococcyx varius O SF40 Indian cuckoo Cuculus micropterus P C SF41 Plaintive Cuckoo Cacomantis merulinus R C SF42 Asian Emerald Cuckoo Chrysococcyx maculatus P U SF43 Drongo Cuckoo Surniculus lugubris P U SF44 Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopacea R L C SF45 Greater Coucal Centropus sinensis BR U SF46 Lesser Coucal Centropus bengalensis BR C SF

Order Psittaciformes FAMILY PsittacidaeParrots

47 Alexandrine Parakeet Psittacula eupatria R C SF48 Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri BR C SF49 Red-Breasted Parakeet Psittacula alexandri BR C SF50 Blossom-Headed Parakeet Psittacula roseate U SF

Order Apodiformes Family ApodidaeSwifts

51 Himalayan Swiftlet Collocalia brevirostris P U A52 Asian Palm Swift Cypsiurus balasiensis R U A53 House Swift Apus affinis R U A

Order Strigiformes Family Strigidae TytonidaeOwls

54 Mountain scops owl Otus spilocephalus O SF55 Oriental Scops Owl Otus sunia WV U SF56 Collared Scops Owl Otus bakkamoena R U SF57 Brown Fish Owl Ketupa zeylonensis R U OA SF58 Collared Owlet Glaucidium brodiei R C SF59 Asian Barred Owlet Glaucidium cuculoides BR L C SF OA60 Spotted Owlet Athene brama BR C OA SF61 Brown Hawk Owl Ninox scutulata R C SF

Order Caprimulgiformes Family CaprimulgidaeNightjars

62 Grey Nightjar Caprimulgus indicus O G63 Large-Tailed Nightjar Caprimulgus macrurus BR L C G

Order Columbiformes Family ColumbidaePigeons Doves

64 Ashy Wood Pigeon Columba pulchricollis U SF65 Green Imperial Pigeon Ducula aenea BR C SF66 Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis BR C OA SF

67 Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis BR C OA SF68 Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica BR C SF69 Pompadour Green pigeon Treron pompadora O SF70 Yellow-Footed Green Pigeon Treron phoenicoptera R C SF

Order Gruiformes Family RallidaeRails

71 White-Breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus BR C WT D72 Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio BRC WT73 Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus BR C WT

Order CharadriiformesCiconiiformesFamily CharadriidaeScolopacidae

Snipes Sandpipers Plover74 Common snipe Gallinago gallinago WV C WT OA75 Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia WV C WT76 Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola WV C WT77 Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos WV C WT78 Little Ring Plover Charadrius dubius WVC WT79 Red-Wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus BR C WT OA

Order CharadriiformesCiconiiformes Family JacanidaeJacana80 Pheasant-tailed Jacana Hydrophasianus chirurgus BR C WT81 Bronze-Winged Jacana Metopidius indicus BR C WT

Order CharadriiformesCiconiiformes Family LaridaeTern82 River Tern Sterna aurantia R C WT

Order Falconiformes Ciconiiformes Family AccipitridaeEagles83 Black Baza Aviceda leuphotes R L U OA84 Black kite Milvus migrans R C OA

38 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

85 Grey-Headed Fish Eagle Ichtyophaga ichthyaetus BR C NT WT86 Crested Serprent Eagle Spilornis cheela BR C OA SF87 Pied Harrier Circus melanoleucos WVU OAWT88 Shikra Accipiter badius R C OA A89 Black-shouldered kite Elanus caeruleus BR C OA

Order Pelecaniformes CiconiiformesFamily Phalacrocoracidae Anhingidae

Cormorants

90 Darter Anhinga melanogaster U NT WT91 Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger BR C WT92 Indian Cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscicollis R U WT93 Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo L U WT

Order Ciconiformes Ciconiiformes Family Ardeidae

Egrets Herons

94 Little Egret Egretta garzetta BR C WT95 Great Egret Casmerodius albus R C WT96 Intermediate Egret Mesophoyx intermedia R C WT97 Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis BR C OA D98 Indian Pond Heron Ardeola grayii R C WT99 Little Heron Butorides striatus BR C WT100 Black-Crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax BR C WT

Order Ciconiformes Ciconiiformes Family Ciconiidae

Storks

101 Asian Openbill Anastomus oscitans BR C WT102 Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus RLC VU WT

Order Passeriformes Family Zosteropidae

White-eye

103 Orienta White-eye Zosterops palpebrosus BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Family Irenidae Corvidae

Ioras Leafbirds

104 Asian Fairy Bluebird Irena puella U SF105 Golden-Fronted Leafbird Chloropsis aurifrons R C SF106 Orange-Bellied Leafbird Chloropsis hardwickii R U SF107 Common Iora Aegithina tiphia BRCSF

Order Passeriformes Family LaniidaeShrikes

108 Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus WV C OASF109 Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach WVC OA SF110 Grey-backed Shrike Lanius tephronotus WVCOA SF

Order Passeriformes Family CorvidaeMagpies Crows

111 Rufous Treepie Dendrocitta vagabunda BR C SF112 Grey Treepie Dendrocitta formosae R L U SF113 Collared Treepie Dendrocitta frontalis U SF114 House Crow Corvus splendens BR C OA115 Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos BR C OA SF

Order Passeriformes Family Oriolidae CorvidaeOrioles

116 Black-hooded Oriole Oriolus xanthornus BRC SF117 Maroon Oriole Oriolus traillii U SF

Order Passeriformes Family Campephagidae CorvidaeCuckoo-shrikes Minivets

118 Large Cuckoo-shrike Coracina macei R C SF119 Black-winged Cuckoo-shrike Coracina melaschistos L U SF120 Rosy Minivet Pericrocotus roseus R U SF121 Small Minivet Pericrocotus cinnamomeus R U SF122 Long-tailed Minivet Pericrocotus ethologus U SF123 Short-billed Minivet Pericrocotus brevirostris L C SF

124 Scarlet Minivet Pericrocotus flammeus R C SF125 Black-naped Monarch Hypothymis azurea BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Family DicruridaeCorvidae

Drongos

126 Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus BR C OA SF127 Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus RWVCOA SF128 Bronzed Drongo Dicrurus aeneus LWVCOA SF129 Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo Dicrurus remifer BR C SF130 Spangled Drongo Dicrurus hottentottus R C SF131 Greater Racket-tailed Drongo Dicrurus paradiseus R C SF

Order Passeriformes Family MuscicapidaeCorvidaeSub-family Muscicapinae

Flycatcher

132 Ferruginous Flycatcher Muscicapa ferruginea R C SF133 Red-throated Flycatcher Ficedula parva WV C SF134 Little Pied Flycatcher Ficedula westermanni L C SF135 Slaty-blue Flycatcher Ficedula tricolor WV C SF137 Verditer Flycatcher Eumyias thalassina WV C SF137 Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica U SF138 White-throated Fantail Rhipidura albicollis C SF139 Large Niltava Niltava grandis WVC SF140 Small Niltava Niltava macgrigoriae WVC SF141 Rufous-bellied Niltava Niltava sundara L C SF142 Pale-chinned Flycatcher Cyornis poliogenys R U SF143 Blue-throated Flycatcher Cyornis rubeculoides WV U SF144 Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher

Culicicapa ceylonensis WV C SF145 Asian Paradise-flycatcher Terpsiphone paradisi BR U SF

Order Passpriformes Family Muscicapidae Sub-family Turdinae

Thrushes Chats

146 White-tailed Rubythroat Luscinia pectoralis WV C SF147 Oriental Magpie Robin Copsychus saularis BR C OA SF148 White-rumped Shama Copychus malabaricus BR C SF149 Daurian Redstart Phoenicurus auroreus WV C SF150 White-tailed Robin Myiomela leucura WV O SF151 Common Stonechat Saxicola torquata WV C OA152 Grey Bushchat Saxicola ferrea WV U G SF153 Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius BR U SF154 Scaly Thrush Zoothera dauma BR C SF155 Black-breasted Thrush Turdus dissimilis R C SF156 Dark-throated Thrush Turdus ruficollis BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Family Sturnidae

Starlings Mynas

157 Spot-winged Starling Saroglossa spiloptera WV C SF158 Chestnut-tailed Starling Sturnus malabaricus R C OA SF159 Asian Pied Starling Sturnus contra BR C SF160 Brahminy Starling Sturnus pagodarum S SF161 Common Myna Acridotheres tristis BRCOAG SF162 Bank Myna Acridotheres ginginianus S OA SF163 Jungle Myna Acridotheres fuscus BR C OA SF164 White-vented Myna Acridotheres cinereus BR C OA SF165 Hill Myna Gracula religiosa BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Family SittidaeCertihiidae

Nuthatches and Creeper

166 Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch Sitta castanea R C SF167 Velvet-fronted Nuthatch Sitta frontalis R U SF

Order Passeriformes Family Paridae

Tits or Titimice

168 Great Tit Parus major L U SF169 Sultan Tit Melanochlora sultanea BR C SF

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 39

Order Passeriformes Family Hirundinidae

Swallows

170 Plain Martin Riparia paludicola R L C A SF171 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica L A WT

Order Passeriformes Family Pycnonotidae

Bulbuls

172 Red-whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus BR C SF173 Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer BR C SF174 White-throated Bulbul Alophoixus flaveolus R L C SF175 Ashy Bulbul Hemixos flavala O SF176 Black Bulbul Hypsipetes leucocephalus WV C SF

Order PasseriformesFamily MuscicapidaeSylviidaeCistioolidae

Warblers

177 Grey-brested Prinia Prinia hodgsonii O G178 Yellow-bellied Prinia Prinia flaviventris R C G179 Slaty-bellied Tesia Tesia olivea L C SF180 Pale-footed Bush Warbler Cettia pallidipes WV O G181 Grey-sided Bush Warbler Cettia brunnifrons WV U G182 Paddy Field Warbler Acrocephalus agricola WV C G183 Common Tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius RCGOASF184 Dusky Warbler Phylloscopus fuscatus WV C G SF185 Smoky Warbler Phylloscopus fuligiventer WV C G SF186 Tickells Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus affinis WV C G SF187 Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides WV C SF188 Yellow-vented Warbler Phylloscopus cantator WV U G SF189 White-spectacled Warbler Zosterops palpebrosus C G SF

Order Passeriformes Family MuscicapidaeSylviidaeSub-family Timaliinae

Babblers

190 Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush Garrulax monileger R C SF191 Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush Garrulax pectoralis R C SF192 Rofous Necked Laughingthrush Garrulax ruficollis BR C SF193 Abbotts Babbler Malacocincla abbotti U G SF194 Buff-breasted Babbler Pellorneum tickelli R U SF195 Puff-throated Babbler Pellorneum ruficeps BR C SF196 White-browed Scimitar Babbler

Pomatorhinus schisticeps R C G SF197 Chestnut- Capped Babbler Timalia pileata BR U G198 Grey-thorated Babbler Stachyris nigriceps L C SF199 Striped Tit Babbler Macronous gularis BR C SF200 Yellow-eyed Babbler Chrysomma sinense U G SF201 Chestnut-capped Babbler Timalia pileata BR C G202 Rufous-winged Bushlark Mirafra assamica BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Family Dicaeidae Nectariniidae

Flowerpeckers

203 Pale-bellied Flowerpecker Dicaeum erythrorhynchos R L CSF204 Plain Flowerpecker Dicaeum concolor R C SF205 Scarlet-backed Flowerpecer Dicaeum cruentatum R C SF206 Thick-billed Flowerpecker Dicaeum agile C SF

Order Passeriformes Family Nectarinidae

Sunbirds

207 Ruby-cheeked Sunbird Anthreptes singalensis L C SF208 Purple Sunbird Nectarinia asiatica R U SF209 Crimson Sunbird Aethopyga siparaja BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Sub-family Passerinae

Sparrows

210 House Sparrow Passer domesticus BR C OA D211 Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus R C SF

Order Passeriformes Family MotacillidaePasseridae

Wagtails amp Pipits

212 White Wagtail Motacilla alba WVCOAWTD213 Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea WVCOAWT214 Paddyfield Pipit Anthus rufulus R C OA D215 Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni WV C SF216 Rosy Pipit Anthus roseatus WV C OA G

Order Passeriformes Sub-amily EstrildinaePasseridae

Munias

217 White-rumped Munia Lonchura striata BR U G218 Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata BR U G219 Black-headed Munia Lonchura malacca BR U G

Acknowledgements

I acknowledge with gratitude for the formal permission givento me by Mr AK Das DFO Jorhat Forest DivisionJorhat Assam to conduct this study I also acknowledgewith gratitude for his continuous encouragement given byMr G Saikia ACF Jorhat Forest Division Jorhat Assam

I am extremely grateful to Mr Ranjan Kumar Das ofTinsukia Mr BP Lahkar of Aaranyak and Mr Sanjay Das

of Guijan (Tinsukia) with whom I have had the opportunitiesto discuss about the identification of birds and I thank them

for their constant encouragement

I am also thankful to the Range Officer of Mariani Mr JBaruah and Beat Officer of the Meleng Beat Mr Haidar Aliand Mr Deepak Bordoloi for their help during the study

I am extremely thankful to Dr Dilip Chetry for without hisequipment and moral support I could not have completedthis work I am thankful to Mr Bhupendranath GoswamiLecturer of Mariani College for permitting me to use themaps drawn by him during my study

Finally special thanks to the members of GibbonConservation Centre Hoollongapar Natures Society ForestStaff of Meleng Beat Teachers and Student friends ofNakachari College Manjit Bora Co-ordinator of AaranyakUpper Assam Circle Arnab Bora of Tinsukia and MonimalaSaikia of AAU Jorhat Assam

ReferencesAli S (2002) The Book of Indian Birds 13th Edition BNHS Oxford

Bombay

Allen A A (1961) The Book of Bird Life D Van Nostrand CompanyINC

Barness H E (1981) The Birds of India Cosmo Publication NewDelhi

Campbell B Watson D (1984) The Illustrated Book of Birds PeerageBooks

Choudhury A U (2002) The Birds of Assam Gibbon Books WWF

Das R (2006) Pokhir Kakolit Dibru-Saikhowa Minivet PublicationsTinsukia Assam

Dorst J (Translated by I C J Galbraith 1974) The life of Birds Vol-2 Weidenfeld and Nicolson London

Finn F (1981) Garden Birds of India Cosmo Publications New delhi

Girmmett R Inskipp C Inskipp T (2000) Pocket Guide to the Birdsof Indian Subcontinent Oxford University Press

40 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

Goswami B Sarmah P (1994-2004) Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary anapproach for Sustainable development Mariani College Magazine

Grewal B Harvey B and Fister OP (2002) A Photographic Guide

to the Birds of India amp the Indian Subcontinent including PakistanNepal Bhutan Bangladesh Sri Lanka amp Maldives (HK) LimitedPeriplus Editions

Hinde R A Edited (1969) Birds Vocalizations Cambridge UniversityPress

Kazmierczak K (2003) A Field Guide to the Birds of India Sri LankaPakistan Nepal Bhutan Bangladesh and the Maldives Om BookService

141 endemic species New species are continually beingadded to the regions list

Even though Indian subcontinent has good bird diversityscientific studies on a number of birds their general biologyreproduction and behavioral ecology have not beenundertaken so far or even attempted The Wire tailed Swallow(Hirundo smithii) is one among them According to IUCN2003 it is one of the threatened birds of India

Wire tailed Swallow is a small passerine bird in theHirundinidae family All the Swallows belong to the orderPasseriformes Birds of this order are the most highly evolvedof all birds and are highly adaptative to all terrestrial terrainsThis order has the largest number of bird species with over5100 different kinds of birds In this order the birds havefragile bones and as a result they are rarely fossilized andgive few clues to their evolution (Encyclopedia Britannica)

World wide 89 swallow species are recorded We can seeswallows in every continent except Antarctica In the caseof Wire tailed Swallow two species have been recordedthe African form (Hirundo smithii filifer) and the Asian form(Hirundo smithii) These two species of Wire - tailed Swallowbreed in Africa south of Sahara and in tropical southern Asiafrom the Indian subcontinent to Southeast Asia respectivelyA number of swallows are migrant but the Wire tailed Swallowis a resident species The species gets the name from itsvery long filamentous outermost tail feathers which trailbehind like two wires (www 1)

The color of birds their songs shapes habitats and behaviorare all fascinating However a little more effort will showanother much-varied dimension of the bird world their

nests They construct their nests from a variety of materialand in a variety of locations (www 2)Key words Wire tailed swallow Mud nest Soil texture

Studies on the role of partners in Nest BuildingActivity of the Wire Tailed Swallow (Hirundo smithii)

in Kodiyampalayam area near Pichavaram MangrovesS Sandilyan K Thiyagesan and S Saravanan

Division of Wildlife biology AVCCollege Mannampandal Mayiladuthurai - 609305 Tamil Nadu India6A18c No 5 New Street Mayiladuthurai - 609001 Tamil Nadu India

e-mail ssandilyangmailcom

Wire tailed Swallows (Hirundo smithii) construct mud nestscomposed of sand silt and clay and plant materials Theirnests were found under the bridges in the Kodiyampalayamarea near the Pichavaram Mangrove Tamilnadu India Boththe partners are involved in nest building The proportiontest shows there was no significant difference in the timespent on nest building between the male and female(Z = 0452 P gt 005) The breeding pair had contributedequal amounts of time for nest construction The completednest was 55 cm wide projecting away from the verticalsurface the length was 92 cm and the circumference was28 cm

Introduction

Aves are a familiar feature of our environment and everyone notices them It is small wonder that birdwatching issuch a popular pastime the world over Due to their variedlifestyles conspicuousness diurnal habits and interestingplumage and calls birds are also regarded as good subjectsfor exploring a number of questions of ecological andconservation significance (Urfi 2003) They are also idealbioindicators and useful models for studying a variety of

environmental problems Presently more attention is beinggiven to conservation monitoring and ecological studies(Newton 1995)

Indian subcontinent is rich in avian species This is partlybecause of its wide altitudinal range extending from sealevel up to summit of the Himalayas Another reason is thehighly varied climate and associated diversity of vegetation(Grimmett R 1999) As many as 13 of the worlds birds

have been recorded in the Indian subcontinent This includes

Saikia G (2002) A Brochure on Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary JorhatForest Division

Simms E (1990) Woodland Birds Bloomsbury Books LondonTiwari V M (2002) Joy of Bird Watching NBT IndiaWelty J C (Third Edition) The Life of Birds Saunder College PubishingWhistler H (1986) Handbook of Indian Birds Cosmo Publications

New Delhi

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 41

Birds build nests in many shapes sizes and locations from tree holes to tunnels from twig platforms to tiny cupsof mud but all provide security warmth and safety for

their eggs and young Nest building is an inherited skill thatbirds have developed to improve the chances of the survivalof their progeny The variety of design and constructionreflects the differing needs of each species and theiradaptability to the habitats and utilization of availablematerials (www 3)

In the case of wire tailed swallow studies about their nestingbehavior nest material preferences and the contribution ofbreeding partners for nest building had not been attemptedso far in South Indian conditions In order to fill the lacunathe current study was designed

The present study describes the nesting behavior ofwire-tailed swallow especially the time spent by each

partner for constructing the mud nest in between

Pichavaram to Kodiyampalayam area (N 1139deg and

E 7979deg) which has a unique mangrove habitat After a long

period of survey in this area 4 nest sites of wire tailedswallows were identified under the bridges in a 4 Km stretchThe birds fixed their half bowl mud nest under the bridgesAmong the 4 nests studied one was so high that it couldnot be reached and the remaining three were accessible

The main objectives of the present study are

To study the nesting site preferences of wire tailedswallow in Pichavaram Mangrove region

Study the contributions of each partner in building themud nest in the study area

Record the time spent by each partner to construct themud nest and

To provide general information on this species andto identify additional opportunities for research onthis species

Study Area

The present study was carried out in between Pichavaramto Kodiyampalayam which covers a distance of 4 Km Thestudy area is located in (N 1139deg and E79deg) in Tamilnadu

India The first 3 Km stretch comes under the Cuddaloredistrict and the remaining 1 Km area area comes under theNagai district of Tamilnadu The temperature in and aroundPichavaram mangrove ranges between 20degC and 37degC The

study area receives rainfall mostly during southwestmonsoon (July to September) The total annual rainfall isabout 1300 mm (Sampath 1993)

3 nests were recorded in the Nagai district of the studyarea and remaining nest was recorded in the Cuddaloredistrict One of the nests in the Nagai district was at aconsiderable height which was inaccessible

The first nest ie towards Pichavaram to Kodiyampalayamis surrounded by agriculture lands emerging mangrove andactive aqua farms the second and third bridges are surroundedby well developed mangrove and the fourth nest wassurrounded by mangrove vegetation as well as thorny bushes

The entire data was collected form the first nest in thestudy area

Materials amp MethodsThe study was carried out between November 2006 andMarch 2007 Data was collected on all week ends (Saturdayand Sunday) during the study period However during theactual nest building period (December) data was collectedon all the 13 days of nest construction

The birds were observed directly or with the aid of binoculars(7 X 50) depending on the distance from the nest

Nest measurements include height above the groundprojection from the vertical surface and the length of thenest using a centimeter scale A thread was used to measurethe circumference of the nest

For identifying the bird the field guides (Ali 2002 andGrimmett 1999) were used

Observation and Results

The wire tailed swallow is a highly territorial bird and confinedto the neighborhoods of water (Ali 2002) Repeated surveyswere made in the study area from the initial survey 7 smallbridges and 4 big bridges were identified and they wereregularly watched for the presence of swallows

After a long period of survey 4 pairs of wire-tailed swallowsthat had occupied 4 big bridges were selected for closerobservation in the study area Among the 4 bridges 2 areinaccessible and the remaining 2 are easy to study thenesting behaviour of the bird Due to lack of manpowernesting data was collected only from the nest located inthe first bridge

Location of the Nest

The swallows started nest construction during the last weekof December 2006 Small mud balls were pasted by thebirds on the vertical wall of the bridge They placed the mudballs 66 cm above the water surface and 2 cm below theceiling The nest was exactly placed 1895 meters from theeast and 3155 meters from the west Most of the time thebirds used the western side for entering into the nestingsite and flew out of the eastern side of the bridge

Nest Building Activity

From the first day itself the nest building activity was observedand the time spent by each partner for nest constructionwas recorded periodically

For the first two days each partner spent equal time forconstruction (18 minutes) the third day the male contributed5937 (19 min) the female 4062 (13 min) the fourthday the male spent 4545 (10 min) female 5454(12 min) the fifth day the male invested 5348 (23 min)female 4654 (20 min) the sixth day male contributed375 (3 min) female 625 (5 min) the seventh day themale spent 6363 (14 min) female 3636 (8 min) the 8th

day male spent 7142 (15min) female 2857 (6 min)the 9th day male contributed 4444 (4 min) female 5555

42 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

(5 min) the 10 th day male spent 6111 (11 min)female 3888 (7 min) the 11th day male spent 6190(13 min) female 3809 ( 8 min) the 12th day male spent2148 (6 min) female 7857 (22 min) and on the 13th daymale spent 2631 (5 min) female spent 7368 (14 min)(Table 1)

On the last two days the female spent more time comparedto male Totally the pair took 13 days to complete the nestand they spent 315 minutes

The proportion test shows there was no significant differencein the time spent on nest building between the male andfemale (Z = 0452 P gt 005) Both sexes had contributedequal amount of time for nest construction The completenest was 55 cm projected away from the vertical surfacethe length was 92 cm and the circumference was 28 cm

DiscussionAn important behavioral reproductive decision of a bird iswhere to place the nest (Cody 1985 Johnson 1994) Birdsuse their nests chiefly to protect themselves their eggsand developing young by constructing nests that areinaccessible armored camouflaged or built in colonies thatprovide safety from predators (Burger and Gochfled 1968Welty 1982)

Nest building behaviour is often associated with courtshipand pair formation in birds it may signal the reproductivecondition of individuals and physiologically stimulate a partner(Collias 1964) There is very little information on the importanceof nest itself and its role in the mate choice (Hoi et al1994)

Soler et al (1998) showed that bird species in which bothsexes build the nest have larger nests than those in whichonly the female builds Nest size (relative to body size) waspositively correlated with the amount of parental investmentNest size indicate the willingness of males to invest inreproduction and it could therefore be a post -mating sexuallyselection trait

Soler et al (1998) discussed that several studies have shownthat nest building ability of males is related to female matechoice and the reproductive success of the pair The femalePenduline tits (Remiz pendulinus) choose the partners basedon the nest quality The nest may indicate the parentalquality experience or genetic quality and female couldtherefore benefit from mating with a superior nest builder

Swallow species especially those that build mud nest areclosely related and have similar nesting behaviors (winklerand shelden 1993) An earlier study in the case of Branswallows (Hirundo rustica) and cliff swallows (Hirundopyrrhonota) showed that they need or expect 4 basicconditions for nest site selection 1) An open area forforaging 2) A suitable surface for nest attachment3) A supply of mud of proper consistency for nest buildingand 4) A body of fresh water for drinking (www 3) Here inour study all the conditions required for nesting were present

According to Winkler and Shelden 1993 Swallow speciesespecially those that build mud nest are closely relatedand have similar nesting behaviors Studies by Moller (1994)in the case of Barn swallows showed that both sexesparticipate in nest building but there is considerable variationin the males contribution which is negatively related to

males tail length Short tailed males invest more in nest

building than long tailed males So investigation on thisaspect is also required in the case of wire tailed swallow Toget a complete picture about the nesting behaviour of thisspecies a long-term scholarly study is required It is a mustin the case of Wire tailed swallow because in 2003 IUCNhas declared that it is one of the threatened birds of India

Summary

The Study was carried out from November 2006 March

2007 in between Pichavaram to Kodiyampalayam roadsidewhich covers a distance of 4 Km With in the 4 Km stretchit has a mixed habitat of agricultural lands emerging andwell developed mangroves and aquaculture ponds

The data was collected from a nest located under the firstbridge from the first day of commencement of nest buildingactivity

Acknowledgewments

We thank our principal DrMVaratharajan and ourManagement for supporting and providing necessary facilitiesto carryout the studies

ReferencesAli Salim 2002 The Book of Indian Birds Bombay Natural History

Society BombayBirds The New Encyclopedia Britannica Macropedia 15th Edition

Chicago IllinoisEncyclopedia Britannica IncBurger J and MGochfled 1988 Nest site selection by Roseate Terns in

Two Tropical Colonies on Culebra Puetro Rico Condor 90 843 851Cody ML 1985 Habitat selection in the sylvine Warblers of Western

Europe and North Africa Page 86 129 In Cody ML (Ed) Habitatselection in Birds Academic press New York

ColliasNE amp ColliasEC 1984 Nest Building Behaviour Princeton NewJersey Princeton University Press

Table 1 Time spent by male and female wire-tailedswallows towards nest building activities

Days Time spent Time spent Contribution Contributionby male in by female of Male of Femaleminutes in minutes in in

27-Dec 18 18 50 50

28-Dec 18 18 50 50

29-Dec 19 13 594 406

30-Dec 10 12 455 545

31-Dec 23 20 535 465

1-Jan 3 5 375 625

2-Jan 14 8 636 364

3-Jan 15 6 714 286

4-Jan 4 5 444 556

5-Jan 11 7 611 389

6-Jan 13 8 619 381

7-Jan 6 22 214 786

8-Jan 5 14 263 737

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 43

Johnson PN 1994Selection and use of nest site by Barn Owls inNorfolk England Raptor Res 28 149 153

GrimmettR and CInskipp 1999 Birds of the Indian Subcontinent Oxford

University press New DelhiHoiH SchleicherB amp ValeraF 1994 Female mate Choice and nest

Desertion in penduline tits Remiz pendulinus the importance Nestquality Animal Behaviour 48 743 746

Newton I 1995 The Contribution of some recent research on birds toecological Understanding JAnim Ecol 64 675 696

Sampath K and KKrishnamurthy 1993 Birds of Pichavaram mangrovesand the Adjoining costal environs JEcolSoc 6 23 28

SolerJJMollerAPamp LindenM1996 Nest building sexual selection andparental investment Evolutionary Ecology12 427 441

Urfi AJ 2003 Breeding ecology of Birds Why do some species nestsingly while others are colonial Resonance 20038 22 32

Welty CJ 1982 The Life of Birds WB Saunders Co LondonWinkler DW and Fh Sheldow 1993 Evolution of nest construction in

swallows (Hirundinidae) a molecular phylogenetic prespectiveProcNatl

Web Based Referenceshttp enwikipediaorgwikiwire-tailed_swallowhttpwwwexplorebiodiversitycomBIRDS Birds of WorldFamilies

Passeriformeshtm

httpladywildlifecomanimalhowbirdsbuildtheirnestshtml

mixed with forested tracts pepper estates banana andcitrus plantations come into view The ensemble of barbetsgreeted us and their choir floated across the forestresounded and reverberated in the surrounding tranquilvalleys as the birds celebrated the advent of yet anotherday The music concert of these Beethovens of the forestwent on till dusk with hardly any respite

While trekking on a bridle path between forest and coffeeplantation we witnessed a male Asian Paradise-Flycatchervigorously patrolling its territory in the coffee plantation whilea juvenile male Asian Paradise-Flycatcher was lurking inthe forest on the opposite side This went on for full onehour and we had to retreat as dusk was descending

Sirumalai hills and the surrounding areas are rich in bird lifeand according to Palani Hills Birdwatchers Society more

than 250 species have been recorded so far We chancedupon the biggest butterfly of South India the SouthernBirdwing butterfly We trekked to Agasthyipuram the earliesthuman settlement in the hills and enroute recorded severalspecies of birds and butterflies such as Chocolate pansyCommon sailor Glad-eye Bush brown Common CerulianSilverstreak blue Angled castor Common Jezebel Crimsonrose Common Bushbrown and Striped Blue tiger

The following is the systematic list of birds observed in Gandhigram Rural

University Campus (GU) Athoor Dam (A) Vadakarai Tank (V) and Sirumalai

Hills (S)

Grebes Podicipedidae

Little grebe (V) Tachybaptus ruficollis (Pallas 1964)

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Great Cormorant (V) Phalacrocorax carbo (Linnaeus 1758)

Darters Anhingidae

Darter (V) Anhinga melanogaster (Pennant 1969)

Herons Egrets and Ardeidae

Bitterns

Little egret (V) Egretta garzetta (Linnaeus 1966)

Large Egret (V) Casmerodius albus (Linnaeus 1758)

Cattle egret (V) Bubulcus ibis (Linnaeus 1758)

Grey heron (V) Ardea cinerea (Linnaeus 1758)

Purple heron (V) Ardea purpurea (Linnaeus 1766)

Indian Pond-heron (V) Ardeola grayii (Sykes 1832)

A Day at Sirumalai in Palni HillsS Ashok Kumar

Plot No 491 Road No 10 Jubilee Hills Hyderabad 500 033

The Palani Hills Birdwatchers Society had organized the

2nd South Indian Birdwatchers Fair in Gandhigram Rural

Universtiy Dindigul from 23rd to 25th February 2007 Duringthe Fair Birdwatching field trips to Athoor dam Vadakaraitank Sirumalai Hills and Gandhigram University Campuswere conducted for the delegates and participants

Our team consisted of Prabhu Asian Wildlife FoundationRahman Education Officer WWF AP Office Hyderabadand myself While travelling in Vaigai Express we sighted10 spot billed pelicans over 200 cattle egrets and 4 greyherons in Chenulpet lake Large extents of the lake marginare invaded by Eichhornia crassipes

Palani hills forming the eastern spur of the Western Ghatsis divided into Upper Palnis in the West covering an area of385 sq kms with an altitude of 2200 mts and the LowerPalanis covering 1683 sq kms with an altitude of 1600 mtslying below Kodaikanal Palani hills region is recognized asa biodiversity hot spot

Sirumalais meaning small hills lie in Lower Palani hillslocated between 10deg07 10deg18N and 77deg55 78deg12 E

with an altitude of 800 mts The hills are rectangular in outlinecovering an area of 317 sq kms The mountain ridge slopesdown North-East on which the only motorable ghat road islaid There are other ridges sloping towards South South-East and East Mullupanrimalai Vellimalai Kalugumalai andMadagamalai are the main peaks Mullapanrimalai beingthe highest (1379 mts) Sattiar Kalankaluviar andSirumalaiar are the three rivulets which flow down the hills

The vegetation consists of tropical dry deciduous forest type(Champion 1936) dry evergreen forests riparian forests andthorn forest with thorny thickets NE monsoon brings thebulk of the annual rainfall while the SW monsoon bringssporadic rains So far 895 floral species belonging to 536 generahave been recorded as a result of systematic exploration

The dales and valleys on either side of the ghat road areclothed with dense forests bisected by jungle streamletsAs we approach Sirumalai Pudur village coffee plantations

44 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

Storks Ciconiidae

Painted stork (V) Mycteria leucocephala (Pennant 1769)

Asian Open-bill stork (V) Anastomus oscitans (Boddaert 1783)

White-necked stork (V) Ciconia episcopus (Boddaert 1783)

Geese amp Ducks Anatidae

Comb duck (V) Sarkidiornis melanotos (Pennant 1969)

Northern Shoveller (V) Anas clypeata (Linnaeus 1758)

Common Pochard (V) Aythya ferina (Linnaeus 1758)

Spot-billed duck (V) Anas acuta (Linnaeus 19581781)

Garganey (V) Anas querquedula (Linnaeus 1958)

Eurasian Wigeon (V) Anas penelope (Linnaeus 1758)

Lesser whistling teal (V) Dendrocygna javanica (Horsfield 1821)

Hawks eagles kites etc Accipitridae

Shikra (GR S) Accipiter badius (Gmelin 1788)

Crested serpent eagle (S) Spilornis cheela (Latham 1790)

Mountain hawk eagle (S) Spizaetus nipalensis (Hodgson 1836)

Black-shouldered kite (GUS) Elanus caeruleus (Desfontaine 1789)

Brahminy kite (V) Haliastur indus (Boddaert 1783)

Pheasants Partridges amp Phasianidae

Quails

Grey Junglefowl (S) Gallus sonneratii (Temminck 1813)

Grey Francolin (A) Francolinus pondicerianus (Gmelin 1789)

Rails Crakes Moorhens Rallidae

coots

White-breasted Waterhen (A) Amaurornis phoenicurus (Pennant 1858)

Purple moorhen (V) Porphyrio porphyrio (Linnaeus 1758)

Common coot (V) Fulica atra (Linnaeus 1758)

Jacanas Jacanidae

Peasant-tailed Jacana (V) Hydrophasianus chirurgus (Scopoli 1786)

Plovers Lapwings etc Charadriidae

Red-wattled Lapwing (A V) Vanellus gregarious (Pallas 1771)

Sandpipers Snipes etc Scolopacidae

Common snipe (V) Gallinago gallinago (Linnaeus 1758)

Common green Shank (V) Tringa nebularia (Gunner 1767)

Common sandpiper (V) Actitis hypoleucos (Linnaeus 1758)

Ibisbill Avocets amp Stilts Recurvirostridae

Black-winged atilt (V) Himantopus himantopus (Linnaeus 1758)

Gulls Terns etc Laridae

Gull-billed Tern (V) Gelochelidon nilotica (Gmelin 1789)

Pigeons amp Doves Columbidae

Spotted dove (S) Streptopelia chinensis (Scopoli 1786)

Emerald dove (A) Chalcophaps indica (Linnaeus 1758)

Parakeets etc Psittacidae

Blue-winged parakeet (S) Psittacula columboides (Vigors 1830)

Cuckoos Malkohas amp Cuculidae

Coucals

Indian plaintive cuckoo (A) Cacomantis passerinus (Vhai 1797)

Pied Crested cuckoo (GU) Clamator jacobinus (Boddaert 1783)

Brainfever Bird (A GU) Hierococcyx varius (Vahl 1797)

Large Greenbilled Malkoha (V) Phaenicophaeus tristis (Lesson 1830)

Greater Coucal (GU A S) Centropus sinensis (Stephens 1815)

Asian Koel (GU A) Eudynamys scolopacea (Linnaeus 1758)

Owis Strigidae

Spotted Owlet (GU) Athene brama (Temminck 1821)

Swifts Apodidae

Alpine swift (S) Tachymarptis melba (Linnaeus 1758)

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

White-breasted King-fisher Halcyon smyrnensis (Linnaeus 1758)

( V S G U )

Small Blue Kingfisher (A) Alcedo atthis (Linnaeus 1758)

Pied kingfisher (V) Lesser Ceryle rudis (Linnaeus 1758)

Bee-eaters Meropidae

Small Bee-eater (S V) Merops orientalis (Latham 1801)

Blue-tailed Bee-eater (V) Merops philippinus (Linnaeus 1766)

Rollers Coraciidae

Indian Roller (GU) Coracias benghalensis (Linnaeus 1758)

Hoopoes Upupidae

Common hoopoe (VS) Upupa epops (Linnaeus 1758)

Barbets Capitonidae

Coppersmith barbet (GUAVS) Megalaima haemacephala (PL Smuller 1776)

White-checked barbet (S) Megalaima viridis (Boddaert 1783)

Great barbet (S) Megalaima virens (Boddaert 1783)

Woodpeckers Picidae

Brown-capped Pigmy

woodpecker (S) Dendrocopos nanus (Vigors 1832)

Black-shouldered

Woodpecker (S) Chrysocolaptes festivus (Boddaert 1783)

Wagtails amp Pipits Motacillidae

Large Pied Wagtail (V S) Motacilla maderaspatensis (Gmelin 1789)

Grey wagtail (S) Motacilla cinerea (Tunstall 1771)

Paddyfield Pipit (V) Anthus rufulus (Vieillot 1818)

Cuckoo-shrikes Campephagidae

Minivets etc

Common Woodshrike (S) Tephrodornis pondicerianus (Gmelin 1789)

Long-tailed Minivet (S) Pericrocotus ethologus (Bangs amp Phillips 1914)

Black-headed cuckoo-Shrike

( G U ) Coracina melanoptera (Ruppell 1839)

Bulbuls Finchbills Pycnonotidae

Red-whiskered bulbul (AS) Pycnonotus jocosus (Linnaeus 1758)

Red-vented bulbul (AS) Pycnonotus cafer (Linnaeus 1766)

White-browed bulbul (AVS) Pycnonotus luteolus (Lesson 1841)

Ioras Leafbird Irenidae

Fairy-Bluebird

Common Iora (GU) Aegithina tiphia (Linnaeus 1758)

Asian Fairy-Bluebird (S) Irena puella (Latham 1790)

Shrikes Laniidae

Bay-backed shrike (GU) Lanius vittatus (Valenciennes 1826)

Thrushes Robins etc Turdinae

Indian Robin (GU) Saxicoloides fulicata (Linnaeus 1776)

Black Redstart (V) Phoenicurus ochruros (Gmelin 1774)

Oriental Magpie-Robin (VRS) Copsychus saularis (Linnaeus 1758)

Pied Bushchat (S) Saxicola caprata (Linnaeus 1766)

Babblers Barwings etc Timaliinae

White-headed babbler (GU) Turdoides affinis (Jerdon 1847)

Prinias Warblers etc Sylviinae

Greenish Leaf-Warbler (S) Phylloscopus trochiloides (Sundevall 1837)

Flycatchers Muscicapinae

Verditer Flycatcher (V S) Eumyias thalassina (Swainson 1838)

Nilgiri Flycatcher (S) Eumyias albicaudata (Jerdon 1840)

Monarch amp Monarchinae

Paradise Flycatchers

Asian Paradise-Flycatcher

(GU A S) Terpsiphone paradisi (Linnaeus 1758)

Sunbirds amp Spiderhunters Nectariniidae

Purple-rumped Sunbird (GU) Nectarinia zeylonica (Linnaeus 1766)

Purple Sunbird (GU) Nectarinia asiatica (Latham 1790)

Little Spiderhunter (GU) Arachnothera longirostra (Latham 1790)

White-eyes Zosteropidae

Oriental White-eye (S) Zosterops palpebrosus (Temminck 1824)

Munias Estrildidae

White-throated Munia (VS) Lonchura malabarica (Linnaeus 1758)

Spotted Munia (V) Lonchura punctulata (Linnaeus 1758)

Starlings amp Mynas Sturnidae

Common Myna (GU) Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus 1766)

Orioles Oriolidae

Eurasian Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus (Linnaeus 1758)

(GU A S)

Black-beaded Oriole (S) Oriolus xanthornus (Linnaeus 1758)

Drongos Dicruridae

Black Drongo (S GU) Dicrurus macrocercus (Vieillot 1817)

Ashy Drongo (S GU) Dicrurus leucophaeus (Vieillot 1817)

White-bellied Drongo (A amp S) Dicrurus caerulescens (Linnaeus 1758)

Greater Racket-tailed Dicrurus paradiseus (Linnaeus 1766)

Drongo (S)

Crows amp Treepies Corvidae

Indian Treepie (GU S) Dendrocitta formosae (Swinhoe 1863)

Jungle Crow (GU) Corvus macrorhynchos (Wagler 1827)

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 45

Pulicat and Point Calimere at different times And also thetheory that species recorded here has some definite linkbetween south Indian wintering birds appears to be truthfulwith the increased population of Pied Avocets Recurvirostraavosetta in Chil ika and in south Indian wetlands(Balachandran et al 2005 Sahana et al 2007)

The pressure on lagoon is immense like encroachmentincreased siltation extensive fishing and tourism Over twolakh fishermen are depending on the lakes resources fortheir livelihood (CDA 2006) The disturbance to the birds isa common sight due to intensive f ishing activitiesrecreational disturbance and the use of mechanized boatsThe constant disturbance discourages foraging costingfeeding time and amplified escape activities and drains muchof the birds energy Eventually it might result in decreasedenergy reserves late arrivallate dispersal to breedinggrounds and in the end reduced reproductive-success(Michael and Kenneth 1984)

An estimated one lakh tourists visit the lake every year (CDA2006) Many boatmen have equipped the small tourist boatswith high wattage loud-speakers with music systemproducing much noise is a common sight Though plastic isbanned one can see a lot of floating wrappers in the lakediscarded by the tourists It is sickening to watch fishesbeing killed by metal blades of crudely mechanized boatsSmall population of Irrawaddy dolphins Orcaella brevirostrisfound in the outer channel are more vulnerable Though ChilikaDevelopment Authority has rejuvenated the lake extraordinarilywell policing and implementation of many defined regulationsare falling short of standard due to (local as well as visiting)publics apathy

With all these hassles the living lagoon is at its bestthroughout the year compared to any other wetland in India(Sathiyaselvam Pers Com) due to its uniqueness And ofcourse has an added advantage of the degradation of manywintering sites in southern sojourn these birds were earlierdependent

Some noteworthy sightings are as follows

d In all 102 identified bird species and a few un-identifiedSnipes and Larger Gulls

d A solitary Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus in thesouth-east waters of Nalaban and a Goliath Heron Ardeagoliath at northern tip of Nalaban

d Huge flocks(5 -10K) of Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelopeGadwall A strepera Northern Pintail A acuta NorthernShoveller A clypeata and Ferruginous Pochard Aythyanyroca

A pilgrimage to Chilika - the Birding Kashi

A Shivaprakash T Girija and A Sharath478 3rd Cross 8th Main Ramakrishna Nagar H Block Mysore - 570022

e-mail adavannerediffmailcom

Chilika with the assemblage of marine brackish andfreshwater ecosystem is recognized as largest water birdscongregation location in Indian subcontinent that hosts 43species of 1 biogeographically known population (Islam andRahmani 2005) Totally 52 rivers and rivulets provide freshwater augmentation to the brackish bay Rich diversity anddensity of avifauna is due to the vast size (1100 sq Km)variation in salinity preferred water depths and rich sediment

We had planned our birding visits at Barkul Nalaban Islandsmudflats of Satpada New sea mouth and Rajhans Island during13th to 18th December 2006 The itinerary was based on thelocations mentioned in the Final report of Habitat evaluation ofChilika lake (Balachandran et al 2005) on the guidance of DrPKRay Scientist-in charge Regional Museum of NaturalHistory Bhubaneswar and Mr Sathiyaselvam Research FellowChilika Project Chandrabani We have spent 32 hours birdingincluding 10 hours on board non-mechanized boats and reston foot Observation was made with a Field scope (Geoma65mm x 20) and a pair of binoculars (Pentex 10 x 25 andTasco 8 x 30)

Barkul shoreline forms western part of lake attracts goodnumber of waders Nalabana Island is situated in the CentralSector of the lake and is said to be hosting 75 of the totalbird population wintering in Chilika Though large flocks ofbirds scatter in many parts of the Lake the major congregationof diverse species was in and around Nalabana IslandExposed mudflats of Satpada provide foraging ground for largecongregation of waders Gregarious Gulls and Terns galleryis displayed in the new sea mouth opened up in the outerchannel recently to provide necessary salinity to Chilika

Our plan of staying entire day and night at Nalaban Islandsbased on A birdwatchers guide to India (Krys and Raj 2001)was later modified due to Orissa Forest Departmentsrestrictions on visitors The entry of mechanized boats intothe Nalaban Islands zone is strictly restricted The island zoneis marked with red polls erected all around that are visible froma quite distance indicating the protected zone Moreover entryto the lake is prohibited to tourists and is strictly enforcedThis measure is safeguarding the interests of avifauna and itshabitat With a rowing boat and a field scope one can watchnumerous birds with ease The congregation of waterfowl isamazing and runs into a few thousands

The waders recorded here are almost similar to those inPulicat Lake and Point Calimere The waders congregationis simply unimaginable It is interesting that the BNHSreport (Balachandran et al 2005) has concluded that withinthe same wintering season the same population of birdsutilise three major water bodies of eastern coast - Chilika

46 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

CORRESPONDENCE

d Smaller flocks(100 -1K) of Common Pochard Aythyaferina Red crested Pochard Rhodonessa rufinaGarganey Anas querquedula Cotton Teal Nettapuscoromandelianus Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosaLittle Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius and Little StintCalidris minuta

d Smaller flocks(lt100) of Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterusruber (Eastern part of Nalaban Island) Spot-billed PelicanPelecanus philippensis Bar-headed Goose Anserindicus Ruddy Shelduck Tadoma ferruginea CommonTeal Anas crecca Spot billed Duck A poecilorhynchaLesser Whistling Teal Dendrocygna javanica CommonRed Shank Tringa totanus Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialisfulva Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus TemminksStint Calidris temminckii Sanderling Calidris alba Brownheaded Gull Larus brunnicephalus and Whiskered TernChlidonias hybridus

d Smaller nos of (lt10) of Asian Open-bill Anastomusoscitans Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata CommonGreen Shank Tringa nebularia Ruff Philomachus pugnaxCaspian Tern Sterna caspia Indian River Tern S aurantiaLittle Tern S albifrons White-winged Tern C leucopterusand Gull billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica

d Few Individuals like Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris Broadbilled Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus and Citrine WagtailMotacillaccitreola

d Raptors l ike White bell ied Sea Eagle Haliaeetusleucogaster (commoner) Pal las Fish Eagle Hleucoryphus (Rajhans Island)

d New terrestrial bird for us -Bank Myna Acridotheresginginianus Asian Pied Sterl ing Sturnus contra(commoner)

Footnote Back from wonderful birding we came across abad news of the death of birds from Chilika (Indian GreenFile 2006) The paper clipping of published article of the AsianAge newspaper dated 12-12-2006 was reprinted in theDecember issue of Indian Green File The report said out ofdead 82 birds 69 were Pintails rest were Shovellers GadwalsBar-headed Goose and Sea eagles and 277 birds werereportedly sick

Acknowledgement

We are indebted to Dr PKRay Scientist-in charge RegionalMuseum of Natural History Bhubaneswar and MrSathiyaselvam Research Fellow Chilika Project Chandrabanifor guidance And we are grateful to Kum Vijayalaxmi andKishendasKR Mysore for their logistic support

ReferencesBalachandarnS RahmaniAR and SathiyaselvamP 2005 Final report

of Habitat evaluation of Chilika Lake with special reference to birdsas bio-indicators Bombay Natural History Society

CDA 2006 Chilika a living lagoon A booklet prepared and circulated byChilika Development Authority Bhubaneswar

Islam MZ and AR Rahmani 2005 Important Bird Areas in India Prioritysites for conservation Mumbai Indian Bird Conservation NetworkBombay Natural History Society and BirdLife International (UK) Pp574-575

Krys Kazmierczak and Raj Singh 2001 A Birdwatchers guide to IndiaOxford University press New Delhi

Michael R Miller Kenneth J Reinecke Nov 1984 Proper Expression ofMetabolizable Energy in Avian Energetics The Condor Vol 86 No4 pp 396-400

SahanaM Kishen DasKR and TanujaDH 2007 Occurrence of PiedAvocet Recurvirostra avosetta near Mysore Karnataka Newsletterfor Birdwatchers Vol 43(1) Pp 14-15

Indian Green File No 228 December 2006 Published by Centre forScience amp environment New Delhi Page 24

poultry that creepeth upon the Earth it is a rare case of

convergence of interests of man and bird against one commonfoe Viewing from this moral high ground the focus of all overefforts must be to contain the spread to isolate the infectedhost organisms and ultimately in the long run neutralizealtogether the H5N1 virus Both the print and the visual mediahave the onerous task to publish thoroughly researched andbalanced reports which are informative and motivating but notpanic-generating

As of now the primary and exclusive host of the H5N1 virus area few species of wild waterfowl and perhaps the entire range ofdomesticated poultry birds though so far only chicken and turkeyare reported infected There is no unanimity among the scientistcommunity yet on the primary source of this virus When it firstmanifested in Taiwan China Hong Kong and Thailand in2001-2003 it was surmised that the primary host are the poultrybirds Quite logically this led to the wholesale culling of about

AN ETHICAL PERSPECTIVE AND PREVENTION OF BIRDFLU Lt Gen (Retd) BALJIT SINGH House 219 Sector 16-AChandigarh 160 015 Ph 2770619

The Bible tells us And God said let us make man in our

image after our likeness and let them have dominion over thefish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over the cattleand over all the Earth and over every creeping thing thatcreepeth upon the Earth

So in the very scheme of evolution man was conceived as theprimary and dominant species Explicit with that privilegedstatus comes mans obligation of dominion implying watch

and ward over the weaker creatures that inhabit his planet ForGod did create man in our image after our likeness whichpresupposed that he would be just and compassionate Andin the instant case where a hitherto unchartered virus H5N1has raised its ugly head with lethal potential both to man andtwo of the meekest of his wards namely the fowl of the air and

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 47

three million birds in these countries Even when in 2004 a fewdead species of the migratory wild water fowl in their breedingareas in China Kazakhstan and Siberia also tested positivethe weight of opinion still maintained that the vector was thedomestic poultry and not the free ranging wild birds

Be that as it may the fact of the matter is that as of now both thewild waterfowl and the domestic poultry are the vectors Whenthis non-discriminating virus enters the host it is of the lowpathogen grade which is non-lethal But once transmitted thevirus begins to mutate and attains snow-balling dimensionsThat is the stage that it becomes a killer and the infected birddies within 2 to 3 days Now where wild bird assemblages areconcerned fortunately they remain fairly scattered and the virustransmission process is comparatively of the lower scale Andin the scheme of Nature there are no recorded cases wherean entire species has been wiped out by an epidemicGenerally up to 70 percent of the virus host species may perishand the remainder in all probability will develop immunity ascreatures in the wild are apparently better equipped to do soHopefully and over a long period of time the subject specieswill regain its optimum population levels

On the other hand where commercial poultry industry isconcerned the birds l ive check by jowl and the virustransmission process is like an inferno At that stage theprobability of infection spreading to human beings is genuineand of a high order Fortunately so far there is no proven caseof transmission of the virus from man to man Neverthelessindividual human beings will be at risk of infection either throughthe aerosol medium (breathing) or through ingestion of aninfected bird or by touch The last two risks can be easilycountered by avoiding poultry from diet for a short while andthis is where media can again play a positive role by arousingconsciousness of all segments of the society

As for the aerosol risk here the State will have the dominantrole All the commercial poultry farms and small scale poultrykeepers and even pigeon fanciers will have to be placed underperiodic and regular surveillance checks by qualified vetsInfected units will have to be shut down and decontaminatedThe industry may even have to be compensated for loss ofrevenue The common man will have to be advised on thesafe buffer-zone to be maintained from all such facilitiesand where that is not feasible to wear face and breathingmasks Even though the counter measures may appearelementary their rigid implementation will test out the measure

of vision and management skills of the government at theCentre and State

Concurrently the migratory and resident water fowlassemblages in the Country will also need monitoring on war-footing Fortunately these sites are all listed out in the NationalDirectory of Wetlands and they number just 145 For instancein Punjab there are three sites only (Ropar Harike and Kanjli)two in Haryana (Sultanpur and Bhindawas) three in Himachal(Pong Renuka and Govindsagar) and just one in UTChandigarh the Sukhna Lake Admittedly there will be manysmaller water-bodies dotting the country-side but for the presentthey need not be put under the scanner

It might be mentioned here that on the face of it the threat frommigratory Waterfowl as vectors of H5N1 to India may be of lowgrade This becomes evident when we look at the migratorypattern of the Bar-headed goose (one of the identified vectors)already mapped out by the wildlife department of the AligarhMuslim University through an on-going project using telemetrytools The time taken by most birds to reach their winteringgrounds in India can vary from 10 to 12 days inclusive of timespent on the stop-over sites enroute Most infected birds willperish in migration before entering India But healthy birdswhich get infected at the last stop-over before India may wellsucceed in bringing the virus

No strategy to combat the H5N1 virus will succeed unless wealso have in place effective and adequate preventive andcurative medicine Fortunately Tamiflu vaccine is claimed tobe a positive safeguard where humans are concerned But thefight against the bird flu will be inconclusive until a veterinaryvariant of Tamiflu is developed on war-footing to provideimmunity to poultry This is where the print and visual mediaare best suited to spread awareness among poultry keepersand pet owners to immunize the birds with same commitmentas we do for infants against polio and small pox

Central to the formulation of plans to combat the crisis shouldbe the fact that the bird was the first and still remains the mostpredominant prey of the virus At this juncture it is the bird whichis beleaguered and it deserves mans empathy much more

than is evident at the moment Given the common resolveeffective management strategies will emerge sooner than laterAnd at the end of it all we would have contained and ultimatelyvanquished the danger of bird flu pandemic both to humankindand to the birds one of mans dominos

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48 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

PREVALENCE OF SOME MYTHOLOGICAL BELIEFS AMONGRURAL COMMUNITIES OF GUJARAT A CASE STUDY OFCROW (CORVUS Sp) HIREN SONI ASHOK and RITA PATELInstitute of Integrated Study amp Research in Biotechnology ampAllied Sciences (ARIBAS) ADIT Campus New Vidyanagar -388 121 (Gujarat) E-mail hirensoniyahoocom

In the present technocrat world still some cryptic mythologiesin scriptures and Vedas are prevalent among some ruralcommunities of Gujarat They were authoured by our ancestorsbased on their own experience Such mythological beliefs aredirectly or indirectly connected with different types of rites ritualstaboos and traditions of tribesmen in the form of variousastrological paradigms folklores proverbs and quotablequotes in ancient literature In prehistoric times our Kings andBaronets used to take the guidance of priests to predict andprepare for the natural calamities such as cyclones faminesflood and heavy rainfalls They were often referred to asForecasting of Future During such times various types of

prophecies were inferred by deciphering various birdcalls theirbehaviour nesting location and feeding patterns According tosome mythological beliefs crows act as a good forecasteramong birds and are also indicators of good or bad omens(Jadav 2004) Some of the well-known inferences from variousproverbs are as follows

1 A crow builds its nest on eastern side of a tree on topbranch in the month of May - Heavy rainfall good quality ofcrop and a good omen for any religious ceremony

2 Nest on western side of a tree - Better rain and bettercrop-yield but grave epidemics

3 Nest on top canopy of a tree - Moderate rain4 Nest in middle canopy of a tree - Insufficient rainfall and

scarcity of water5 Nest on north or north-west side of a tree Overall good year

6 Crows search for food in dust instead of open grounds andgarbage - Hike in prices of cereals crops grains and othercommodities

7 Crow gives harsh calls from a dry tree Insufficient rain

and scarcity of water8 Nest on south-east corner of a tree - Famine starvation

water crisis food shortage and theft of eatables and othercommon commodities

9 Nest on the stem of a tree instead of its branch - Scantyrain paucity of water spreading of some contagiousdisease and theft of livelihood goods

10 Nest on north-west corner of a tree - Possibility of cycloneshurricanes and thunderstorms increase in population ofrodents in houses and crop-fields scarcity of food fodderfuelwood and fiber

11 Nest on south-east corner of a tree - Late arrival of monsoonwith cyclones and storms with low rainfall famine robberyand mass-scale war Cover Jungle Myna (Acridotheres fuscus) Probably every

Indian knows either one or other of our two common mynas Junglemynas perch in pairs or trios on their favorite trees or walk along theground with rapid determined steps stopping occasionally to preenor bob heads stiffly to utter warning notes Throughout the daymynas maintain a varied rollick of high pitched grackles or pleasantliquid notes to express their diverse moods such as delight fearresentment or anguish Being omnivores they feed on grubs fruitsgrains crumbs and morsels They nest in tree holes cracks inwalls chimneys and thatched roofs Mynas at times are branded asreckless usurpers of the nests of other birds Photo S Shreyas

Address for Correspondence

Newsletter for BirdwatchersNo 10 Sirur Park B Street SeshadripuramBangalore 560 020 India Tel 080 2356 1142 2346 4682E-mail ltnavbaratgmailcomgtPrinted and Published bi-monthly by S Sridhar atNavbharath Enterprises Seshadripuram Bangalore - 560 020 IndiaFor Private Circulation Only

12 Nest towards the south - Epidemic and battle among localtribes

13 Nest on dome of temple old fort crematorium or flat ground- Heavy drought deadly epidemics robbery and anarchy

14 Nest on dead or dry tree - Political dilemma dispute amongbaronets and large-scale destruction of crops due to heavyflood

15 Crow gives frequent calls in front of the door Brings prestige

and wealth to the owner of that house16 Crow sits on top of the front door with rigorous flapping -

House will be damaged by fire within a week17 Crow sits on latch or hanging garland of the door and call

erratically with sideways movement of its body - Owner ofthat house and his neighboring person will be wealthierwithin a short period

Thus behaviour calls display feeding patterns nestinglocations and other allied activities of crows form an integralpart in lives of many village inhabitants of Gujarat State Similartypes of literature hunt associated with field trials on callingpatterns behaviour nesting sites and feeding practices in otherbirds also would be an additional adage and will be a goodsubject for methodical evaluation of these beliefs in future

ReferenceJadav J (2004) Crows The Forecasters of Future In The Pearls of

Folklore Gujarat Samachar (18th July 2004) Sunday Supplement P 3

Distribution map of Oriental Darter Dot sizes are proportional tothe maximum species counts between 1997-2001

Source Numbers and distribution of waterbirds and wetlandsin the Asia-Pacific region Results of the Asian WaterbirdCensus 1997-2001 Wetland International Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Page 5: May-June  2007

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 37

7 White-Browed Piculet Sasia ochracea R C SF8 Rufous Woodpecker Celeus brachyurus BR C SF9 Grey-Capped Pygmy woodpecker

Dendrocoposcanicapillus RU SF10 Fulvous-Breasted Woodpecker Dendrocopos macei R C SF11 Lesser Yellownape Picus chlorolophus BR C SF12 Greater Yellownape Picus flavinucha BR C SF13 Streak-Throated Woodpecker Picus xanthopygaeus BR U SF14 Grey-Headed Woodpecker Picus canus R U SF15 Himalayan flameback Dinopium shorii R U SF16 Common Flameback Dinopium javanense R U SF17 Greater Flameback Chrysocolaptes lucidus BR C SF

Order Piciformes Megalaimidae Family Capitonidae

Barbets

18 Lineated Barbet Megalaima lineata BR C SF19 Golden-Throated Barbet Megalaima franklinii BR U SF20 Blue-Throated Barbet Megalaima asiatica Br C SF21 Blue-Eared Barbet Megalaima australis BR U SF22 Coppersmith Barbet Megalaima haemacephala BR C SF

Order Coraciiformes Bucerotiformes Family Bucerotidae

Hornbills

23 Oriental Pied Hornbill Anthracoceros albirostris BR C SF24 Great Hornbill Buceros bicornis BRUNT SF

Order Coraciiformes Upupiformes Family Upupidae

Hoopoe

25 Common Hoopoe Upupa epops BRLCOA SF D

Order Trogoniformes Family Trogonidae

Trogon

26 Red-Headed Trogon Harpactes erythrocephalus L C SF

Order Coraciiformes Family Coraciidae

Rollers

27 Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis BRC OASF D28 Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis R C OA SF D

Order Coraciiformes Family Alcedinidae Halcyonidae Cerylydae

Kingfishers

29 Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis BR C WT30 Stork-Billed Kingfisher Halcyon capensis BR U WT31 White-Throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis BR C OA WT D32 Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis BR C WT

Order Coraciiformes Family Meropidae

Bee-eaters

33 Blue-Bearded Bee-eater Nyctyornis athertoni R L U OA SF D34 Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis R C OASF35 Blue-Tailed Bee-eater Merops philippinus R L C OA SF36 Chestnut-Headed Bee-eater Merops leschenaulti R L U OASF

Order Cuculiformes Family Cuculidae Centropodidae

Cuckoos

37 Pied Cuckoo Clamator jacobinus U SF38 Chestnut-Winged Cuckoo Clamator coromandus O SV U SF39 Common Hawk Cuckoo Hierococcyx varius O SF40 Indian cuckoo Cuculus micropterus P C SF41 Plaintive Cuckoo Cacomantis merulinus R C SF42 Asian Emerald Cuckoo Chrysococcyx maculatus P U SF43 Drongo Cuckoo Surniculus lugubris P U SF44 Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopacea R L C SF45 Greater Coucal Centropus sinensis BR U SF46 Lesser Coucal Centropus bengalensis BR C SF

Order Psittaciformes FAMILY PsittacidaeParrots

47 Alexandrine Parakeet Psittacula eupatria R C SF48 Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri BR C SF49 Red-Breasted Parakeet Psittacula alexandri BR C SF50 Blossom-Headed Parakeet Psittacula roseate U SF

Order Apodiformes Family ApodidaeSwifts

51 Himalayan Swiftlet Collocalia brevirostris P U A52 Asian Palm Swift Cypsiurus balasiensis R U A53 House Swift Apus affinis R U A

Order Strigiformes Family Strigidae TytonidaeOwls

54 Mountain scops owl Otus spilocephalus O SF55 Oriental Scops Owl Otus sunia WV U SF56 Collared Scops Owl Otus bakkamoena R U SF57 Brown Fish Owl Ketupa zeylonensis R U OA SF58 Collared Owlet Glaucidium brodiei R C SF59 Asian Barred Owlet Glaucidium cuculoides BR L C SF OA60 Spotted Owlet Athene brama BR C OA SF61 Brown Hawk Owl Ninox scutulata R C SF

Order Caprimulgiformes Family CaprimulgidaeNightjars

62 Grey Nightjar Caprimulgus indicus O G63 Large-Tailed Nightjar Caprimulgus macrurus BR L C G

Order Columbiformes Family ColumbidaePigeons Doves

64 Ashy Wood Pigeon Columba pulchricollis U SF65 Green Imperial Pigeon Ducula aenea BR C SF66 Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis BR C OA SF

67 Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis BR C OA SF68 Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica BR C SF69 Pompadour Green pigeon Treron pompadora O SF70 Yellow-Footed Green Pigeon Treron phoenicoptera R C SF

Order Gruiformes Family RallidaeRails

71 White-Breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus BR C WT D72 Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio BRC WT73 Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus BR C WT

Order CharadriiformesCiconiiformesFamily CharadriidaeScolopacidae

Snipes Sandpipers Plover74 Common snipe Gallinago gallinago WV C WT OA75 Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia WV C WT76 Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola WV C WT77 Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos WV C WT78 Little Ring Plover Charadrius dubius WVC WT79 Red-Wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus BR C WT OA

Order CharadriiformesCiconiiformes Family JacanidaeJacana80 Pheasant-tailed Jacana Hydrophasianus chirurgus BR C WT81 Bronze-Winged Jacana Metopidius indicus BR C WT

Order CharadriiformesCiconiiformes Family LaridaeTern82 River Tern Sterna aurantia R C WT

Order Falconiformes Ciconiiformes Family AccipitridaeEagles83 Black Baza Aviceda leuphotes R L U OA84 Black kite Milvus migrans R C OA

38 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

85 Grey-Headed Fish Eagle Ichtyophaga ichthyaetus BR C NT WT86 Crested Serprent Eagle Spilornis cheela BR C OA SF87 Pied Harrier Circus melanoleucos WVU OAWT88 Shikra Accipiter badius R C OA A89 Black-shouldered kite Elanus caeruleus BR C OA

Order Pelecaniformes CiconiiformesFamily Phalacrocoracidae Anhingidae

Cormorants

90 Darter Anhinga melanogaster U NT WT91 Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger BR C WT92 Indian Cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscicollis R U WT93 Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo L U WT

Order Ciconiformes Ciconiiformes Family Ardeidae

Egrets Herons

94 Little Egret Egretta garzetta BR C WT95 Great Egret Casmerodius albus R C WT96 Intermediate Egret Mesophoyx intermedia R C WT97 Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis BR C OA D98 Indian Pond Heron Ardeola grayii R C WT99 Little Heron Butorides striatus BR C WT100 Black-Crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax BR C WT

Order Ciconiformes Ciconiiformes Family Ciconiidae

Storks

101 Asian Openbill Anastomus oscitans BR C WT102 Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus RLC VU WT

Order Passeriformes Family Zosteropidae

White-eye

103 Orienta White-eye Zosterops palpebrosus BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Family Irenidae Corvidae

Ioras Leafbirds

104 Asian Fairy Bluebird Irena puella U SF105 Golden-Fronted Leafbird Chloropsis aurifrons R C SF106 Orange-Bellied Leafbird Chloropsis hardwickii R U SF107 Common Iora Aegithina tiphia BRCSF

Order Passeriformes Family LaniidaeShrikes

108 Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus WV C OASF109 Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach WVC OA SF110 Grey-backed Shrike Lanius tephronotus WVCOA SF

Order Passeriformes Family CorvidaeMagpies Crows

111 Rufous Treepie Dendrocitta vagabunda BR C SF112 Grey Treepie Dendrocitta formosae R L U SF113 Collared Treepie Dendrocitta frontalis U SF114 House Crow Corvus splendens BR C OA115 Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos BR C OA SF

Order Passeriformes Family Oriolidae CorvidaeOrioles

116 Black-hooded Oriole Oriolus xanthornus BRC SF117 Maroon Oriole Oriolus traillii U SF

Order Passeriformes Family Campephagidae CorvidaeCuckoo-shrikes Minivets

118 Large Cuckoo-shrike Coracina macei R C SF119 Black-winged Cuckoo-shrike Coracina melaschistos L U SF120 Rosy Minivet Pericrocotus roseus R U SF121 Small Minivet Pericrocotus cinnamomeus R U SF122 Long-tailed Minivet Pericrocotus ethologus U SF123 Short-billed Minivet Pericrocotus brevirostris L C SF

124 Scarlet Minivet Pericrocotus flammeus R C SF125 Black-naped Monarch Hypothymis azurea BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Family DicruridaeCorvidae

Drongos

126 Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus BR C OA SF127 Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus RWVCOA SF128 Bronzed Drongo Dicrurus aeneus LWVCOA SF129 Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo Dicrurus remifer BR C SF130 Spangled Drongo Dicrurus hottentottus R C SF131 Greater Racket-tailed Drongo Dicrurus paradiseus R C SF

Order Passeriformes Family MuscicapidaeCorvidaeSub-family Muscicapinae

Flycatcher

132 Ferruginous Flycatcher Muscicapa ferruginea R C SF133 Red-throated Flycatcher Ficedula parva WV C SF134 Little Pied Flycatcher Ficedula westermanni L C SF135 Slaty-blue Flycatcher Ficedula tricolor WV C SF137 Verditer Flycatcher Eumyias thalassina WV C SF137 Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica U SF138 White-throated Fantail Rhipidura albicollis C SF139 Large Niltava Niltava grandis WVC SF140 Small Niltava Niltava macgrigoriae WVC SF141 Rufous-bellied Niltava Niltava sundara L C SF142 Pale-chinned Flycatcher Cyornis poliogenys R U SF143 Blue-throated Flycatcher Cyornis rubeculoides WV U SF144 Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher

Culicicapa ceylonensis WV C SF145 Asian Paradise-flycatcher Terpsiphone paradisi BR U SF

Order Passpriformes Family Muscicapidae Sub-family Turdinae

Thrushes Chats

146 White-tailed Rubythroat Luscinia pectoralis WV C SF147 Oriental Magpie Robin Copsychus saularis BR C OA SF148 White-rumped Shama Copychus malabaricus BR C SF149 Daurian Redstart Phoenicurus auroreus WV C SF150 White-tailed Robin Myiomela leucura WV O SF151 Common Stonechat Saxicola torquata WV C OA152 Grey Bushchat Saxicola ferrea WV U G SF153 Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius BR U SF154 Scaly Thrush Zoothera dauma BR C SF155 Black-breasted Thrush Turdus dissimilis R C SF156 Dark-throated Thrush Turdus ruficollis BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Family Sturnidae

Starlings Mynas

157 Spot-winged Starling Saroglossa spiloptera WV C SF158 Chestnut-tailed Starling Sturnus malabaricus R C OA SF159 Asian Pied Starling Sturnus contra BR C SF160 Brahminy Starling Sturnus pagodarum S SF161 Common Myna Acridotheres tristis BRCOAG SF162 Bank Myna Acridotheres ginginianus S OA SF163 Jungle Myna Acridotheres fuscus BR C OA SF164 White-vented Myna Acridotheres cinereus BR C OA SF165 Hill Myna Gracula religiosa BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Family SittidaeCertihiidae

Nuthatches and Creeper

166 Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch Sitta castanea R C SF167 Velvet-fronted Nuthatch Sitta frontalis R U SF

Order Passeriformes Family Paridae

Tits or Titimice

168 Great Tit Parus major L U SF169 Sultan Tit Melanochlora sultanea BR C SF

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 39

Order Passeriformes Family Hirundinidae

Swallows

170 Plain Martin Riparia paludicola R L C A SF171 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica L A WT

Order Passeriformes Family Pycnonotidae

Bulbuls

172 Red-whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus BR C SF173 Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer BR C SF174 White-throated Bulbul Alophoixus flaveolus R L C SF175 Ashy Bulbul Hemixos flavala O SF176 Black Bulbul Hypsipetes leucocephalus WV C SF

Order PasseriformesFamily MuscicapidaeSylviidaeCistioolidae

Warblers

177 Grey-brested Prinia Prinia hodgsonii O G178 Yellow-bellied Prinia Prinia flaviventris R C G179 Slaty-bellied Tesia Tesia olivea L C SF180 Pale-footed Bush Warbler Cettia pallidipes WV O G181 Grey-sided Bush Warbler Cettia brunnifrons WV U G182 Paddy Field Warbler Acrocephalus agricola WV C G183 Common Tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius RCGOASF184 Dusky Warbler Phylloscopus fuscatus WV C G SF185 Smoky Warbler Phylloscopus fuligiventer WV C G SF186 Tickells Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus affinis WV C G SF187 Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides WV C SF188 Yellow-vented Warbler Phylloscopus cantator WV U G SF189 White-spectacled Warbler Zosterops palpebrosus C G SF

Order Passeriformes Family MuscicapidaeSylviidaeSub-family Timaliinae

Babblers

190 Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush Garrulax monileger R C SF191 Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush Garrulax pectoralis R C SF192 Rofous Necked Laughingthrush Garrulax ruficollis BR C SF193 Abbotts Babbler Malacocincla abbotti U G SF194 Buff-breasted Babbler Pellorneum tickelli R U SF195 Puff-throated Babbler Pellorneum ruficeps BR C SF196 White-browed Scimitar Babbler

Pomatorhinus schisticeps R C G SF197 Chestnut- Capped Babbler Timalia pileata BR U G198 Grey-thorated Babbler Stachyris nigriceps L C SF199 Striped Tit Babbler Macronous gularis BR C SF200 Yellow-eyed Babbler Chrysomma sinense U G SF201 Chestnut-capped Babbler Timalia pileata BR C G202 Rufous-winged Bushlark Mirafra assamica BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Family Dicaeidae Nectariniidae

Flowerpeckers

203 Pale-bellied Flowerpecker Dicaeum erythrorhynchos R L CSF204 Plain Flowerpecker Dicaeum concolor R C SF205 Scarlet-backed Flowerpecer Dicaeum cruentatum R C SF206 Thick-billed Flowerpecker Dicaeum agile C SF

Order Passeriformes Family Nectarinidae

Sunbirds

207 Ruby-cheeked Sunbird Anthreptes singalensis L C SF208 Purple Sunbird Nectarinia asiatica R U SF209 Crimson Sunbird Aethopyga siparaja BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Sub-family Passerinae

Sparrows

210 House Sparrow Passer domesticus BR C OA D211 Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus R C SF

Order Passeriformes Family MotacillidaePasseridae

Wagtails amp Pipits

212 White Wagtail Motacilla alba WVCOAWTD213 Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea WVCOAWT214 Paddyfield Pipit Anthus rufulus R C OA D215 Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni WV C SF216 Rosy Pipit Anthus roseatus WV C OA G

Order Passeriformes Sub-amily EstrildinaePasseridae

Munias

217 White-rumped Munia Lonchura striata BR U G218 Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata BR U G219 Black-headed Munia Lonchura malacca BR U G

Acknowledgements

I acknowledge with gratitude for the formal permission givento me by Mr AK Das DFO Jorhat Forest DivisionJorhat Assam to conduct this study I also acknowledgewith gratitude for his continuous encouragement given byMr G Saikia ACF Jorhat Forest Division Jorhat Assam

I am extremely grateful to Mr Ranjan Kumar Das ofTinsukia Mr BP Lahkar of Aaranyak and Mr Sanjay Das

of Guijan (Tinsukia) with whom I have had the opportunitiesto discuss about the identification of birds and I thank them

for their constant encouragement

I am also thankful to the Range Officer of Mariani Mr JBaruah and Beat Officer of the Meleng Beat Mr Haidar Aliand Mr Deepak Bordoloi for their help during the study

I am extremely thankful to Dr Dilip Chetry for without hisequipment and moral support I could not have completedthis work I am thankful to Mr Bhupendranath GoswamiLecturer of Mariani College for permitting me to use themaps drawn by him during my study

Finally special thanks to the members of GibbonConservation Centre Hoollongapar Natures Society ForestStaff of Meleng Beat Teachers and Student friends ofNakachari College Manjit Bora Co-ordinator of AaranyakUpper Assam Circle Arnab Bora of Tinsukia and MonimalaSaikia of AAU Jorhat Assam

ReferencesAli S (2002) The Book of Indian Birds 13th Edition BNHS Oxford

Bombay

Allen A A (1961) The Book of Bird Life D Van Nostrand CompanyINC

Barness H E (1981) The Birds of India Cosmo Publication NewDelhi

Campbell B Watson D (1984) The Illustrated Book of Birds PeerageBooks

Choudhury A U (2002) The Birds of Assam Gibbon Books WWF

Das R (2006) Pokhir Kakolit Dibru-Saikhowa Minivet PublicationsTinsukia Assam

Dorst J (Translated by I C J Galbraith 1974) The life of Birds Vol-2 Weidenfeld and Nicolson London

Finn F (1981) Garden Birds of India Cosmo Publications New delhi

Girmmett R Inskipp C Inskipp T (2000) Pocket Guide to the Birdsof Indian Subcontinent Oxford University Press

40 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

Goswami B Sarmah P (1994-2004) Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary anapproach for Sustainable development Mariani College Magazine

Grewal B Harvey B and Fister OP (2002) A Photographic Guide

to the Birds of India amp the Indian Subcontinent including PakistanNepal Bhutan Bangladesh Sri Lanka amp Maldives (HK) LimitedPeriplus Editions

Hinde R A Edited (1969) Birds Vocalizations Cambridge UniversityPress

Kazmierczak K (2003) A Field Guide to the Birds of India Sri LankaPakistan Nepal Bhutan Bangladesh and the Maldives Om BookService

141 endemic species New species are continually beingadded to the regions list

Even though Indian subcontinent has good bird diversityscientific studies on a number of birds their general biologyreproduction and behavioral ecology have not beenundertaken so far or even attempted The Wire tailed Swallow(Hirundo smithii) is one among them According to IUCN2003 it is one of the threatened birds of India

Wire tailed Swallow is a small passerine bird in theHirundinidae family All the Swallows belong to the orderPasseriformes Birds of this order are the most highly evolvedof all birds and are highly adaptative to all terrestrial terrainsThis order has the largest number of bird species with over5100 different kinds of birds In this order the birds havefragile bones and as a result they are rarely fossilized andgive few clues to their evolution (Encyclopedia Britannica)

World wide 89 swallow species are recorded We can seeswallows in every continent except Antarctica In the caseof Wire tailed Swallow two species have been recordedthe African form (Hirundo smithii filifer) and the Asian form(Hirundo smithii) These two species of Wire - tailed Swallowbreed in Africa south of Sahara and in tropical southern Asiafrom the Indian subcontinent to Southeast Asia respectivelyA number of swallows are migrant but the Wire tailed Swallowis a resident species The species gets the name from itsvery long filamentous outermost tail feathers which trailbehind like two wires (www 1)

The color of birds their songs shapes habitats and behaviorare all fascinating However a little more effort will showanother much-varied dimension of the bird world their

nests They construct their nests from a variety of materialand in a variety of locations (www 2)Key words Wire tailed swallow Mud nest Soil texture

Studies on the role of partners in Nest BuildingActivity of the Wire Tailed Swallow (Hirundo smithii)

in Kodiyampalayam area near Pichavaram MangrovesS Sandilyan K Thiyagesan and S Saravanan

Division of Wildlife biology AVCCollege Mannampandal Mayiladuthurai - 609305 Tamil Nadu India6A18c No 5 New Street Mayiladuthurai - 609001 Tamil Nadu India

e-mail ssandilyangmailcom

Wire tailed Swallows (Hirundo smithii) construct mud nestscomposed of sand silt and clay and plant materials Theirnests were found under the bridges in the Kodiyampalayamarea near the Pichavaram Mangrove Tamilnadu India Boththe partners are involved in nest building The proportiontest shows there was no significant difference in the timespent on nest building between the male and female(Z = 0452 P gt 005) The breeding pair had contributedequal amounts of time for nest construction The completednest was 55 cm wide projecting away from the verticalsurface the length was 92 cm and the circumference was28 cm

Introduction

Aves are a familiar feature of our environment and everyone notices them It is small wonder that birdwatching issuch a popular pastime the world over Due to their variedlifestyles conspicuousness diurnal habits and interestingplumage and calls birds are also regarded as good subjectsfor exploring a number of questions of ecological andconservation significance (Urfi 2003) They are also idealbioindicators and useful models for studying a variety of

environmental problems Presently more attention is beinggiven to conservation monitoring and ecological studies(Newton 1995)

Indian subcontinent is rich in avian species This is partlybecause of its wide altitudinal range extending from sealevel up to summit of the Himalayas Another reason is thehighly varied climate and associated diversity of vegetation(Grimmett R 1999) As many as 13 of the worlds birds

have been recorded in the Indian subcontinent This includes

Saikia G (2002) A Brochure on Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary JorhatForest Division

Simms E (1990) Woodland Birds Bloomsbury Books LondonTiwari V M (2002) Joy of Bird Watching NBT IndiaWelty J C (Third Edition) The Life of Birds Saunder College PubishingWhistler H (1986) Handbook of Indian Birds Cosmo Publications

New Delhi

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 41

Birds build nests in many shapes sizes and locations from tree holes to tunnels from twig platforms to tiny cupsof mud but all provide security warmth and safety for

their eggs and young Nest building is an inherited skill thatbirds have developed to improve the chances of the survivalof their progeny The variety of design and constructionreflects the differing needs of each species and theiradaptability to the habitats and utilization of availablematerials (www 3)

In the case of wire tailed swallow studies about their nestingbehavior nest material preferences and the contribution ofbreeding partners for nest building had not been attemptedso far in South Indian conditions In order to fill the lacunathe current study was designed

The present study describes the nesting behavior ofwire-tailed swallow especially the time spent by each

partner for constructing the mud nest in between

Pichavaram to Kodiyampalayam area (N 1139deg and

E 7979deg) which has a unique mangrove habitat After a long

period of survey in this area 4 nest sites of wire tailedswallows were identified under the bridges in a 4 Km stretchThe birds fixed their half bowl mud nest under the bridgesAmong the 4 nests studied one was so high that it couldnot be reached and the remaining three were accessible

The main objectives of the present study are

To study the nesting site preferences of wire tailedswallow in Pichavaram Mangrove region

Study the contributions of each partner in building themud nest in the study area

Record the time spent by each partner to construct themud nest and

To provide general information on this species andto identify additional opportunities for research onthis species

Study Area

The present study was carried out in between Pichavaramto Kodiyampalayam which covers a distance of 4 Km Thestudy area is located in (N 1139deg and E79deg) in Tamilnadu

India The first 3 Km stretch comes under the Cuddaloredistrict and the remaining 1 Km area area comes under theNagai district of Tamilnadu The temperature in and aroundPichavaram mangrove ranges between 20degC and 37degC The

study area receives rainfall mostly during southwestmonsoon (July to September) The total annual rainfall isabout 1300 mm (Sampath 1993)

3 nests were recorded in the Nagai district of the studyarea and remaining nest was recorded in the Cuddaloredistrict One of the nests in the Nagai district was at aconsiderable height which was inaccessible

The first nest ie towards Pichavaram to Kodiyampalayamis surrounded by agriculture lands emerging mangrove andactive aqua farms the second and third bridges are surroundedby well developed mangrove and the fourth nest wassurrounded by mangrove vegetation as well as thorny bushes

The entire data was collected form the first nest in thestudy area

Materials amp MethodsThe study was carried out between November 2006 andMarch 2007 Data was collected on all week ends (Saturdayand Sunday) during the study period However during theactual nest building period (December) data was collectedon all the 13 days of nest construction

The birds were observed directly or with the aid of binoculars(7 X 50) depending on the distance from the nest

Nest measurements include height above the groundprojection from the vertical surface and the length of thenest using a centimeter scale A thread was used to measurethe circumference of the nest

For identifying the bird the field guides (Ali 2002 andGrimmett 1999) were used

Observation and Results

The wire tailed swallow is a highly territorial bird and confinedto the neighborhoods of water (Ali 2002) Repeated surveyswere made in the study area from the initial survey 7 smallbridges and 4 big bridges were identified and they wereregularly watched for the presence of swallows

After a long period of survey 4 pairs of wire-tailed swallowsthat had occupied 4 big bridges were selected for closerobservation in the study area Among the 4 bridges 2 areinaccessible and the remaining 2 are easy to study thenesting behaviour of the bird Due to lack of manpowernesting data was collected only from the nest located inthe first bridge

Location of the Nest

The swallows started nest construction during the last weekof December 2006 Small mud balls were pasted by thebirds on the vertical wall of the bridge They placed the mudballs 66 cm above the water surface and 2 cm below theceiling The nest was exactly placed 1895 meters from theeast and 3155 meters from the west Most of the time thebirds used the western side for entering into the nestingsite and flew out of the eastern side of the bridge

Nest Building Activity

From the first day itself the nest building activity was observedand the time spent by each partner for nest constructionwas recorded periodically

For the first two days each partner spent equal time forconstruction (18 minutes) the third day the male contributed5937 (19 min) the female 4062 (13 min) the fourthday the male spent 4545 (10 min) female 5454(12 min) the fifth day the male invested 5348 (23 min)female 4654 (20 min) the sixth day male contributed375 (3 min) female 625 (5 min) the seventh day themale spent 6363 (14 min) female 3636 (8 min) the 8th

day male spent 7142 (15min) female 2857 (6 min)the 9th day male contributed 4444 (4 min) female 5555

42 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

(5 min) the 10 th day male spent 6111 (11 min)female 3888 (7 min) the 11th day male spent 6190(13 min) female 3809 ( 8 min) the 12th day male spent2148 (6 min) female 7857 (22 min) and on the 13th daymale spent 2631 (5 min) female spent 7368 (14 min)(Table 1)

On the last two days the female spent more time comparedto male Totally the pair took 13 days to complete the nestand they spent 315 minutes

The proportion test shows there was no significant differencein the time spent on nest building between the male andfemale (Z = 0452 P gt 005) Both sexes had contributedequal amount of time for nest construction The completenest was 55 cm projected away from the vertical surfacethe length was 92 cm and the circumference was 28 cm

DiscussionAn important behavioral reproductive decision of a bird iswhere to place the nest (Cody 1985 Johnson 1994) Birdsuse their nests chiefly to protect themselves their eggsand developing young by constructing nests that areinaccessible armored camouflaged or built in colonies thatprovide safety from predators (Burger and Gochfled 1968Welty 1982)

Nest building behaviour is often associated with courtshipand pair formation in birds it may signal the reproductivecondition of individuals and physiologically stimulate a partner(Collias 1964) There is very little information on the importanceof nest itself and its role in the mate choice (Hoi et al1994)

Soler et al (1998) showed that bird species in which bothsexes build the nest have larger nests than those in whichonly the female builds Nest size (relative to body size) waspositively correlated with the amount of parental investmentNest size indicate the willingness of males to invest inreproduction and it could therefore be a post -mating sexuallyselection trait

Soler et al (1998) discussed that several studies have shownthat nest building ability of males is related to female matechoice and the reproductive success of the pair The femalePenduline tits (Remiz pendulinus) choose the partners basedon the nest quality The nest may indicate the parentalquality experience or genetic quality and female couldtherefore benefit from mating with a superior nest builder

Swallow species especially those that build mud nest areclosely related and have similar nesting behaviors (winklerand shelden 1993) An earlier study in the case of Branswallows (Hirundo rustica) and cliff swallows (Hirundopyrrhonota) showed that they need or expect 4 basicconditions for nest site selection 1) An open area forforaging 2) A suitable surface for nest attachment3) A supply of mud of proper consistency for nest buildingand 4) A body of fresh water for drinking (www 3) Here inour study all the conditions required for nesting were present

According to Winkler and Shelden 1993 Swallow speciesespecially those that build mud nest are closely relatedand have similar nesting behaviors Studies by Moller (1994)in the case of Barn swallows showed that both sexesparticipate in nest building but there is considerable variationin the males contribution which is negatively related to

males tail length Short tailed males invest more in nest

building than long tailed males So investigation on thisaspect is also required in the case of wire tailed swallow Toget a complete picture about the nesting behaviour of thisspecies a long-term scholarly study is required It is a mustin the case of Wire tailed swallow because in 2003 IUCNhas declared that it is one of the threatened birds of India

Summary

The Study was carried out from November 2006 March

2007 in between Pichavaram to Kodiyampalayam roadsidewhich covers a distance of 4 Km With in the 4 Km stretchit has a mixed habitat of agricultural lands emerging andwell developed mangroves and aquaculture ponds

The data was collected from a nest located under the firstbridge from the first day of commencement of nest buildingactivity

Acknowledgewments

We thank our principal DrMVaratharajan and ourManagement for supporting and providing necessary facilitiesto carryout the studies

ReferencesAli Salim 2002 The Book of Indian Birds Bombay Natural History

Society BombayBirds The New Encyclopedia Britannica Macropedia 15th Edition

Chicago IllinoisEncyclopedia Britannica IncBurger J and MGochfled 1988 Nest site selection by Roseate Terns in

Two Tropical Colonies on Culebra Puetro Rico Condor 90 843 851Cody ML 1985 Habitat selection in the sylvine Warblers of Western

Europe and North Africa Page 86 129 In Cody ML (Ed) Habitatselection in Birds Academic press New York

ColliasNE amp ColliasEC 1984 Nest Building Behaviour Princeton NewJersey Princeton University Press

Table 1 Time spent by male and female wire-tailedswallows towards nest building activities

Days Time spent Time spent Contribution Contributionby male in by female of Male of Femaleminutes in minutes in in

27-Dec 18 18 50 50

28-Dec 18 18 50 50

29-Dec 19 13 594 406

30-Dec 10 12 455 545

31-Dec 23 20 535 465

1-Jan 3 5 375 625

2-Jan 14 8 636 364

3-Jan 15 6 714 286

4-Jan 4 5 444 556

5-Jan 11 7 611 389

6-Jan 13 8 619 381

7-Jan 6 22 214 786

8-Jan 5 14 263 737

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 43

Johnson PN 1994Selection and use of nest site by Barn Owls inNorfolk England Raptor Res 28 149 153

GrimmettR and CInskipp 1999 Birds of the Indian Subcontinent Oxford

University press New DelhiHoiH SchleicherB amp ValeraF 1994 Female mate Choice and nest

Desertion in penduline tits Remiz pendulinus the importance Nestquality Animal Behaviour 48 743 746

Newton I 1995 The Contribution of some recent research on birds toecological Understanding JAnim Ecol 64 675 696

Sampath K and KKrishnamurthy 1993 Birds of Pichavaram mangrovesand the Adjoining costal environs JEcolSoc 6 23 28

SolerJJMollerAPamp LindenM1996 Nest building sexual selection andparental investment Evolutionary Ecology12 427 441

Urfi AJ 2003 Breeding ecology of Birds Why do some species nestsingly while others are colonial Resonance 20038 22 32

Welty CJ 1982 The Life of Birds WB Saunders Co LondonWinkler DW and Fh Sheldow 1993 Evolution of nest construction in

swallows (Hirundinidae) a molecular phylogenetic prespectiveProcNatl

Web Based Referenceshttp enwikipediaorgwikiwire-tailed_swallowhttpwwwexplorebiodiversitycomBIRDS Birds of WorldFamilies

Passeriformeshtm

httpladywildlifecomanimalhowbirdsbuildtheirnestshtml

mixed with forested tracts pepper estates banana andcitrus plantations come into view The ensemble of barbetsgreeted us and their choir floated across the forestresounded and reverberated in the surrounding tranquilvalleys as the birds celebrated the advent of yet anotherday The music concert of these Beethovens of the forestwent on till dusk with hardly any respite

While trekking on a bridle path between forest and coffeeplantation we witnessed a male Asian Paradise-Flycatchervigorously patrolling its territory in the coffee plantation whilea juvenile male Asian Paradise-Flycatcher was lurking inthe forest on the opposite side This went on for full onehour and we had to retreat as dusk was descending

Sirumalai hills and the surrounding areas are rich in bird lifeand according to Palani Hills Birdwatchers Society more

than 250 species have been recorded so far We chancedupon the biggest butterfly of South India the SouthernBirdwing butterfly We trekked to Agasthyipuram the earliesthuman settlement in the hills and enroute recorded severalspecies of birds and butterflies such as Chocolate pansyCommon sailor Glad-eye Bush brown Common CerulianSilverstreak blue Angled castor Common Jezebel Crimsonrose Common Bushbrown and Striped Blue tiger

The following is the systematic list of birds observed in Gandhigram Rural

University Campus (GU) Athoor Dam (A) Vadakarai Tank (V) and Sirumalai

Hills (S)

Grebes Podicipedidae

Little grebe (V) Tachybaptus ruficollis (Pallas 1964)

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Great Cormorant (V) Phalacrocorax carbo (Linnaeus 1758)

Darters Anhingidae

Darter (V) Anhinga melanogaster (Pennant 1969)

Herons Egrets and Ardeidae

Bitterns

Little egret (V) Egretta garzetta (Linnaeus 1966)

Large Egret (V) Casmerodius albus (Linnaeus 1758)

Cattle egret (V) Bubulcus ibis (Linnaeus 1758)

Grey heron (V) Ardea cinerea (Linnaeus 1758)

Purple heron (V) Ardea purpurea (Linnaeus 1766)

Indian Pond-heron (V) Ardeola grayii (Sykes 1832)

A Day at Sirumalai in Palni HillsS Ashok Kumar

Plot No 491 Road No 10 Jubilee Hills Hyderabad 500 033

The Palani Hills Birdwatchers Society had organized the

2nd South Indian Birdwatchers Fair in Gandhigram Rural

Universtiy Dindigul from 23rd to 25th February 2007 Duringthe Fair Birdwatching field trips to Athoor dam Vadakaraitank Sirumalai Hills and Gandhigram University Campuswere conducted for the delegates and participants

Our team consisted of Prabhu Asian Wildlife FoundationRahman Education Officer WWF AP Office Hyderabadand myself While travelling in Vaigai Express we sighted10 spot billed pelicans over 200 cattle egrets and 4 greyherons in Chenulpet lake Large extents of the lake marginare invaded by Eichhornia crassipes

Palani hills forming the eastern spur of the Western Ghatsis divided into Upper Palnis in the West covering an area of385 sq kms with an altitude of 2200 mts and the LowerPalanis covering 1683 sq kms with an altitude of 1600 mtslying below Kodaikanal Palani hills region is recognized asa biodiversity hot spot

Sirumalais meaning small hills lie in Lower Palani hillslocated between 10deg07 10deg18N and 77deg55 78deg12 E

with an altitude of 800 mts The hills are rectangular in outlinecovering an area of 317 sq kms The mountain ridge slopesdown North-East on which the only motorable ghat road islaid There are other ridges sloping towards South South-East and East Mullupanrimalai Vellimalai Kalugumalai andMadagamalai are the main peaks Mullapanrimalai beingthe highest (1379 mts) Sattiar Kalankaluviar andSirumalaiar are the three rivulets which flow down the hills

The vegetation consists of tropical dry deciduous forest type(Champion 1936) dry evergreen forests riparian forests andthorn forest with thorny thickets NE monsoon brings thebulk of the annual rainfall while the SW monsoon bringssporadic rains So far 895 floral species belonging to 536 generahave been recorded as a result of systematic exploration

The dales and valleys on either side of the ghat road areclothed with dense forests bisected by jungle streamletsAs we approach Sirumalai Pudur village coffee plantations

44 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

Storks Ciconiidae

Painted stork (V) Mycteria leucocephala (Pennant 1769)

Asian Open-bill stork (V) Anastomus oscitans (Boddaert 1783)

White-necked stork (V) Ciconia episcopus (Boddaert 1783)

Geese amp Ducks Anatidae

Comb duck (V) Sarkidiornis melanotos (Pennant 1969)

Northern Shoveller (V) Anas clypeata (Linnaeus 1758)

Common Pochard (V) Aythya ferina (Linnaeus 1758)

Spot-billed duck (V) Anas acuta (Linnaeus 19581781)

Garganey (V) Anas querquedula (Linnaeus 1958)

Eurasian Wigeon (V) Anas penelope (Linnaeus 1758)

Lesser whistling teal (V) Dendrocygna javanica (Horsfield 1821)

Hawks eagles kites etc Accipitridae

Shikra (GR S) Accipiter badius (Gmelin 1788)

Crested serpent eagle (S) Spilornis cheela (Latham 1790)

Mountain hawk eagle (S) Spizaetus nipalensis (Hodgson 1836)

Black-shouldered kite (GUS) Elanus caeruleus (Desfontaine 1789)

Brahminy kite (V) Haliastur indus (Boddaert 1783)

Pheasants Partridges amp Phasianidae

Quails

Grey Junglefowl (S) Gallus sonneratii (Temminck 1813)

Grey Francolin (A) Francolinus pondicerianus (Gmelin 1789)

Rails Crakes Moorhens Rallidae

coots

White-breasted Waterhen (A) Amaurornis phoenicurus (Pennant 1858)

Purple moorhen (V) Porphyrio porphyrio (Linnaeus 1758)

Common coot (V) Fulica atra (Linnaeus 1758)

Jacanas Jacanidae

Peasant-tailed Jacana (V) Hydrophasianus chirurgus (Scopoli 1786)

Plovers Lapwings etc Charadriidae

Red-wattled Lapwing (A V) Vanellus gregarious (Pallas 1771)

Sandpipers Snipes etc Scolopacidae

Common snipe (V) Gallinago gallinago (Linnaeus 1758)

Common green Shank (V) Tringa nebularia (Gunner 1767)

Common sandpiper (V) Actitis hypoleucos (Linnaeus 1758)

Ibisbill Avocets amp Stilts Recurvirostridae

Black-winged atilt (V) Himantopus himantopus (Linnaeus 1758)

Gulls Terns etc Laridae

Gull-billed Tern (V) Gelochelidon nilotica (Gmelin 1789)

Pigeons amp Doves Columbidae

Spotted dove (S) Streptopelia chinensis (Scopoli 1786)

Emerald dove (A) Chalcophaps indica (Linnaeus 1758)

Parakeets etc Psittacidae

Blue-winged parakeet (S) Psittacula columboides (Vigors 1830)

Cuckoos Malkohas amp Cuculidae

Coucals

Indian plaintive cuckoo (A) Cacomantis passerinus (Vhai 1797)

Pied Crested cuckoo (GU) Clamator jacobinus (Boddaert 1783)

Brainfever Bird (A GU) Hierococcyx varius (Vahl 1797)

Large Greenbilled Malkoha (V) Phaenicophaeus tristis (Lesson 1830)

Greater Coucal (GU A S) Centropus sinensis (Stephens 1815)

Asian Koel (GU A) Eudynamys scolopacea (Linnaeus 1758)

Owis Strigidae

Spotted Owlet (GU) Athene brama (Temminck 1821)

Swifts Apodidae

Alpine swift (S) Tachymarptis melba (Linnaeus 1758)

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

White-breasted King-fisher Halcyon smyrnensis (Linnaeus 1758)

( V S G U )

Small Blue Kingfisher (A) Alcedo atthis (Linnaeus 1758)

Pied kingfisher (V) Lesser Ceryle rudis (Linnaeus 1758)

Bee-eaters Meropidae

Small Bee-eater (S V) Merops orientalis (Latham 1801)

Blue-tailed Bee-eater (V) Merops philippinus (Linnaeus 1766)

Rollers Coraciidae

Indian Roller (GU) Coracias benghalensis (Linnaeus 1758)

Hoopoes Upupidae

Common hoopoe (VS) Upupa epops (Linnaeus 1758)

Barbets Capitonidae

Coppersmith barbet (GUAVS) Megalaima haemacephala (PL Smuller 1776)

White-checked barbet (S) Megalaima viridis (Boddaert 1783)

Great barbet (S) Megalaima virens (Boddaert 1783)

Woodpeckers Picidae

Brown-capped Pigmy

woodpecker (S) Dendrocopos nanus (Vigors 1832)

Black-shouldered

Woodpecker (S) Chrysocolaptes festivus (Boddaert 1783)

Wagtails amp Pipits Motacillidae

Large Pied Wagtail (V S) Motacilla maderaspatensis (Gmelin 1789)

Grey wagtail (S) Motacilla cinerea (Tunstall 1771)

Paddyfield Pipit (V) Anthus rufulus (Vieillot 1818)

Cuckoo-shrikes Campephagidae

Minivets etc

Common Woodshrike (S) Tephrodornis pondicerianus (Gmelin 1789)

Long-tailed Minivet (S) Pericrocotus ethologus (Bangs amp Phillips 1914)

Black-headed cuckoo-Shrike

( G U ) Coracina melanoptera (Ruppell 1839)

Bulbuls Finchbills Pycnonotidae

Red-whiskered bulbul (AS) Pycnonotus jocosus (Linnaeus 1758)

Red-vented bulbul (AS) Pycnonotus cafer (Linnaeus 1766)

White-browed bulbul (AVS) Pycnonotus luteolus (Lesson 1841)

Ioras Leafbird Irenidae

Fairy-Bluebird

Common Iora (GU) Aegithina tiphia (Linnaeus 1758)

Asian Fairy-Bluebird (S) Irena puella (Latham 1790)

Shrikes Laniidae

Bay-backed shrike (GU) Lanius vittatus (Valenciennes 1826)

Thrushes Robins etc Turdinae

Indian Robin (GU) Saxicoloides fulicata (Linnaeus 1776)

Black Redstart (V) Phoenicurus ochruros (Gmelin 1774)

Oriental Magpie-Robin (VRS) Copsychus saularis (Linnaeus 1758)

Pied Bushchat (S) Saxicola caprata (Linnaeus 1766)

Babblers Barwings etc Timaliinae

White-headed babbler (GU) Turdoides affinis (Jerdon 1847)

Prinias Warblers etc Sylviinae

Greenish Leaf-Warbler (S) Phylloscopus trochiloides (Sundevall 1837)

Flycatchers Muscicapinae

Verditer Flycatcher (V S) Eumyias thalassina (Swainson 1838)

Nilgiri Flycatcher (S) Eumyias albicaudata (Jerdon 1840)

Monarch amp Monarchinae

Paradise Flycatchers

Asian Paradise-Flycatcher

(GU A S) Terpsiphone paradisi (Linnaeus 1758)

Sunbirds amp Spiderhunters Nectariniidae

Purple-rumped Sunbird (GU) Nectarinia zeylonica (Linnaeus 1766)

Purple Sunbird (GU) Nectarinia asiatica (Latham 1790)

Little Spiderhunter (GU) Arachnothera longirostra (Latham 1790)

White-eyes Zosteropidae

Oriental White-eye (S) Zosterops palpebrosus (Temminck 1824)

Munias Estrildidae

White-throated Munia (VS) Lonchura malabarica (Linnaeus 1758)

Spotted Munia (V) Lonchura punctulata (Linnaeus 1758)

Starlings amp Mynas Sturnidae

Common Myna (GU) Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus 1766)

Orioles Oriolidae

Eurasian Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus (Linnaeus 1758)

(GU A S)

Black-beaded Oriole (S) Oriolus xanthornus (Linnaeus 1758)

Drongos Dicruridae

Black Drongo (S GU) Dicrurus macrocercus (Vieillot 1817)

Ashy Drongo (S GU) Dicrurus leucophaeus (Vieillot 1817)

White-bellied Drongo (A amp S) Dicrurus caerulescens (Linnaeus 1758)

Greater Racket-tailed Dicrurus paradiseus (Linnaeus 1766)

Drongo (S)

Crows amp Treepies Corvidae

Indian Treepie (GU S) Dendrocitta formosae (Swinhoe 1863)

Jungle Crow (GU) Corvus macrorhynchos (Wagler 1827)

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 45

Pulicat and Point Calimere at different times And also thetheory that species recorded here has some definite linkbetween south Indian wintering birds appears to be truthfulwith the increased population of Pied Avocets Recurvirostraavosetta in Chil ika and in south Indian wetlands(Balachandran et al 2005 Sahana et al 2007)

The pressure on lagoon is immense like encroachmentincreased siltation extensive fishing and tourism Over twolakh fishermen are depending on the lakes resources fortheir livelihood (CDA 2006) The disturbance to the birds isa common sight due to intensive f ishing activitiesrecreational disturbance and the use of mechanized boatsThe constant disturbance discourages foraging costingfeeding time and amplified escape activities and drains muchof the birds energy Eventually it might result in decreasedenergy reserves late arrivallate dispersal to breedinggrounds and in the end reduced reproductive-success(Michael and Kenneth 1984)

An estimated one lakh tourists visit the lake every year (CDA2006) Many boatmen have equipped the small tourist boatswith high wattage loud-speakers with music systemproducing much noise is a common sight Though plastic isbanned one can see a lot of floating wrappers in the lakediscarded by the tourists It is sickening to watch fishesbeing killed by metal blades of crudely mechanized boatsSmall population of Irrawaddy dolphins Orcaella brevirostrisfound in the outer channel are more vulnerable Though ChilikaDevelopment Authority has rejuvenated the lake extraordinarilywell policing and implementation of many defined regulationsare falling short of standard due to (local as well as visiting)publics apathy

With all these hassles the living lagoon is at its bestthroughout the year compared to any other wetland in India(Sathiyaselvam Pers Com) due to its uniqueness And ofcourse has an added advantage of the degradation of manywintering sites in southern sojourn these birds were earlierdependent

Some noteworthy sightings are as follows

d In all 102 identified bird species and a few un-identifiedSnipes and Larger Gulls

d A solitary Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus in thesouth-east waters of Nalaban and a Goliath Heron Ardeagoliath at northern tip of Nalaban

d Huge flocks(5 -10K) of Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelopeGadwall A strepera Northern Pintail A acuta NorthernShoveller A clypeata and Ferruginous Pochard Aythyanyroca

A pilgrimage to Chilika - the Birding Kashi

A Shivaprakash T Girija and A Sharath478 3rd Cross 8th Main Ramakrishna Nagar H Block Mysore - 570022

e-mail adavannerediffmailcom

Chilika with the assemblage of marine brackish andfreshwater ecosystem is recognized as largest water birdscongregation location in Indian subcontinent that hosts 43species of 1 biogeographically known population (Islam andRahmani 2005) Totally 52 rivers and rivulets provide freshwater augmentation to the brackish bay Rich diversity anddensity of avifauna is due to the vast size (1100 sq Km)variation in salinity preferred water depths and rich sediment

We had planned our birding visits at Barkul Nalaban Islandsmudflats of Satpada New sea mouth and Rajhans Island during13th to 18th December 2006 The itinerary was based on thelocations mentioned in the Final report of Habitat evaluation ofChilika lake (Balachandran et al 2005) on the guidance of DrPKRay Scientist-in charge Regional Museum of NaturalHistory Bhubaneswar and Mr Sathiyaselvam Research FellowChilika Project Chandrabani We have spent 32 hours birdingincluding 10 hours on board non-mechanized boats and reston foot Observation was made with a Field scope (Geoma65mm x 20) and a pair of binoculars (Pentex 10 x 25 andTasco 8 x 30)

Barkul shoreline forms western part of lake attracts goodnumber of waders Nalabana Island is situated in the CentralSector of the lake and is said to be hosting 75 of the totalbird population wintering in Chilika Though large flocks ofbirds scatter in many parts of the Lake the major congregationof diverse species was in and around Nalabana IslandExposed mudflats of Satpada provide foraging ground for largecongregation of waders Gregarious Gulls and Terns galleryis displayed in the new sea mouth opened up in the outerchannel recently to provide necessary salinity to Chilika

Our plan of staying entire day and night at Nalaban Islandsbased on A birdwatchers guide to India (Krys and Raj 2001)was later modified due to Orissa Forest Departmentsrestrictions on visitors The entry of mechanized boats intothe Nalaban Islands zone is strictly restricted The island zoneis marked with red polls erected all around that are visible froma quite distance indicating the protected zone Moreover entryto the lake is prohibited to tourists and is strictly enforcedThis measure is safeguarding the interests of avifauna and itshabitat With a rowing boat and a field scope one can watchnumerous birds with ease The congregation of waterfowl isamazing and runs into a few thousands

The waders recorded here are almost similar to those inPulicat Lake and Point Calimere The waders congregationis simply unimaginable It is interesting that the BNHSreport (Balachandran et al 2005) has concluded that withinthe same wintering season the same population of birdsutilise three major water bodies of eastern coast - Chilika

46 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

CORRESPONDENCE

d Smaller flocks(100 -1K) of Common Pochard Aythyaferina Red crested Pochard Rhodonessa rufinaGarganey Anas querquedula Cotton Teal Nettapuscoromandelianus Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosaLittle Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius and Little StintCalidris minuta

d Smaller flocks(lt100) of Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterusruber (Eastern part of Nalaban Island) Spot-billed PelicanPelecanus philippensis Bar-headed Goose Anserindicus Ruddy Shelduck Tadoma ferruginea CommonTeal Anas crecca Spot billed Duck A poecilorhynchaLesser Whistling Teal Dendrocygna javanica CommonRed Shank Tringa totanus Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialisfulva Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus TemminksStint Calidris temminckii Sanderling Calidris alba Brownheaded Gull Larus brunnicephalus and Whiskered TernChlidonias hybridus

d Smaller nos of (lt10) of Asian Open-bill Anastomusoscitans Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata CommonGreen Shank Tringa nebularia Ruff Philomachus pugnaxCaspian Tern Sterna caspia Indian River Tern S aurantiaLittle Tern S albifrons White-winged Tern C leucopterusand Gull billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica

d Few Individuals like Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris Broadbilled Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus and Citrine WagtailMotacillaccitreola

d Raptors l ike White bell ied Sea Eagle Haliaeetusleucogaster (commoner) Pal las Fish Eagle Hleucoryphus (Rajhans Island)

d New terrestrial bird for us -Bank Myna Acridotheresginginianus Asian Pied Sterl ing Sturnus contra(commoner)

Footnote Back from wonderful birding we came across abad news of the death of birds from Chilika (Indian GreenFile 2006) The paper clipping of published article of the AsianAge newspaper dated 12-12-2006 was reprinted in theDecember issue of Indian Green File The report said out ofdead 82 birds 69 were Pintails rest were Shovellers GadwalsBar-headed Goose and Sea eagles and 277 birds werereportedly sick

Acknowledgement

We are indebted to Dr PKRay Scientist-in charge RegionalMuseum of Natural History Bhubaneswar and MrSathiyaselvam Research Fellow Chilika Project Chandrabanifor guidance And we are grateful to Kum Vijayalaxmi andKishendasKR Mysore for their logistic support

ReferencesBalachandarnS RahmaniAR and SathiyaselvamP 2005 Final report

of Habitat evaluation of Chilika Lake with special reference to birdsas bio-indicators Bombay Natural History Society

CDA 2006 Chilika a living lagoon A booklet prepared and circulated byChilika Development Authority Bhubaneswar

Islam MZ and AR Rahmani 2005 Important Bird Areas in India Prioritysites for conservation Mumbai Indian Bird Conservation NetworkBombay Natural History Society and BirdLife International (UK) Pp574-575

Krys Kazmierczak and Raj Singh 2001 A Birdwatchers guide to IndiaOxford University press New Delhi

Michael R Miller Kenneth J Reinecke Nov 1984 Proper Expression ofMetabolizable Energy in Avian Energetics The Condor Vol 86 No4 pp 396-400

SahanaM Kishen DasKR and TanujaDH 2007 Occurrence of PiedAvocet Recurvirostra avosetta near Mysore Karnataka Newsletterfor Birdwatchers Vol 43(1) Pp 14-15

Indian Green File No 228 December 2006 Published by Centre forScience amp environment New Delhi Page 24

poultry that creepeth upon the Earth it is a rare case of

convergence of interests of man and bird against one commonfoe Viewing from this moral high ground the focus of all overefforts must be to contain the spread to isolate the infectedhost organisms and ultimately in the long run neutralizealtogether the H5N1 virus Both the print and the visual mediahave the onerous task to publish thoroughly researched andbalanced reports which are informative and motivating but notpanic-generating

As of now the primary and exclusive host of the H5N1 virus area few species of wild waterfowl and perhaps the entire range ofdomesticated poultry birds though so far only chicken and turkeyare reported infected There is no unanimity among the scientistcommunity yet on the primary source of this virus When it firstmanifested in Taiwan China Hong Kong and Thailand in2001-2003 it was surmised that the primary host are the poultrybirds Quite logically this led to the wholesale culling of about

AN ETHICAL PERSPECTIVE AND PREVENTION OF BIRDFLU Lt Gen (Retd) BALJIT SINGH House 219 Sector 16-AChandigarh 160 015 Ph 2770619

The Bible tells us And God said let us make man in our

image after our likeness and let them have dominion over thefish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over the cattleand over all the Earth and over every creeping thing thatcreepeth upon the Earth

So in the very scheme of evolution man was conceived as theprimary and dominant species Explicit with that privilegedstatus comes mans obligation of dominion implying watch

and ward over the weaker creatures that inhabit his planet ForGod did create man in our image after our likeness whichpresupposed that he would be just and compassionate Andin the instant case where a hitherto unchartered virus H5N1has raised its ugly head with lethal potential both to man andtwo of the meekest of his wards namely the fowl of the air and

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 47

three million birds in these countries Even when in 2004 a fewdead species of the migratory wild water fowl in their breedingareas in China Kazakhstan and Siberia also tested positivethe weight of opinion still maintained that the vector was thedomestic poultry and not the free ranging wild birds

Be that as it may the fact of the matter is that as of now both thewild waterfowl and the domestic poultry are the vectors Whenthis non-discriminating virus enters the host it is of the lowpathogen grade which is non-lethal But once transmitted thevirus begins to mutate and attains snow-balling dimensionsThat is the stage that it becomes a killer and the infected birddies within 2 to 3 days Now where wild bird assemblages areconcerned fortunately they remain fairly scattered and the virustransmission process is comparatively of the lower scale Andin the scheme of Nature there are no recorded cases wherean entire species has been wiped out by an epidemicGenerally up to 70 percent of the virus host species may perishand the remainder in all probability will develop immunity ascreatures in the wild are apparently better equipped to do soHopefully and over a long period of time the subject specieswill regain its optimum population levels

On the other hand where commercial poultry industry isconcerned the birds l ive check by jowl and the virustransmission process is like an inferno At that stage theprobability of infection spreading to human beings is genuineand of a high order Fortunately so far there is no proven caseof transmission of the virus from man to man Neverthelessindividual human beings will be at risk of infection either throughthe aerosol medium (breathing) or through ingestion of aninfected bird or by touch The last two risks can be easilycountered by avoiding poultry from diet for a short while andthis is where media can again play a positive role by arousingconsciousness of all segments of the society

As for the aerosol risk here the State will have the dominantrole All the commercial poultry farms and small scale poultrykeepers and even pigeon fanciers will have to be placed underperiodic and regular surveillance checks by qualified vetsInfected units will have to be shut down and decontaminatedThe industry may even have to be compensated for loss ofrevenue The common man will have to be advised on thesafe buffer-zone to be maintained from all such facilitiesand where that is not feasible to wear face and breathingmasks Even though the counter measures may appearelementary their rigid implementation will test out the measure

of vision and management skills of the government at theCentre and State

Concurrently the migratory and resident water fowlassemblages in the Country will also need monitoring on war-footing Fortunately these sites are all listed out in the NationalDirectory of Wetlands and they number just 145 For instancein Punjab there are three sites only (Ropar Harike and Kanjli)two in Haryana (Sultanpur and Bhindawas) three in Himachal(Pong Renuka and Govindsagar) and just one in UTChandigarh the Sukhna Lake Admittedly there will be manysmaller water-bodies dotting the country-side but for the presentthey need not be put under the scanner

It might be mentioned here that on the face of it the threat frommigratory Waterfowl as vectors of H5N1 to India may be of lowgrade This becomes evident when we look at the migratorypattern of the Bar-headed goose (one of the identified vectors)already mapped out by the wildlife department of the AligarhMuslim University through an on-going project using telemetrytools The time taken by most birds to reach their winteringgrounds in India can vary from 10 to 12 days inclusive of timespent on the stop-over sites enroute Most infected birds willperish in migration before entering India But healthy birdswhich get infected at the last stop-over before India may wellsucceed in bringing the virus

No strategy to combat the H5N1 virus will succeed unless wealso have in place effective and adequate preventive andcurative medicine Fortunately Tamiflu vaccine is claimed tobe a positive safeguard where humans are concerned But thefight against the bird flu will be inconclusive until a veterinaryvariant of Tamiflu is developed on war-footing to provideimmunity to poultry This is where the print and visual mediaare best suited to spread awareness among poultry keepersand pet owners to immunize the birds with same commitmentas we do for infants against polio and small pox

Central to the formulation of plans to combat the crisis shouldbe the fact that the bird was the first and still remains the mostpredominant prey of the virus At this juncture it is the bird whichis beleaguered and it deserves mans empathy much more

than is evident at the moment Given the common resolveeffective management strategies will emerge sooner than laterAnd at the end of it all we would have contained and ultimatelyvanquished the danger of bird flu pandemic both to humankindand to the birds one of mans dominos

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48 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

PREVALENCE OF SOME MYTHOLOGICAL BELIEFS AMONGRURAL COMMUNITIES OF GUJARAT A CASE STUDY OFCROW (CORVUS Sp) HIREN SONI ASHOK and RITA PATELInstitute of Integrated Study amp Research in Biotechnology ampAllied Sciences (ARIBAS) ADIT Campus New Vidyanagar -388 121 (Gujarat) E-mail hirensoniyahoocom

In the present technocrat world still some cryptic mythologiesin scriptures and Vedas are prevalent among some ruralcommunities of Gujarat They were authoured by our ancestorsbased on their own experience Such mythological beliefs aredirectly or indirectly connected with different types of rites ritualstaboos and traditions of tribesmen in the form of variousastrological paradigms folklores proverbs and quotablequotes in ancient literature In prehistoric times our Kings andBaronets used to take the guidance of priests to predict andprepare for the natural calamities such as cyclones faminesflood and heavy rainfalls They were often referred to asForecasting of Future During such times various types of

prophecies were inferred by deciphering various birdcalls theirbehaviour nesting location and feeding patterns According tosome mythological beliefs crows act as a good forecasteramong birds and are also indicators of good or bad omens(Jadav 2004) Some of the well-known inferences from variousproverbs are as follows

1 A crow builds its nest on eastern side of a tree on topbranch in the month of May - Heavy rainfall good quality ofcrop and a good omen for any religious ceremony

2 Nest on western side of a tree - Better rain and bettercrop-yield but grave epidemics

3 Nest on top canopy of a tree - Moderate rain4 Nest in middle canopy of a tree - Insufficient rainfall and

scarcity of water5 Nest on north or north-west side of a tree Overall good year

6 Crows search for food in dust instead of open grounds andgarbage - Hike in prices of cereals crops grains and othercommodities

7 Crow gives harsh calls from a dry tree Insufficient rain

and scarcity of water8 Nest on south-east corner of a tree - Famine starvation

water crisis food shortage and theft of eatables and othercommon commodities

9 Nest on the stem of a tree instead of its branch - Scantyrain paucity of water spreading of some contagiousdisease and theft of livelihood goods

10 Nest on north-west corner of a tree - Possibility of cycloneshurricanes and thunderstorms increase in population ofrodents in houses and crop-fields scarcity of food fodderfuelwood and fiber

11 Nest on south-east corner of a tree - Late arrival of monsoonwith cyclones and storms with low rainfall famine robberyand mass-scale war Cover Jungle Myna (Acridotheres fuscus) Probably every

Indian knows either one or other of our two common mynas Junglemynas perch in pairs or trios on their favorite trees or walk along theground with rapid determined steps stopping occasionally to preenor bob heads stiffly to utter warning notes Throughout the daymynas maintain a varied rollick of high pitched grackles or pleasantliquid notes to express their diverse moods such as delight fearresentment or anguish Being omnivores they feed on grubs fruitsgrains crumbs and morsels They nest in tree holes cracks inwalls chimneys and thatched roofs Mynas at times are branded asreckless usurpers of the nests of other birds Photo S Shreyas

Address for Correspondence

Newsletter for BirdwatchersNo 10 Sirur Park B Street SeshadripuramBangalore 560 020 India Tel 080 2356 1142 2346 4682E-mail ltnavbaratgmailcomgtPrinted and Published bi-monthly by S Sridhar atNavbharath Enterprises Seshadripuram Bangalore - 560 020 IndiaFor Private Circulation Only

12 Nest towards the south - Epidemic and battle among localtribes

13 Nest on dome of temple old fort crematorium or flat ground- Heavy drought deadly epidemics robbery and anarchy

14 Nest on dead or dry tree - Political dilemma dispute amongbaronets and large-scale destruction of crops due to heavyflood

15 Crow gives frequent calls in front of the door Brings prestige

and wealth to the owner of that house16 Crow sits on top of the front door with rigorous flapping -

House will be damaged by fire within a week17 Crow sits on latch or hanging garland of the door and call

erratically with sideways movement of its body - Owner ofthat house and his neighboring person will be wealthierwithin a short period

Thus behaviour calls display feeding patterns nestinglocations and other allied activities of crows form an integralpart in lives of many village inhabitants of Gujarat State Similartypes of literature hunt associated with field trials on callingpatterns behaviour nesting sites and feeding practices in otherbirds also would be an additional adage and will be a goodsubject for methodical evaluation of these beliefs in future

ReferenceJadav J (2004) Crows The Forecasters of Future In The Pearls of

Folklore Gujarat Samachar (18th July 2004) Sunday Supplement P 3

Distribution map of Oriental Darter Dot sizes are proportional tothe maximum species counts between 1997-2001

Source Numbers and distribution of waterbirds and wetlandsin the Asia-Pacific region Results of the Asian WaterbirdCensus 1997-2001 Wetland International Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Page 6: May-June  2007

38 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

85 Grey-Headed Fish Eagle Ichtyophaga ichthyaetus BR C NT WT86 Crested Serprent Eagle Spilornis cheela BR C OA SF87 Pied Harrier Circus melanoleucos WVU OAWT88 Shikra Accipiter badius R C OA A89 Black-shouldered kite Elanus caeruleus BR C OA

Order Pelecaniformes CiconiiformesFamily Phalacrocoracidae Anhingidae

Cormorants

90 Darter Anhinga melanogaster U NT WT91 Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger BR C WT92 Indian Cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscicollis R U WT93 Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo L U WT

Order Ciconiformes Ciconiiformes Family Ardeidae

Egrets Herons

94 Little Egret Egretta garzetta BR C WT95 Great Egret Casmerodius albus R C WT96 Intermediate Egret Mesophoyx intermedia R C WT97 Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis BR C OA D98 Indian Pond Heron Ardeola grayii R C WT99 Little Heron Butorides striatus BR C WT100 Black-Crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax BR C WT

Order Ciconiformes Ciconiiformes Family Ciconiidae

Storks

101 Asian Openbill Anastomus oscitans BR C WT102 Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus RLC VU WT

Order Passeriformes Family Zosteropidae

White-eye

103 Orienta White-eye Zosterops palpebrosus BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Family Irenidae Corvidae

Ioras Leafbirds

104 Asian Fairy Bluebird Irena puella U SF105 Golden-Fronted Leafbird Chloropsis aurifrons R C SF106 Orange-Bellied Leafbird Chloropsis hardwickii R U SF107 Common Iora Aegithina tiphia BRCSF

Order Passeriformes Family LaniidaeShrikes

108 Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus WV C OASF109 Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach WVC OA SF110 Grey-backed Shrike Lanius tephronotus WVCOA SF

Order Passeriformes Family CorvidaeMagpies Crows

111 Rufous Treepie Dendrocitta vagabunda BR C SF112 Grey Treepie Dendrocitta formosae R L U SF113 Collared Treepie Dendrocitta frontalis U SF114 House Crow Corvus splendens BR C OA115 Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos BR C OA SF

Order Passeriformes Family Oriolidae CorvidaeOrioles

116 Black-hooded Oriole Oriolus xanthornus BRC SF117 Maroon Oriole Oriolus traillii U SF

Order Passeriformes Family Campephagidae CorvidaeCuckoo-shrikes Minivets

118 Large Cuckoo-shrike Coracina macei R C SF119 Black-winged Cuckoo-shrike Coracina melaschistos L U SF120 Rosy Minivet Pericrocotus roseus R U SF121 Small Minivet Pericrocotus cinnamomeus R U SF122 Long-tailed Minivet Pericrocotus ethologus U SF123 Short-billed Minivet Pericrocotus brevirostris L C SF

124 Scarlet Minivet Pericrocotus flammeus R C SF125 Black-naped Monarch Hypothymis azurea BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Family DicruridaeCorvidae

Drongos

126 Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus BR C OA SF127 Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus RWVCOA SF128 Bronzed Drongo Dicrurus aeneus LWVCOA SF129 Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo Dicrurus remifer BR C SF130 Spangled Drongo Dicrurus hottentottus R C SF131 Greater Racket-tailed Drongo Dicrurus paradiseus R C SF

Order Passeriformes Family MuscicapidaeCorvidaeSub-family Muscicapinae

Flycatcher

132 Ferruginous Flycatcher Muscicapa ferruginea R C SF133 Red-throated Flycatcher Ficedula parva WV C SF134 Little Pied Flycatcher Ficedula westermanni L C SF135 Slaty-blue Flycatcher Ficedula tricolor WV C SF137 Verditer Flycatcher Eumyias thalassina WV C SF137 Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica U SF138 White-throated Fantail Rhipidura albicollis C SF139 Large Niltava Niltava grandis WVC SF140 Small Niltava Niltava macgrigoriae WVC SF141 Rufous-bellied Niltava Niltava sundara L C SF142 Pale-chinned Flycatcher Cyornis poliogenys R U SF143 Blue-throated Flycatcher Cyornis rubeculoides WV U SF144 Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher

Culicicapa ceylonensis WV C SF145 Asian Paradise-flycatcher Terpsiphone paradisi BR U SF

Order Passpriformes Family Muscicapidae Sub-family Turdinae

Thrushes Chats

146 White-tailed Rubythroat Luscinia pectoralis WV C SF147 Oriental Magpie Robin Copsychus saularis BR C OA SF148 White-rumped Shama Copychus malabaricus BR C SF149 Daurian Redstart Phoenicurus auroreus WV C SF150 White-tailed Robin Myiomela leucura WV O SF151 Common Stonechat Saxicola torquata WV C OA152 Grey Bushchat Saxicola ferrea WV U G SF153 Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius BR U SF154 Scaly Thrush Zoothera dauma BR C SF155 Black-breasted Thrush Turdus dissimilis R C SF156 Dark-throated Thrush Turdus ruficollis BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Family Sturnidae

Starlings Mynas

157 Spot-winged Starling Saroglossa spiloptera WV C SF158 Chestnut-tailed Starling Sturnus malabaricus R C OA SF159 Asian Pied Starling Sturnus contra BR C SF160 Brahminy Starling Sturnus pagodarum S SF161 Common Myna Acridotheres tristis BRCOAG SF162 Bank Myna Acridotheres ginginianus S OA SF163 Jungle Myna Acridotheres fuscus BR C OA SF164 White-vented Myna Acridotheres cinereus BR C OA SF165 Hill Myna Gracula religiosa BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Family SittidaeCertihiidae

Nuthatches and Creeper

166 Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch Sitta castanea R C SF167 Velvet-fronted Nuthatch Sitta frontalis R U SF

Order Passeriformes Family Paridae

Tits or Titimice

168 Great Tit Parus major L U SF169 Sultan Tit Melanochlora sultanea BR C SF

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 39

Order Passeriformes Family Hirundinidae

Swallows

170 Plain Martin Riparia paludicola R L C A SF171 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica L A WT

Order Passeriformes Family Pycnonotidae

Bulbuls

172 Red-whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus BR C SF173 Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer BR C SF174 White-throated Bulbul Alophoixus flaveolus R L C SF175 Ashy Bulbul Hemixos flavala O SF176 Black Bulbul Hypsipetes leucocephalus WV C SF

Order PasseriformesFamily MuscicapidaeSylviidaeCistioolidae

Warblers

177 Grey-brested Prinia Prinia hodgsonii O G178 Yellow-bellied Prinia Prinia flaviventris R C G179 Slaty-bellied Tesia Tesia olivea L C SF180 Pale-footed Bush Warbler Cettia pallidipes WV O G181 Grey-sided Bush Warbler Cettia brunnifrons WV U G182 Paddy Field Warbler Acrocephalus agricola WV C G183 Common Tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius RCGOASF184 Dusky Warbler Phylloscopus fuscatus WV C G SF185 Smoky Warbler Phylloscopus fuligiventer WV C G SF186 Tickells Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus affinis WV C G SF187 Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides WV C SF188 Yellow-vented Warbler Phylloscopus cantator WV U G SF189 White-spectacled Warbler Zosterops palpebrosus C G SF

Order Passeriformes Family MuscicapidaeSylviidaeSub-family Timaliinae

Babblers

190 Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush Garrulax monileger R C SF191 Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush Garrulax pectoralis R C SF192 Rofous Necked Laughingthrush Garrulax ruficollis BR C SF193 Abbotts Babbler Malacocincla abbotti U G SF194 Buff-breasted Babbler Pellorneum tickelli R U SF195 Puff-throated Babbler Pellorneum ruficeps BR C SF196 White-browed Scimitar Babbler

Pomatorhinus schisticeps R C G SF197 Chestnut- Capped Babbler Timalia pileata BR U G198 Grey-thorated Babbler Stachyris nigriceps L C SF199 Striped Tit Babbler Macronous gularis BR C SF200 Yellow-eyed Babbler Chrysomma sinense U G SF201 Chestnut-capped Babbler Timalia pileata BR C G202 Rufous-winged Bushlark Mirafra assamica BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Family Dicaeidae Nectariniidae

Flowerpeckers

203 Pale-bellied Flowerpecker Dicaeum erythrorhynchos R L CSF204 Plain Flowerpecker Dicaeum concolor R C SF205 Scarlet-backed Flowerpecer Dicaeum cruentatum R C SF206 Thick-billed Flowerpecker Dicaeum agile C SF

Order Passeriformes Family Nectarinidae

Sunbirds

207 Ruby-cheeked Sunbird Anthreptes singalensis L C SF208 Purple Sunbird Nectarinia asiatica R U SF209 Crimson Sunbird Aethopyga siparaja BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Sub-family Passerinae

Sparrows

210 House Sparrow Passer domesticus BR C OA D211 Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus R C SF

Order Passeriformes Family MotacillidaePasseridae

Wagtails amp Pipits

212 White Wagtail Motacilla alba WVCOAWTD213 Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea WVCOAWT214 Paddyfield Pipit Anthus rufulus R C OA D215 Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni WV C SF216 Rosy Pipit Anthus roseatus WV C OA G

Order Passeriformes Sub-amily EstrildinaePasseridae

Munias

217 White-rumped Munia Lonchura striata BR U G218 Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata BR U G219 Black-headed Munia Lonchura malacca BR U G

Acknowledgements

I acknowledge with gratitude for the formal permission givento me by Mr AK Das DFO Jorhat Forest DivisionJorhat Assam to conduct this study I also acknowledgewith gratitude for his continuous encouragement given byMr G Saikia ACF Jorhat Forest Division Jorhat Assam

I am extremely grateful to Mr Ranjan Kumar Das ofTinsukia Mr BP Lahkar of Aaranyak and Mr Sanjay Das

of Guijan (Tinsukia) with whom I have had the opportunitiesto discuss about the identification of birds and I thank them

for their constant encouragement

I am also thankful to the Range Officer of Mariani Mr JBaruah and Beat Officer of the Meleng Beat Mr Haidar Aliand Mr Deepak Bordoloi for their help during the study

I am extremely thankful to Dr Dilip Chetry for without hisequipment and moral support I could not have completedthis work I am thankful to Mr Bhupendranath GoswamiLecturer of Mariani College for permitting me to use themaps drawn by him during my study

Finally special thanks to the members of GibbonConservation Centre Hoollongapar Natures Society ForestStaff of Meleng Beat Teachers and Student friends ofNakachari College Manjit Bora Co-ordinator of AaranyakUpper Assam Circle Arnab Bora of Tinsukia and MonimalaSaikia of AAU Jorhat Assam

ReferencesAli S (2002) The Book of Indian Birds 13th Edition BNHS Oxford

Bombay

Allen A A (1961) The Book of Bird Life D Van Nostrand CompanyINC

Barness H E (1981) The Birds of India Cosmo Publication NewDelhi

Campbell B Watson D (1984) The Illustrated Book of Birds PeerageBooks

Choudhury A U (2002) The Birds of Assam Gibbon Books WWF

Das R (2006) Pokhir Kakolit Dibru-Saikhowa Minivet PublicationsTinsukia Assam

Dorst J (Translated by I C J Galbraith 1974) The life of Birds Vol-2 Weidenfeld and Nicolson London

Finn F (1981) Garden Birds of India Cosmo Publications New delhi

Girmmett R Inskipp C Inskipp T (2000) Pocket Guide to the Birdsof Indian Subcontinent Oxford University Press

40 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

Goswami B Sarmah P (1994-2004) Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary anapproach for Sustainable development Mariani College Magazine

Grewal B Harvey B and Fister OP (2002) A Photographic Guide

to the Birds of India amp the Indian Subcontinent including PakistanNepal Bhutan Bangladesh Sri Lanka amp Maldives (HK) LimitedPeriplus Editions

Hinde R A Edited (1969) Birds Vocalizations Cambridge UniversityPress

Kazmierczak K (2003) A Field Guide to the Birds of India Sri LankaPakistan Nepal Bhutan Bangladesh and the Maldives Om BookService

141 endemic species New species are continually beingadded to the regions list

Even though Indian subcontinent has good bird diversityscientific studies on a number of birds their general biologyreproduction and behavioral ecology have not beenundertaken so far or even attempted The Wire tailed Swallow(Hirundo smithii) is one among them According to IUCN2003 it is one of the threatened birds of India

Wire tailed Swallow is a small passerine bird in theHirundinidae family All the Swallows belong to the orderPasseriformes Birds of this order are the most highly evolvedof all birds and are highly adaptative to all terrestrial terrainsThis order has the largest number of bird species with over5100 different kinds of birds In this order the birds havefragile bones and as a result they are rarely fossilized andgive few clues to their evolution (Encyclopedia Britannica)

World wide 89 swallow species are recorded We can seeswallows in every continent except Antarctica In the caseof Wire tailed Swallow two species have been recordedthe African form (Hirundo smithii filifer) and the Asian form(Hirundo smithii) These two species of Wire - tailed Swallowbreed in Africa south of Sahara and in tropical southern Asiafrom the Indian subcontinent to Southeast Asia respectivelyA number of swallows are migrant but the Wire tailed Swallowis a resident species The species gets the name from itsvery long filamentous outermost tail feathers which trailbehind like two wires (www 1)

The color of birds their songs shapes habitats and behaviorare all fascinating However a little more effort will showanother much-varied dimension of the bird world their

nests They construct their nests from a variety of materialand in a variety of locations (www 2)Key words Wire tailed swallow Mud nest Soil texture

Studies on the role of partners in Nest BuildingActivity of the Wire Tailed Swallow (Hirundo smithii)

in Kodiyampalayam area near Pichavaram MangrovesS Sandilyan K Thiyagesan and S Saravanan

Division of Wildlife biology AVCCollege Mannampandal Mayiladuthurai - 609305 Tamil Nadu India6A18c No 5 New Street Mayiladuthurai - 609001 Tamil Nadu India

e-mail ssandilyangmailcom

Wire tailed Swallows (Hirundo smithii) construct mud nestscomposed of sand silt and clay and plant materials Theirnests were found under the bridges in the Kodiyampalayamarea near the Pichavaram Mangrove Tamilnadu India Boththe partners are involved in nest building The proportiontest shows there was no significant difference in the timespent on nest building between the male and female(Z = 0452 P gt 005) The breeding pair had contributedequal amounts of time for nest construction The completednest was 55 cm wide projecting away from the verticalsurface the length was 92 cm and the circumference was28 cm

Introduction

Aves are a familiar feature of our environment and everyone notices them It is small wonder that birdwatching issuch a popular pastime the world over Due to their variedlifestyles conspicuousness diurnal habits and interestingplumage and calls birds are also regarded as good subjectsfor exploring a number of questions of ecological andconservation significance (Urfi 2003) They are also idealbioindicators and useful models for studying a variety of

environmental problems Presently more attention is beinggiven to conservation monitoring and ecological studies(Newton 1995)

Indian subcontinent is rich in avian species This is partlybecause of its wide altitudinal range extending from sealevel up to summit of the Himalayas Another reason is thehighly varied climate and associated diversity of vegetation(Grimmett R 1999) As many as 13 of the worlds birds

have been recorded in the Indian subcontinent This includes

Saikia G (2002) A Brochure on Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary JorhatForest Division

Simms E (1990) Woodland Birds Bloomsbury Books LondonTiwari V M (2002) Joy of Bird Watching NBT IndiaWelty J C (Third Edition) The Life of Birds Saunder College PubishingWhistler H (1986) Handbook of Indian Birds Cosmo Publications

New Delhi

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 41

Birds build nests in many shapes sizes and locations from tree holes to tunnels from twig platforms to tiny cupsof mud but all provide security warmth and safety for

their eggs and young Nest building is an inherited skill thatbirds have developed to improve the chances of the survivalof their progeny The variety of design and constructionreflects the differing needs of each species and theiradaptability to the habitats and utilization of availablematerials (www 3)

In the case of wire tailed swallow studies about their nestingbehavior nest material preferences and the contribution ofbreeding partners for nest building had not been attemptedso far in South Indian conditions In order to fill the lacunathe current study was designed

The present study describes the nesting behavior ofwire-tailed swallow especially the time spent by each

partner for constructing the mud nest in between

Pichavaram to Kodiyampalayam area (N 1139deg and

E 7979deg) which has a unique mangrove habitat After a long

period of survey in this area 4 nest sites of wire tailedswallows were identified under the bridges in a 4 Km stretchThe birds fixed their half bowl mud nest under the bridgesAmong the 4 nests studied one was so high that it couldnot be reached and the remaining three were accessible

The main objectives of the present study are

To study the nesting site preferences of wire tailedswallow in Pichavaram Mangrove region

Study the contributions of each partner in building themud nest in the study area

Record the time spent by each partner to construct themud nest and

To provide general information on this species andto identify additional opportunities for research onthis species

Study Area

The present study was carried out in between Pichavaramto Kodiyampalayam which covers a distance of 4 Km Thestudy area is located in (N 1139deg and E79deg) in Tamilnadu

India The first 3 Km stretch comes under the Cuddaloredistrict and the remaining 1 Km area area comes under theNagai district of Tamilnadu The temperature in and aroundPichavaram mangrove ranges between 20degC and 37degC The

study area receives rainfall mostly during southwestmonsoon (July to September) The total annual rainfall isabout 1300 mm (Sampath 1993)

3 nests were recorded in the Nagai district of the studyarea and remaining nest was recorded in the Cuddaloredistrict One of the nests in the Nagai district was at aconsiderable height which was inaccessible

The first nest ie towards Pichavaram to Kodiyampalayamis surrounded by agriculture lands emerging mangrove andactive aqua farms the second and third bridges are surroundedby well developed mangrove and the fourth nest wassurrounded by mangrove vegetation as well as thorny bushes

The entire data was collected form the first nest in thestudy area

Materials amp MethodsThe study was carried out between November 2006 andMarch 2007 Data was collected on all week ends (Saturdayand Sunday) during the study period However during theactual nest building period (December) data was collectedon all the 13 days of nest construction

The birds were observed directly or with the aid of binoculars(7 X 50) depending on the distance from the nest

Nest measurements include height above the groundprojection from the vertical surface and the length of thenest using a centimeter scale A thread was used to measurethe circumference of the nest

For identifying the bird the field guides (Ali 2002 andGrimmett 1999) were used

Observation and Results

The wire tailed swallow is a highly territorial bird and confinedto the neighborhoods of water (Ali 2002) Repeated surveyswere made in the study area from the initial survey 7 smallbridges and 4 big bridges were identified and they wereregularly watched for the presence of swallows

After a long period of survey 4 pairs of wire-tailed swallowsthat had occupied 4 big bridges were selected for closerobservation in the study area Among the 4 bridges 2 areinaccessible and the remaining 2 are easy to study thenesting behaviour of the bird Due to lack of manpowernesting data was collected only from the nest located inthe first bridge

Location of the Nest

The swallows started nest construction during the last weekof December 2006 Small mud balls were pasted by thebirds on the vertical wall of the bridge They placed the mudballs 66 cm above the water surface and 2 cm below theceiling The nest was exactly placed 1895 meters from theeast and 3155 meters from the west Most of the time thebirds used the western side for entering into the nestingsite and flew out of the eastern side of the bridge

Nest Building Activity

From the first day itself the nest building activity was observedand the time spent by each partner for nest constructionwas recorded periodically

For the first two days each partner spent equal time forconstruction (18 minutes) the third day the male contributed5937 (19 min) the female 4062 (13 min) the fourthday the male spent 4545 (10 min) female 5454(12 min) the fifth day the male invested 5348 (23 min)female 4654 (20 min) the sixth day male contributed375 (3 min) female 625 (5 min) the seventh day themale spent 6363 (14 min) female 3636 (8 min) the 8th

day male spent 7142 (15min) female 2857 (6 min)the 9th day male contributed 4444 (4 min) female 5555

42 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

(5 min) the 10 th day male spent 6111 (11 min)female 3888 (7 min) the 11th day male spent 6190(13 min) female 3809 ( 8 min) the 12th day male spent2148 (6 min) female 7857 (22 min) and on the 13th daymale spent 2631 (5 min) female spent 7368 (14 min)(Table 1)

On the last two days the female spent more time comparedto male Totally the pair took 13 days to complete the nestand they spent 315 minutes

The proportion test shows there was no significant differencein the time spent on nest building between the male andfemale (Z = 0452 P gt 005) Both sexes had contributedequal amount of time for nest construction The completenest was 55 cm projected away from the vertical surfacethe length was 92 cm and the circumference was 28 cm

DiscussionAn important behavioral reproductive decision of a bird iswhere to place the nest (Cody 1985 Johnson 1994) Birdsuse their nests chiefly to protect themselves their eggsand developing young by constructing nests that areinaccessible armored camouflaged or built in colonies thatprovide safety from predators (Burger and Gochfled 1968Welty 1982)

Nest building behaviour is often associated with courtshipand pair formation in birds it may signal the reproductivecondition of individuals and physiologically stimulate a partner(Collias 1964) There is very little information on the importanceof nest itself and its role in the mate choice (Hoi et al1994)

Soler et al (1998) showed that bird species in which bothsexes build the nest have larger nests than those in whichonly the female builds Nest size (relative to body size) waspositively correlated with the amount of parental investmentNest size indicate the willingness of males to invest inreproduction and it could therefore be a post -mating sexuallyselection trait

Soler et al (1998) discussed that several studies have shownthat nest building ability of males is related to female matechoice and the reproductive success of the pair The femalePenduline tits (Remiz pendulinus) choose the partners basedon the nest quality The nest may indicate the parentalquality experience or genetic quality and female couldtherefore benefit from mating with a superior nest builder

Swallow species especially those that build mud nest areclosely related and have similar nesting behaviors (winklerand shelden 1993) An earlier study in the case of Branswallows (Hirundo rustica) and cliff swallows (Hirundopyrrhonota) showed that they need or expect 4 basicconditions for nest site selection 1) An open area forforaging 2) A suitable surface for nest attachment3) A supply of mud of proper consistency for nest buildingand 4) A body of fresh water for drinking (www 3) Here inour study all the conditions required for nesting were present

According to Winkler and Shelden 1993 Swallow speciesespecially those that build mud nest are closely relatedand have similar nesting behaviors Studies by Moller (1994)in the case of Barn swallows showed that both sexesparticipate in nest building but there is considerable variationin the males contribution which is negatively related to

males tail length Short tailed males invest more in nest

building than long tailed males So investigation on thisaspect is also required in the case of wire tailed swallow Toget a complete picture about the nesting behaviour of thisspecies a long-term scholarly study is required It is a mustin the case of Wire tailed swallow because in 2003 IUCNhas declared that it is one of the threatened birds of India

Summary

The Study was carried out from November 2006 March

2007 in between Pichavaram to Kodiyampalayam roadsidewhich covers a distance of 4 Km With in the 4 Km stretchit has a mixed habitat of agricultural lands emerging andwell developed mangroves and aquaculture ponds

The data was collected from a nest located under the firstbridge from the first day of commencement of nest buildingactivity

Acknowledgewments

We thank our principal DrMVaratharajan and ourManagement for supporting and providing necessary facilitiesto carryout the studies

ReferencesAli Salim 2002 The Book of Indian Birds Bombay Natural History

Society BombayBirds The New Encyclopedia Britannica Macropedia 15th Edition

Chicago IllinoisEncyclopedia Britannica IncBurger J and MGochfled 1988 Nest site selection by Roseate Terns in

Two Tropical Colonies on Culebra Puetro Rico Condor 90 843 851Cody ML 1985 Habitat selection in the sylvine Warblers of Western

Europe and North Africa Page 86 129 In Cody ML (Ed) Habitatselection in Birds Academic press New York

ColliasNE amp ColliasEC 1984 Nest Building Behaviour Princeton NewJersey Princeton University Press

Table 1 Time spent by male and female wire-tailedswallows towards nest building activities

Days Time spent Time spent Contribution Contributionby male in by female of Male of Femaleminutes in minutes in in

27-Dec 18 18 50 50

28-Dec 18 18 50 50

29-Dec 19 13 594 406

30-Dec 10 12 455 545

31-Dec 23 20 535 465

1-Jan 3 5 375 625

2-Jan 14 8 636 364

3-Jan 15 6 714 286

4-Jan 4 5 444 556

5-Jan 11 7 611 389

6-Jan 13 8 619 381

7-Jan 6 22 214 786

8-Jan 5 14 263 737

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 43

Johnson PN 1994Selection and use of nest site by Barn Owls inNorfolk England Raptor Res 28 149 153

GrimmettR and CInskipp 1999 Birds of the Indian Subcontinent Oxford

University press New DelhiHoiH SchleicherB amp ValeraF 1994 Female mate Choice and nest

Desertion in penduline tits Remiz pendulinus the importance Nestquality Animal Behaviour 48 743 746

Newton I 1995 The Contribution of some recent research on birds toecological Understanding JAnim Ecol 64 675 696

Sampath K and KKrishnamurthy 1993 Birds of Pichavaram mangrovesand the Adjoining costal environs JEcolSoc 6 23 28

SolerJJMollerAPamp LindenM1996 Nest building sexual selection andparental investment Evolutionary Ecology12 427 441

Urfi AJ 2003 Breeding ecology of Birds Why do some species nestsingly while others are colonial Resonance 20038 22 32

Welty CJ 1982 The Life of Birds WB Saunders Co LondonWinkler DW and Fh Sheldow 1993 Evolution of nest construction in

swallows (Hirundinidae) a molecular phylogenetic prespectiveProcNatl

Web Based Referenceshttp enwikipediaorgwikiwire-tailed_swallowhttpwwwexplorebiodiversitycomBIRDS Birds of WorldFamilies

Passeriformeshtm

httpladywildlifecomanimalhowbirdsbuildtheirnestshtml

mixed with forested tracts pepper estates banana andcitrus plantations come into view The ensemble of barbetsgreeted us and their choir floated across the forestresounded and reverberated in the surrounding tranquilvalleys as the birds celebrated the advent of yet anotherday The music concert of these Beethovens of the forestwent on till dusk with hardly any respite

While trekking on a bridle path between forest and coffeeplantation we witnessed a male Asian Paradise-Flycatchervigorously patrolling its territory in the coffee plantation whilea juvenile male Asian Paradise-Flycatcher was lurking inthe forest on the opposite side This went on for full onehour and we had to retreat as dusk was descending

Sirumalai hills and the surrounding areas are rich in bird lifeand according to Palani Hills Birdwatchers Society more

than 250 species have been recorded so far We chancedupon the biggest butterfly of South India the SouthernBirdwing butterfly We trekked to Agasthyipuram the earliesthuman settlement in the hills and enroute recorded severalspecies of birds and butterflies such as Chocolate pansyCommon sailor Glad-eye Bush brown Common CerulianSilverstreak blue Angled castor Common Jezebel Crimsonrose Common Bushbrown and Striped Blue tiger

The following is the systematic list of birds observed in Gandhigram Rural

University Campus (GU) Athoor Dam (A) Vadakarai Tank (V) and Sirumalai

Hills (S)

Grebes Podicipedidae

Little grebe (V) Tachybaptus ruficollis (Pallas 1964)

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Great Cormorant (V) Phalacrocorax carbo (Linnaeus 1758)

Darters Anhingidae

Darter (V) Anhinga melanogaster (Pennant 1969)

Herons Egrets and Ardeidae

Bitterns

Little egret (V) Egretta garzetta (Linnaeus 1966)

Large Egret (V) Casmerodius albus (Linnaeus 1758)

Cattle egret (V) Bubulcus ibis (Linnaeus 1758)

Grey heron (V) Ardea cinerea (Linnaeus 1758)

Purple heron (V) Ardea purpurea (Linnaeus 1766)

Indian Pond-heron (V) Ardeola grayii (Sykes 1832)

A Day at Sirumalai in Palni HillsS Ashok Kumar

Plot No 491 Road No 10 Jubilee Hills Hyderabad 500 033

The Palani Hills Birdwatchers Society had organized the

2nd South Indian Birdwatchers Fair in Gandhigram Rural

Universtiy Dindigul from 23rd to 25th February 2007 Duringthe Fair Birdwatching field trips to Athoor dam Vadakaraitank Sirumalai Hills and Gandhigram University Campuswere conducted for the delegates and participants

Our team consisted of Prabhu Asian Wildlife FoundationRahman Education Officer WWF AP Office Hyderabadand myself While travelling in Vaigai Express we sighted10 spot billed pelicans over 200 cattle egrets and 4 greyherons in Chenulpet lake Large extents of the lake marginare invaded by Eichhornia crassipes

Palani hills forming the eastern spur of the Western Ghatsis divided into Upper Palnis in the West covering an area of385 sq kms with an altitude of 2200 mts and the LowerPalanis covering 1683 sq kms with an altitude of 1600 mtslying below Kodaikanal Palani hills region is recognized asa biodiversity hot spot

Sirumalais meaning small hills lie in Lower Palani hillslocated between 10deg07 10deg18N and 77deg55 78deg12 E

with an altitude of 800 mts The hills are rectangular in outlinecovering an area of 317 sq kms The mountain ridge slopesdown North-East on which the only motorable ghat road islaid There are other ridges sloping towards South South-East and East Mullupanrimalai Vellimalai Kalugumalai andMadagamalai are the main peaks Mullapanrimalai beingthe highest (1379 mts) Sattiar Kalankaluviar andSirumalaiar are the three rivulets which flow down the hills

The vegetation consists of tropical dry deciduous forest type(Champion 1936) dry evergreen forests riparian forests andthorn forest with thorny thickets NE monsoon brings thebulk of the annual rainfall while the SW monsoon bringssporadic rains So far 895 floral species belonging to 536 generahave been recorded as a result of systematic exploration

The dales and valleys on either side of the ghat road areclothed with dense forests bisected by jungle streamletsAs we approach Sirumalai Pudur village coffee plantations

44 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

Storks Ciconiidae

Painted stork (V) Mycteria leucocephala (Pennant 1769)

Asian Open-bill stork (V) Anastomus oscitans (Boddaert 1783)

White-necked stork (V) Ciconia episcopus (Boddaert 1783)

Geese amp Ducks Anatidae

Comb duck (V) Sarkidiornis melanotos (Pennant 1969)

Northern Shoveller (V) Anas clypeata (Linnaeus 1758)

Common Pochard (V) Aythya ferina (Linnaeus 1758)

Spot-billed duck (V) Anas acuta (Linnaeus 19581781)

Garganey (V) Anas querquedula (Linnaeus 1958)

Eurasian Wigeon (V) Anas penelope (Linnaeus 1758)

Lesser whistling teal (V) Dendrocygna javanica (Horsfield 1821)

Hawks eagles kites etc Accipitridae

Shikra (GR S) Accipiter badius (Gmelin 1788)

Crested serpent eagle (S) Spilornis cheela (Latham 1790)

Mountain hawk eagle (S) Spizaetus nipalensis (Hodgson 1836)

Black-shouldered kite (GUS) Elanus caeruleus (Desfontaine 1789)

Brahminy kite (V) Haliastur indus (Boddaert 1783)

Pheasants Partridges amp Phasianidae

Quails

Grey Junglefowl (S) Gallus sonneratii (Temminck 1813)

Grey Francolin (A) Francolinus pondicerianus (Gmelin 1789)

Rails Crakes Moorhens Rallidae

coots

White-breasted Waterhen (A) Amaurornis phoenicurus (Pennant 1858)

Purple moorhen (V) Porphyrio porphyrio (Linnaeus 1758)

Common coot (V) Fulica atra (Linnaeus 1758)

Jacanas Jacanidae

Peasant-tailed Jacana (V) Hydrophasianus chirurgus (Scopoli 1786)

Plovers Lapwings etc Charadriidae

Red-wattled Lapwing (A V) Vanellus gregarious (Pallas 1771)

Sandpipers Snipes etc Scolopacidae

Common snipe (V) Gallinago gallinago (Linnaeus 1758)

Common green Shank (V) Tringa nebularia (Gunner 1767)

Common sandpiper (V) Actitis hypoleucos (Linnaeus 1758)

Ibisbill Avocets amp Stilts Recurvirostridae

Black-winged atilt (V) Himantopus himantopus (Linnaeus 1758)

Gulls Terns etc Laridae

Gull-billed Tern (V) Gelochelidon nilotica (Gmelin 1789)

Pigeons amp Doves Columbidae

Spotted dove (S) Streptopelia chinensis (Scopoli 1786)

Emerald dove (A) Chalcophaps indica (Linnaeus 1758)

Parakeets etc Psittacidae

Blue-winged parakeet (S) Psittacula columboides (Vigors 1830)

Cuckoos Malkohas amp Cuculidae

Coucals

Indian plaintive cuckoo (A) Cacomantis passerinus (Vhai 1797)

Pied Crested cuckoo (GU) Clamator jacobinus (Boddaert 1783)

Brainfever Bird (A GU) Hierococcyx varius (Vahl 1797)

Large Greenbilled Malkoha (V) Phaenicophaeus tristis (Lesson 1830)

Greater Coucal (GU A S) Centropus sinensis (Stephens 1815)

Asian Koel (GU A) Eudynamys scolopacea (Linnaeus 1758)

Owis Strigidae

Spotted Owlet (GU) Athene brama (Temminck 1821)

Swifts Apodidae

Alpine swift (S) Tachymarptis melba (Linnaeus 1758)

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

White-breasted King-fisher Halcyon smyrnensis (Linnaeus 1758)

( V S G U )

Small Blue Kingfisher (A) Alcedo atthis (Linnaeus 1758)

Pied kingfisher (V) Lesser Ceryle rudis (Linnaeus 1758)

Bee-eaters Meropidae

Small Bee-eater (S V) Merops orientalis (Latham 1801)

Blue-tailed Bee-eater (V) Merops philippinus (Linnaeus 1766)

Rollers Coraciidae

Indian Roller (GU) Coracias benghalensis (Linnaeus 1758)

Hoopoes Upupidae

Common hoopoe (VS) Upupa epops (Linnaeus 1758)

Barbets Capitonidae

Coppersmith barbet (GUAVS) Megalaima haemacephala (PL Smuller 1776)

White-checked barbet (S) Megalaima viridis (Boddaert 1783)

Great barbet (S) Megalaima virens (Boddaert 1783)

Woodpeckers Picidae

Brown-capped Pigmy

woodpecker (S) Dendrocopos nanus (Vigors 1832)

Black-shouldered

Woodpecker (S) Chrysocolaptes festivus (Boddaert 1783)

Wagtails amp Pipits Motacillidae

Large Pied Wagtail (V S) Motacilla maderaspatensis (Gmelin 1789)

Grey wagtail (S) Motacilla cinerea (Tunstall 1771)

Paddyfield Pipit (V) Anthus rufulus (Vieillot 1818)

Cuckoo-shrikes Campephagidae

Minivets etc

Common Woodshrike (S) Tephrodornis pondicerianus (Gmelin 1789)

Long-tailed Minivet (S) Pericrocotus ethologus (Bangs amp Phillips 1914)

Black-headed cuckoo-Shrike

( G U ) Coracina melanoptera (Ruppell 1839)

Bulbuls Finchbills Pycnonotidae

Red-whiskered bulbul (AS) Pycnonotus jocosus (Linnaeus 1758)

Red-vented bulbul (AS) Pycnonotus cafer (Linnaeus 1766)

White-browed bulbul (AVS) Pycnonotus luteolus (Lesson 1841)

Ioras Leafbird Irenidae

Fairy-Bluebird

Common Iora (GU) Aegithina tiphia (Linnaeus 1758)

Asian Fairy-Bluebird (S) Irena puella (Latham 1790)

Shrikes Laniidae

Bay-backed shrike (GU) Lanius vittatus (Valenciennes 1826)

Thrushes Robins etc Turdinae

Indian Robin (GU) Saxicoloides fulicata (Linnaeus 1776)

Black Redstart (V) Phoenicurus ochruros (Gmelin 1774)

Oriental Magpie-Robin (VRS) Copsychus saularis (Linnaeus 1758)

Pied Bushchat (S) Saxicola caprata (Linnaeus 1766)

Babblers Barwings etc Timaliinae

White-headed babbler (GU) Turdoides affinis (Jerdon 1847)

Prinias Warblers etc Sylviinae

Greenish Leaf-Warbler (S) Phylloscopus trochiloides (Sundevall 1837)

Flycatchers Muscicapinae

Verditer Flycatcher (V S) Eumyias thalassina (Swainson 1838)

Nilgiri Flycatcher (S) Eumyias albicaudata (Jerdon 1840)

Monarch amp Monarchinae

Paradise Flycatchers

Asian Paradise-Flycatcher

(GU A S) Terpsiphone paradisi (Linnaeus 1758)

Sunbirds amp Spiderhunters Nectariniidae

Purple-rumped Sunbird (GU) Nectarinia zeylonica (Linnaeus 1766)

Purple Sunbird (GU) Nectarinia asiatica (Latham 1790)

Little Spiderhunter (GU) Arachnothera longirostra (Latham 1790)

White-eyes Zosteropidae

Oriental White-eye (S) Zosterops palpebrosus (Temminck 1824)

Munias Estrildidae

White-throated Munia (VS) Lonchura malabarica (Linnaeus 1758)

Spotted Munia (V) Lonchura punctulata (Linnaeus 1758)

Starlings amp Mynas Sturnidae

Common Myna (GU) Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus 1766)

Orioles Oriolidae

Eurasian Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus (Linnaeus 1758)

(GU A S)

Black-beaded Oriole (S) Oriolus xanthornus (Linnaeus 1758)

Drongos Dicruridae

Black Drongo (S GU) Dicrurus macrocercus (Vieillot 1817)

Ashy Drongo (S GU) Dicrurus leucophaeus (Vieillot 1817)

White-bellied Drongo (A amp S) Dicrurus caerulescens (Linnaeus 1758)

Greater Racket-tailed Dicrurus paradiseus (Linnaeus 1766)

Drongo (S)

Crows amp Treepies Corvidae

Indian Treepie (GU S) Dendrocitta formosae (Swinhoe 1863)

Jungle Crow (GU) Corvus macrorhynchos (Wagler 1827)

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 45

Pulicat and Point Calimere at different times And also thetheory that species recorded here has some definite linkbetween south Indian wintering birds appears to be truthfulwith the increased population of Pied Avocets Recurvirostraavosetta in Chil ika and in south Indian wetlands(Balachandran et al 2005 Sahana et al 2007)

The pressure on lagoon is immense like encroachmentincreased siltation extensive fishing and tourism Over twolakh fishermen are depending on the lakes resources fortheir livelihood (CDA 2006) The disturbance to the birds isa common sight due to intensive f ishing activitiesrecreational disturbance and the use of mechanized boatsThe constant disturbance discourages foraging costingfeeding time and amplified escape activities and drains muchof the birds energy Eventually it might result in decreasedenergy reserves late arrivallate dispersal to breedinggrounds and in the end reduced reproductive-success(Michael and Kenneth 1984)

An estimated one lakh tourists visit the lake every year (CDA2006) Many boatmen have equipped the small tourist boatswith high wattage loud-speakers with music systemproducing much noise is a common sight Though plastic isbanned one can see a lot of floating wrappers in the lakediscarded by the tourists It is sickening to watch fishesbeing killed by metal blades of crudely mechanized boatsSmall population of Irrawaddy dolphins Orcaella brevirostrisfound in the outer channel are more vulnerable Though ChilikaDevelopment Authority has rejuvenated the lake extraordinarilywell policing and implementation of many defined regulationsare falling short of standard due to (local as well as visiting)publics apathy

With all these hassles the living lagoon is at its bestthroughout the year compared to any other wetland in India(Sathiyaselvam Pers Com) due to its uniqueness And ofcourse has an added advantage of the degradation of manywintering sites in southern sojourn these birds were earlierdependent

Some noteworthy sightings are as follows

d In all 102 identified bird species and a few un-identifiedSnipes and Larger Gulls

d A solitary Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus in thesouth-east waters of Nalaban and a Goliath Heron Ardeagoliath at northern tip of Nalaban

d Huge flocks(5 -10K) of Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelopeGadwall A strepera Northern Pintail A acuta NorthernShoveller A clypeata and Ferruginous Pochard Aythyanyroca

A pilgrimage to Chilika - the Birding Kashi

A Shivaprakash T Girija and A Sharath478 3rd Cross 8th Main Ramakrishna Nagar H Block Mysore - 570022

e-mail adavannerediffmailcom

Chilika with the assemblage of marine brackish andfreshwater ecosystem is recognized as largest water birdscongregation location in Indian subcontinent that hosts 43species of 1 biogeographically known population (Islam andRahmani 2005) Totally 52 rivers and rivulets provide freshwater augmentation to the brackish bay Rich diversity anddensity of avifauna is due to the vast size (1100 sq Km)variation in salinity preferred water depths and rich sediment

We had planned our birding visits at Barkul Nalaban Islandsmudflats of Satpada New sea mouth and Rajhans Island during13th to 18th December 2006 The itinerary was based on thelocations mentioned in the Final report of Habitat evaluation ofChilika lake (Balachandran et al 2005) on the guidance of DrPKRay Scientist-in charge Regional Museum of NaturalHistory Bhubaneswar and Mr Sathiyaselvam Research FellowChilika Project Chandrabani We have spent 32 hours birdingincluding 10 hours on board non-mechanized boats and reston foot Observation was made with a Field scope (Geoma65mm x 20) and a pair of binoculars (Pentex 10 x 25 andTasco 8 x 30)

Barkul shoreline forms western part of lake attracts goodnumber of waders Nalabana Island is situated in the CentralSector of the lake and is said to be hosting 75 of the totalbird population wintering in Chilika Though large flocks ofbirds scatter in many parts of the Lake the major congregationof diverse species was in and around Nalabana IslandExposed mudflats of Satpada provide foraging ground for largecongregation of waders Gregarious Gulls and Terns galleryis displayed in the new sea mouth opened up in the outerchannel recently to provide necessary salinity to Chilika

Our plan of staying entire day and night at Nalaban Islandsbased on A birdwatchers guide to India (Krys and Raj 2001)was later modified due to Orissa Forest Departmentsrestrictions on visitors The entry of mechanized boats intothe Nalaban Islands zone is strictly restricted The island zoneis marked with red polls erected all around that are visible froma quite distance indicating the protected zone Moreover entryto the lake is prohibited to tourists and is strictly enforcedThis measure is safeguarding the interests of avifauna and itshabitat With a rowing boat and a field scope one can watchnumerous birds with ease The congregation of waterfowl isamazing and runs into a few thousands

The waders recorded here are almost similar to those inPulicat Lake and Point Calimere The waders congregationis simply unimaginable It is interesting that the BNHSreport (Balachandran et al 2005) has concluded that withinthe same wintering season the same population of birdsutilise three major water bodies of eastern coast - Chilika

46 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

CORRESPONDENCE

d Smaller flocks(100 -1K) of Common Pochard Aythyaferina Red crested Pochard Rhodonessa rufinaGarganey Anas querquedula Cotton Teal Nettapuscoromandelianus Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosaLittle Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius and Little StintCalidris minuta

d Smaller flocks(lt100) of Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterusruber (Eastern part of Nalaban Island) Spot-billed PelicanPelecanus philippensis Bar-headed Goose Anserindicus Ruddy Shelduck Tadoma ferruginea CommonTeal Anas crecca Spot billed Duck A poecilorhynchaLesser Whistling Teal Dendrocygna javanica CommonRed Shank Tringa totanus Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialisfulva Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus TemminksStint Calidris temminckii Sanderling Calidris alba Brownheaded Gull Larus brunnicephalus and Whiskered TernChlidonias hybridus

d Smaller nos of (lt10) of Asian Open-bill Anastomusoscitans Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata CommonGreen Shank Tringa nebularia Ruff Philomachus pugnaxCaspian Tern Sterna caspia Indian River Tern S aurantiaLittle Tern S albifrons White-winged Tern C leucopterusand Gull billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica

d Few Individuals like Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris Broadbilled Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus and Citrine WagtailMotacillaccitreola

d Raptors l ike White bell ied Sea Eagle Haliaeetusleucogaster (commoner) Pal las Fish Eagle Hleucoryphus (Rajhans Island)

d New terrestrial bird for us -Bank Myna Acridotheresginginianus Asian Pied Sterl ing Sturnus contra(commoner)

Footnote Back from wonderful birding we came across abad news of the death of birds from Chilika (Indian GreenFile 2006) The paper clipping of published article of the AsianAge newspaper dated 12-12-2006 was reprinted in theDecember issue of Indian Green File The report said out ofdead 82 birds 69 were Pintails rest were Shovellers GadwalsBar-headed Goose and Sea eagles and 277 birds werereportedly sick

Acknowledgement

We are indebted to Dr PKRay Scientist-in charge RegionalMuseum of Natural History Bhubaneswar and MrSathiyaselvam Research Fellow Chilika Project Chandrabanifor guidance And we are grateful to Kum Vijayalaxmi andKishendasKR Mysore for their logistic support

ReferencesBalachandarnS RahmaniAR and SathiyaselvamP 2005 Final report

of Habitat evaluation of Chilika Lake with special reference to birdsas bio-indicators Bombay Natural History Society

CDA 2006 Chilika a living lagoon A booklet prepared and circulated byChilika Development Authority Bhubaneswar

Islam MZ and AR Rahmani 2005 Important Bird Areas in India Prioritysites for conservation Mumbai Indian Bird Conservation NetworkBombay Natural History Society and BirdLife International (UK) Pp574-575

Krys Kazmierczak and Raj Singh 2001 A Birdwatchers guide to IndiaOxford University press New Delhi

Michael R Miller Kenneth J Reinecke Nov 1984 Proper Expression ofMetabolizable Energy in Avian Energetics The Condor Vol 86 No4 pp 396-400

SahanaM Kishen DasKR and TanujaDH 2007 Occurrence of PiedAvocet Recurvirostra avosetta near Mysore Karnataka Newsletterfor Birdwatchers Vol 43(1) Pp 14-15

Indian Green File No 228 December 2006 Published by Centre forScience amp environment New Delhi Page 24

poultry that creepeth upon the Earth it is a rare case of

convergence of interests of man and bird against one commonfoe Viewing from this moral high ground the focus of all overefforts must be to contain the spread to isolate the infectedhost organisms and ultimately in the long run neutralizealtogether the H5N1 virus Both the print and the visual mediahave the onerous task to publish thoroughly researched andbalanced reports which are informative and motivating but notpanic-generating

As of now the primary and exclusive host of the H5N1 virus area few species of wild waterfowl and perhaps the entire range ofdomesticated poultry birds though so far only chicken and turkeyare reported infected There is no unanimity among the scientistcommunity yet on the primary source of this virus When it firstmanifested in Taiwan China Hong Kong and Thailand in2001-2003 it was surmised that the primary host are the poultrybirds Quite logically this led to the wholesale culling of about

AN ETHICAL PERSPECTIVE AND PREVENTION OF BIRDFLU Lt Gen (Retd) BALJIT SINGH House 219 Sector 16-AChandigarh 160 015 Ph 2770619

The Bible tells us And God said let us make man in our

image after our likeness and let them have dominion over thefish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over the cattleand over all the Earth and over every creeping thing thatcreepeth upon the Earth

So in the very scheme of evolution man was conceived as theprimary and dominant species Explicit with that privilegedstatus comes mans obligation of dominion implying watch

and ward over the weaker creatures that inhabit his planet ForGod did create man in our image after our likeness whichpresupposed that he would be just and compassionate Andin the instant case where a hitherto unchartered virus H5N1has raised its ugly head with lethal potential both to man andtwo of the meekest of his wards namely the fowl of the air and

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 47

three million birds in these countries Even when in 2004 a fewdead species of the migratory wild water fowl in their breedingareas in China Kazakhstan and Siberia also tested positivethe weight of opinion still maintained that the vector was thedomestic poultry and not the free ranging wild birds

Be that as it may the fact of the matter is that as of now both thewild waterfowl and the domestic poultry are the vectors Whenthis non-discriminating virus enters the host it is of the lowpathogen grade which is non-lethal But once transmitted thevirus begins to mutate and attains snow-balling dimensionsThat is the stage that it becomes a killer and the infected birddies within 2 to 3 days Now where wild bird assemblages areconcerned fortunately they remain fairly scattered and the virustransmission process is comparatively of the lower scale Andin the scheme of Nature there are no recorded cases wherean entire species has been wiped out by an epidemicGenerally up to 70 percent of the virus host species may perishand the remainder in all probability will develop immunity ascreatures in the wild are apparently better equipped to do soHopefully and over a long period of time the subject specieswill regain its optimum population levels

On the other hand where commercial poultry industry isconcerned the birds l ive check by jowl and the virustransmission process is like an inferno At that stage theprobability of infection spreading to human beings is genuineand of a high order Fortunately so far there is no proven caseof transmission of the virus from man to man Neverthelessindividual human beings will be at risk of infection either throughthe aerosol medium (breathing) or through ingestion of aninfected bird or by touch The last two risks can be easilycountered by avoiding poultry from diet for a short while andthis is where media can again play a positive role by arousingconsciousness of all segments of the society

As for the aerosol risk here the State will have the dominantrole All the commercial poultry farms and small scale poultrykeepers and even pigeon fanciers will have to be placed underperiodic and regular surveillance checks by qualified vetsInfected units will have to be shut down and decontaminatedThe industry may even have to be compensated for loss ofrevenue The common man will have to be advised on thesafe buffer-zone to be maintained from all such facilitiesand where that is not feasible to wear face and breathingmasks Even though the counter measures may appearelementary their rigid implementation will test out the measure

of vision and management skills of the government at theCentre and State

Concurrently the migratory and resident water fowlassemblages in the Country will also need monitoring on war-footing Fortunately these sites are all listed out in the NationalDirectory of Wetlands and they number just 145 For instancein Punjab there are three sites only (Ropar Harike and Kanjli)two in Haryana (Sultanpur and Bhindawas) three in Himachal(Pong Renuka and Govindsagar) and just one in UTChandigarh the Sukhna Lake Admittedly there will be manysmaller water-bodies dotting the country-side but for the presentthey need not be put under the scanner

It might be mentioned here that on the face of it the threat frommigratory Waterfowl as vectors of H5N1 to India may be of lowgrade This becomes evident when we look at the migratorypattern of the Bar-headed goose (one of the identified vectors)already mapped out by the wildlife department of the AligarhMuslim University through an on-going project using telemetrytools The time taken by most birds to reach their winteringgrounds in India can vary from 10 to 12 days inclusive of timespent on the stop-over sites enroute Most infected birds willperish in migration before entering India But healthy birdswhich get infected at the last stop-over before India may wellsucceed in bringing the virus

No strategy to combat the H5N1 virus will succeed unless wealso have in place effective and adequate preventive andcurative medicine Fortunately Tamiflu vaccine is claimed tobe a positive safeguard where humans are concerned But thefight against the bird flu will be inconclusive until a veterinaryvariant of Tamiflu is developed on war-footing to provideimmunity to poultry This is where the print and visual mediaare best suited to spread awareness among poultry keepersand pet owners to immunize the birds with same commitmentas we do for infants against polio and small pox

Central to the formulation of plans to combat the crisis shouldbe the fact that the bird was the first and still remains the mostpredominant prey of the virus At this juncture it is the bird whichis beleaguered and it deserves mans empathy much more

than is evident at the moment Given the common resolveeffective management strategies will emerge sooner than laterAnd at the end of it all we would have contained and ultimatelyvanquished the danger of bird flu pandemic both to humankindand to the birds one of mans dominos

d d d

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48 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

PREVALENCE OF SOME MYTHOLOGICAL BELIEFS AMONGRURAL COMMUNITIES OF GUJARAT A CASE STUDY OFCROW (CORVUS Sp) HIREN SONI ASHOK and RITA PATELInstitute of Integrated Study amp Research in Biotechnology ampAllied Sciences (ARIBAS) ADIT Campus New Vidyanagar -388 121 (Gujarat) E-mail hirensoniyahoocom

In the present technocrat world still some cryptic mythologiesin scriptures and Vedas are prevalent among some ruralcommunities of Gujarat They were authoured by our ancestorsbased on their own experience Such mythological beliefs aredirectly or indirectly connected with different types of rites ritualstaboos and traditions of tribesmen in the form of variousastrological paradigms folklores proverbs and quotablequotes in ancient literature In prehistoric times our Kings andBaronets used to take the guidance of priests to predict andprepare for the natural calamities such as cyclones faminesflood and heavy rainfalls They were often referred to asForecasting of Future During such times various types of

prophecies were inferred by deciphering various birdcalls theirbehaviour nesting location and feeding patterns According tosome mythological beliefs crows act as a good forecasteramong birds and are also indicators of good or bad omens(Jadav 2004) Some of the well-known inferences from variousproverbs are as follows

1 A crow builds its nest on eastern side of a tree on topbranch in the month of May - Heavy rainfall good quality ofcrop and a good omen for any religious ceremony

2 Nest on western side of a tree - Better rain and bettercrop-yield but grave epidemics

3 Nest on top canopy of a tree - Moderate rain4 Nest in middle canopy of a tree - Insufficient rainfall and

scarcity of water5 Nest on north or north-west side of a tree Overall good year

6 Crows search for food in dust instead of open grounds andgarbage - Hike in prices of cereals crops grains and othercommodities

7 Crow gives harsh calls from a dry tree Insufficient rain

and scarcity of water8 Nest on south-east corner of a tree - Famine starvation

water crisis food shortage and theft of eatables and othercommon commodities

9 Nest on the stem of a tree instead of its branch - Scantyrain paucity of water spreading of some contagiousdisease and theft of livelihood goods

10 Nest on north-west corner of a tree - Possibility of cycloneshurricanes and thunderstorms increase in population ofrodents in houses and crop-fields scarcity of food fodderfuelwood and fiber

11 Nest on south-east corner of a tree - Late arrival of monsoonwith cyclones and storms with low rainfall famine robberyand mass-scale war Cover Jungle Myna (Acridotheres fuscus) Probably every

Indian knows either one or other of our two common mynas Junglemynas perch in pairs or trios on their favorite trees or walk along theground with rapid determined steps stopping occasionally to preenor bob heads stiffly to utter warning notes Throughout the daymynas maintain a varied rollick of high pitched grackles or pleasantliquid notes to express their diverse moods such as delight fearresentment or anguish Being omnivores they feed on grubs fruitsgrains crumbs and morsels They nest in tree holes cracks inwalls chimneys and thatched roofs Mynas at times are branded asreckless usurpers of the nests of other birds Photo S Shreyas

Address for Correspondence

Newsletter for BirdwatchersNo 10 Sirur Park B Street SeshadripuramBangalore 560 020 India Tel 080 2356 1142 2346 4682E-mail ltnavbaratgmailcomgtPrinted and Published bi-monthly by S Sridhar atNavbharath Enterprises Seshadripuram Bangalore - 560 020 IndiaFor Private Circulation Only

12 Nest towards the south - Epidemic and battle among localtribes

13 Nest on dome of temple old fort crematorium or flat ground- Heavy drought deadly epidemics robbery and anarchy

14 Nest on dead or dry tree - Political dilemma dispute amongbaronets and large-scale destruction of crops due to heavyflood

15 Crow gives frequent calls in front of the door Brings prestige

and wealth to the owner of that house16 Crow sits on top of the front door with rigorous flapping -

House will be damaged by fire within a week17 Crow sits on latch or hanging garland of the door and call

erratically with sideways movement of its body - Owner ofthat house and his neighboring person will be wealthierwithin a short period

Thus behaviour calls display feeding patterns nestinglocations and other allied activities of crows form an integralpart in lives of many village inhabitants of Gujarat State Similartypes of literature hunt associated with field trials on callingpatterns behaviour nesting sites and feeding practices in otherbirds also would be an additional adage and will be a goodsubject for methodical evaluation of these beliefs in future

ReferenceJadav J (2004) Crows The Forecasters of Future In The Pearls of

Folklore Gujarat Samachar (18th July 2004) Sunday Supplement P 3

Distribution map of Oriental Darter Dot sizes are proportional tothe maximum species counts between 1997-2001

Source Numbers and distribution of waterbirds and wetlandsin the Asia-Pacific region Results of the Asian WaterbirdCensus 1997-2001 Wetland International Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Page 7: May-June  2007

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 39

Order Passeriformes Family Hirundinidae

Swallows

170 Plain Martin Riparia paludicola R L C A SF171 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica L A WT

Order Passeriformes Family Pycnonotidae

Bulbuls

172 Red-whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus BR C SF173 Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer BR C SF174 White-throated Bulbul Alophoixus flaveolus R L C SF175 Ashy Bulbul Hemixos flavala O SF176 Black Bulbul Hypsipetes leucocephalus WV C SF

Order PasseriformesFamily MuscicapidaeSylviidaeCistioolidae

Warblers

177 Grey-brested Prinia Prinia hodgsonii O G178 Yellow-bellied Prinia Prinia flaviventris R C G179 Slaty-bellied Tesia Tesia olivea L C SF180 Pale-footed Bush Warbler Cettia pallidipes WV O G181 Grey-sided Bush Warbler Cettia brunnifrons WV U G182 Paddy Field Warbler Acrocephalus agricola WV C G183 Common Tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius RCGOASF184 Dusky Warbler Phylloscopus fuscatus WV C G SF185 Smoky Warbler Phylloscopus fuligiventer WV C G SF186 Tickells Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus affinis WV C G SF187 Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides WV C SF188 Yellow-vented Warbler Phylloscopus cantator WV U G SF189 White-spectacled Warbler Zosterops palpebrosus C G SF

Order Passeriformes Family MuscicapidaeSylviidaeSub-family Timaliinae

Babblers

190 Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush Garrulax monileger R C SF191 Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush Garrulax pectoralis R C SF192 Rofous Necked Laughingthrush Garrulax ruficollis BR C SF193 Abbotts Babbler Malacocincla abbotti U G SF194 Buff-breasted Babbler Pellorneum tickelli R U SF195 Puff-throated Babbler Pellorneum ruficeps BR C SF196 White-browed Scimitar Babbler

Pomatorhinus schisticeps R C G SF197 Chestnut- Capped Babbler Timalia pileata BR U G198 Grey-thorated Babbler Stachyris nigriceps L C SF199 Striped Tit Babbler Macronous gularis BR C SF200 Yellow-eyed Babbler Chrysomma sinense U G SF201 Chestnut-capped Babbler Timalia pileata BR C G202 Rufous-winged Bushlark Mirafra assamica BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Family Dicaeidae Nectariniidae

Flowerpeckers

203 Pale-bellied Flowerpecker Dicaeum erythrorhynchos R L CSF204 Plain Flowerpecker Dicaeum concolor R C SF205 Scarlet-backed Flowerpecer Dicaeum cruentatum R C SF206 Thick-billed Flowerpecker Dicaeum agile C SF

Order Passeriformes Family Nectarinidae

Sunbirds

207 Ruby-cheeked Sunbird Anthreptes singalensis L C SF208 Purple Sunbird Nectarinia asiatica R U SF209 Crimson Sunbird Aethopyga siparaja BR C SF

Order Passeriformes Sub-family Passerinae

Sparrows

210 House Sparrow Passer domesticus BR C OA D211 Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus R C SF

Order Passeriformes Family MotacillidaePasseridae

Wagtails amp Pipits

212 White Wagtail Motacilla alba WVCOAWTD213 Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea WVCOAWT214 Paddyfield Pipit Anthus rufulus R C OA D215 Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni WV C SF216 Rosy Pipit Anthus roseatus WV C OA G

Order Passeriformes Sub-amily EstrildinaePasseridae

Munias

217 White-rumped Munia Lonchura striata BR U G218 Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata BR U G219 Black-headed Munia Lonchura malacca BR U G

Acknowledgements

I acknowledge with gratitude for the formal permission givento me by Mr AK Das DFO Jorhat Forest DivisionJorhat Assam to conduct this study I also acknowledgewith gratitude for his continuous encouragement given byMr G Saikia ACF Jorhat Forest Division Jorhat Assam

I am extremely grateful to Mr Ranjan Kumar Das ofTinsukia Mr BP Lahkar of Aaranyak and Mr Sanjay Das

of Guijan (Tinsukia) with whom I have had the opportunitiesto discuss about the identification of birds and I thank them

for their constant encouragement

I am also thankful to the Range Officer of Mariani Mr JBaruah and Beat Officer of the Meleng Beat Mr Haidar Aliand Mr Deepak Bordoloi for their help during the study

I am extremely thankful to Dr Dilip Chetry for without hisequipment and moral support I could not have completedthis work I am thankful to Mr Bhupendranath GoswamiLecturer of Mariani College for permitting me to use themaps drawn by him during my study

Finally special thanks to the members of GibbonConservation Centre Hoollongapar Natures Society ForestStaff of Meleng Beat Teachers and Student friends ofNakachari College Manjit Bora Co-ordinator of AaranyakUpper Assam Circle Arnab Bora of Tinsukia and MonimalaSaikia of AAU Jorhat Assam

ReferencesAli S (2002) The Book of Indian Birds 13th Edition BNHS Oxford

Bombay

Allen A A (1961) The Book of Bird Life D Van Nostrand CompanyINC

Barness H E (1981) The Birds of India Cosmo Publication NewDelhi

Campbell B Watson D (1984) The Illustrated Book of Birds PeerageBooks

Choudhury A U (2002) The Birds of Assam Gibbon Books WWF

Das R (2006) Pokhir Kakolit Dibru-Saikhowa Minivet PublicationsTinsukia Assam

Dorst J (Translated by I C J Galbraith 1974) The life of Birds Vol-2 Weidenfeld and Nicolson London

Finn F (1981) Garden Birds of India Cosmo Publications New delhi

Girmmett R Inskipp C Inskipp T (2000) Pocket Guide to the Birdsof Indian Subcontinent Oxford University Press

40 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

Goswami B Sarmah P (1994-2004) Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary anapproach for Sustainable development Mariani College Magazine

Grewal B Harvey B and Fister OP (2002) A Photographic Guide

to the Birds of India amp the Indian Subcontinent including PakistanNepal Bhutan Bangladesh Sri Lanka amp Maldives (HK) LimitedPeriplus Editions

Hinde R A Edited (1969) Birds Vocalizations Cambridge UniversityPress

Kazmierczak K (2003) A Field Guide to the Birds of India Sri LankaPakistan Nepal Bhutan Bangladesh and the Maldives Om BookService

141 endemic species New species are continually beingadded to the regions list

Even though Indian subcontinent has good bird diversityscientific studies on a number of birds their general biologyreproduction and behavioral ecology have not beenundertaken so far or even attempted The Wire tailed Swallow(Hirundo smithii) is one among them According to IUCN2003 it is one of the threatened birds of India

Wire tailed Swallow is a small passerine bird in theHirundinidae family All the Swallows belong to the orderPasseriformes Birds of this order are the most highly evolvedof all birds and are highly adaptative to all terrestrial terrainsThis order has the largest number of bird species with over5100 different kinds of birds In this order the birds havefragile bones and as a result they are rarely fossilized andgive few clues to their evolution (Encyclopedia Britannica)

World wide 89 swallow species are recorded We can seeswallows in every continent except Antarctica In the caseof Wire tailed Swallow two species have been recordedthe African form (Hirundo smithii filifer) and the Asian form(Hirundo smithii) These two species of Wire - tailed Swallowbreed in Africa south of Sahara and in tropical southern Asiafrom the Indian subcontinent to Southeast Asia respectivelyA number of swallows are migrant but the Wire tailed Swallowis a resident species The species gets the name from itsvery long filamentous outermost tail feathers which trailbehind like two wires (www 1)

The color of birds their songs shapes habitats and behaviorare all fascinating However a little more effort will showanother much-varied dimension of the bird world their

nests They construct their nests from a variety of materialand in a variety of locations (www 2)Key words Wire tailed swallow Mud nest Soil texture

Studies on the role of partners in Nest BuildingActivity of the Wire Tailed Swallow (Hirundo smithii)

in Kodiyampalayam area near Pichavaram MangrovesS Sandilyan K Thiyagesan and S Saravanan

Division of Wildlife biology AVCCollege Mannampandal Mayiladuthurai - 609305 Tamil Nadu India6A18c No 5 New Street Mayiladuthurai - 609001 Tamil Nadu India

e-mail ssandilyangmailcom

Wire tailed Swallows (Hirundo smithii) construct mud nestscomposed of sand silt and clay and plant materials Theirnests were found under the bridges in the Kodiyampalayamarea near the Pichavaram Mangrove Tamilnadu India Boththe partners are involved in nest building The proportiontest shows there was no significant difference in the timespent on nest building between the male and female(Z = 0452 P gt 005) The breeding pair had contributedequal amounts of time for nest construction The completednest was 55 cm wide projecting away from the verticalsurface the length was 92 cm and the circumference was28 cm

Introduction

Aves are a familiar feature of our environment and everyone notices them It is small wonder that birdwatching issuch a popular pastime the world over Due to their variedlifestyles conspicuousness diurnal habits and interestingplumage and calls birds are also regarded as good subjectsfor exploring a number of questions of ecological andconservation significance (Urfi 2003) They are also idealbioindicators and useful models for studying a variety of

environmental problems Presently more attention is beinggiven to conservation monitoring and ecological studies(Newton 1995)

Indian subcontinent is rich in avian species This is partlybecause of its wide altitudinal range extending from sealevel up to summit of the Himalayas Another reason is thehighly varied climate and associated diversity of vegetation(Grimmett R 1999) As many as 13 of the worlds birds

have been recorded in the Indian subcontinent This includes

Saikia G (2002) A Brochure on Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary JorhatForest Division

Simms E (1990) Woodland Birds Bloomsbury Books LondonTiwari V M (2002) Joy of Bird Watching NBT IndiaWelty J C (Third Edition) The Life of Birds Saunder College PubishingWhistler H (1986) Handbook of Indian Birds Cosmo Publications

New Delhi

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 41

Birds build nests in many shapes sizes and locations from tree holes to tunnels from twig platforms to tiny cupsof mud but all provide security warmth and safety for

their eggs and young Nest building is an inherited skill thatbirds have developed to improve the chances of the survivalof their progeny The variety of design and constructionreflects the differing needs of each species and theiradaptability to the habitats and utilization of availablematerials (www 3)

In the case of wire tailed swallow studies about their nestingbehavior nest material preferences and the contribution ofbreeding partners for nest building had not been attemptedso far in South Indian conditions In order to fill the lacunathe current study was designed

The present study describes the nesting behavior ofwire-tailed swallow especially the time spent by each

partner for constructing the mud nest in between

Pichavaram to Kodiyampalayam area (N 1139deg and

E 7979deg) which has a unique mangrove habitat After a long

period of survey in this area 4 nest sites of wire tailedswallows were identified under the bridges in a 4 Km stretchThe birds fixed their half bowl mud nest under the bridgesAmong the 4 nests studied one was so high that it couldnot be reached and the remaining three were accessible

The main objectives of the present study are

To study the nesting site preferences of wire tailedswallow in Pichavaram Mangrove region

Study the contributions of each partner in building themud nest in the study area

Record the time spent by each partner to construct themud nest and

To provide general information on this species andto identify additional opportunities for research onthis species

Study Area

The present study was carried out in between Pichavaramto Kodiyampalayam which covers a distance of 4 Km Thestudy area is located in (N 1139deg and E79deg) in Tamilnadu

India The first 3 Km stretch comes under the Cuddaloredistrict and the remaining 1 Km area area comes under theNagai district of Tamilnadu The temperature in and aroundPichavaram mangrove ranges between 20degC and 37degC The

study area receives rainfall mostly during southwestmonsoon (July to September) The total annual rainfall isabout 1300 mm (Sampath 1993)

3 nests were recorded in the Nagai district of the studyarea and remaining nest was recorded in the Cuddaloredistrict One of the nests in the Nagai district was at aconsiderable height which was inaccessible

The first nest ie towards Pichavaram to Kodiyampalayamis surrounded by agriculture lands emerging mangrove andactive aqua farms the second and third bridges are surroundedby well developed mangrove and the fourth nest wassurrounded by mangrove vegetation as well as thorny bushes

The entire data was collected form the first nest in thestudy area

Materials amp MethodsThe study was carried out between November 2006 andMarch 2007 Data was collected on all week ends (Saturdayand Sunday) during the study period However during theactual nest building period (December) data was collectedon all the 13 days of nest construction

The birds were observed directly or with the aid of binoculars(7 X 50) depending on the distance from the nest

Nest measurements include height above the groundprojection from the vertical surface and the length of thenest using a centimeter scale A thread was used to measurethe circumference of the nest

For identifying the bird the field guides (Ali 2002 andGrimmett 1999) were used

Observation and Results

The wire tailed swallow is a highly territorial bird and confinedto the neighborhoods of water (Ali 2002) Repeated surveyswere made in the study area from the initial survey 7 smallbridges and 4 big bridges were identified and they wereregularly watched for the presence of swallows

After a long period of survey 4 pairs of wire-tailed swallowsthat had occupied 4 big bridges were selected for closerobservation in the study area Among the 4 bridges 2 areinaccessible and the remaining 2 are easy to study thenesting behaviour of the bird Due to lack of manpowernesting data was collected only from the nest located inthe first bridge

Location of the Nest

The swallows started nest construction during the last weekof December 2006 Small mud balls were pasted by thebirds on the vertical wall of the bridge They placed the mudballs 66 cm above the water surface and 2 cm below theceiling The nest was exactly placed 1895 meters from theeast and 3155 meters from the west Most of the time thebirds used the western side for entering into the nestingsite and flew out of the eastern side of the bridge

Nest Building Activity

From the first day itself the nest building activity was observedand the time spent by each partner for nest constructionwas recorded periodically

For the first two days each partner spent equal time forconstruction (18 minutes) the third day the male contributed5937 (19 min) the female 4062 (13 min) the fourthday the male spent 4545 (10 min) female 5454(12 min) the fifth day the male invested 5348 (23 min)female 4654 (20 min) the sixth day male contributed375 (3 min) female 625 (5 min) the seventh day themale spent 6363 (14 min) female 3636 (8 min) the 8th

day male spent 7142 (15min) female 2857 (6 min)the 9th day male contributed 4444 (4 min) female 5555

42 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

(5 min) the 10 th day male spent 6111 (11 min)female 3888 (7 min) the 11th day male spent 6190(13 min) female 3809 ( 8 min) the 12th day male spent2148 (6 min) female 7857 (22 min) and on the 13th daymale spent 2631 (5 min) female spent 7368 (14 min)(Table 1)

On the last two days the female spent more time comparedto male Totally the pair took 13 days to complete the nestand they spent 315 minutes

The proportion test shows there was no significant differencein the time spent on nest building between the male andfemale (Z = 0452 P gt 005) Both sexes had contributedequal amount of time for nest construction The completenest was 55 cm projected away from the vertical surfacethe length was 92 cm and the circumference was 28 cm

DiscussionAn important behavioral reproductive decision of a bird iswhere to place the nest (Cody 1985 Johnson 1994) Birdsuse their nests chiefly to protect themselves their eggsand developing young by constructing nests that areinaccessible armored camouflaged or built in colonies thatprovide safety from predators (Burger and Gochfled 1968Welty 1982)

Nest building behaviour is often associated with courtshipand pair formation in birds it may signal the reproductivecondition of individuals and physiologically stimulate a partner(Collias 1964) There is very little information on the importanceof nest itself and its role in the mate choice (Hoi et al1994)

Soler et al (1998) showed that bird species in which bothsexes build the nest have larger nests than those in whichonly the female builds Nest size (relative to body size) waspositively correlated with the amount of parental investmentNest size indicate the willingness of males to invest inreproduction and it could therefore be a post -mating sexuallyselection trait

Soler et al (1998) discussed that several studies have shownthat nest building ability of males is related to female matechoice and the reproductive success of the pair The femalePenduline tits (Remiz pendulinus) choose the partners basedon the nest quality The nest may indicate the parentalquality experience or genetic quality and female couldtherefore benefit from mating with a superior nest builder

Swallow species especially those that build mud nest areclosely related and have similar nesting behaviors (winklerand shelden 1993) An earlier study in the case of Branswallows (Hirundo rustica) and cliff swallows (Hirundopyrrhonota) showed that they need or expect 4 basicconditions for nest site selection 1) An open area forforaging 2) A suitable surface for nest attachment3) A supply of mud of proper consistency for nest buildingand 4) A body of fresh water for drinking (www 3) Here inour study all the conditions required for nesting were present

According to Winkler and Shelden 1993 Swallow speciesespecially those that build mud nest are closely relatedand have similar nesting behaviors Studies by Moller (1994)in the case of Barn swallows showed that both sexesparticipate in nest building but there is considerable variationin the males contribution which is negatively related to

males tail length Short tailed males invest more in nest

building than long tailed males So investigation on thisaspect is also required in the case of wire tailed swallow Toget a complete picture about the nesting behaviour of thisspecies a long-term scholarly study is required It is a mustin the case of Wire tailed swallow because in 2003 IUCNhas declared that it is one of the threatened birds of India

Summary

The Study was carried out from November 2006 March

2007 in between Pichavaram to Kodiyampalayam roadsidewhich covers a distance of 4 Km With in the 4 Km stretchit has a mixed habitat of agricultural lands emerging andwell developed mangroves and aquaculture ponds

The data was collected from a nest located under the firstbridge from the first day of commencement of nest buildingactivity

Acknowledgewments

We thank our principal DrMVaratharajan and ourManagement for supporting and providing necessary facilitiesto carryout the studies

ReferencesAli Salim 2002 The Book of Indian Birds Bombay Natural History

Society BombayBirds The New Encyclopedia Britannica Macropedia 15th Edition

Chicago IllinoisEncyclopedia Britannica IncBurger J and MGochfled 1988 Nest site selection by Roseate Terns in

Two Tropical Colonies on Culebra Puetro Rico Condor 90 843 851Cody ML 1985 Habitat selection in the sylvine Warblers of Western

Europe and North Africa Page 86 129 In Cody ML (Ed) Habitatselection in Birds Academic press New York

ColliasNE amp ColliasEC 1984 Nest Building Behaviour Princeton NewJersey Princeton University Press

Table 1 Time spent by male and female wire-tailedswallows towards nest building activities

Days Time spent Time spent Contribution Contributionby male in by female of Male of Femaleminutes in minutes in in

27-Dec 18 18 50 50

28-Dec 18 18 50 50

29-Dec 19 13 594 406

30-Dec 10 12 455 545

31-Dec 23 20 535 465

1-Jan 3 5 375 625

2-Jan 14 8 636 364

3-Jan 15 6 714 286

4-Jan 4 5 444 556

5-Jan 11 7 611 389

6-Jan 13 8 619 381

7-Jan 6 22 214 786

8-Jan 5 14 263 737

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 43

Johnson PN 1994Selection and use of nest site by Barn Owls inNorfolk England Raptor Res 28 149 153

GrimmettR and CInskipp 1999 Birds of the Indian Subcontinent Oxford

University press New DelhiHoiH SchleicherB amp ValeraF 1994 Female mate Choice and nest

Desertion in penduline tits Remiz pendulinus the importance Nestquality Animal Behaviour 48 743 746

Newton I 1995 The Contribution of some recent research on birds toecological Understanding JAnim Ecol 64 675 696

Sampath K and KKrishnamurthy 1993 Birds of Pichavaram mangrovesand the Adjoining costal environs JEcolSoc 6 23 28

SolerJJMollerAPamp LindenM1996 Nest building sexual selection andparental investment Evolutionary Ecology12 427 441

Urfi AJ 2003 Breeding ecology of Birds Why do some species nestsingly while others are colonial Resonance 20038 22 32

Welty CJ 1982 The Life of Birds WB Saunders Co LondonWinkler DW and Fh Sheldow 1993 Evolution of nest construction in

swallows (Hirundinidae) a molecular phylogenetic prespectiveProcNatl

Web Based Referenceshttp enwikipediaorgwikiwire-tailed_swallowhttpwwwexplorebiodiversitycomBIRDS Birds of WorldFamilies

Passeriformeshtm

httpladywildlifecomanimalhowbirdsbuildtheirnestshtml

mixed with forested tracts pepper estates banana andcitrus plantations come into view The ensemble of barbetsgreeted us and their choir floated across the forestresounded and reverberated in the surrounding tranquilvalleys as the birds celebrated the advent of yet anotherday The music concert of these Beethovens of the forestwent on till dusk with hardly any respite

While trekking on a bridle path between forest and coffeeplantation we witnessed a male Asian Paradise-Flycatchervigorously patrolling its territory in the coffee plantation whilea juvenile male Asian Paradise-Flycatcher was lurking inthe forest on the opposite side This went on for full onehour and we had to retreat as dusk was descending

Sirumalai hills and the surrounding areas are rich in bird lifeand according to Palani Hills Birdwatchers Society more

than 250 species have been recorded so far We chancedupon the biggest butterfly of South India the SouthernBirdwing butterfly We trekked to Agasthyipuram the earliesthuman settlement in the hills and enroute recorded severalspecies of birds and butterflies such as Chocolate pansyCommon sailor Glad-eye Bush brown Common CerulianSilverstreak blue Angled castor Common Jezebel Crimsonrose Common Bushbrown and Striped Blue tiger

The following is the systematic list of birds observed in Gandhigram Rural

University Campus (GU) Athoor Dam (A) Vadakarai Tank (V) and Sirumalai

Hills (S)

Grebes Podicipedidae

Little grebe (V) Tachybaptus ruficollis (Pallas 1964)

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Great Cormorant (V) Phalacrocorax carbo (Linnaeus 1758)

Darters Anhingidae

Darter (V) Anhinga melanogaster (Pennant 1969)

Herons Egrets and Ardeidae

Bitterns

Little egret (V) Egretta garzetta (Linnaeus 1966)

Large Egret (V) Casmerodius albus (Linnaeus 1758)

Cattle egret (V) Bubulcus ibis (Linnaeus 1758)

Grey heron (V) Ardea cinerea (Linnaeus 1758)

Purple heron (V) Ardea purpurea (Linnaeus 1766)

Indian Pond-heron (V) Ardeola grayii (Sykes 1832)

A Day at Sirumalai in Palni HillsS Ashok Kumar

Plot No 491 Road No 10 Jubilee Hills Hyderabad 500 033

The Palani Hills Birdwatchers Society had organized the

2nd South Indian Birdwatchers Fair in Gandhigram Rural

Universtiy Dindigul from 23rd to 25th February 2007 Duringthe Fair Birdwatching field trips to Athoor dam Vadakaraitank Sirumalai Hills and Gandhigram University Campuswere conducted for the delegates and participants

Our team consisted of Prabhu Asian Wildlife FoundationRahman Education Officer WWF AP Office Hyderabadand myself While travelling in Vaigai Express we sighted10 spot billed pelicans over 200 cattle egrets and 4 greyherons in Chenulpet lake Large extents of the lake marginare invaded by Eichhornia crassipes

Palani hills forming the eastern spur of the Western Ghatsis divided into Upper Palnis in the West covering an area of385 sq kms with an altitude of 2200 mts and the LowerPalanis covering 1683 sq kms with an altitude of 1600 mtslying below Kodaikanal Palani hills region is recognized asa biodiversity hot spot

Sirumalais meaning small hills lie in Lower Palani hillslocated between 10deg07 10deg18N and 77deg55 78deg12 E

with an altitude of 800 mts The hills are rectangular in outlinecovering an area of 317 sq kms The mountain ridge slopesdown North-East on which the only motorable ghat road islaid There are other ridges sloping towards South South-East and East Mullupanrimalai Vellimalai Kalugumalai andMadagamalai are the main peaks Mullapanrimalai beingthe highest (1379 mts) Sattiar Kalankaluviar andSirumalaiar are the three rivulets which flow down the hills

The vegetation consists of tropical dry deciduous forest type(Champion 1936) dry evergreen forests riparian forests andthorn forest with thorny thickets NE monsoon brings thebulk of the annual rainfall while the SW monsoon bringssporadic rains So far 895 floral species belonging to 536 generahave been recorded as a result of systematic exploration

The dales and valleys on either side of the ghat road areclothed with dense forests bisected by jungle streamletsAs we approach Sirumalai Pudur village coffee plantations

44 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

Storks Ciconiidae

Painted stork (V) Mycteria leucocephala (Pennant 1769)

Asian Open-bill stork (V) Anastomus oscitans (Boddaert 1783)

White-necked stork (V) Ciconia episcopus (Boddaert 1783)

Geese amp Ducks Anatidae

Comb duck (V) Sarkidiornis melanotos (Pennant 1969)

Northern Shoveller (V) Anas clypeata (Linnaeus 1758)

Common Pochard (V) Aythya ferina (Linnaeus 1758)

Spot-billed duck (V) Anas acuta (Linnaeus 19581781)

Garganey (V) Anas querquedula (Linnaeus 1958)

Eurasian Wigeon (V) Anas penelope (Linnaeus 1758)

Lesser whistling teal (V) Dendrocygna javanica (Horsfield 1821)

Hawks eagles kites etc Accipitridae

Shikra (GR S) Accipiter badius (Gmelin 1788)

Crested serpent eagle (S) Spilornis cheela (Latham 1790)

Mountain hawk eagle (S) Spizaetus nipalensis (Hodgson 1836)

Black-shouldered kite (GUS) Elanus caeruleus (Desfontaine 1789)

Brahminy kite (V) Haliastur indus (Boddaert 1783)

Pheasants Partridges amp Phasianidae

Quails

Grey Junglefowl (S) Gallus sonneratii (Temminck 1813)

Grey Francolin (A) Francolinus pondicerianus (Gmelin 1789)

Rails Crakes Moorhens Rallidae

coots

White-breasted Waterhen (A) Amaurornis phoenicurus (Pennant 1858)

Purple moorhen (V) Porphyrio porphyrio (Linnaeus 1758)

Common coot (V) Fulica atra (Linnaeus 1758)

Jacanas Jacanidae

Peasant-tailed Jacana (V) Hydrophasianus chirurgus (Scopoli 1786)

Plovers Lapwings etc Charadriidae

Red-wattled Lapwing (A V) Vanellus gregarious (Pallas 1771)

Sandpipers Snipes etc Scolopacidae

Common snipe (V) Gallinago gallinago (Linnaeus 1758)

Common green Shank (V) Tringa nebularia (Gunner 1767)

Common sandpiper (V) Actitis hypoleucos (Linnaeus 1758)

Ibisbill Avocets amp Stilts Recurvirostridae

Black-winged atilt (V) Himantopus himantopus (Linnaeus 1758)

Gulls Terns etc Laridae

Gull-billed Tern (V) Gelochelidon nilotica (Gmelin 1789)

Pigeons amp Doves Columbidae

Spotted dove (S) Streptopelia chinensis (Scopoli 1786)

Emerald dove (A) Chalcophaps indica (Linnaeus 1758)

Parakeets etc Psittacidae

Blue-winged parakeet (S) Psittacula columboides (Vigors 1830)

Cuckoos Malkohas amp Cuculidae

Coucals

Indian plaintive cuckoo (A) Cacomantis passerinus (Vhai 1797)

Pied Crested cuckoo (GU) Clamator jacobinus (Boddaert 1783)

Brainfever Bird (A GU) Hierococcyx varius (Vahl 1797)

Large Greenbilled Malkoha (V) Phaenicophaeus tristis (Lesson 1830)

Greater Coucal (GU A S) Centropus sinensis (Stephens 1815)

Asian Koel (GU A) Eudynamys scolopacea (Linnaeus 1758)

Owis Strigidae

Spotted Owlet (GU) Athene brama (Temminck 1821)

Swifts Apodidae

Alpine swift (S) Tachymarptis melba (Linnaeus 1758)

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

White-breasted King-fisher Halcyon smyrnensis (Linnaeus 1758)

( V S G U )

Small Blue Kingfisher (A) Alcedo atthis (Linnaeus 1758)

Pied kingfisher (V) Lesser Ceryle rudis (Linnaeus 1758)

Bee-eaters Meropidae

Small Bee-eater (S V) Merops orientalis (Latham 1801)

Blue-tailed Bee-eater (V) Merops philippinus (Linnaeus 1766)

Rollers Coraciidae

Indian Roller (GU) Coracias benghalensis (Linnaeus 1758)

Hoopoes Upupidae

Common hoopoe (VS) Upupa epops (Linnaeus 1758)

Barbets Capitonidae

Coppersmith barbet (GUAVS) Megalaima haemacephala (PL Smuller 1776)

White-checked barbet (S) Megalaima viridis (Boddaert 1783)

Great barbet (S) Megalaima virens (Boddaert 1783)

Woodpeckers Picidae

Brown-capped Pigmy

woodpecker (S) Dendrocopos nanus (Vigors 1832)

Black-shouldered

Woodpecker (S) Chrysocolaptes festivus (Boddaert 1783)

Wagtails amp Pipits Motacillidae

Large Pied Wagtail (V S) Motacilla maderaspatensis (Gmelin 1789)

Grey wagtail (S) Motacilla cinerea (Tunstall 1771)

Paddyfield Pipit (V) Anthus rufulus (Vieillot 1818)

Cuckoo-shrikes Campephagidae

Minivets etc

Common Woodshrike (S) Tephrodornis pondicerianus (Gmelin 1789)

Long-tailed Minivet (S) Pericrocotus ethologus (Bangs amp Phillips 1914)

Black-headed cuckoo-Shrike

( G U ) Coracina melanoptera (Ruppell 1839)

Bulbuls Finchbills Pycnonotidae

Red-whiskered bulbul (AS) Pycnonotus jocosus (Linnaeus 1758)

Red-vented bulbul (AS) Pycnonotus cafer (Linnaeus 1766)

White-browed bulbul (AVS) Pycnonotus luteolus (Lesson 1841)

Ioras Leafbird Irenidae

Fairy-Bluebird

Common Iora (GU) Aegithina tiphia (Linnaeus 1758)

Asian Fairy-Bluebird (S) Irena puella (Latham 1790)

Shrikes Laniidae

Bay-backed shrike (GU) Lanius vittatus (Valenciennes 1826)

Thrushes Robins etc Turdinae

Indian Robin (GU) Saxicoloides fulicata (Linnaeus 1776)

Black Redstart (V) Phoenicurus ochruros (Gmelin 1774)

Oriental Magpie-Robin (VRS) Copsychus saularis (Linnaeus 1758)

Pied Bushchat (S) Saxicola caprata (Linnaeus 1766)

Babblers Barwings etc Timaliinae

White-headed babbler (GU) Turdoides affinis (Jerdon 1847)

Prinias Warblers etc Sylviinae

Greenish Leaf-Warbler (S) Phylloscopus trochiloides (Sundevall 1837)

Flycatchers Muscicapinae

Verditer Flycatcher (V S) Eumyias thalassina (Swainson 1838)

Nilgiri Flycatcher (S) Eumyias albicaudata (Jerdon 1840)

Monarch amp Monarchinae

Paradise Flycatchers

Asian Paradise-Flycatcher

(GU A S) Terpsiphone paradisi (Linnaeus 1758)

Sunbirds amp Spiderhunters Nectariniidae

Purple-rumped Sunbird (GU) Nectarinia zeylonica (Linnaeus 1766)

Purple Sunbird (GU) Nectarinia asiatica (Latham 1790)

Little Spiderhunter (GU) Arachnothera longirostra (Latham 1790)

White-eyes Zosteropidae

Oriental White-eye (S) Zosterops palpebrosus (Temminck 1824)

Munias Estrildidae

White-throated Munia (VS) Lonchura malabarica (Linnaeus 1758)

Spotted Munia (V) Lonchura punctulata (Linnaeus 1758)

Starlings amp Mynas Sturnidae

Common Myna (GU) Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus 1766)

Orioles Oriolidae

Eurasian Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus (Linnaeus 1758)

(GU A S)

Black-beaded Oriole (S) Oriolus xanthornus (Linnaeus 1758)

Drongos Dicruridae

Black Drongo (S GU) Dicrurus macrocercus (Vieillot 1817)

Ashy Drongo (S GU) Dicrurus leucophaeus (Vieillot 1817)

White-bellied Drongo (A amp S) Dicrurus caerulescens (Linnaeus 1758)

Greater Racket-tailed Dicrurus paradiseus (Linnaeus 1766)

Drongo (S)

Crows amp Treepies Corvidae

Indian Treepie (GU S) Dendrocitta formosae (Swinhoe 1863)

Jungle Crow (GU) Corvus macrorhynchos (Wagler 1827)

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 45

Pulicat and Point Calimere at different times And also thetheory that species recorded here has some definite linkbetween south Indian wintering birds appears to be truthfulwith the increased population of Pied Avocets Recurvirostraavosetta in Chil ika and in south Indian wetlands(Balachandran et al 2005 Sahana et al 2007)

The pressure on lagoon is immense like encroachmentincreased siltation extensive fishing and tourism Over twolakh fishermen are depending on the lakes resources fortheir livelihood (CDA 2006) The disturbance to the birds isa common sight due to intensive f ishing activitiesrecreational disturbance and the use of mechanized boatsThe constant disturbance discourages foraging costingfeeding time and amplified escape activities and drains muchof the birds energy Eventually it might result in decreasedenergy reserves late arrivallate dispersal to breedinggrounds and in the end reduced reproductive-success(Michael and Kenneth 1984)

An estimated one lakh tourists visit the lake every year (CDA2006) Many boatmen have equipped the small tourist boatswith high wattage loud-speakers with music systemproducing much noise is a common sight Though plastic isbanned one can see a lot of floating wrappers in the lakediscarded by the tourists It is sickening to watch fishesbeing killed by metal blades of crudely mechanized boatsSmall population of Irrawaddy dolphins Orcaella brevirostrisfound in the outer channel are more vulnerable Though ChilikaDevelopment Authority has rejuvenated the lake extraordinarilywell policing and implementation of many defined regulationsare falling short of standard due to (local as well as visiting)publics apathy

With all these hassles the living lagoon is at its bestthroughout the year compared to any other wetland in India(Sathiyaselvam Pers Com) due to its uniqueness And ofcourse has an added advantage of the degradation of manywintering sites in southern sojourn these birds were earlierdependent

Some noteworthy sightings are as follows

d In all 102 identified bird species and a few un-identifiedSnipes and Larger Gulls

d A solitary Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus in thesouth-east waters of Nalaban and a Goliath Heron Ardeagoliath at northern tip of Nalaban

d Huge flocks(5 -10K) of Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelopeGadwall A strepera Northern Pintail A acuta NorthernShoveller A clypeata and Ferruginous Pochard Aythyanyroca

A pilgrimage to Chilika - the Birding Kashi

A Shivaprakash T Girija and A Sharath478 3rd Cross 8th Main Ramakrishna Nagar H Block Mysore - 570022

e-mail adavannerediffmailcom

Chilika with the assemblage of marine brackish andfreshwater ecosystem is recognized as largest water birdscongregation location in Indian subcontinent that hosts 43species of 1 biogeographically known population (Islam andRahmani 2005) Totally 52 rivers and rivulets provide freshwater augmentation to the brackish bay Rich diversity anddensity of avifauna is due to the vast size (1100 sq Km)variation in salinity preferred water depths and rich sediment

We had planned our birding visits at Barkul Nalaban Islandsmudflats of Satpada New sea mouth and Rajhans Island during13th to 18th December 2006 The itinerary was based on thelocations mentioned in the Final report of Habitat evaluation ofChilika lake (Balachandran et al 2005) on the guidance of DrPKRay Scientist-in charge Regional Museum of NaturalHistory Bhubaneswar and Mr Sathiyaselvam Research FellowChilika Project Chandrabani We have spent 32 hours birdingincluding 10 hours on board non-mechanized boats and reston foot Observation was made with a Field scope (Geoma65mm x 20) and a pair of binoculars (Pentex 10 x 25 andTasco 8 x 30)

Barkul shoreline forms western part of lake attracts goodnumber of waders Nalabana Island is situated in the CentralSector of the lake and is said to be hosting 75 of the totalbird population wintering in Chilika Though large flocks ofbirds scatter in many parts of the Lake the major congregationof diverse species was in and around Nalabana IslandExposed mudflats of Satpada provide foraging ground for largecongregation of waders Gregarious Gulls and Terns galleryis displayed in the new sea mouth opened up in the outerchannel recently to provide necessary salinity to Chilika

Our plan of staying entire day and night at Nalaban Islandsbased on A birdwatchers guide to India (Krys and Raj 2001)was later modified due to Orissa Forest Departmentsrestrictions on visitors The entry of mechanized boats intothe Nalaban Islands zone is strictly restricted The island zoneis marked with red polls erected all around that are visible froma quite distance indicating the protected zone Moreover entryto the lake is prohibited to tourists and is strictly enforcedThis measure is safeguarding the interests of avifauna and itshabitat With a rowing boat and a field scope one can watchnumerous birds with ease The congregation of waterfowl isamazing and runs into a few thousands

The waders recorded here are almost similar to those inPulicat Lake and Point Calimere The waders congregationis simply unimaginable It is interesting that the BNHSreport (Balachandran et al 2005) has concluded that withinthe same wintering season the same population of birdsutilise three major water bodies of eastern coast - Chilika

46 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

CORRESPONDENCE

d Smaller flocks(100 -1K) of Common Pochard Aythyaferina Red crested Pochard Rhodonessa rufinaGarganey Anas querquedula Cotton Teal Nettapuscoromandelianus Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosaLittle Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius and Little StintCalidris minuta

d Smaller flocks(lt100) of Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterusruber (Eastern part of Nalaban Island) Spot-billed PelicanPelecanus philippensis Bar-headed Goose Anserindicus Ruddy Shelduck Tadoma ferruginea CommonTeal Anas crecca Spot billed Duck A poecilorhynchaLesser Whistling Teal Dendrocygna javanica CommonRed Shank Tringa totanus Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialisfulva Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus TemminksStint Calidris temminckii Sanderling Calidris alba Brownheaded Gull Larus brunnicephalus and Whiskered TernChlidonias hybridus

d Smaller nos of (lt10) of Asian Open-bill Anastomusoscitans Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata CommonGreen Shank Tringa nebularia Ruff Philomachus pugnaxCaspian Tern Sterna caspia Indian River Tern S aurantiaLittle Tern S albifrons White-winged Tern C leucopterusand Gull billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica

d Few Individuals like Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris Broadbilled Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus and Citrine WagtailMotacillaccitreola

d Raptors l ike White bell ied Sea Eagle Haliaeetusleucogaster (commoner) Pal las Fish Eagle Hleucoryphus (Rajhans Island)

d New terrestrial bird for us -Bank Myna Acridotheresginginianus Asian Pied Sterl ing Sturnus contra(commoner)

Footnote Back from wonderful birding we came across abad news of the death of birds from Chilika (Indian GreenFile 2006) The paper clipping of published article of the AsianAge newspaper dated 12-12-2006 was reprinted in theDecember issue of Indian Green File The report said out ofdead 82 birds 69 were Pintails rest were Shovellers GadwalsBar-headed Goose and Sea eagles and 277 birds werereportedly sick

Acknowledgement

We are indebted to Dr PKRay Scientist-in charge RegionalMuseum of Natural History Bhubaneswar and MrSathiyaselvam Research Fellow Chilika Project Chandrabanifor guidance And we are grateful to Kum Vijayalaxmi andKishendasKR Mysore for their logistic support

ReferencesBalachandarnS RahmaniAR and SathiyaselvamP 2005 Final report

of Habitat evaluation of Chilika Lake with special reference to birdsas bio-indicators Bombay Natural History Society

CDA 2006 Chilika a living lagoon A booklet prepared and circulated byChilika Development Authority Bhubaneswar

Islam MZ and AR Rahmani 2005 Important Bird Areas in India Prioritysites for conservation Mumbai Indian Bird Conservation NetworkBombay Natural History Society and BirdLife International (UK) Pp574-575

Krys Kazmierczak and Raj Singh 2001 A Birdwatchers guide to IndiaOxford University press New Delhi

Michael R Miller Kenneth J Reinecke Nov 1984 Proper Expression ofMetabolizable Energy in Avian Energetics The Condor Vol 86 No4 pp 396-400

SahanaM Kishen DasKR and TanujaDH 2007 Occurrence of PiedAvocet Recurvirostra avosetta near Mysore Karnataka Newsletterfor Birdwatchers Vol 43(1) Pp 14-15

Indian Green File No 228 December 2006 Published by Centre forScience amp environment New Delhi Page 24

poultry that creepeth upon the Earth it is a rare case of

convergence of interests of man and bird against one commonfoe Viewing from this moral high ground the focus of all overefforts must be to contain the spread to isolate the infectedhost organisms and ultimately in the long run neutralizealtogether the H5N1 virus Both the print and the visual mediahave the onerous task to publish thoroughly researched andbalanced reports which are informative and motivating but notpanic-generating

As of now the primary and exclusive host of the H5N1 virus area few species of wild waterfowl and perhaps the entire range ofdomesticated poultry birds though so far only chicken and turkeyare reported infected There is no unanimity among the scientistcommunity yet on the primary source of this virus When it firstmanifested in Taiwan China Hong Kong and Thailand in2001-2003 it was surmised that the primary host are the poultrybirds Quite logically this led to the wholesale culling of about

AN ETHICAL PERSPECTIVE AND PREVENTION OF BIRDFLU Lt Gen (Retd) BALJIT SINGH House 219 Sector 16-AChandigarh 160 015 Ph 2770619

The Bible tells us And God said let us make man in our

image after our likeness and let them have dominion over thefish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over the cattleand over all the Earth and over every creeping thing thatcreepeth upon the Earth

So in the very scheme of evolution man was conceived as theprimary and dominant species Explicit with that privilegedstatus comes mans obligation of dominion implying watch

and ward over the weaker creatures that inhabit his planet ForGod did create man in our image after our likeness whichpresupposed that he would be just and compassionate Andin the instant case where a hitherto unchartered virus H5N1has raised its ugly head with lethal potential both to man andtwo of the meekest of his wards namely the fowl of the air and

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 47

three million birds in these countries Even when in 2004 a fewdead species of the migratory wild water fowl in their breedingareas in China Kazakhstan and Siberia also tested positivethe weight of opinion still maintained that the vector was thedomestic poultry and not the free ranging wild birds

Be that as it may the fact of the matter is that as of now both thewild waterfowl and the domestic poultry are the vectors Whenthis non-discriminating virus enters the host it is of the lowpathogen grade which is non-lethal But once transmitted thevirus begins to mutate and attains snow-balling dimensionsThat is the stage that it becomes a killer and the infected birddies within 2 to 3 days Now where wild bird assemblages areconcerned fortunately they remain fairly scattered and the virustransmission process is comparatively of the lower scale Andin the scheme of Nature there are no recorded cases wherean entire species has been wiped out by an epidemicGenerally up to 70 percent of the virus host species may perishand the remainder in all probability will develop immunity ascreatures in the wild are apparently better equipped to do soHopefully and over a long period of time the subject specieswill regain its optimum population levels

On the other hand where commercial poultry industry isconcerned the birds l ive check by jowl and the virustransmission process is like an inferno At that stage theprobability of infection spreading to human beings is genuineand of a high order Fortunately so far there is no proven caseof transmission of the virus from man to man Neverthelessindividual human beings will be at risk of infection either throughthe aerosol medium (breathing) or through ingestion of aninfected bird or by touch The last two risks can be easilycountered by avoiding poultry from diet for a short while andthis is where media can again play a positive role by arousingconsciousness of all segments of the society

As for the aerosol risk here the State will have the dominantrole All the commercial poultry farms and small scale poultrykeepers and even pigeon fanciers will have to be placed underperiodic and regular surveillance checks by qualified vetsInfected units will have to be shut down and decontaminatedThe industry may even have to be compensated for loss ofrevenue The common man will have to be advised on thesafe buffer-zone to be maintained from all such facilitiesand where that is not feasible to wear face and breathingmasks Even though the counter measures may appearelementary their rigid implementation will test out the measure

of vision and management skills of the government at theCentre and State

Concurrently the migratory and resident water fowlassemblages in the Country will also need monitoring on war-footing Fortunately these sites are all listed out in the NationalDirectory of Wetlands and they number just 145 For instancein Punjab there are three sites only (Ropar Harike and Kanjli)two in Haryana (Sultanpur and Bhindawas) three in Himachal(Pong Renuka and Govindsagar) and just one in UTChandigarh the Sukhna Lake Admittedly there will be manysmaller water-bodies dotting the country-side but for the presentthey need not be put under the scanner

It might be mentioned here that on the face of it the threat frommigratory Waterfowl as vectors of H5N1 to India may be of lowgrade This becomes evident when we look at the migratorypattern of the Bar-headed goose (one of the identified vectors)already mapped out by the wildlife department of the AligarhMuslim University through an on-going project using telemetrytools The time taken by most birds to reach their winteringgrounds in India can vary from 10 to 12 days inclusive of timespent on the stop-over sites enroute Most infected birds willperish in migration before entering India But healthy birdswhich get infected at the last stop-over before India may wellsucceed in bringing the virus

No strategy to combat the H5N1 virus will succeed unless wealso have in place effective and adequate preventive andcurative medicine Fortunately Tamiflu vaccine is claimed tobe a positive safeguard where humans are concerned But thefight against the bird flu will be inconclusive until a veterinaryvariant of Tamiflu is developed on war-footing to provideimmunity to poultry This is where the print and visual mediaare best suited to spread awareness among poultry keepersand pet owners to immunize the birds with same commitmentas we do for infants against polio and small pox

Central to the formulation of plans to combat the crisis shouldbe the fact that the bird was the first and still remains the mostpredominant prey of the virus At this juncture it is the bird whichis beleaguered and it deserves mans empathy much more

than is evident at the moment Given the common resolveeffective management strategies will emerge sooner than laterAnd at the end of it all we would have contained and ultimatelyvanquished the danger of bird flu pandemic both to humankindand to the birds one of mans dominos

d d d

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48 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

PREVALENCE OF SOME MYTHOLOGICAL BELIEFS AMONGRURAL COMMUNITIES OF GUJARAT A CASE STUDY OFCROW (CORVUS Sp) HIREN SONI ASHOK and RITA PATELInstitute of Integrated Study amp Research in Biotechnology ampAllied Sciences (ARIBAS) ADIT Campus New Vidyanagar -388 121 (Gujarat) E-mail hirensoniyahoocom

In the present technocrat world still some cryptic mythologiesin scriptures and Vedas are prevalent among some ruralcommunities of Gujarat They were authoured by our ancestorsbased on their own experience Such mythological beliefs aredirectly or indirectly connected with different types of rites ritualstaboos and traditions of tribesmen in the form of variousastrological paradigms folklores proverbs and quotablequotes in ancient literature In prehistoric times our Kings andBaronets used to take the guidance of priests to predict andprepare for the natural calamities such as cyclones faminesflood and heavy rainfalls They were often referred to asForecasting of Future During such times various types of

prophecies were inferred by deciphering various birdcalls theirbehaviour nesting location and feeding patterns According tosome mythological beliefs crows act as a good forecasteramong birds and are also indicators of good or bad omens(Jadav 2004) Some of the well-known inferences from variousproverbs are as follows

1 A crow builds its nest on eastern side of a tree on topbranch in the month of May - Heavy rainfall good quality ofcrop and a good omen for any religious ceremony

2 Nest on western side of a tree - Better rain and bettercrop-yield but grave epidemics

3 Nest on top canopy of a tree - Moderate rain4 Nest in middle canopy of a tree - Insufficient rainfall and

scarcity of water5 Nest on north or north-west side of a tree Overall good year

6 Crows search for food in dust instead of open grounds andgarbage - Hike in prices of cereals crops grains and othercommodities

7 Crow gives harsh calls from a dry tree Insufficient rain

and scarcity of water8 Nest on south-east corner of a tree - Famine starvation

water crisis food shortage and theft of eatables and othercommon commodities

9 Nest on the stem of a tree instead of its branch - Scantyrain paucity of water spreading of some contagiousdisease and theft of livelihood goods

10 Nest on north-west corner of a tree - Possibility of cycloneshurricanes and thunderstorms increase in population ofrodents in houses and crop-fields scarcity of food fodderfuelwood and fiber

11 Nest on south-east corner of a tree - Late arrival of monsoonwith cyclones and storms with low rainfall famine robberyand mass-scale war Cover Jungle Myna (Acridotheres fuscus) Probably every

Indian knows either one or other of our two common mynas Junglemynas perch in pairs or trios on their favorite trees or walk along theground with rapid determined steps stopping occasionally to preenor bob heads stiffly to utter warning notes Throughout the daymynas maintain a varied rollick of high pitched grackles or pleasantliquid notes to express their diverse moods such as delight fearresentment or anguish Being omnivores they feed on grubs fruitsgrains crumbs and morsels They nest in tree holes cracks inwalls chimneys and thatched roofs Mynas at times are branded asreckless usurpers of the nests of other birds Photo S Shreyas

Address for Correspondence

Newsletter for BirdwatchersNo 10 Sirur Park B Street SeshadripuramBangalore 560 020 India Tel 080 2356 1142 2346 4682E-mail ltnavbaratgmailcomgtPrinted and Published bi-monthly by S Sridhar atNavbharath Enterprises Seshadripuram Bangalore - 560 020 IndiaFor Private Circulation Only

12 Nest towards the south - Epidemic and battle among localtribes

13 Nest on dome of temple old fort crematorium or flat ground- Heavy drought deadly epidemics robbery and anarchy

14 Nest on dead or dry tree - Political dilemma dispute amongbaronets and large-scale destruction of crops due to heavyflood

15 Crow gives frequent calls in front of the door Brings prestige

and wealth to the owner of that house16 Crow sits on top of the front door with rigorous flapping -

House will be damaged by fire within a week17 Crow sits on latch or hanging garland of the door and call

erratically with sideways movement of its body - Owner ofthat house and his neighboring person will be wealthierwithin a short period

Thus behaviour calls display feeding patterns nestinglocations and other allied activities of crows form an integralpart in lives of many village inhabitants of Gujarat State Similartypes of literature hunt associated with field trials on callingpatterns behaviour nesting sites and feeding practices in otherbirds also would be an additional adage and will be a goodsubject for methodical evaluation of these beliefs in future

ReferenceJadav J (2004) Crows The Forecasters of Future In The Pearls of

Folklore Gujarat Samachar (18th July 2004) Sunday Supplement P 3

Distribution map of Oriental Darter Dot sizes are proportional tothe maximum species counts between 1997-2001

Source Numbers and distribution of waterbirds and wetlandsin the Asia-Pacific region Results of the Asian WaterbirdCensus 1997-2001 Wetland International Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Page 8: May-June  2007

40 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

Goswami B Sarmah P (1994-2004) Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary anapproach for Sustainable development Mariani College Magazine

Grewal B Harvey B and Fister OP (2002) A Photographic Guide

to the Birds of India amp the Indian Subcontinent including PakistanNepal Bhutan Bangladesh Sri Lanka amp Maldives (HK) LimitedPeriplus Editions

Hinde R A Edited (1969) Birds Vocalizations Cambridge UniversityPress

Kazmierczak K (2003) A Field Guide to the Birds of India Sri LankaPakistan Nepal Bhutan Bangladesh and the Maldives Om BookService

141 endemic species New species are continually beingadded to the regions list

Even though Indian subcontinent has good bird diversityscientific studies on a number of birds their general biologyreproduction and behavioral ecology have not beenundertaken so far or even attempted The Wire tailed Swallow(Hirundo smithii) is one among them According to IUCN2003 it is one of the threatened birds of India

Wire tailed Swallow is a small passerine bird in theHirundinidae family All the Swallows belong to the orderPasseriformes Birds of this order are the most highly evolvedof all birds and are highly adaptative to all terrestrial terrainsThis order has the largest number of bird species with over5100 different kinds of birds In this order the birds havefragile bones and as a result they are rarely fossilized andgive few clues to their evolution (Encyclopedia Britannica)

World wide 89 swallow species are recorded We can seeswallows in every continent except Antarctica In the caseof Wire tailed Swallow two species have been recordedthe African form (Hirundo smithii filifer) and the Asian form(Hirundo smithii) These two species of Wire - tailed Swallowbreed in Africa south of Sahara and in tropical southern Asiafrom the Indian subcontinent to Southeast Asia respectivelyA number of swallows are migrant but the Wire tailed Swallowis a resident species The species gets the name from itsvery long filamentous outermost tail feathers which trailbehind like two wires (www 1)

The color of birds their songs shapes habitats and behaviorare all fascinating However a little more effort will showanother much-varied dimension of the bird world their

nests They construct their nests from a variety of materialand in a variety of locations (www 2)Key words Wire tailed swallow Mud nest Soil texture

Studies on the role of partners in Nest BuildingActivity of the Wire Tailed Swallow (Hirundo smithii)

in Kodiyampalayam area near Pichavaram MangrovesS Sandilyan K Thiyagesan and S Saravanan

Division of Wildlife biology AVCCollege Mannampandal Mayiladuthurai - 609305 Tamil Nadu India6A18c No 5 New Street Mayiladuthurai - 609001 Tamil Nadu India

e-mail ssandilyangmailcom

Wire tailed Swallows (Hirundo smithii) construct mud nestscomposed of sand silt and clay and plant materials Theirnests were found under the bridges in the Kodiyampalayamarea near the Pichavaram Mangrove Tamilnadu India Boththe partners are involved in nest building The proportiontest shows there was no significant difference in the timespent on nest building between the male and female(Z = 0452 P gt 005) The breeding pair had contributedequal amounts of time for nest construction The completednest was 55 cm wide projecting away from the verticalsurface the length was 92 cm and the circumference was28 cm

Introduction

Aves are a familiar feature of our environment and everyone notices them It is small wonder that birdwatching issuch a popular pastime the world over Due to their variedlifestyles conspicuousness diurnal habits and interestingplumage and calls birds are also regarded as good subjectsfor exploring a number of questions of ecological andconservation significance (Urfi 2003) They are also idealbioindicators and useful models for studying a variety of

environmental problems Presently more attention is beinggiven to conservation monitoring and ecological studies(Newton 1995)

Indian subcontinent is rich in avian species This is partlybecause of its wide altitudinal range extending from sealevel up to summit of the Himalayas Another reason is thehighly varied climate and associated diversity of vegetation(Grimmett R 1999) As many as 13 of the worlds birds

have been recorded in the Indian subcontinent This includes

Saikia G (2002) A Brochure on Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary JorhatForest Division

Simms E (1990) Woodland Birds Bloomsbury Books LondonTiwari V M (2002) Joy of Bird Watching NBT IndiaWelty J C (Third Edition) The Life of Birds Saunder College PubishingWhistler H (1986) Handbook of Indian Birds Cosmo Publications

New Delhi

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 41

Birds build nests in many shapes sizes and locations from tree holes to tunnels from twig platforms to tiny cupsof mud but all provide security warmth and safety for

their eggs and young Nest building is an inherited skill thatbirds have developed to improve the chances of the survivalof their progeny The variety of design and constructionreflects the differing needs of each species and theiradaptability to the habitats and utilization of availablematerials (www 3)

In the case of wire tailed swallow studies about their nestingbehavior nest material preferences and the contribution ofbreeding partners for nest building had not been attemptedso far in South Indian conditions In order to fill the lacunathe current study was designed

The present study describes the nesting behavior ofwire-tailed swallow especially the time spent by each

partner for constructing the mud nest in between

Pichavaram to Kodiyampalayam area (N 1139deg and

E 7979deg) which has a unique mangrove habitat After a long

period of survey in this area 4 nest sites of wire tailedswallows were identified under the bridges in a 4 Km stretchThe birds fixed their half bowl mud nest under the bridgesAmong the 4 nests studied one was so high that it couldnot be reached and the remaining three were accessible

The main objectives of the present study are

To study the nesting site preferences of wire tailedswallow in Pichavaram Mangrove region

Study the contributions of each partner in building themud nest in the study area

Record the time spent by each partner to construct themud nest and

To provide general information on this species andto identify additional opportunities for research onthis species

Study Area

The present study was carried out in between Pichavaramto Kodiyampalayam which covers a distance of 4 Km Thestudy area is located in (N 1139deg and E79deg) in Tamilnadu

India The first 3 Km stretch comes under the Cuddaloredistrict and the remaining 1 Km area area comes under theNagai district of Tamilnadu The temperature in and aroundPichavaram mangrove ranges between 20degC and 37degC The

study area receives rainfall mostly during southwestmonsoon (July to September) The total annual rainfall isabout 1300 mm (Sampath 1993)

3 nests were recorded in the Nagai district of the studyarea and remaining nest was recorded in the Cuddaloredistrict One of the nests in the Nagai district was at aconsiderable height which was inaccessible

The first nest ie towards Pichavaram to Kodiyampalayamis surrounded by agriculture lands emerging mangrove andactive aqua farms the second and third bridges are surroundedby well developed mangrove and the fourth nest wassurrounded by mangrove vegetation as well as thorny bushes

The entire data was collected form the first nest in thestudy area

Materials amp MethodsThe study was carried out between November 2006 andMarch 2007 Data was collected on all week ends (Saturdayand Sunday) during the study period However during theactual nest building period (December) data was collectedon all the 13 days of nest construction

The birds were observed directly or with the aid of binoculars(7 X 50) depending on the distance from the nest

Nest measurements include height above the groundprojection from the vertical surface and the length of thenest using a centimeter scale A thread was used to measurethe circumference of the nest

For identifying the bird the field guides (Ali 2002 andGrimmett 1999) were used

Observation and Results

The wire tailed swallow is a highly territorial bird and confinedto the neighborhoods of water (Ali 2002) Repeated surveyswere made in the study area from the initial survey 7 smallbridges and 4 big bridges were identified and they wereregularly watched for the presence of swallows

After a long period of survey 4 pairs of wire-tailed swallowsthat had occupied 4 big bridges were selected for closerobservation in the study area Among the 4 bridges 2 areinaccessible and the remaining 2 are easy to study thenesting behaviour of the bird Due to lack of manpowernesting data was collected only from the nest located inthe first bridge

Location of the Nest

The swallows started nest construction during the last weekof December 2006 Small mud balls were pasted by thebirds on the vertical wall of the bridge They placed the mudballs 66 cm above the water surface and 2 cm below theceiling The nest was exactly placed 1895 meters from theeast and 3155 meters from the west Most of the time thebirds used the western side for entering into the nestingsite and flew out of the eastern side of the bridge

Nest Building Activity

From the first day itself the nest building activity was observedand the time spent by each partner for nest constructionwas recorded periodically

For the first two days each partner spent equal time forconstruction (18 minutes) the third day the male contributed5937 (19 min) the female 4062 (13 min) the fourthday the male spent 4545 (10 min) female 5454(12 min) the fifth day the male invested 5348 (23 min)female 4654 (20 min) the sixth day male contributed375 (3 min) female 625 (5 min) the seventh day themale spent 6363 (14 min) female 3636 (8 min) the 8th

day male spent 7142 (15min) female 2857 (6 min)the 9th day male contributed 4444 (4 min) female 5555

42 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

(5 min) the 10 th day male spent 6111 (11 min)female 3888 (7 min) the 11th day male spent 6190(13 min) female 3809 ( 8 min) the 12th day male spent2148 (6 min) female 7857 (22 min) and on the 13th daymale spent 2631 (5 min) female spent 7368 (14 min)(Table 1)

On the last two days the female spent more time comparedto male Totally the pair took 13 days to complete the nestand they spent 315 minutes

The proportion test shows there was no significant differencein the time spent on nest building between the male andfemale (Z = 0452 P gt 005) Both sexes had contributedequal amount of time for nest construction The completenest was 55 cm projected away from the vertical surfacethe length was 92 cm and the circumference was 28 cm

DiscussionAn important behavioral reproductive decision of a bird iswhere to place the nest (Cody 1985 Johnson 1994) Birdsuse their nests chiefly to protect themselves their eggsand developing young by constructing nests that areinaccessible armored camouflaged or built in colonies thatprovide safety from predators (Burger and Gochfled 1968Welty 1982)

Nest building behaviour is often associated with courtshipand pair formation in birds it may signal the reproductivecondition of individuals and physiologically stimulate a partner(Collias 1964) There is very little information on the importanceof nest itself and its role in the mate choice (Hoi et al1994)

Soler et al (1998) showed that bird species in which bothsexes build the nest have larger nests than those in whichonly the female builds Nest size (relative to body size) waspositively correlated with the amount of parental investmentNest size indicate the willingness of males to invest inreproduction and it could therefore be a post -mating sexuallyselection trait

Soler et al (1998) discussed that several studies have shownthat nest building ability of males is related to female matechoice and the reproductive success of the pair The femalePenduline tits (Remiz pendulinus) choose the partners basedon the nest quality The nest may indicate the parentalquality experience or genetic quality and female couldtherefore benefit from mating with a superior nest builder

Swallow species especially those that build mud nest areclosely related and have similar nesting behaviors (winklerand shelden 1993) An earlier study in the case of Branswallows (Hirundo rustica) and cliff swallows (Hirundopyrrhonota) showed that they need or expect 4 basicconditions for nest site selection 1) An open area forforaging 2) A suitable surface for nest attachment3) A supply of mud of proper consistency for nest buildingand 4) A body of fresh water for drinking (www 3) Here inour study all the conditions required for nesting were present

According to Winkler and Shelden 1993 Swallow speciesespecially those that build mud nest are closely relatedand have similar nesting behaviors Studies by Moller (1994)in the case of Barn swallows showed that both sexesparticipate in nest building but there is considerable variationin the males contribution which is negatively related to

males tail length Short tailed males invest more in nest

building than long tailed males So investigation on thisaspect is also required in the case of wire tailed swallow Toget a complete picture about the nesting behaviour of thisspecies a long-term scholarly study is required It is a mustin the case of Wire tailed swallow because in 2003 IUCNhas declared that it is one of the threatened birds of India

Summary

The Study was carried out from November 2006 March

2007 in between Pichavaram to Kodiyampalayam roadsidewhich covers a distance of 4 Km With in the 4 Km stretchit has a mixed habitat of agricultural lands emerging andwell developed mangroves and aquaculture ponds

The data was collected from a nest located under the firstbridge from the first day of commencement of nest buildingactivity

Acknowledgewments

We thank our principal DrMVaratharajan and ourManagement for supporting and providing necessary facilitiesto carryout the studies

ReferencesAli Salim 2002 The Book of Indian Birds Bombay Natural History

Society BombayBirds The New Encyclopedia Britannica Macropedia 15th Edition

Chicago IllinoisEncyclopedia Britannica IncBurger J and MGochfled 1988 Nest site selection by Roseate Terns in

Two Tropical Colonies on Culebra Puetro Rico Condor 90 843 851Cody ML 1985 Habitat selection in the sylvine Warblers of Western

Europe and North Africa Page 86 129 In Cody ML (Ed) Habitatselection in Birds Academic press New York

ColliasNE amp ColliasEC 1984 Nest Building Behaviour Princeton NewJersey Princeton University Press

Table 1 Time spent by male and female wire-tailedswallows towards nest building activities

Days Time spent Time spent Contribution Contributionby male in by female of Male of Femaleminutes in minutes in in

27-Dec 18 18 50 50

28-Dec 18 18 50 50

29-Dec 19 13 594 406

30-Dec 10 12 455 545

31-Dec 23 20 535 465

1-Jan 3 5 375 625

2-Jan 14 8 636 364

3-Jan 15 6 714 286

4-Jan 4 5 444 556

5-Jan 11 7 611 389

6-Jan 13 8 619 381

7-Jan 6 22 214 786

8-Jan 5 14 263 737

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 43

Johnson PN 1994Selection and use of nest site by Barn Owls inNorfolk England Raptor Res 28 149 153

GrimmettR and CInskipp 1999 Birds of the Indian Subcontinent Oxford

University press New DelhiHoiH SchleicherB amp ValeraF 1994 Female mate Choice and nest

Desertion in penduline tits Remiz pendulinus the importance Nestquality Animal Behaviour 48 743 746

Newton I 1995 The Contribution of some recent research on birds toecological Understanding JAnim Ecol 64 675 696

Sampath K and KKrishnamurthy 1993 Birds of Pichavaram mangrovesand the Adjoining costal environs JEcolSoc 6 23 28

SolerJJMollerAPamp LindenM1996 Nest building sexual selection andparental investment Evolutionary Ecology12 427 441

Urfi AJ 2003 Breeding ecology of Birds Why do some species nestsingly while others are colonial Resonance 20038 22 32

Welty CJ 1982 The Life of Birds WB Saunders Co LondonWinkler DW and Fh Sheldow 1993 Evolution of nest construction in

swallows (Hirundinidae) a molecular phylogenetic prespectiveProcNatl

Web Based Referenceshttp enwikipediaorgwikiwire-tailed_swallowhttpwwwexplorebiodiversitycomBIRDS Birds of WorldFamilies

Passeriformeshtm

httpladywildlifecomanimalhowbirdsbuildtheirnestshtml

mixed with forested tracts pepper estates banana andcitrus plantations come into view The ensemble of barbetsgreeted us and their choir floated across the forestresounded and reverberated in the surrounding tranquilvalleys as the birds celebrated the advent of yet anotherday The music concert of these Beethovens of the forestwent on till dusk with hardly any respite

While trekking on a bridle path between forest and coffeeplantation we witnessed a male Asian Paradise-Flycatchervigorously patrolling its territory in the coffee plantation whilea juvenile male Asian Paradise-Flycatcher was lurking inthe forest on the opposite side This went on for full onehour and we had to retreat as dusk was descending

Sirumalai hills and the surrounding areas are rich in bird lifeand according to Palani Hills Birdwatchers Society more

than 250 species have been recorded so far We chancedupon the biggest butterfly of South India the SouthernBirdwing butterfly We trekked to Agasthyipuram the earliesthuman settlement in the hills and enroute recorded severalspecies of birds and butterflies such as Chocolate pansyCommon sailor Glad-eye Bush brown Common CerulianSilverstreak blue Angled castor Common Jezebel Crimsonrose Common Bushbrown and Striped Blue tiger

The following is the systematic list of birds observed in Gandhigram Rural

University Campus (GU) Athoor Dam (A) Vadakarai Tank (V) and Sirumalai

Hills (S)

Grebes Podicipedidae

Little grebe (V) Tachybaptus ruficollis (Pallas 1964)

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Great Cormorant (V) Phalacrocorax carbo (Linnaeus 1758)

Darters Anhingidae

Darter (V) Anhinga melanogaster (Pennant 1969)

Herons Egrets and Ardeidae

Bitterns

Little egret (V) Egretta garzetta (Linnaeus 1966)

Large Egret (V) Casmerodius albus (Linnaeus 1758)

Cattle egret (V) Bubulcus ibis (Linnaeus 1758)

Grey heron (V) Ardea cinerea (Linnaeus 1758)

Purple heron (V) Ardea purpurea (Linnaeus 1766)

Indian Pond-heron (V) Ardeola grayii (Sykes 1832)

A Day at Sirumalai in Palni HillsS Ashok Kumar

Plot No 491 Road No 10 Jubilee Hills Hyderabad 500 033

The Palani Hills Birdwatchers Society had organized the

2nd South Indian Birdwatchers Fair in Gandhigram Rural

Universtiy Dindigul from 23rd to 25th February 2007 Duringthe Fair Birdwatching field trips to Athoor dam Vadakaraitank Sirumalai Hills and Gandhigram University Campuswere conducted for the delegates and participants

Our team consisted of Prabhu Asian Wildlife FoundationRahman Education Officer WWF AP Office Hyderabadand myself While travelling in Vaigai Express we sighted10 spot billed pelicans over 200 cattle egrets and 4 greyherons in Chenulpet lake Large extents of the lake marginare invaded by Eichhornia crassipes

Palani hills forming the eastern spur of the Western Ghatsis divided into Upper Palnis in the West covering an area of385 sq kms with an altitude of 2200 mts and the LowerPalanis covering 1683 sq kms with an altitude of 1600 mtslying below Kodaikanal Palani hills region is recognized asa biodiversity hot spot

Sirumalais meaning small hills lie in Lower Palani hillslocated between 10deg07 10deg18N and 77deg55 78deg12 E

with an altitude of 800 mts The hills are rectangular in outlinecovering an area of 317 sq kms The mountain ridge slopesdown North-East on which the only motorable ghat road islaid There are other ridges sloping towards South South-East and East Mullupanrimalai Vellimalai Kalugumalai andMadagamalai are the main peaks Mullapanrimalai beingthe highest (1379 mts) Sattiar Kalankaluviar andSirumalaiar are the three rivulets which flow down the hills

The vegetation consists of tropical dry deciduous forest type(Champion 1936) dry evergreen forests riparian forests andthorn forest with thorny thickets NE monsoon brings thebulk of the annual rainfall while the SW monsoon bringssporadic rains So far 895 floral species belonging to 536 generahave been recorded as a result of systematic exploration

The dales and valleys on either side of the ghat road areclothed with dense forests bisected by jungle streamletsAs we approach Sirumalai Pudur village coffee plantations

44 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

Storks Ciconiidae

Painted stork (V) Mycteria leucocephala (Pennant 1769)

Asian Open-bill stork (V) Anastomus oscitans (Boddaert 1783)

White-necked stork (V) Ciconia episcopus (Boddaert 1783)

Geese amp Ducks Anatidae

Comb duck (V) Sarkidiornis melanotos (Pennant 1969)

Northern Shoveller (V) Anas clypeata (Linnaeus 1758)

Common Pochard (V) Aythya ferina (Linnaeus 1758)

Spot-billed duck (V) Anas acuta (Linnaeus 19581781)

Garganey (V) Anas querquedula (Linnaeus 1958)

Eurasian Wigeon (V) Anas penelope (Linnaeus 1758)

Lesser whistling teal (V) Dendrocygna javanica (Horsfield 1821)

Hawks eagles kites etc Accipitridae

Shikra (GR S) Accipiter badius (Gmelin 1788)

Crested serpent eagle (S) Spilornis cheela (Latham 1790)

Mountain hawk eagle (S) Spizaetus nipalensis (Hodgson 1836)

Black-shouldered kite (GUS) Elanus caeruleus (Desfontaine 1789)

Brahminy kite (V) Haliastur indus (Boddaert 1783)

Pheasants Partridges amp Phasianidae

Quails

Grey Junglefowl (S) Gallus sonneratii (Temminck 1813)

Grey Francolin (A) Francolinus pondicerianus (Gmelin 1789)

Rails Crakes Moorhens Rallidae

coots

White-breasted Waterhen (A) Amaurornis phoenicurus (Pennant 1858)

Purple moorhen (V) Porphyrio porphyrio (Linnaeus 1758)

Common coot (V) Fulica atra (Linnaeus 1758)

Jacanas Jacanidae

Peasant-tailed Jacana (V) Hydrophasianus chirurgus (Scopoli 1786)

Plovers Lapwings etc Charadriidae

Red-wattled Lapwing (A V) Vanellus gregarious (Pallas 1771)

Sandpipers Snipes etc Scolopacidae

Common snipe (V) Gallinago gallinago (Linnaeus 1758)

Common green Shank (V) Tringa nebularia (Gunner 1767)

Common sandpiper (V) Actitis hypoleucos (Linnaeus 1758)

Ibisbill Avocets amp Stilts Recurvirostridae

Black-winged atilt (V) Himantopus himantopus (Linnaeus 1758)

Gulls Terns etc Laridae

Gull-billed Tern (V) Gelochelidon nilotica (Gmelin 1789)

Pigeons amp Doves Columbidae

Spotted dove (S) Streptopelia chinensis (Scopoli 1786)

Emerald dove (A) Chalcophaps indica (Linnaeus 1758)

Parakeets etc Psittacidae

Blue-winged parakeet (S) Psittacula columboides (Vigors 1830)

Cuckoos Malkohas amp Cuculidae

Coucals

Indian plaintive cuckoo (A) Cacomantis passerinus (Vhai 1797)

Pied Crested cuckoo (GU) Clamator jacobinus (Boddaert 1783)

Brainfever Bird (A GU) Hierococcyx varius (Vahl 1797)

Large Greenbilled Malkoha (V) Phaenicophaeus tristis (Lesson 1830)

Greater Coucal (GU A S) Centropus sinensis (Stephens 1815)

Asian Koel (GU A) Eudynamys scolopacea (Linnaeus 1758)

Owis Strigidae

Spotted Owlet (GU) Athene brama (Temminck 1821)

Swifts Apodidae

Alpine swift (S) Tachymarptis melba (Linnaeus 1758)

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

White-breasted King-fisher Halcyon smyrnensis (Linnaeus 1758)

( V S G U )

Small Blue Kingfisher (A) Alcedo atthis (Linnaeus 1758)

Pied kingfisher (V) Lesser Ceryle rudis (Linnaeus 1758)

Bee-eaters Meropidae

Small Bee-eater (S V) Merops orientalis (Latham 1801)

Blue-tailed Bee-eater (V) Merops philippinus (Linnaeus 1766)

Rollers Coraciidae

Indian Roller (GU) Coracias benghalensis (Linnaeus 1758)

Hoopoes Upupidae

Common hoopoe (VS) Upupa epops (Linnaeus 1758)

Barbets Capitonidae

Coppersmith barbet (GUAVS) Megalaima haemacephala (PL Smuller 1776)

White-checked barbet (S) Megalaima viridis (Boddaert 1783)

Great barbet (S) Megalaima virens (Boddaert 1783)

Woodpeckers Picidae

Brown-capped Pigmy

woodpecker (S) Dendrocopos nanus (Vigors 1832)

Black-shouldered

Woodpecker (S) Chrysocolaptes festivus (Boddaert 1783)

Wagtails amp Pipits Motacillidae

Large Pied Wagtail (V S) Motacilla maderaspatensis (Gmelin 1789)

Grey wagtail (S) Motacilla cinerea (Tunstall 1771)

Paddyfield Pipit (V) Anthus rufulus (Vieillot 1818)

Cuckoo-shrikes Campephagidae

Minivets etc

Common Woodshrike (S) Tephrodornis pondicerianus (Gmelin 1789)

Long-tailed Minivet (S) Pericrocotus ethologus (Bangs amp Phillips 1914)

Black-headed cuckoo-Shrike

( G U ) Coracina melanoptera (Ruppell 1839)

Bulbuls Finchbills Pycnonotidae

Red-whiskered bulbul (AS) Pycnonotus jocosus (Linnaeus 1758)

Red-vented bulbul (AS) Pycnonotus cafer (Linnaeus 1766)

White-browed bulbul (AVS) Pycnonotus luteolus (Lesson 1841)

Ioras Leafbird Irenidae

Fairy-Bluebird

Common Iora (GU) Aegithina tiphia (Linnaeus 1758)

Asian Fairy-Bluebird (S) Irena puella (Latham 1790)

Shrikes Laniidae

Bay-backed shrike (GU) Lanius vittatus (Valenciennes 1826)

Thrushes Robins etc Turdinae

Indian Robin (GU) Saxicoloides fulicata (Linnaeus 1776)

Black Redstart (V) Phoenicurus ochruros (Gmelin 1774)

Oriental Magpie-Robin (VRS) Copsychus saularis (Linnaeus 1758)

Pied Bushchat (S) Saxicola caprata (Linnaeus 1766)

Babblers Barwings etc Timaliinae

White-headed babbler (GU) Turdoides affinis (Jerdon 1847)

Prinias Warblers etc Sylviinae

Greenish Leaf-Warbler (S) Phylloscopus trochiloides (Sundevall 1837)

Flycatchers Muscicapinae

Verditer Flycatcher (V S) Eumyias thalassina (Swainson 1838)

Nilgiri Flycatcher (S) Eumyias albicaudata (Jerdon 1840)

Monarch amp Monarchinae

Paradise Flycatchers

Asian Paradise-Flycatcher

(GU A S) Terpsiphone paradisi (Linnaeus 1758)

Sunbirds amp Spiderhunters Nectariniidae

Purple-rumped Sunbird (GU) Nectarinia zeylonica (Linnaeus 1766)

Purple Sunbird (GU) Nectarinia asiatica (Latham 1790)

Little Spiderhunter (GU) Arachnothera longirostra (Latham 1790)

White-eyes Zosteropidae

Oriental White-eye (S) Zosterops palpebrosus (Temminck 1824)

Munias Estrildidae

White-throated Munia (VS) Lonchura malabarica (Linnaeus 1758)

Spotted Munia (V) Lonchura punctulata (Linnaeus 1758)

Starlings amp Mynas Sturnidae

Common Myna (GU) Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus 1766)

Orioles Oriolidae

Eurasian Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus (Linnaeus 1758)

(GU A S)

Black-beaded Oriole (S) Oriolus xanthornus (Linnaeus 1758)

Drongos Dicruridae

Black Drongo (S GU) Dicrurus macrocercus (Vieillot 1817)

Ashy Drongo (S GU) Dicrurus leucophaeus (Vieillot 1817)

White-bellied Drongo (A amp S) Dicrurus caerulescens (Linnaeus 1758)

Greater Racket-tailed Dicrurus paradiseus (Linnaeus 1766)

Drongo (S)

Crows amp Treepies Corvidae

Indian Treepie (GU S) Dendrocitta formosae (Swinhoe 1863)

Jungle Crow (GU) Corvus macrorhynchos (Wagler 1827)

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 45

Pulicat and Point Calimere at different times And also thetheory that species recorded here has some definite linkbetween south Indian wintering birds appears to be truthfulwith the increased population of Pied Avocets Recurvirostraavosetta in Chil ika and in south Indian wetlands(Balachandran et al 2005 Sahana et al 2007)

The pressure on lagoon is immense like encroachmentincreased siltation extensive fishing and tourism Over twolakh fishermen are depending on the lakes resources fortheir livelihood (CDA 2006) The disturbance to the birds isa common sight due to intensive f ishing activitiesrecreational disturbance and the use of mechanized boatsThe constant disturbance discourages foraging costingfeeding time and amplified escape activities and drains muchof the birds energy Eventually it might result in decreasedenergy reserves late arrivallate dispersal to breedinggrounds and in the end reduced reproductive-success(Michael and Kenneth 1984)

An estimated one lakh tourists visit the lake every year (CDA2006) Many boatmen have equipped the small tourist boatswith high wattage loud-speakers with music systemproducing much noise is a common sight Though plastic isbanned one can see a lot of floating wrappers in the lakediscarded by the tourists It is sickening to watch fishesbeing killed by metal blades of crudely mechanized boatsSmall population of Irrawaddy dolphins Orcaella brevirostrisfound in the outer channel are more vulnerable Though ChilikaDevelopment Authority has rejuvenated the lake extraordinarilywell policing and implementation of many defined regulationsare falling short of standard due to (local as well as visiting)publics apathy

With all these hassles the living lagoon is at its bestthroughout the year compared to any other wetland in India(Sathiyaselvam Pers Com) due to its uniqueness And ofcourse has an added advantage of the degradation of manywintering sites in southern sojourn these birds were earlierdependent

Some noteworthy sightings are as follows

d In all 102 identified bird species and a few un-identifiedSnipes and Larger Gulls

d A solitary Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus in thesouth-east waters of Nalaban and a Goliath Heron Ardeagoliath at northern tip of Nalaban

d Huge flocks(5 -10K) of Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelopeGadwall A strepera Northern Pintail A acuta NorthernShoveller A clypeata and Ferruginous Pochard Aythyanyroca

A pilgrimage to Chilika - the Birding Kashi

A Shivaprakash T Girija and A Sharath478 3rd Cross 8th Main Ramakrishna Nagar H Block Mysore - 570022

e-mail adavannerediffmailcom

Chilika with the assemblage of marine brackish andfreshwater ecosystem is recognized as largest water birdscongregation location in Indian subcontinent that hosts 43species of 1 biogeographically known population (Islam andRahmani 2005) Totally 52 rivers and rivulets provide freshwater augmentation to the brackish bay Rich diversity anddensity of avifauna is due to the vast size (1100 sq Km)variation in salinity preferred water depths and rich sediment

We had planned our birding visits at Barkul Nalaban Islandsmudflats of Satpada New sea mouth and Rajhans Island during13th to 18th December 2006 The itinerary was based on thelocations mentioned in the Final report of Habitat evaluation ofChilika lake (Balachandran et al 2005) on the guidance of DrPKRay Scientist-in charge Regional Museum of NaturalHistory Bhubaneswar and Mr Sathiyaselvam Research FellowChilika Project Chandrabani We have spent 32 hours birdingincluding 10 hours on board non-mechanized boats and reston foot Observation was made with a Field scope (Geoma65mm x 20) and a pair of binoculars (Pentex 10 x 25 andTasco 8 x 30)

Barkul shoreline forms western part of lake attracts goodnumber of waders Nalabana Island is situated in the CentralSector of the lake and is said to be hosting 75 of the totalbird population wintering in Chilika Though large flocks ofbirds scatter in many parts of the Lake the major congregationof diverse species was in and around Nalabana IslandExposed mudflats of Satpada provide foraging ground for largecongregation of waders Gregarious Gulls and Terns galleryis displayed in the new sea mouth opened up in the outerchannel recently to provide necessary salinity to Chilika

Our plan of staying entire day and night at Nalaban Islandsbased on A birdwatchers guide to India (Krys and Raj 2001)was later modified due to Orissa Forest Departmentsrestrictions on visitors The entry of mechanized boats intothe Nalaban Islands zone is strictly restricted The island zoneis marked with red polls erected all around that are visible froma quite distance indicating the protected zone Moreover entryto the lake is prohibited to tourists and is strictly enforcedThis measure is safeguarding the interests of avifauna and itshabitat With a rowing boat and a field scope one can watchnumerous birds with ease The congregation of waterfowl isamazing and runs into a few thousands

The waders recorded here are almost similar to those inPulicat Lake and Point Calimere The waders congregationis simply unimaginable It is interesting that the BNHSreport (Balachandran et al 2005) has concluded that withinthe same wintering season the same population of birdsutilise three major water bodies of eastern coast - Chilika

46 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

CORRESPONDENCE

d Smaller flocks(100 -1K) of Common Pochard Aythyaferina Red crested Pochard Rhodonessa rufinaGarganey Anas querquedula Cotton Teal Nettapuscoromandelianus Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosaLittle Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius and Little StintCalidris minuta

d Smaller flocks(lt100) of Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterusruber (Eastern part of Nalaban Island) Spot-billed PelicanPelecanus philippensis Bar-headed Goose Anserindicus Ruddy Shelduck Tadoma ferruginea CommonTeal Anas crecca Spot billed Duck A poecilorhynchaLesser Whistling Teal Dendrocygna javanica CommonRed Shank Tringa totanus Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialisfulva Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus TemminksStint Calidris temminckii Sanderling Calidris alba Brownheaded Gull Larus brunnicephalus and Whiskered TernChlidonias hybridus

d Smaller nos of (lt10) of Asian Open-bill Anastomusoscitans Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata CommonGreen Shank Tringa nebularia Ruff Philomachus pugnaxCaspian Tern Sterna caspia Indian River Tern S aurantiaLittle Tern S albifrons White-winged Tern C leucopterusand Gull billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica

d Few Individuals like Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris Broadbilled Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus and Citrine WagtailMotacillaccitreola

d Raptors l ike White bell ied Sea Eagle Haliaeetusleucogaster (commoner) Pal las Fish Eagle Hleucoryphus (Rajhans Island)

d New terrestrial bird for us -Bank Myna Acridotheresginginianus Asian Pied Sterl ing Sturnus contra(commoner)

Footnote Back from wonderful birding we came across abad news of the death of birds from Chilika (Indian GreenFile 2006) The paper clipping of published article of the AsianAge newspaper dated 12-12-2006 was reprinted in theDecember issue of Indian Green File The report said out ofdead 82 birds 69 were Pintails rest were Shovellers GadwalsBar-headed Goose and Sea eagles and 277 birds werereportedly sick

Acknowledgement

We are indebted to Dr PKRay Scientist-in charge RegionalMuseum of Natural History Bhubaneswar and MrSathiyaselvam Research Fellow Chilika Project Chandrabanifor guidance And we are grateful to Kum Vijayalaxmi andKishendasKR Mysore for their logistic support

ReferencesBalachandarnS RahmaniAR and SathiyaselvamP 2005 Final report

of Habitat evaluation of Chilika Lake with special reference to birdsas bio-indicators Bombay Natural History Society

CDA 2006 Chilika a living lagoon A booklet prepared and circulated byChilika Development Authority Bhubaneswar

Islam MZ and AR Rahmani 2005 Important Bird Areas in India Prioritysites for conservation Mumbai Indian Bird Conservation NetworkBombay Natural History Society and BirdLife International (UK) Pp574-575

Krys Kazmierczak and Raj Singh 2001 A Birdwatchers guide to IndiaOxford University press New Delhi

Michael R Miller Kenneth J Reinecke Nov 1984 Proper Expression ofMetabolizable Energy in Avian Energetics The Condor Vol 86 No4 pp 396-400

SahanaM Kishen DasKR and TanujaDH 2007 Occurrence of PiedAvocet Recurvirostra avosetta near Mysore Karnataka Newsletterfor Birdwatchers Vol 43(1) Pp 14-15

Indian Green File No 228 December 2006 Published by Centre forScience amp environment New Delhi Page 24

poultry that creepeth upon the Earth it is a rare case of

convergence of interests of man and bird against one commonfoe Viewing from this moral high ground the focus of all overefforts must be to contain the spread to isolate the infectedhost organisms and ultimately in the long run neutralizealtogether the H5N1 virus Both the print and the visual mediahave the onerous task to publish thoroughly researched andbalanced reports which are informative and motivating but notpanic-generating

As of now the primary and exclusive host of the H5N1 virus area few species of wild waterfowl and perhaps the entire range ofdomesticated poultry birds though so far only chicken and turkeyare reported infected There is no unanimity among the scientistcommunity yet on the primary source of this virus When it firstmanifested in Taiwan China Hong Kong and Thailand in2001-2003 it was surmised that the primary host are the poultrybirds Quite logically this led to the wholesale culling of about

AN ETHICAL PERSPECTIVE AND PREVENTION OF BIRDFLU Lt Gen (Retd) BALJIT SINGH House 219 Sector 16-AChandigarh 160 015 Ph 2770619

The Bible tells us And God said let us make man in our

image after our likeness and let them have dominion over thefish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over the cattleand over all the Earth and over every creeping thing thatcreepeth upon the Earth

So in the very scheme of evolution man was conceived as theprimary and dominant species Explicit with that privilegedstatus comes mans obligation of dominion implying watch

and ward over the weaker creatures that inhabit his planet ForGod did create man in our image after our likeness whichpresupposed that he would be just and compassionate Andin the instant case where a hitherto unchartered virus H5N1has raised its ugly head with lethal potential both to man andtwo of the meekest of his wards namely the fowl of the air and

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 47

three million birds in these countries Even when in 2004 a fewdead species of the migratory wild water fowl in their breedingareas in China Kazakhstan and Siberia also tested positivethe weight of opinion still maintained that the vector was thedomestic poultry and not the free ranging wild birds

Be that as it may the fact of the matter is that as of now both thewild waterfowl and the domestic poultry are the vectors Whenthis non-discriminating virus enters the host it is of the lowpathogen grade which is non-lethal But once transmitted thevirus begins to mutate and attains snow-balling dimensionsThat is the stage that it becomes a killer and the infected birddies within 2 to 3 days Now where wild bird assemblages areconcerned fortunately they remain fairly scattered and the virustransmission process is comparatively of the lower scale Andin the scheme of Nature there are no recorded cases wherean entire species has been wiped out by an epidemicGenerally up to 70 percent of the virus host species may perishand the remainder in all probability will develop immunity ascreatures in the wild are apparently better equipped to do soHopefully and over a long period of time the subject specieswill regain its optimum population levels

On the other hand where commercial poultry industry isconcerned the birds l ive check by jowl and the virustransmission process is like an inferno At that stage theprobability of infection spreading to human beings is genuineand of a high order Fortunately so far there is no proven caseof transmission of the virus from man to man Neverthelessindividual human beings will be at risk of infection either throughthe aerosol medium (breathing) or through ingestion of aninfected bird or by touch The last two risks can be easilycountered by avoiding poultry from diet for a short while andthis is where media can again play a positive role by arousingconsciousness of all segments of the society

As for the aerosol risk here the State will have the dominantrole All the commercial poultry farms and small scale poultrykeepers and even pigeon fanciers will have to be placed underperiodic and regular surveillance checks by qualified vetsInfected units will have to be shut down and decontaminatedThe industry may even have to be compensated for loss ofrevenue The common man will have to be advised on thesafe buffer-zone to be maintained from all such facilitiesand where that is not feasible to wear face and breathingmasks Even though the counter measures may appearelementary their rigid implementation will test out the measure

of vision and management skills of the government at theCentre and State

Concurrently the migratory and resident water fowlassemblages in the Country will also need monitoring on war-footing Fortunately these sites are all listed out in the NationalDirectory of Wetlands and they number just 145 For instancein Punjab there are three sites only (Ropar Harike and Kanjli)two in Haryana (Sultanpur and Bhindawas) three in Himachal(Pong Renuka and Govindsagar) and just one in UTChandigarh the Sukhna Lake Admittedly there will be manysmaller water-bodies dotting the country-side but for the presentthey need not be put under the scanner

It might be mentioned here that on the face of it the threat frommigratory Waterfowl as vectors of H5N1 to India may be of lowgrade This becomes evident when we look at the migratorypattern of the Bar-headed goose (one of the identified vectors)already mapped out by the wildlife department of the AligarhMuslim University through an on-going project using telemetrytools The time taken by most birds to reach their winteringgrounds in India can vary from 10 to 12 days inclusive of timespent on the stop-over sites enroute Most infected birds willperish in migration before entering India But healthy birdswhich get infected at the last stop-over before India may wellsucceed in bringing the virus

No strategy to combat the H5N1 virus will succeed unless wealso have in place effective and adequate preventive andcurative medicine Fortunately Tamiflu vaccine is claimed tobe a positive safeguard where humans are concerned But thefight against the bird flu will be inconclusive until a veterinaryvariant of Tamiflu is developed on war-footing to provideimmunity to poultry This is where the print and visual mediaare best suited to spread awareness among poultry keepersand pet owners to immunize the birds with same commitmentas we do for infants against polio and small pox

Central to the formulation of plans to combat the crisis shouldbe the fact that the bird was the first and still remains the mostpredominant prey of the virus At this juncture it is the bird whichis beleaguered and it deserves mans empathy much more

than is evident at the moment Given the common resolveeffective management strategies will emerge sooner than laterAnd at the end of it all we would have contained and ultimatelyvanquished the danger of bird flu pandemic both to humankindand to the birds one of mans dominos

d d d

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PREVALENCE OF SOME MYTHOLOGICAL BELIEFS AMONGRURAL COMMUNITIES OF GUJARAT A CASE STUDY OFCROW (CORVUS Sp) HIREN SONI ASHOK and RITA PATELInstitute of Integrated Study amp Research in Biotechnology ampAllied Sciences (ARIBAS) ADIT Campus New Vidyanagar -388 121 (Gujarat) E-mail hirensoniyahoocom

In the present technocrat world still some cryptic mythologiesin scriptures and Vedas are prevalent among some ruralcommunities of Gujarat They were authoured by our ancestorsbased on their own experience Such mythological beliefs aredirectly or indirectly connected with different types of rites ritualstaboos and traditions of tribesmen in the form of variousastrological paradigms folklores proverbs and quotablequotes in ancient literature In prehistoric times our Kings andBaronets used to take the guidance of priests to predict andprepare for the natural calamities such as cyclones faminesflood and heavy rainfalls They were often referred to asForecasting of Future During such times various types of

prophecies were inferred by deciphering various birdcalls theirbehaviour nesting location and feeding patterns According tosome mythological beliefs crows act as a good forecasteramong birds and are also indicators of good or bad omens(Jadav 2004) Some of the well-known inferences from variousproverbs are as follows

1 A crow builds its nest on eastern side of a tree on topbranch in the month of May - Heavy rainfall good quality ofcrop and a good omen for any religious ceremony

2 Nest on western side of a tree - Better rain and bettercrop-yield but grave epidemics

3 Nest on top canopy of a tree - Moderate rain4 Nest in middle canopy of a tree - Insufficient rainfall and

scarcity of water5 Nest on north or north-west side of a tree Overall good year

6 Crows search for food in dust instead of open grounds andgarbage - Hike in prices of cereals crops grains and othercommodities

7 Crow gives harsh calls from a dry tree Insufficient rain

and scarcity of water8 Nest on south-east corner of a tree - Famine starvation

water crisis food shortage and theft of eatables and othercommon commodities

9 Nest on the stem of a tree instead of its branch - Scantyrain paucity of water spreading of some contagiousdisease and theft of livelihood goods

10 Nest on north-west corner of a tree - Possibility of cycloneshurricanes and thunderstorms increase in population ofrodents in houses and crop-fields scarcity of food fodderfuelwood and fiber

11 Nest on south-east corner of a tree - Late arrival of monsoonwith cyclones and storms with low rainfall famine robberyand mass-scale war Cover Jungle Myna (Acridotheres fuscus) Probably every

Indian knows either one or other of our two common mynas Junglemynas perch in pairs or trios on their favorite trees or walk along theground with rapid determined steps stopping occasionally to preenor bob heads stiffly to utter warning notes Throughout the daymynas maintain a varied rollick of high pitched grackles or pleasantliquid notes to express their diverse moods such as delight fearresentment or anguish Being omnivores they feed on grubs fruitsgrains crumbs and morsels They nest in tree holes cracks inwalls chimneys and thatched roofs Mynas at times are branded asreckless usurpers of the nests of other birds Photo S Shreyas

Address for Correspondence

Newsletter for BirdwatchersNo 10 Sirur Park B Street SeshadripuramBangalore 560 020 India Tel 080 2356 1142 2346 4682E-mail ltnavbaratgmailcomgtPrinted and Published bi-monthly by S Sridhar atNavbharath Enterprises Seshadripuram Bangalore - 560 020 IndiaFor Private Circulation Only

12 Nest towards the south - Epidemic and battle among localtribes

13 Nest on dome of temple old fort crematorium or flat ground- Heavy drought deadly epidemics robbery and anarchy

14 Nest on dead or dry tree - Political dilemma dispute amongbaronets and large-scale destruction of crops due to heavyflood

15 Crow gives frequent calls in front of the door Brings prestige

and wealth to the owner of that house16 Crow sits on top of the front door with rigorous flapping -

House will be damaged by fire within a week17 Crow sits on latch or hanging garland of the door and call

erratically with sideways movement of its body - Owner ofthat house and his neighboring person will be wealthierwithin a short period

Thus behaviour calls display feeding patterns nestinglocations and other allied activities of crows form an integralpart in lives of many village inhabitants of Gujarat State Similartypes of literature hunt associated with field trials on callingpatterns behaviour nesting sites and feeding practices in otherbirds also would be an additional adage and will be a goodsubject for methodical evaluation of these beliefs in future

ReferenceJadav J (2004) Crows The Forecasters of Future In The Pearls of

Folklore Gujarat Samachar (18th July 2004) Sunday Supplement P 3

Distribution map of Oriental Darter Dot sizes are proportional tothe maximum species counts between 1997-2001

Source Numbers and distribution of waterbirds and wetlandsin the Asia-Pacific region Results of the Asian WaterbirdCensus 1997-2001 Wetland International Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Page 9: May-June  2007

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 41

Birds build nests in many shapes sizes and locations from tree holes to tunnels from twig platforms to tiny cupsof mud but all provide security warmth and safety for

their eggs and young Nest building is an inherited skill thatbirds have developed to improve the chances of the survivalof their progeny The variety of design and constructionreflects the differing needs of each species and theiradaptability to the habitats and utilization of availablematerials (www 3)

In the case of wire tailed swallow studies about their nestingbehavior nest material preferences and the contribution ofbreeding partners for nest building had not been attemptedso far in South Indian conditions In order to fill the lacunathe current study was designed

The present study describes the nesting behavior ofwire-tailed swallow especially the time spent by each

partner for constructing the mud nest in between

Pichavaram to Kodiyampalayam area (N 1139deg and

E 7979deg) which has a unique mangrove habitat After a long

period of survey in this area 4 nest sites of wire tailedswallows were identified under the bridges in a 4 Km stretchThe birds fixed their half bowl mud nest under the bridgesAmong the 4 nests studied one was so high that it couldnot be reached and the remaining three were accessible

The main objectives of the present study are

To study the nesting site preferences of wire tailedswallow in Pichavaram Mangrove region

Study the contributions of each partner in building themud nest in the study area

Record the time spent by each partner to construct themud nest and

To provide general information on this species andto identify additional opportunities for research onthis species

Study Area

The present study was carried out in between Pichavaramto Kodiyampalayam which covers a distance of 4 Km Thestudy area is located in (N 1139deg and E79deg) in Tamilnadu

India The first 3 Km stretch comes under the Cuddaloredistrict and the remaining 1 Km area area comes under theNagai district of Tamilnadu The temperature in and aroundPichavaram mangrove ranges between 20degC and 37degC The

study area receives rainfall mostly during southwestmonsoon (July to September) The total annual rainfall isabout 1300 mm (Sampath 1993)

3 nests were recorded in the Nagai district of the studyarea and remaining nest was recorded in the Cuddaloredistrict One of the nests in the Nagai district was at aconsiderable height which was inaccessible

The first nest ie towards Pichavaram to Kodiyampalayamis surrounded by agriculture lands emerging mangrove andactive aqua farms the second and third bridges are surroundedby well developed mangrove and the fourth nest wassurrounded by mangrove vegetation as well as thorny bushes

The entire data was collected form the first nest in thestudy area

Materials amp MethodsThe study was carried out between November 2006 andMarch 2007 Data was collected on all week ends (Saturdayand Sunday) during the study period However during theactual nest building period (December) data was collectedon all the 13 days of nest construction

The birds were observed directly or with the aid of binoculars(7 X 50) depending on the distance from the nest

Nest measurements include height above the groundprojection from the vertical surface and the length of thenest using a centimeter scale A thread was used to measurethe circumference of the nest

For identifying the bird the field guides (Ali 2002 andGrimmett 1999) were used

Observation and Results

The wire tailed swallow is a highly territorial bird and confinedto the neighborhoods of water (Ali 2002) Repeated surveyswere made in the study area from the initial survey 7 smallbridges and 4 big bridges were identified and they wereregularly watched for the presence of swallows

After a long period of survey 4 pairs of wire-tailed swallowsthat had occupied 4 big bridges were selected for closerobservation in the study area Among the 4 bridges 2 areinaccessible and the remaining 2 are easy to study thenesting behaviour of the bird Due to lack of manpowernesting data was collected only from the nest located inthe first bridge

Location of the Nest

The swallows started nest construction during the last weekof December 2006 Small mud balls were pasted by thebirds on the vertical wall of the bridge They placed the mudballs 66 cm above the water surface and 2 cm below theceiling The nest was exactly placed 1895 meters from theeast and 3155 meters from the west Most of the time thebirds used the western side for entering into the nestingsite and flew out of the eastern side of the bridge

Nest Building Activity

From the first day itself the nest building activity was observedand the time spent by each partner for nest constructionwas recorded periodically

For the first two days each partner spent equal time forconstruction (18 minutes) the third day the male contributed5937 (19 min) the female 4062 (13 min) the fourthday the male spent 4545 (10 min) female 5454(12 min) the fifth day the male invested 5348 (23 min)female 4654 (20 min) the sixth day male contributed375 (3 min) female 625 (5 min) the seventh day themale spent 6363 (14 min) female 3636 (8 min) the 8th

day male spent 7142 (15min) female 2857 (6 min)the 9th day male contributed 4444 (4 min) female 5555

42 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

(5 min) the 10 th day male spent 6111 (11 min)female 3888 (7 min) the 11th day male spent 6190(13 min) female 3809 ( 8 min) the 12th day male spent2148 (6 min) female 7857 (22 min) and on the 13th daymale spent 2631 (5 min) female spent 7368 (14 min)(Table 1)

On the last two days the female spent more time comparedto male Totally the pair took 13 days to complete the nestand they spent 315 minutes

The proportion test shows there was no significant differencein the time spent on nest building between the male andfemale (Z = 0452 P gt 005) Both sexes had contributedequal amount of time for nest construction The completenest was 55 cm projected away from the vertical surfacethe length was 92 cm and the circumference was 28 cm

DiscussionAn important behavioral reproductive decision of a bird iswhere to place the nest (Cody 1985 Johnson 1994) Birdsuse their nests chiefly to protect themselves their eggsand developing young by constructing nests that areinaccessible armored camouflaged or built in colonies thatprovide safety from predators (Burger and Gochfled 1968Welty 1982)

Nest building behaviour is often associated with courtshipand pair formation in birds it may signal the reproductivecondition of individuals and physiologically stimulate a partner(Collias 1964) There is very little information on the importanceof nest itself and its role in the mate choice (Hoi et al1994)

Soler et al (1998) showed that bird species in which bothsexes build the nest have larger nests than those in whichonly the female builds Nest size (relative to body size) waspositively correlated with the amount of parental investmentNest size indicate the willingness of males to invest inreproduction and it could therefore be a post -mating sexuallyselection trait

Soler et al (1998) discussed that several studies have shownthat nest building ability of males is related to female matechoice and the reproductive success of the pair The femalePenduline tits (Remiz pendulinus) choose the partners basedon the nest quality The nest may indicate the parentalquality experience or genetic quality and female couldtherefore benefit from mating with a superior nest builder

Swallow species especially those that build mud nest areclosely related and have similar nesting behaviors (winklerand shelden 1993) An earlier study in the case of Branswallows (Hirundo rustica) and cliff swallows (Hirundopyrrhonota) showed that they need or expect 4 basicconditions for nest site selection 1) An open area forforaging 2) A suitable surface for nest attachment3) A supply of mud of proper consistency for nest buildingand 4) A body of fresh water for drinking (www 3) Here inour study all the conditions required for nesting were present

According to Winkler and Shelden 1993 Swallow speciesespecially those that build mud nest are closely relatedand have similar nesting behaviors Studies by Moller (1994)in the case of Barn swallows showed that both sexesparticipate in nest building but there is considerable variationin the males contribution which is negatively related to

males tail length Short tailed males invest more in nest

building than long tailed males So investigation on thisaspect is also required in the case of wire tailed swallow Toget a complete picture about the nesting behaviour of thisspecies a long-term scholarly study is required It is a mustin the case of Wire tailed swallow because in 2003 IUCNhas declared that it is one of the threatened birds of India

Summary

The Study was carried out from November 2006 March

2007 in between Pichavaram to Kodiyampalayam roadsidewhich covers a distance of 4 Km With in the 4 Km stretchit has a mixed habitat of agricultural lands emerging andwell developed mangroves and aquaculture ponds

The data was collected from a nest located under the firstbridge from the first day of commencement of nest buildingactivity

Acknowledgewments

We thank our principal DrMVaratharajan and ourManagement for supporting and providing necessary facilitiesto carryout the studies

ReferencesAli Salim 2002 The Book of Indian Birds Bombay Natural History

Society BombayBirds The New Encyclopedia Britannica Macropedia 15th Edition

Chicago IllinoisEncyclopedia Britannica IncBurger J and MGochfled 1988 Nest site selection by Roseate Terns in

Two Tropical Colonies on Culebra Puetro Rico Condor 90 843 851Cody ML 1985 Habitat selection in the sylvine Warblers of Western

Europe and North Africa Page 86 129 In Cody ML (Ed) Habitatselection in Birds Academic press New York

ColliasNE amp ColliasEC 1984 Nest Building Behaviour Princeton NewJersey Princeton University Press

Table 1 Time spent by male and female wire-tailedswallows towards nest building activities

Days Time spent Time spent Contribution Contributionby male in by female of Male of Femaleminutes in minutes in in

27-Dec 18 18 50 50

28-Dec 18 18 50 50

29-Dec 19 13 594 406

30-Dec 10 12 455 545

31-Dec 23 20 535 465

1-Jan 3 5 375 625

2-Jan 14 8 636 364

3-Jan 15 6 714 286

4-Jan 4 5 444 556

5-Jan 11 7 611 389

6-Jan 13 8 619 381

7-Jan 6 22 214 786

8-Jan 5 14 263 737

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 43

Johnson PN 1994Selection and use of nest site by Barn Owls inNorfolk England Raptor Res 28 149 153

GrimmettR and CInskipp 1999 Birds of the Indian Subcontinent Oxford

University press New DelhiHoiH SchleicherB amp ValeraF 1994 Female mate Choice and nest

Desertion in penduline tits Remiz pendulinus the importance Nestquality Animal Behaviour 48 743 746

Newton I 1995 The Contribution of some recent research on birds toecological Understanding JAnim Ecol 64 675 696

Sampath K and KKrishnamurthy 1993 Birds of Pichavaram mangrovesand the Adjoining costal environs JEcolSoc 6 23 28

SolerJJMollerAPamp LindenM1996 Nest building sexual selection andparental investment Evolutionary Ecology12 427 441

Urfi AJ 2003 Breeding ecology of Birds Why do some species nestsingly while others are colonial Resonance 20038 22 32

Welty CJ 1982 The Life of Birds WB Saunders Co LondonWinkler DW and Fh Sheldow 1993 Evolution of nest construction in

swallows (Hirundinidae) a molecular phylogenetic prespectiveProcNatl

Web Based Referenceshttp enwikipediaorgwikiwire-tailed_swallowhttpwwwexplorebiodiversitycomBIRDS Birds of WorldFamilies

Passeriformeshtm

httpladywildlifecomanimalhowbirdsbuildtheirnestshtml

mixed with forested tracts pepper estates banana andcitrus plantations come into view The ensemble of barbetsgreeted us and their choir floated across the forestresounded and reverberated in the surrounding tranquilvalleys as the birds celebrated the advent of yet anotherday The music concert of these Beethovens of the forestwent on till dusk with hardly any respite

While trekking on a bridle path between forest and coffeeplantation we witnessed a male Asian Paradise-Flycatchervigorously patrolling its territory in the coffee plantation whilea juvenile male Asian Paradise-Flycatcher was lurking inthe forest on the opposite side This went on for full onehour and we had to retreat as dusk was descending

Sirumalai hills and the surrounding areas are rich in bird lifeand according to Palani Hills Birdwatchers Society more

than 250 species have been recorded so far We chancedupon the biggest butterfly of South India the SouthernBirdwing butterfly We trekked to Agasthyipuram the earliesthuman settlement in the hills and enroute recorded severalspecies of birds and butterflies such as Chocolate pansyCommon sailor Glad-eye Bush brown Common CerulianSilverstreak blue Angled castor Common Jezebel Crimsonrose Common Bushbrown and Striped Blue tiger

The following is the systematic list of birds observed in Gandhigram Rural

University Campus (GU) Athoor Dam (A) Vadakarai Tank (V) and Sirumalai

Hills (S)

Grebes Podicipedidae

Little grebe (V) Tachybaptus ruficollis (Pallas 1964)

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Great Cormorant (V) Phalacrocorax carbo (Linnaeus 1758)

Darters Anhingidae

Darter (V) Anhinga melanogaster (Pennant 1969)

Herons Egrets and Ardeidae

Bitterns

Little egret (V) Egretta garzetta (Linnaeus 1966)

Large Egret (V) Casmerodius albus (Linnaeus 1758)

Cattle egret (V) Bubulcus ibis (Linnaeus 1758)

Grey heron (V) Ardea cinerea (Linnaeus 1758)

Purple heron (V) Ardea purpurea (Linnaeus 1766)

Indian Pond-heron (V) Ardeola grayii (Sykes 1832)

A Day at Sirumalai in Palni HillsS Ashok Kumar

Plot No 491 Road No 10 Jubilee Hills Hyderabad 500 033

The Palani Hills Birdwatchers Society had organized the

2nd South Indian Birdwatchers Fair in Gandhigram Rural

Universtiy Dindigul from 23rd to 25th February 2007 Duringthe Fair Birdwatching field trips to Athoor dam Vadakaraitank Sirumalai Hills and Gandhigram University Campuswere conducted for the delegates and participants

Our team consisted of Prabhu Asian Wildlife FoundationRahman Education Officer WWF AP Office Hyderabadand myself While travelling in Vaigai Express we sighted10 spot billed pelicans over 200 cattle egrets and 4 greyherons in Chenulpet lake Large extents of the lake marginare invaded by Eichhornia crassipes

Palani hills forming the eastern spur of the Western Ghatsis divided into Upper Palnis in the West covering an area of385 sq kms with an altitude of 2200 mts and the LowerPalanis covering 1683 sq kms with an altitude of 1600 mtslying below Kodaikanal Palani hills region is recognized asa biodiversity hot spot

Sirumalais meaning small hills lie in Lower Palani hillslocated between 10deg07 10deg18N and 77deg55 78deg12 E

with an altitude of 800 mts The hills are rectangular in outlinecovering an area of 317 sq kms The mountain ridge slopesdown North-East on which the only motorable ghat road islaid There are other ridges sloping towards South South-East and East Mullupanrimalai Vellimalai Kalugumalai andMadagamalai are the main peaks Mullapanrimalai beingthe highest (1379 mts) Sattiar Kalankaluviar andSirumalaiar are the three rivulets which flow down the hills

The vegetation consists of tropical dry deciduous forest type(Champion 1936) dry evergreen forests riparian forests andthorn forest with thorny thickets NE monsoon brings thebulk of the annual rainfall while the SW monsoon bringssporadic rains So far 895 floral species belonging to 536 generahave been recorded as a result of systematic exploration

The dales and valleys on either side of the ghat road areclothed with dense forests bisected by jungle streamletsAs we approach Sirumalai Pudur village coffee plantations

44 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

Storks Ciconiidae

Painted stork (V) Mycteria leucocephala (Pennant 1769)

Asian Open-bill stork (V) Anastomus oscitans (Boddaert 1783)

White-necked stork (V) Ciconia episcopus (Boddaert 1783)

Geese amp Ducks Anatidae

Comb duck (V) Sarkidiornis melanotos (Pennant 1969)

Northern Shoveller (V) Anas clypeata (Linnaeus 1758)

Common Pochard (V) Aythya ferina (Linnaeus 1758)

Spot-billed duck (V) Anas acuta (Linnaeus 19581781)

Garganey (V) Anas querquedula (Linnaeus 1958)

Eurasian Wigeon (V) Anas penelope (Linnaeus 1758)

Lesser whistling teal (V) Dendrocygna javanica (Horsfield 1821)

Hawks eagles kites etc Accipitridae

Shikra (GR S) Accipiter badius (Gmelin 1788)

Crested serpent eagle (S) Spilornis cheela (Latham 1790)

Mountain hawk eagle (S) Spizaetus nipalensis (Hodgson 1836)

Black-shouldered kite (GUS) Elanus caeruleus (Desfontaine 1789)

Brahminy kite (V) Haliastur indus (Boddaert 1783)

Pheasants Partridges amp Phasianidae

Quails

Grey Junglefowl (S) Gallus sonneratii (Temminck 1813)

Grey Francolin (A) Francolinus pondicerianus (Gmelin 1789)

Rails Crakes Moorhens Rallidae

coots

White-breasted Waterhen (A) Amaurornis phoenicurus (Pennant 1858)

Purple moorhen (V) Porphyrio porphyrio (Linnaeus 1758)

Common coot (V) Fulica atra (Linnaeus 1758)

Jacanas Jacanidae

Peasant-tailed Jacana (V) Hydrophasianus chirurgus (Scopoli 1786)

Plovers Lapwings etc Charadriidae

Red-wattled Lapwing (A V) Vanellus gregarious (Pallas 1771)

Sandpipers Snipes etc Scolopacidae

Common snipe (V) Gallinago gallinago (Linnaeus 1758)

Common green Shank (V) Tringa nebularia (Gunner 1767)

Common sandpiper (V) Actitis hypoleucos (Linnaeus 1758)

Ibisbill Avocets amp Stilts Recurvirostridae

Black-winged atilt (V) Himantopus himantopus (Linnaeus 1758)

Gulls Terns etc Laridae

Gull-billed Tern (V) Gelochelidon nilotica (Gmelin 1789)

Pigeons amp Doves Columbidae

Spotted dove (S) Streptopelia chinensis (Scopoli 1786)

Emerald dove (A) Chalcophaps indica (Linnaeus 1758)

Parakeets etc Psittacidae

Blue-winged parakeet (S) Psittacula columboides (Vigors 1830)

Cuckoos Malkohas amp Cuculidae

Coucals

Indian plaintive cuckoo (A) Cacomantis passerinus (Vhai 1797)

Pied Crested cuckoo (GU) Clamator jacobinus (Boddaert 1783)

Brainfever Bird (A GU) Hierococcyx varius (Vahl 1797)

Large Greenbilled Malkoha (V) Phaenicophaeus tristis (Lesson 1830)

Greater Coucal (GU A S) Centropus sinensis (Stephens 1815)

Asian Koel (GU A) Eudynamys scolopacea (Linnaeus 1758)

Owis Strigidae

Spotted Owlet (GU) Athene brama (Temminck 1821)

Swifts Apodidae

Alpine swift (S) Tachymarptis melba (Linnaeus 1758)

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

White-breasted King-fisher Halcyon smyrnensis (Linnaeus 1758)

( V S G U )

Small Blue Kingfisher (A) Alcedo atthis (Linnaeus 1758)

Pied kingfisher (V) Lesser Ceryle rudis (Linnaeus 1758)

Bee-eaters Meropidae

Small Bee-eater (S V) Merops orientalis (Latham 1801)

Blue-tailed Bee-eater (V) Merops philippinus (Linnaeus 1766)

Rollers Coraciidae

Indian Roller (GU) Coracias benghalensis (Linnaeus 1758)

Hoopoes Upupidae

Common hoopoe (VS) Upupa epops (Linnaeus 1758)

Barbets Capitonidae

Coppersmith barbet (GUAVS) Megalaima haemacephala (PL Smuller 1776)

White-checked barbet (S) Megalaima viridis (Boddaert 1783)

Great barbet (S) Megalaima virens (Boddaert 1783)

Woodpeckers Picidae

Brown-capped Pigmy

woodpecker (S) Dendrocopos nanus (Vigors 1832)

Black-shouldered

Woodpecker (S) Chrysocolaptes festivus (Boddaert 1783)

Wagtails amp Pipits Motacillidae

Large Pied Wagtail (V S) Motacilla maderaspatensis (Gmelin 1789)

Grey wagtail (S) Motacilla cinerea (Tunstall 1771)

Paddyfield Pipit (V) Anthus rufulus (Vieillot 1818)

Cuckoo-shrikes Campephagidae

Minivets etc

Common Woodshrike (S) Tephrodornis pondicerianus (Gmelin 1789)

Long-tailed Minivet (S) Pericrocotus ethologus (Bangs amp Phillips 1914)

Black-headed cuckoo-Shrike

( G U ) Coracina melanoptera (Ruppell 1839)

Bulbuls Finchbills Pycnonotidae

Red-whiskered bulbul (AS) Pycnonotus jocosus (Linnaeus 1758)

Red-vented bulbul (AS) Pycnonotus cafer (Linnaeus 1766)

White-browed bulbul (AVS) Pycnonotus luteolus (Lesson 1841)

Ioras Leafbird Irenidae

Fairy-Bluebird

Common Iora (GU) Aegithina tiphia (Linnaeus 1758)

Asian Fairy-Bluebird (S) Irena puella (Latham 1790)

Shrikes Laniidae

Bay-backed shrike (GU) Lanius vittatus (Valenciennes 1826)

Thrushes Robins etc Turdinae

Indian Robin (GU) Saxicoloides fulicata (Linnaeus 1776)

Black Redstart (V) Phoenicurus ochruros (Gmelin 1774)

Oriental Magpie-Robin (VRS) Copsychus saularis (Linnaeus 1758)

Pied Bushchat (S) Saxicola caprata (Linnaeus 1766)

Babblers Barwings etc Timaliinae

White-headed babbler (GU) Turdoides affinis (Jerdon 1847)

Prinias Warblers etc Sylviinae

Greenish Leaf-Warbler (S) Phylloscopus trochiloides (Sundevall 1837)

Flycatchers Muscicapinae

Verditer Flycatcher (V S) Eumyias thalassina (Swainson 1838)

Nilgiri Flycatcher (S) Eumyias albicaudata (Jerdon 1840)

Monarch amp Monarchinae

Paradise Flycatchers

Asian Paradise-Flycatcher

(GU A S) Terpsiphone paradisi (Linnaeus 1758)

Sunbirds amp Spiderhunters Nectariniidae

Purple-rumped Sunbird (GU) Nectarinia zeylonica (Linnaeus 1766)

Purple Sunbird (GU) Nectarinia asiatica (Latham 1790)

Little Spiderhunter (GU) Arachnothera longirostra (Latham 1790)

White-eyes Zosteropidae

Oriental White-eye (S) Zosterops palpebrosus (Temminck 1824)

Munias Estrildidae

White-throated Munia (VS) Lonchura malabarica (Linnaeus 1758)

Spotted Munia (V) Lonchura punctulata (Linnaeus 1758)

Starlings amp Mynas Sturnidae

Common Myna (GU) Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus 1766)

Orioles Oriolidae

Eurasian Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus (Linnaeus 1758)

(GU A S)

Black-beaded Oriole (S) Oriolus xanthornus (Linnaeus 1758)

Drongos Dicruridae

Black Drongo (S GU) Dicrurus macrocercus (Vieillot 1817)

Ashy Drongo (S GU) Dicrurus leucophaeus (Vieillot 1817)

White-bellied Drongo (A amp S) Dicrurus caerulescens (Linnaeus 1758)

Greater Racket-tailed Dicrurus paradiseus (Linnaeus 1766)

Drongo (S)

Crows amp Treepies Corvidae

Indian Treepie (GU S) Dendrocitta formosae (Swinhoe 1863)

Jungle Crow (GU) Corvus macrorhynchos (Wagler 1827)

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 45

Pulicat and Point Calimere at different times And also thetheory that species recorded here has some definite linkbetween south Indian wintering birds appears to be truthfulwith the increased population of Pied Avocets Recurvirostraavosetta in Chil ika and in south Indian wetlands(Balachandran et al 2005 Sahana et al 2007)

The pressure on lagoon is immense like encroachmentincreased siltation extensive fishing and tourism Over twolakh fishermen are depending on the lakes resources fortheir livelihood (CDA 2006) The disturbance to the birds isa common sight due to intensive f ishing activitiesrecreational disturbance and the use of mechanized boatsThe constant disturbance discourages foraging costingfeeding time and amplified escape activities and drains muchof the birds energy Eventually it might result in decreasedenergy reserves late arrivallate dispersal to breedinggrounds and in the end reduced reproductive-success(Michael and Kenneth 1984)

An estimated one lakh tourists visit the lake every year (CDA2006) Many boatmen have equipped the small tourist boatswith high wattage loud-speakers with music systemproducing much noise is a common sight Though plastic isbanned one can see a lot of floating wrappers in the lakediscarded by the tourists It is sickening to watch fishesbeing killed by metal blades of crudely mechanized boatsSmall population of Irrawaddy dolphins Orcaella brevirostrisfound in the outer channel are more vulnerable Though ChilikaDevelopment Authority has rejuvenated the lake extraordinarilywell policing and implementation of many defined regulationsare falling short of standard due to (local as well as visiting)publics apathy

With all these hassles the living lagoon is at its bestthroughout the year compared to any other wetland in India(Sathiyaselvam Pers Com) due to its uniqueness And ofcourse has an added advantage of the degradation of manywintering sites in southern sojourn these birds were earlierdependent

Some noteworthy sightings are as follows

d In all 102 identified bird species and a few un-identifiedSnipes and Larger Gulls

d A solitary Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus in thesouth-east waters of Nalaban and a Goliath Heron Ardeagoliath at northern tip of Nalaban

d Huge flocks(5 -10K) of Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelopeGadwall A strepera Northern Pintail A acuta NorthernShoveller A clypeata and Ferruginous Pochard Aythyanyroca

A pilgrimage to Chilika - the Birding Kashi

A Shivaprakash T Girija and A Sharath478 3rd Cross 8th Main Ramakrishna Nagar H Block Mysore - 570022

e-mail adavannerediffmailcom

Chilika with the assemblage of marine brackish andfreshwater ecosystem is recognized as largest water birdscongregation location in Indian subcontinent that hosts 43species of 1 biogeographically known population (Islam andRahmani 2005) Totally 52 rivers and rivulets provide freshwater augmentation to the brackish bay Rich diversity anddensity of avifauna is due to the vast size (1100 sq Km)variation in salinity preferred water depths and rich sediment

We had planned our birding visits at Barkul Nalaban Islandsmudflats of Satpada New sea mouth and Rajhans Island during13th to 18th December 2006 The itinerary was based on thelocations mentioned in the Final report of Habitat evaluation ofChilika lake (Balachandran et al 2005) on the guidance of DrPKRay Scientist-in charge Regional Museum of NaturalHistory Bhubaneswar and Mr Sathiyaselvam Research FellowChilika Project Chandrabani We have spent 32 hours birdingincluding 10 hours on board non-mechanized boats and reston foot Observation was made with a Field scope (Geoma65mm x 20) and a pair of binoculars (Pentex 10 x 25 andTasco 8 x 30)

Barkul shoreline forms western part of lake attracts goodnumber of waders Nalabana Island is situated in the CentralSector of the lake and is said to be hosting 75 of the totalbird population wintering in Chilika Though large flocks ofbirds scatter in many parts of the Lake the major congregationof diverse species was in and around Nalabana IslandExposed mudflats of Satpada provide foraging ground for largecongregation of waders Gregarious Gulls and Terns galleryis displayed in the new sea mouth opened up in the outerchannel recently to provide necessary salinity to Chilika

Our plan of staying entire day and night at Nalaban Islandsbased on A birdwatchers guide to India (Krys and Raj 2001)was later modified due to Orissa Forest Departmentsrestrictions on visitors The entry of mechanized boats intothe Nalaban Islands zone is strictly restricted The island zoneis marked with red polls erected all around that are visible froma quite distance indicating the protected zone Moreover entryto the lake is prohibited to tourists and is strictly enforcedThis measure is safeguarding the interests of avifauna and itshabitat With a rowing boat and a field scope one can watchnumerous birds with ease The congregation of waterfowl isamazing and runs into a few thousands

The waders recorded here are almost similar to those inPulicat Lake and Point Calimere The waders congregationis simply unimaginable It is interesting that the BNHSreport (Balachandran et al 2005) has concluded that withinthe same wintering season the same population of birdsutilise three major water bodies of eastern coast - Chilika

46 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

CORRESPONDENCE

d Smaller flocks(100 -1K) of Common Pochard Aythyaferina Red crested Pochard Rhodonessa rufinaGarganey Anas querquedula Cotton Teal Nettapuscoromandelianus Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosaLittle Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius and Little StintCalidris minuta

d Smaller flocks(lt100) of Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterusruber (Eastern part of Nalaban Island) Spot-billed PelicanPelecanus philippensis Bar-headed Goose Anserindicus Ruddy Shelduck Tadoma ferruginea CommonTeal Anas crecca Spot billed Duck A poecilorhynchaLesser Whistling Teal Dendrocygna javanica CommonRed Shank Tringa totanus Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialisfulva Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus TemminksStint Calidris temminckii Sanderling Calidris alba Brownheaded Gull Larus brunnicephalus and Whiskered TernChlidonias hybridus

d Smaller nos of (lt10) of Asian Open-bill Anastomusoscitans Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata CommonGreen Shank Tringa nebularia Ruff Philomachus pugnaxCaspian Tern Sterna caspia Indian River Tern S aurantiaLittle Tern S albifrons White-winged Tern C leucopterusand Gull billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica

d Few Individuals like Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris Broadbilled Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus and Citrine WagtailMotacillaccitreola

d Raptors l ike White bell ied Sea Eagle Haliaeetusleucogaster (commoner) Pal las Fish Eagle Hleucoryphus (Rajhans Island)

d New terrestrial bird for us -Bank Myna Acridotheresginginianus Asian Pied Sterl ing Sturnus contra(commoner)

Footnote Back from wonderful birding we came across abad news of the death of birds from Chilika (Indian GreenFile 2006) The paper clipping of published article of the AsianAge newspaper dated 12-12-2006 was reprinted in theDecember issue of Indian Green File The report said out ofdead 82 birds 69 were Pintails rest were Shovellers GadwalsBar-headed Goose and Sea eagles and 277 birds werereportedly sick

Acknowledgement

We are indebted to Dr PKRay Scientist-in charge RegionalMuseum of Natural History Bhubaneswar and MrSathiyaselvam Research Fellow Chilika Project Chandrabanifor guidance And we are grateful to Kum Vijayalaxmi andKishendasKR Mysore for their logistic support

ReferencesBalachandarnS RahmaniAR and SathiyaselvamP 2005 Final report

of Habitat evaluation of Chilika Lake with special reference to birdsas bio-indicators Bombay Natural History Society

CDA 2006 Chilika a living lagoon A booklet prepared and circulated byChilika Development Authority Bhubaneswar

Islam MZ and AR Rahmani 2005 Important Bird Areas in India Prioritysites for conservation Mumbai Indian Bird Conservation NetworkBombay Natural History Society and BirdLife International (UK) Pp574-575

Krys Kazmierczak and Raj Singh 2001 A Birdwatchers guide to IndiaOxford University press New Delhi

Michael R Miller Kenneth J Reinecke Nov 1984 Proper Expression ofMetabolizable Energy in Avian Energetics The Condor Vol 86 No4 pp 396-400

SahanaM Kishen DasKR and TanujaDH 2007 Occurrence of PiedAvocet Recurvirostra avosetta near Mysore Karnataka Newsletterfor Birdwatchers Vol 43(1) Pp 14-15

Indian Green File No 228 December 2006 Published by Centre forScience amp environment New Delhi Page 24

poultry that creepeth upon the Earth it is a rare case of

convergence of interests of man and bird against one commonfoe Viewing from this moral high ground the focus of all overefforts must be to contain the spread to isolate the infectedhost organisms and ultimately in the long run neutralizealtogether the H5N1 virus Both the print and the visual mediahave the onerous task to publish thoroughly researched andbalanced reports which are informative and motivating but notpanic-generating

As of now the primary and exclusive host of the H5N1 virus area few species of wild waterfowl and perhaps the entire range ofdomesticated poultry birds though so far only chicken and turkeyare reported infected There is no unanimity among the scientistcommunity yet on the primary source of this virus When it firstmanifested in Taiwan China Hong Kong and Thailand in2001-2003 it was surmised that the primary host are the poultrybirds Quite logically this led to the wholesale culling of about

AN ETHICAL PERSPECTIVE AND PREVENTION OF BIRDFLU Lt Gen (Retd) BALJIT SINGH House 219 Sector 16-AChandigarh 160 015 Ph 2770619

The Bible tells us And God said let us make man in our

image after our likeness and let them have dominion over thefish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over the cattleand over all the Earth and over every creeping thing thatcreepeth upon the Earth

So in the very scheme of evolution man was conceived as theprimary and dominant species Explicit with that privilegedstatus comes mans obligation of dominion implying watch

and ward over the weaker creatures that inhabit his planet ForGod did create man in our image after our likeness whichpresupposed that he would be just and compassionate Andin the instant case where a hitherto unchartered virus H5N1has raised its ugly head with lethal potential both to man andtwo of the meekest of his wards namely the fowl of the air and

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 47

three million birds in these countries Even when in 2004 a fewdead species of the migratory wild water fowl in their breedingareas in China Kazakhstan and Siberia also tested positivethe weight of opinion still maintained that the vector was thedomestic poultry and not the free ranging wild birds

Be that as it may the fact of the matter is that as of now both thewild waterfowl and the domestic poultry are the vectors Whenthis non-discriminating virus enters the host it is of the lowpathogen grade which is non-lethal But once transmitted thevirus begins to mutate and attains snow-balling dimensionsThat is the stage that it becomes a killer and the infected birddies within 2 to 3 days Now where wild bird assemblages areconcerned fortunately they remain fairly scattered and the virustransmission process is comparatively of the lower scale Andin the scheme of Nature there are no recorded cases wherean entire species has been wiped out by an epidemicGenerally up to 70 percent of the virus host species may perishand the remainder in all probability will develop immunity ascreatures in the wild are apparently better equipped to do soHopefully and over a long period of time the subject specieswill regain its optimum population levels

On the other hand where commercial poultry industry isconcerned the birds l ive check by jowl and the virustransmission process is like an inferno At that stage theprobability of infection spreading to human beings is genuineand of a high order Fortunately so far there is no proven caseof transmission of the virus from man to man Neverthelessindividual human beings will be at risk of infection either throughthe aerosol medium (breathing) or through ingestion of aninfected bird or by touch The last two risks can be easilycountered by avoiding poultry from diet for a short while andthis is where media can again play a positive role by arousingconsciousness of all segments of the society

As for the aerosol risk here the State will have the dominantrole All the commercial poultry farms and small scale poultrykeepers and even pigeon fanciers will have to be placed underperiodic and regular surveillance checks by qualified vetsInfected units will have to be shut down and decontaminatedThe industry may even have to be compensated for loss ofrevenue The common man will have to be advised on thesafe buffer-zone to be maintained from all such facilitiesand where that is not feasible to wear face and breathingmasks Even though the counter measures may appearelementary their rigid implementation will test out the measure

of vision and management skills of the government at theCentre and State

Concurrently the migratory and resident water fowlassemblages in the Country will also need monitoring on war-footing Fortunately these sites are all listed out in the NationalDirectory of Wetlands and they number just 145 For instancein Punjab there are three sites only (Ropar Harike and Kanjli)two in Haryana (Sultanpur and Bhindawas) three in Himachal(Pong Renuka and Govindsagar) and just one in UTChandigarh the Sukhna Lake Admittedly there will be manysmaller water-bodies dotting the country-side but for the presentthey need not be put under the scanner

It might be mentioned here that on the face of it the threat frommigratory Waterfowl as vectors of H5N1 to India may be of lowgrade This becomes evident when we look at the migratorypattern of the Bar-headed goose (one of the identified vectors)already mapped out by the wildlife department of the AligarhMuslim University through an on-going project using telemetrytools The time taken by most birds to reach their winteringgrounds in India can vary from 10 to 12 days inclusive of timespent on the stop-over sites enroute Most infected birds willperish in migration before entering India But healthy birdswhich get infected at the last stop-over before India may wellsucceed in bringing the virus

No strategy to combat the H5N1 virus will succeed unless wealso have in place effective and adequate preventive andcurative medicine Fortunately Tamiflu vaccine is claimed tobe a positive safeguard where humans are concerned But thefight against the bird flu will be inconclusive until a veterinaryvariant of Tamiflu is developed on war-footing to provideimmunity to poultry This is where the print and visual mediaare best suited to spread awareness among poultry keepersand pet owners to immunize the birds with same commitmentas we do for infants against polio and small pox

Central to the formulation of plans to combat the crisis shouldbe the fact that the bird was the first and still remains the mostpredominant prey of the virus At this juncture it is the bird whichis beleaguered and it deserves mans empathy much more

than is evident at the moment Given the common resolveeffective management strategies will emerge sooner than laterAnd at the end of it all we would have contained and ultimatelyvanquished the danger of bird flu pandemic both to humankindand to the birds one of mans dominos

d d d

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PREVALENCE OF SOME MYTHOLOGICAL BELIEFS AMONGRURAL COMMUNITIES OF GUJARAT A CASE STUDY OFCROW (CORVUS Sp) HIREN SONI ASHOK and RITA PATELInstitute of Integrated Study amp Research in Biotechnology ampAllied Sciences (ARIBAS) ADIT Campus New Vidyanagar -388 121 (Gujarat) E-mail hirensoniyahoocom

In the present technocrat world still some cryptic mythologiesin scriptures and Vedas are prevalent among some ruralcommunities of Gujarat They were authoured by our ancestorsbased on their own experience Such mythological beliefs aredirectly or indirectly connected with different types of rites ritualstaboos and traditions of tribesmen in the form of variousastrological paradigms folklores proverbs and quotablequotes in ancient literature In prehistoric times our Kings andBaronets used to take the guidance of priests to predict andprepare for the natural calamities such as cyclones faminesflood and heavy rainfalls They were often referred to asForecasting of Future During such times various types of

prophecies were inferred by deciphering various birdcalls theirbehaviour nesting location and feeding patterns According tosome mythological beliefs crows act as a good forecasteramong birds and are also indicators of good or bad omens(Jadav 2004) Some of the well-known inferences from variousproverbs are as follows

1 A crow builds its nest on eastern side of a tree on topbranch in the month of May - Heavy rainfall good quality ofcrop and a good omen for any religious ceremony

2 Nest on western side of a tree - Better rain and bettercrop-yield but grave epidemics

3 Nest on top canopy of a tree - Moderate rain4 Nest in middle canopy of a tree - Insufficient rainfall and

scarcity of water5 Nest on north or north-west side of a tree Overall good year

6 Crows search for food in dust instead of open grounds andgarbage - Hike in prices of cereals crops grains and othercommodities

7 Crow gives harsh calls from a dry tree Insufficient rain

and scarcity of water8 Nest on south-east corner of a tree - Famine starvation

water crisis food shortage and theft of eatables and othercommon commodities

9 Nest on the stem of a tree instead of its branch - Scantyrain paucity of water spreading of some contagiousdisease and theft of livelihood goods

10 Nest on north-west corner of a tree - Possibility of cycloneshurricanes and thunderstorms increase in population ofrodents in houses and crop-fields scarcity of food fodderfuelwood and fiber

11 Nest on south-east corner of a tree - Late arrival of monsoonwith cyclones and storms with low rainfall famine robberyand mass-scale war Cover Jungle Myna (Acridotheres fuscus) Probably every

Indian knows either one or other of our two common mynas Junglemynas perch in pairs or trios on their favorite trees or walk along theground with rapid determined steps stopping occasionally to preenor bob heads stiffly to utter warning notes Throughout the daymynas maintain a varied rollick of high pitched grackles or pleasantliquid notes to express their diverse moods such as delight fearresentment or anguish Being omnivores they feed on grubs fruitsgrains crumbs and morsels They nest in tree holes cracks inwalls chimneys and thatched roofs Mynas at times are branded asreckless usurpers of the nests of other birds Photo S Shreyas

Address for Correspondence

Newsletter for BirdwatchersNo 10 Sirur Park B Street SeshadripuramBangalore 560 020 India Tel 080 2356 1142 2346 4682E-mail ltnavbaratgmailcomgtPrinted and Published bi-monthly by S Sridhar atNavbharath Enterprises Seshadripuram Bangalore - 560 020 IndiaFor Private Circulation Only

12 Nest towards the south - Epidemic and battle among localtribes

13 Nest on dome of temple old fort crematorium or flat ground- Heavy drought deadly epidemics robbery and anarchy

14 Nest on dead or dry tree - Political dilemma dispute amongbaronets and large-scale destruction of crops due to heavyflood

15 Crow gives frequent calls in front of the door Brings prestige

and wealth to the owner of that house16 Crow sits on top of the front door with rigorous flapping -

House will be damaged by fire within a week17 Crow sits on latch or hanging garland of the door and call

erratically with sideways movement of its body - Owner ofthat house and his neighboring person will be wealthierwithin a short period

Thus behaviour calls display feeding patterns nestinglocations and other allied activities of crows form an integralpart in lives of many village inhabitants of Gujarat State Similartypes of literature hunt associated with field trials on callingpatterns behaviour nesting sites and feeding practices in otherbirds also would be an additional adage and will be a goodsubject for methodical evaluation of these beliefs in future

ReferenceJadav J (2004) Crows The Forecasters of Future In The Pearls of

Folklore Gujarat Samachar (18th July 2004) Sunday Supplement P 3

Distribution map of Oriental Darter Dot sizes are proportional tothe maximum species counts between 1997-2001

Source Numbers and distribution of waterbirds and wetlandsin the Asia-Pacific region Results of the Asian WaterbirdCensus 1997-2001 Wetland International Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Page 10: May-June  2007

42 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

(5 min) the 10 th day male spent 6111 (11 min)female 3888 (7 min) the 11th day male spent 6190(13 min) female 3809 ( 8 min) the 12th day male spent2148 (6 min) female 7857 (22 min) and on the 13th daymale spent 2631 (5 min) female spent 7368 (14 min)(Table 1)

On the last two days the female spent more time comparedto male Totally the pair took 13 days to complete the nestand they spent 315 minutes

The proportion test shows there was no significant differencein the time spent on nest building between the male andfemale (Z = 0452 P gt 005) Both sexes had contributedequal amount of time for nest construction The completenest was 55 cm projected away from the vertical surfacethe length was 92 cm and the circumference was 28 cm

DiscussionAn important behavioral reproductive decision of a bird iswhere to place the nest (Cody 1985 Johnson 1994) Birdsuse their nests chiefly to protect themselves their eggsand developing young by constructing nests that areinaccessible armored camouflaged or built in colonies thatprovide safety from predators (Burger and Gochfled 1968Welty 1982)

Nest building behaviour is often associated with courtshipand pair formation in birds it may signal the reproductivecondition of individuals and physiologically stimulate a partner(Collias 1964) There is very little information on the importanceof nest itself and its role in the mate choice (Hoi et al1994)

Soler et al (1998) showed that bird species in which bothsexes build the nest have larger nests than those in whichonly the female builds Nest size (relative to body size) waspositively correlated with the amount of parental investmentNest size indicate the willingness of males to invest inreproduction and it could therefore be a post -mating sexuallyselection trait

Soler et al (1998) discussed that several studies have shownthat nest building ability of males is related to female matechoice and the reproductive success of the pair The femalePenduline tits (Remiz pendulinus) choose the partners basedon the nest quality The nest may indicate the parentalquality experience or genetic quality and female couldtherefore benefit from mating with a superior nest builder

Swallow species especially those that build mud nest areclosely related and have similar nesting behaviors (winklerand shelden 1993) An earlier study in the case of Branswallows (Hirundo rustica) and cliff swallows (Hirundopyrrhonota) showed that they need or expect 4 basicconditions for nest site selection 1) An open area forforaging 2) A suitable surface for nest attachment3) A supply of mud of proper consistency for nest buildingand 4) A body of fresh water for drinking (www 3) Here inour study all the conditions required for nesting were present

According to Winkler and Shelden 1993 Swallow speciesespecially those that build mud nest are closely relatedand have similar nesting behaviors Studies by Moller (1994)in the case of Barn swallows showed that both sexesparticipate in nest building but there is considerable variationin the males contribution which is negatively related to

males tail length Short tailed males invest more in nest

building than long tailed males So investigation on thisaspect is also required in the case of wire tailed swallow Toget a complete picture about the nesting behaviour of thisspecies a long-term scholarly study is required It is a mustin the case of Wire tailed swallow because in 2003 IUCNhas declared that it is one of the threatened birds of India

Summary

The Study was carried out from November 2006 March

2007 in between Pichavaram to Kodiyampalayam roadsidewhich covers a distance of 4 Km With in the 4 Km stretchit has a mixed habitat of agricultural lands emerging andwell developed mangroves and aquaculture ponds

The data was collected from a nest located under the firstbridge from the first day of commencement of nest buildingactivity

Acknowledgewments

We thank our principal DrMVaratharajan and ourManagement for supporting and providing necessary facilitiesto carryout the studies

ReferencesAli Salim 2002 The Book of Indian Birds Bombay Natural History

Society BombayBirds The New Encyclopedia Britannica Macropedia 15th Edition

Chicago IllinoisEncyclopedia Britannica IncBurger J and MGochfled 1988 Nest site selection by Roseate Terns in

Two Tropical Colonies on Culebra Puetro Rico Condor 90 843 851Cody ML 1985 Habitat selection in the sylvine Warblers of Western

Europe and North Africa Page 86 129 In Cody ML (Ed) Habitatselection in Birds Academic press New York

ColliasNE amp ColliasEC 1984 Nest Building Behaviour Princeton NewJersey Princeton University Press

Table 1 Time spent by male and female wire-tailedswallows towards nest building activities

Days Time spent Time spent Contribution Contributionby male in by female of Male of Femaleminutes in minutes in in

27-Dec 18 18 50 50

28-Dec 18 18 50 50

29-Dec 19 13 594 406

30-Dec 10 12 455 545

31-Dec 23 20 535 465

1-Jan 3 5 375 625

2-Jan 14 8 636 364

3-Jan 15 6 714 286

4-Jan 4 5 444 556

5-Jan 11 7 611 389

6-Jan 13 8 619 381

7-Jan 6 22 214 786

8-Jan 5 14 263 737

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 43

Johnson PN 1994Selection and use of nest site by Barn Owls inNorfolk England Raptor Res 28 149 153

GrimmettR and CInskipp 1999 Birds of the Indian Subcontinent Oxford

University press New DelhiHoiH SchleicherB amp ValeraF 1994 Female mate Choice and nest

Desertion in penduline tits Remiz pendulinus the importance Nestquality Animal Behaviour 48 743 746

Newton I 1995 The Contribution of some recent research on birds toecological Understanding JAnim Ecol 64 675 696

Sampath K and KKrishnamurthy 1993 Birds of Pichavaram mangrovesand the Adjoining costal environs JEcolSoc 6 23 28

SolerJJMollerAPamp LindenM1996 Nest building sexual selection andparental investment Evolutionary Ecology12 427 441

Urfi AJ 2003 Breeding ecology of Birds Why do some species nestsingly while others are colonial Resonance 20038 22 32

Welty CJ 1982 The Life of Birds WB Saunders Co LondonWinkler DW and Fh Sheldow 1993 Evolution of nest construction in

swallows (Hirundinidae) a molecular phylogenetic prespectiveProcNatl

Web Based Referenceshttp enwikipediaorgwikiwire-tailed_swallowhttpwwwexplorebiodiversitycomBIRDS Birds of WorldFamilies

Passeriformeshtm

httpladywildlifecomanimalhowbirdsbuildtheirnestshtml

mixed with forested tracts pepper estates banana andcitrus plantations come into view The ensemble of barbetsgreeted us and their choir floated across the forestresounded and reverberated in the surrounding tranquilvalleys as the birds celebrated the advent of yet anotherday The music concert of these Beethovens of the forestwent on till dusk with hardly any respite

While trekking on a bridle path between forest and coffeeplantation we witnessed a male Asian Paradise-Flycatchervigorously patrolling its territory in the coffee plantation whilea juvenile male Asian Paradise-Flycatcher was lurking inthe forest on the opposite side This went on for full onehour and we had to retreat as dusk was descending

Sirumalai hills and the surrounding areas are rich in bird lifeand according to Palani Hills Birdwatchers Society more

than 250 species have been recorded so far We chancedupon the biggest butterfly of South India the SouthernBirdwing butterfly We trekked to Agasthyipuram the earliesthuman settlement in the hills and enroute recorded severalspecies of birds and butterflies such as Chocolate pansyCommon sailor Glad-eye Bush brown Common CerulianSilverstreak blue Angled castor Common Jezebel Crimsonrose Common Bushbrown and Striped Blue tiger

The following is the systematic list of birds observed in Gandhigram Rural

University Campus (GU) Athoor Dam (A) Vadakarai Tank (V) and Sirumalai

Hills (S)

Grebes Podicipedidae

Little grebe (V) Tachybaptus ruficollis (Pallas 1964)

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Great Cormorant (V) Phalacrocorax carbo (Linnaeus 1758)

Darters Anhingidae

Darter (V) Anhinga melanogaster (Pennant 1969)

Herons Egrets and Ardeidae

Bitterns

Little egret (V) Egretta garzetta (Linnaeus 1966)

Large Egret (V) Casmerodius albus (Linnaeus 1758)

Cattle egret (V) Bubulcus ibis (Linnaeus 1758)

Grey heron (V) Ardea cinerea (Linnaeus 1758)

Purple heron (V) Ardea purpurea (Linnaeus 1766)

Indian Pond-heron (V) Ardeola grayii (Sykes 1832)

A Day at Sirumalai in Palni HillsS Ashok Kumar

Plot No 491 Road No 10 Jubilee Hills Hyderabad 500 033

The Palani Hills Birdwatchers Society had organized the

2nd South Indian Birdwatchers Fair in Gandhigram Rural

Universtiy Dindigul from 23rd to 25th February 2007 Duringthe Fair Birdwatching field trips to Athoor dam Vadakaraitank Sirumalai Hills and Gandhigram University Campuswere conducted for the delegates and participants

Our team consisted of Prabhu Asian Wildlife FoundationRahman Education Officer WWF AP Office Hyderabadand myself While travelling in Vaigai Express we sighted10 spot billed pelicans over 200 cattle egrets and 4 greyherons in Chenulpet lake Large extents of the lake marginare invaded by Eichhornia crassipes

Palani hills forming the eastern spur of the Western Ghatsis divided into Upper Palnis in the West covering an area of385 sq kms with an altitude of 2200 mts and the LowerPalanis covering 1683 sq kms with an altitude of 1600 mtslying below Kodaikanal Palani hills region is recognized asa biodiversity hot spot

Sirumalais meaning small hills lie in Lower Palani hillslocated between 10deg07 10deg18N and 77deg55 78deg12 E

with an altitude of 800 mts The hills are rectangular in outlinecovering an area of 317 sq kms The mountain ridge slopesdown North-East on which the only motorable ghat road islaid There are other ridges sloping towards South South-East and East Mullupanrimalai Vellimalai Kalugumalai andMadagamalai are the main peaks Mullapanrimalai beingthe highest (1379 mts) Sattiar Kalankaluviar andSirumalaiar are the three rivulets which flow down the hills

The vegetation consists of tropical dry deciduous forest type(Champion 1936) dry evergreen forests riparian forests andthorn forest with thorny thickets NE monsoon brings thebulk of the annual rainfall while the SW monsoon bringssporadic rains So far 895 floral species belonging to 536 generahave been recorded as a result of systematic exploration

The dales and valleys on either side of the ghat road areclothed with dense forests bisected by jungle streamletsAs we approach Sirumalai Pudur village coffee plantations

44 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

Storks Ciconiidae

Painted stork (V) Mycteria leucocephala (Pennant 1769)

Asian Open-bill stork (V) Anastomus oscitans (Boddaert 1783)

White-necked stork (V) Ciconia episcopus (Boddaert 1783)

Geese amp Ducks Anatidae

Comb duck (V) Sarkidiornis melanotos (Pennant 1969)

Northern Shoveller (V) Anas clypeata (Linnaeus 1758)

Common Pochard (V) Aythya ferina (Linnaeus 1758)

Spot-billed duck (V) Anas acuta (Linnaeus 19581781)

Garganey (V) Anas querquedula (Linnaeus 1958)

Eurasian Wigeon (V) Anas penelope (Linnaeus 1758)

Lesser whistling teal (V) Dendrocygna javanica (Horsfield 1821)

Hawks eagles kites etc Accipitridae

Shikra (GR S) Accipiter badius (Gmelin 1788)

Crested serpent eagle (S) Spilornis cheela (Latham 1790)

Mountain hawk eagle (S) Spizaetus nipalensis (Hodgson 1836)

Black-shouldered kite (GUS) Elanus caeruleus (Desfontaine 1789)

Brahminy kite (V) Haliastur indus (Boddaert 1783)

Pheasants Partridges amp Phasianidae

Quails

Grey Junglefowl (S) Gallus sonneratii (Temminck 1813)

Grey Francolin (A) Francolinus pondicerianus (Gmelin 1789)

Rails Crakes Moorhens Rallidae

coots

White-breasted Waterhen (A) Amaurornis phoenicurus (Pennant 1858)

Purple moorhen (V) Porphyrio porphyrio (Linnaeus 1758)

Common coot (V) Fulica atra (Linnaeus 1758)

Jacanas Jacanidae

Peasant-tailed Jacana (V) Hydrophasianus chirurgus (Scopoli 1786)

Plovers Lapwings etc Charadriidae

Red-wattled Lapwing (A V) Vanellus gregarious (Pallas 1771)

Sandpipers Snipes etc Scolopacidae

Common snipe (V) Gallinago gallinago (Linnaeus 1758)

Common green Shank (V) Tringa nebularia (Gunner 1767)

Common sandpiper (V) Actitis hypoleucos (Linnaeus 1758)

Ibisbill Avocets amp Stilts Recurvirostridae

Black-winged atilt (V) Himantopus himantopus (Linnaeus 1758)

Gulls Terns etc Laridae

Gull-billed Tern (V) Gelochelidon nilotica (Gmelin 1789)

Pigeons amp Doves Columbidae

Spotted dove (S) Streptopelia chinensis (Scopoli 1786)

Emerald dove (A) Chalcophaps indica (Linnaeus 1758)

Parakeets etc Psittacidae

Blue-winged parakeet (S) Psittacula columboides (Vigors 1830)

Cuckoos Malkohas amp Cuculidae

Coucals

Indian plaintive cuckoo (A) Cacomantis passerinus (Vhai 1797)

Pied Crested cuckoo (GU) Clamator jacobinus (Boddaert 1783)

Brainfever Bird (A GU) Hierococcyx varius (Vahl 1797)

Large Greenbilled Malkoha (V) Phaenicophaeus tristis (Lesson 1830)

Greater Coucal (GU A S) Centropus sinensis (Stephens 1815)

Asian Koel (GU A) Eudynamys scolopacea (Linnaeus 1758)

Owis Strigidae

Spotted Owlet (GU) Athene brama (Temminck 1821)

Swifts Apodidae

Alpine swift (S) Tachymarptis melba (Linnaeus 1758)

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

White-breasted King-fisher Halcyon smyrnensis (Linnaeus 1758)

( V S G U )

Small Blue Kingfisher (A) Alcedo atthis (Linnaeus 1758)

Pied kingfisher (V) Lesser Ceryle rudis (Linnaeus 1758)

Bee-eaters Meropidae

Small Bee-eater (S V) Merops orientalis (Latham 1801)

Blue-tailed Bee-eater (V) Merops philippinus (Linnaeus 1766)

Rollers Coraciidae

Indian Roller (GU) Coracias benghalensis (Linnaeus 1758)

Hoopoes Upupidae

Common hoopoe (VS) Upupa epops (Linnaeus 1758)

Barbets Capitonidae

Coppersmith barbet (GUAVS) Megalaima haemacephala (PL Smuller 1776)

White-checked barbet (S) Megalaima viridis (Boddaert 1783)

Great barbet (S) Megalaima virens (Boddaert 1783)

Woodpeckers Picidae

Brown-capped Pigmy

woodpecker (S) Dendrocopos nanus (Vigors 1832)

Black-shouldered

Woodpecker (S) Chrysocolaptes festivus (Boddaert 1783)

Wagtails amp Pipits Motacillidae

Large Pied Wagtail (V S) Motacilla maderaspatensis (Gmelin 1789)

Grey wagtail (S) Motacilla cinerea (Tunstall 1771)

Paddyfield Pipit (V) Anthus rufulus (Vieillot 1818)

Cuckoo-shrikes Campephagidae

Minivets etc

Common Woodshrike (S) Tephrodornis pondicerianus (Gmelin 1789)

Long-tailed Minivet (S) Pericrocotus ethologus (Bangs amp Phillips 1914)

Black-headed cuckoo-Shrike

( G U ) Coracina melanoptera (Ruppell 1839)

Bulbuls Finchbills Pycnonotidae

Red-whiskered bulbul (AS) Pycnonotus jocosus (Linnaeus 1758)

Red-vented bulbul (AS) Pycnonotus cafer (Linnaeus 1766)

White-browed bulbul (AVS) Pycnonotus luteolus (Lesson 1841)

Ioras Leafbird Irenidae

Fairy-Bluebird

Common Iora (GU) Aegithina tiphia (Linnaeus 1758)

Asian Fairy-Bluebird (S) Irena puella (Latham 1790)

Shrikes Laniidae

Bay-backed shrike (GU) Lanius vittatus (Valenciennes 1826)

Thrushes Robins etc Turdinae

Indian Robin (GU) Saxicoloides fulicata (Linnaeus 1776)

Black Redstart (V) Phoenicurus ochruros (Gmelin 1774)

Oriental Magpie-Robin (VRS) Copsychus saularis (Linnaeus 1758)

Pied Bushchat (S) Saxicola caprata (Linnaeus 1766)

Babblers Barwings etc Timaliinae

White-headed babbler (GU) Turdoides affinis (Jerdon 1847)

Prinias Warblers etc Sylviinae

Greenish Leaf-Warbler (S) Phylloscopus trochiloides (Sundevall 1837)

Flycatchers Muscicapinae

Verditer Flycatcher (V S) Eumyias thalassina (Swainson 1838)

Nilgiri Flycatcher (S) Eumyias albicaudata (Jerdon 1840)

Monarch amp Monarchinae

Paradise Flycatchers

Asian Paradise-Flycatcher

(GU A S) Terpsiphone paradisi (Linnaeus 1758)

Sunbirds amp Spiderhunters Nectariniidae

Purple-rumped Sunbird (GU) Nectarinia zeylonica (Linnaeus 1766)

Purple Sunbird (GU) Nectarinia asiatica (Latham 1790)

Little Spiderhunter (GU) Arachnothera longirostra (Latham 1790)

White-eyes Zosteropidae

Oriental White-eye (S) Zosterops palpebrosus (Temminck 1824)

Munias Estrildidae

White-throated Munia (VS) Lonchura malabarica (Linnaeus 1758)

Spotted Munia (V) Lonchura punctulata (Linnaeus 1758)

Starlings amp Mynas Sturnidae

Common Myna (GU) Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus 1766)

Orioles Oriolidae

Eurasian Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus (Linnaeus 1758)

(GU A S)

Black-beaded Oriole (S) Oriolus xanthornus (Linnaeus 1758)

Drongos Dicruridae

Black Drongo (S GU) Dicrurus macrocercus (Vieillot 1817)

Ashy Drongo (S GU) Dicrurus leucophaeus (Vieillot 1817)

White-bellied Drongo (A amp S) Dicrurus caerulescens (Linnaeus 1758)

Greater Racket-tailed Dicrurus paradiseus (Linnaeus 1766)

Drongo (S)

Crows amp Treepies Corvidae

Indian Treepie (GU S) Dendrocitta formosae (Swinhoe 1863)

Jungle Crow (GU) Corvus macrorhynchos (Wagler 1827)

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 45

Pulicat and Point Calimere at different times And also thetheory that species recorded here has some definite linkbetween south Indian wintering birds appears to be truthfulwith the increased population of Pied Avocets Recurvirostraavosetta in Chil ika and in south Indian wetlands(Balachandran et al 2005 Sahana et al 2007)

The pressure on lagoon is immense like encroachmentincreased siltation extensive fishing and tourism Over twolakh fishermen are depending on the lakes resources fortheir livelihood (CDA 2006) The disturbance to the birds isa common sight due to intensive f ishing activitiesrecreational disturbance and the use of mechanized boatsThe constant disturbance discourages foraging costingfeeding time and amplified escape activities and drains muchof the birds energy Eventually it might result in decreasedenergy reserves late arrivallate dispersal to breedinggrounds and in the end reduced reproductive-success(Michael and Kenneth 1984)

An estimated one lakh tourists visit the lake every year (CDA2006) Many boatmen have equipped the small tourist boatswith high wattage loud-speakers with music systemproducing much noise is a common sight Though plastic isbanned one can see a lot of floating wrappers in the lakediscarded by the tourists It is sickening to watch fishesbeing killed by metal blades of crudely mechanized boatsSmall population of Irrawaddy dolphins Orcaella brevirostrisfound in the outer channel are more vulnerable Though ChilikaDevelopment Authority has rejuvenated the lake extraordinarilywell policing and implementation of many defined regulationsare falling short of standard due to (local as well as visiting)publics apathy

With all these hassles the living lagoon is at its bestthroughout the year compared to any other wetland in India(Sathiyaselvam Pers Com) due to its uniqueness And ofcourse has an added advantage of the degradation of manywintering sites in southern sojourn these birds were earlierdependent

Some noteworthy sightings are as follows

d In all 102 identified bird species and a few un-identifiedSnipes and Larger Gulls

d A solitary Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus in thesouth-east waters of Nalaban and a Goliath Heron Ardeagoliath at northern tip of Nalaban

d Huge flocks(5 -10K) of Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelopeGadwall A strepera Northern Pintail A acuta NorthernShoveller A clypeata and Ferruginous Pochard Aythyanyroca

A pilgrimage to Chilika - the Birding Kashi

A Shivaprakash T Girija and A Sharath478 3rd Cross 8th Main Ramakrishna Nagar H Block Mysore - 570022

e-mail adavannerediffmailcom

Chilika with the assemblage of marine brackish andfreshwater ecosystem is recognized as largest water birdscongregation location in Indian subcontinent that hosts 43species of 1 biogeographically known population (Islam andRahmani 2005) Totally 52 rivers and rivulets provide freshwater augmentation to the brackish bay Rich diversity anddensity of avifauna is due to the vast size (1100 sq Km)variation in salinity preferred water depths and rich sediment

We had planned our birding visits at Barkul Nalaban Islandsmudflats of Satpada New sea mouth and Rajhans Island during13th to 18th December 2006 The itinerary was based on thelocations mentioned in the Final report of Habitat evaluation ofChilika lake (Balachandran et al 2005) on the guidance of DrPKRay Scientist-in charge Regional Museum of NaturalHistory Bhubaneswar and Mr Sathiyaselvam Research FellowChilika Project Chandrabani We have spent 32 hours birdingincluding 10 hours on board non-mechanized boats and reston foot Observation was made with a Field scope (Geoma65mm x 20) and a pair of binoculars (Pentex 10 x 25 andTasco 8 x 30)

Barkul shoreline forms western part of lake attracts goodnumber of waders Nalabana Island is situated in the CentralSector of the lake and is said to be hosting 75 of the totalbird population wintering in Chilika Though large flocks ofbirds scatter in many parts of the Lake the major congregationof diverse species was in and around Nalabana IslandExposed mudflats of Satpada provide foraging ground for largecongregation of waders Gregarious Gulls and Terns galleryis displayed in the new sea mouth opened up in the outerchannel recently to provide necessary salinity to Chilika

Our plan of staying entire day and night at Nalaban Islandsbased on A birdwatchers guide to India (Krys and Raj 2001)was later modified due to Orissa Forest Departmentsrestrictions on visitors The entry of mechanized boats intothe Nalaban Islands zone is strictly restricted The island zoneis marked with red polls erected all around that are visible froma quite distance indicating the protected zone Moreover entryto the lake is prohibited to tourists and is strictly enforcedThis measure is safeguarding the interests of avifauna and itshabitat With a rowing boat and a field scope one can watchnumerous birds with ease The congregation of waterfowl isamazing and runs into a few thousands

The waders recorded here are almost similar to those inPulicat Lake and Point Calimere The waders congregationis simply unimaginable It is interesting that the BNHSreport (Balachandran et al 2005) has concluded that withinthe same wintering season the same population of birdsutilise three major water bodies of eastern coast - Chilika

46 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

CORRESPONDENCE

d Smaller flocks(100 -1K) of Common Pochard Aythyaferina Red crested Pochard Rhodonessa rufinaGarganey Anas querquedula Cotton Teal Nettapuscoromandelianus Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosaLittle Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius and Little StintCalidris minuta

d Smaller flocks(lt100) of Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterusruber (Eastern part of Nalaban Island) Spot-billed PelicanPelecanus philippensis Bar-headed Goose Anserindicus Ruddy Shelduck Tadoma ferruginea CommonTeal Anas crecca Spot billed Duck A poecilorhynchaLesser Whistling Teal Dendrocygna javanica CommonRed Shank Tringa totanus Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialisfulva Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus TemminksStint Calidris temminckii Sanderling Calidris alba Brownheaded Gull Larus brunnicephalus and Whiskered TernChlidonias hybridus

d Smaller nos of (lt10) of Asian Open-bill Anastomusoscitans Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata CommonGreen Shank Tringa nebularia Ruff Philomachus pugnaxCaspian Tern Sterna caspia Indian River Tern S aurantiaLittle Tern S albifrons White-winged Tern C leucopterusand Gull billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica

d Few Individuals like Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris Broadbilled Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus and Citrine WagtailMotacillaccitreola

d Raptors l ike White bell ied Sea Eagle Haliaeetusleucogaster (commoner) Pal las Fish Eagle Hleucoryphus (Rajhans Island)

d New terrestrial bird for us -Bank Myna Acridotheresginginianus Asian Pied Sterl ing Sturnus contra(commoner)

Footnote Back from wonderful birding we came across abad news of the death of birds from Chilika (Indian GreenFile 2006) The paper clipping of published article of the AsianAge newspaper dated 12-12-2006 was reprinted in theDecember issue of Indian Green File The report said out ofdead 82 birds 69 were Pintails rest were Shovellers GadwalsBar-headed Goose and Sea eagles and 277 birds werereportedly sick

Acknowledgement

We are indebted to Dr PKRay Scientist-in charge RegionalMuseum of Natural History Bhubaneswar and MrSathiyaselvam Research Fellow Chilika Project Chandrabanifor guidance And we are grateful to Kum Vijayalaxmi andKishendasKR Mysore for their logistic support

ReferencesBalachandarnS RahmaniAR and SathiyaselvamP 2005 Final report

of Habitat evaluation of Chilika Lake with special reference to birdsas bio-indicators Bombay Natural History Society

CDA 2006 Chilika a living lagoon A booklet prepared and circulated byChilika Development Authority Bhubaneswar

Islam MZ and AR Rahmani 2005 Important Bird Areas in India Prioritysites for conservation Mumbai Indian Bird Conservation NetworkBombay Natural History Society and BirdLife International (UK) Pp574-575

Krys Kazmierczak and Raj Singh 2001 A Birdwatchers guide to IndiaOxford University press New Delhi

Michael R Miller Kenneth J Reinecke Nov 1984 Proper Expression ofMetabolizable Energy in Avian Energetics The Condor Vol 86 No4 pp 396-400

SahanaM Kishen DasKR and TanujaDH 2007 Occurrence of PiedAvocet Recurvirostra avosetta near Mysore Karnataka Newsletterfor Birdwatchers Vol 43(1) Pp 14-15

Indian Green File No 228 December 2006 Published by Centre forScience amp environment New Delhi Page 24

poultry that creepeth upon the Earth it is a rare case of

convergence of interests of man and bird against one commonfoe Viewing from this moral high ground the focus of all overefforts must be to contain the spread to isolate the infectedhost organisms and ultimately in the long run neutralizealtogether the H5N1 virus Both the print and the visual mediahave the onerous task to publish thoroughly researched andbalanced reports which are informative and motivating but notpanic-generating

As of now the primary and exclusive host of the H5N1 virus area few species of wild waterfowl and perhaps the entire range ofdomesticated poultry birds though so far only chicken and turkeyare reported infected There is no unanimity among the scientistcommunity yet on the primary source of this virus When it firstmanifested in Taiwan China Hong Kong and Thailand in2001-2003 it was surmised that the primary host are the poultrybirds Quite logically this led to the wholesale culling of about

AN ETHICAL PERSPECTIVE AND PREVENTION OF BIRDFLU Lt Gen (Retd) BALJIT SINGH House 219 Sector 16-AChandigarh 160 015 Ph 2770619

The Bible tells us And God said let us make man in our

image after our likeness and let them have dominion over thefish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over the cattleand over all the Earth and over every creeping thing thatcreepeth upon the Earth

So in the very scheme of evolution man was conceived as theprimary and dominant species Explicit with that privilegedstatus comes mans obligation of dominion implying watch

and ward over the weaker creatures that inhabit his planet ForGod did create man in our image after our likeness whichpresupposed that he would be just and compassionate Andin the instant case where a hitherto unchartered virus H5N1has raised its ugly head with lethal potential both to man andtwo of the meekest of his wards namely the fowl of the air and

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 47

three million birds in these countries Even when in 2004 a fewdead species of the migratory wild water fowl in their breedingareas in China Kazakhstan and Siberia also tested positivethe weight of opinion still maintained that the vector was thedomestic poultry and not the free ranging wild birds

Be that as it may the fact of the matter is that as of now both thewild waterfowl and the domestic poultry are the vectors Whenthis non-discriminating virus enters the host it is of the lowpathogen grade which is non-lethal But once transmitted thevirus begins to mutate and attains snow-balling dimensionsThat is the stage that it becomes a killer and the infected birddies within 2 to 3 days Now where wild bird assemblages areconcerned fortunately they remain fairly scattered and the virustransmission process is comparatively of the lower scale Andin the scheme of Nature there are no recorded cases wherean entire species has been wiped out by an epidemicGenerally up to 70 percent of the virus host species may perishand the remainder in all probability will develop immunity ascreatures in the wild are apparently better equipped to do soHopefully and over a long period of time the subject specieswill regain its optimum population levels

On the other hand where commercial poultry industry isconcerned the birds l ive check by jowl and the virustransmission process is like an inferno At that stage theprobability of infection spreading to human beings is genuineand of a high order Fortunately so far there is no proven caseof transmission of the virus from man to man Neverthelessindividual human beings will be at risk of infection either throughthe aerosol medium (breathing) or through ingestion of aninfected bird or by touch The last two risks can be easilycountered by avoiding poultry from diet for a short while andthis is where media can again play a positive role by arousingconsciousness of all segments of the society

As for the aerosol risk here the State will have the dominantrole All the commercial poultry farms and small scale poultrykeepers and even pigeon fanciers will have to be placed underperiodic and regular surveillance checks by qualified vetsInfected units will have to be shut down and decontaminatedThe industry may even have to be compensated for loss ofrevenue The common man will have to be advised on thesafe buffer-zone to be maintained from all such facilitiesand where that is not feasible to wear face and breathingmasks Even though the counter measures may appearelementary their rigid implementation will test out the measure

of vision and management skills of the government at theCentre and State

Concurrently the migratory and resident water fowlassemblages in the Country will also need monitoring on war-footing Fortunately these sites are all listed out in the NationalDirectory of Wetlands and they number just 145 For instancein Punjab there are three sites only (Ropar Harike and Kanjli)two in Haryana (Sultanpur and Bhindawas) three in Himachal(Pong Renuka and Govindsagar) and just one in UTChandigarh the Sukhna Lake Admittedly there will be manysmaller water-bodies dotting the country-side but for the presentthey need not be put under the scanner

It might be mentioned here that on the face of it the threat frommigratory Waterfowl as vectors of H5N1 to India may be of lowgrade This becomes evident when we look at the migratorypattern of the Bar-headed goose (one of the identified vectors)already mapped out by the wildlife department of the AligarhMuslim University through an on-going project using telemetrytools The time taken by most birds to reach their winteringgrounds in India can vary from 10 to 12 days inclusive of timespent on the stop-over sites enroute Most infected birds willperish in migration before entering India But healthy birdswhich get infected at the last stop-over before India may wellsucceed in bringing the virus

No strategy to combat the H5N1 virus will succeed unless wealso have in place effective and adequate preventive andcurative medicine Fortunately Tamiflu vaccine is claimed tobe a positive safeguard where humans are concerned But thefight against the bird flu will be inconclusive until a veterinaryvariant of Tamiflu is developed on war-footing to provideimmunity to poultry This is where the print and visual mediaare best suited to spread awareness among poultry keepersand pet owners to immunize the birds with same commitmentas we do for infants against polio and small pox

Central to the formulation of plans to combat the crisis shouldbe the fact that the bird was the first and still remains the mostpredominant prey of the virus At this juncture it is the bird whichis beleaguered and it deserves mans empathy much more

than is evident at the moment Given the common resolveeffective management strategies will emerge sooner than laterAnd at the end of it all we would have contained and ultimatelyvanquished the danger of bird flu pandemic both to humankindand to the birds one of mans dominos

d d d

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48 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

PREVALENCE OF SOME MYTHOLOGICAL BELIEFS AMONGRURAL COMMUNITIES OF GUJARAT A CASE STUDY OFCROW (CORVUS Sp) HIREN SONI ASHOK and RITA PATELInstitute of Integrated Study amp Research in Biotechnology ampAllied Sciences (ARIBAS) ADIT Campus New Vidyanagar -388 121 (Gujarat) E-mail hirensoniyahoocom

In the present technocrat world still some cryptic mythologiesin scriptures and Vedas are prevalent among some ruralcommunities of Gujarat They were authoured by our ancestorsbased on their own experience Such mythological beliefs aredirectly or indirectly connected with different types of rites ritualstaboos and traditions of tribesmen in the form of variousastrological paradigms folklores proverbs and quotablequotes in ancient literature In prehistoric times our Kings andBaronets used to take the guidance of priests to predict andprepare for the natural calamities such as cyclones faminesflood and heavy rainfalls They were often referred to asForecasting of Future During such times various types of

prophecies were inferred by deciphering various birdcalls theirbehaviour nesting location and feeding patterns According tosome mythological beliefs crows act as a good forecasteramong birds and are also indicators of good or bad omens(Jadav 2004) Some of the well-known inferences from variousproverbs are as follows

1 A crow builds its nest on eastern side of a tree on topbranch in the month of May - Heavy rainfall good quality ofcrop and a good omen for any religious ceremony

2 Nest on western side of a tree - Better rain and bettercrop-yield but grave epidemics

3 Nest on top canopy of a tree - Moderate rain4 Nest in middle canopy of a tree - Insufficient rainfall and

scarcity of water5 Nest on north or north-west side of a tree Overall good year

6 Crows search for food in dust instead of open grounds andgarbage - Hike in prices of cereals crops grains and othercommodities

7 Crow gives harsh calls from a dry tree Insufficient rain

and scarcity of water8 Nest on south-east corner of a tree - Famine starvation

water crisis food shortage and theft of eatables and othercommon commodities

9 Nest on the stem of a tree instead of its branch - Scantyrain paucity of water spreading of some contagiousdisease and theft of livelihood goods

10 Nest on north-west corner of a tree - Possibility of cycloneshurricanes and thunderstorms increase in population ofrodents in houses and crop-fields scarcity of food fodderfuelwood and fiber

11 Nest on south-east corner of a tree - Late arrival of monsoonwith cyclones and storms with low rainfall famine robberyand mass-scale war Cover Jungle Myna (Acridotheres fuscus) Probably every

Indian knows either one or other of our two common mynas Junglemynas perch in pairs or trios on their favorite trees or walk along theground with rapid determined steps stopping occasionally to preenor bob heads stiffly to utter warning notes Throughout the daymynas maintain a varied rollick of high pitched grackles or pleasantliquid notes to express their diverse moods such as delight fearresentment or anguish Being omnivores they feed on grubs fruitsgrains crumbs and morsels They nest in tree holes cracks inwalls chimneys and thatched roofs Mynas at times are branded asreckless usurpers of the nests of other birds Photo S Shreyas

Address for Correspondence

Newsletter for BirdwatchersNo 10 Sirur Park B Street SeshadripuramBangalore 560 020 India Tel 080 2356 1142 2346 4682E-mail ltnavbaratgmailcomgtPrinted and Published bi-monthly by S Sridhar atNavbharath Enterprises Seshadripuram Bangalore - 560 020 IndiaFor Private Circulation Only

12 Nest towards the south - Epidemic and battle among localtribes

13 Nest on dome of temple old fort crematorium or flat ground- Heavy drought deadly epidemics robbery and anarchy

14 Nest on dead or dry tree - Political dilemma dispute amongbaronets and large-scale destruction of crops due to heavyflood

15 Crow gives frequent calls in front of the door Brings prestige

and wealth to the owner of that house16 Crow sits on top of the front door with rigorous flapping -

House will be damaged by fire within a week17 Crow sits on latch or hanging garland of the door and call

erratically with sideways movement of its body - Owner ofthat house and his neighboring person will be wealthierwithin a short period

Thus behaviour calls display feeding patterns nestinglocations and other allied activities of crows form an integralpart in lives of many village inhabitants of Gujarat State Similartypes of literature hunt associated with field trials on callingpatterns behaviour nesting sites and feeding practices in otherbirds also would be an additional adage and will be a goodsubject for methodical evaluation of these beliefs in future

ReferenceJadav J (2004) Crows The Forecasters of Future In The Pearls of

Folklore Gujarat Samachar (18th July 2004) Sunday Supplement P 3

Distribution map of Oriental Darter Dot sizes are proportional tothe maximum species counts between 1997-2001

Source Numbers and distribution of waterbirds and wetlandsin the Asia-Pacific region Results of the Asian WaterbirdCensus 1997-2001 Wetland International Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Page 11: May-June  2007

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 43

Johnson PN 1994Selection and use of nest site by Barn Owls inNorfolk England Raptor Res 28 149 153

GrimmettR and CInskipp 1999 Birds of the Indian Subcontinent Oxford

University press New DelhiHoiH SchleicherB amp ValeraF 1994 Female mate Choice and nest

Desertion in penduline tits Remiz pendulinus the importance Nestquality Animal Behaviour 48 743 746

Newton I 1995 The Contribution of some recent research on birds toecological Understanding JAnim Ecol 64 675 696

Sampath K and KKrishnamurthy 1993 Birds of Pichavaram mangrovesand the Adjoining costal environs JEcolSoc 6 23 28

SolerJJMollerAPamp LindenM1996 Nest building sexual selection andparental investment Evolutionary Ecology12 427 441

Urfi AJ 2003 Breeding ecology of Birds Why do some species nestsingly while others are colonial Resonance 20038 22 32

Welty CJ 1982 The Life of Birds WB Saunders Co LondonWinkler DW and Fh Sheldow 1993 Evolution of nest construction in

swallows (Hirundinidae) a molecular phylogenetic prespectiveProcNatl

Web Based Referenceshttp enwikipediaorgwikiwire-tailed_swallowhttpwwwexplorebiodiversitycomBIRDS Birds of WorldFamilies

Passeriformeshtm

httpladywildlifecomanimalhowbirdsbuildtheirnestshtml

mixed with forested tracts pepper estates banana andcitrus plantations come into view The ensemble of barbetsgreeted us and their choir floated across the forestresounded and reverberated in the surrounding tranquilvalleys as the birds celebrated the advent of yet anotherday The music concert of these Beethovens of the forestwent on till dusk with hardly any respite

While trekking on a bridle path between forest and coffeeplantation we witnessed a male Asian Paradise-Flycatchervigorously patrolling its territory in the coffee plantation whilea juvenile male Asian Paradise-Flycatcher was lurking inthe forest on the opposite side This went on for full onehour and we had to retreat as dusk was descending

Sirumalai hills and the surrounding areas are rich in bird lifeand according to Palani Hills Birdwatchers Society more

than 250 species have been recorded so far We chancedupon the biggest butterfly of South India the SouthernBirdwing butterfly We trekked to Agasthyipuram the earliesthuman settlement in the hills and enroute recorded severalspecies of birds and butterflies such as Chocolate pansyCommon sailor Glad-eye Bush brown Common CerulianSilverstreak blue Angled castor Common Jezebel Crimsonrose Common Bushbrown and Striped Blue tiger

The following is the systematic list of birds observed in Gandhigram Rural

University Campus (GU) Athoor Dam (A) Vadakarai Tank (V) and Sirumalai

Hills (S)

Grebes Podicipedidae

Little grebe (V) Tachybaptus ruficollis (Pallas 1964)

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Great Cormorant (V) Phalacrocorax carbo (Linnaeus 1758)

Darters Anhingidae

Darter (V) Anhinga melanogaster (Pennant 1969)

Herons Egrets and Ardeidae

Bitterns

Little egret (V) Egretta garzetta (Linnaeus 1966)

Large Egret (V) Casmerodius albus (Linnaeus 1758)

Cattle egret (V) Bubulcus ibis (Linnaeus 1758)

Grey heron (V) Ardea cinerea (Linnaeus 1758)

Purple heron (V) Ardea purpurea (Linnaeus 1766)

Indian Pond-heron (V) Ardeola grayii (Sykes 1832)

A Day at Sirumalai in Palni HillsS Ashok Kumar

Plot No 491 Road No 10 Jubilee Hills Hyderabad 500 033

The Palani Hills Birdwatchers Society had organized the

2nd South Indian Birdwatchers Fair in Gandhigram Rural

Universtiy Dindigul from 23rd to 25th February 2007 Duringthe Fair Birdwatching field trips to Athoor dam Vadakaraitank Sirumalai Hills and Gandhigram University Campuswere conducted for the delegates and participants

Our team consisted of Prabhu Asian Wildlife FoundationRahman Education Officer WWF AP Office Hyderabadand myself While travelling in Vaigai Express we sighted10 spot billed pelicans over 200 cattle egrets and 4 greyherons in Chenulpet lake Large extents of the lake marginare invaded by Eichhornia crassipes

Palani hills forming the eastern spur of the Western Ghatsis divided into Upper Palnis in the West covering an area of385 sq kms with an altitude of 2200 mts and the LowerPalanis covering 1683 sq kms with an altitude of 1600 mtslying below Kodaikanal Palani hills region is recognized asa biodiversity hot spot

Sirumalais meaning small hills lie in Lower Palani hillslocated between 10deg07 10deg18N and 77deg55 78deg12 E

with an altitude of 800 mts The hills are rectangular in outlinecovering an area of 317 sq kms The mountain ridge slopesdown North-East on which the only motorable ghat road islaid There are other ridges sloping towards South South-East and East Mullupanrimalai Vellimalai Kalugumalai andMadagamalai are the main peaks Mullapanrimalai beingthe highest (1379 mts) Sattiar Kalankaluviar andSirumalaiar are the three rivulets which flow down the hills

The vegetation consists of tropical dry deciduous forest type(Champion 1936) dry evergreen forests riparian forests andthorn forest with thorny thickets NE monsoon brings thebulk of the annual rainfall while the SW monsoon bringssporadic rains So far 895 floral species belonging to 536 generahave been recorded as a result of systematic exploration

The dales and valleys on either side of the ghat road areclothed with dense forests bisected by jungle streamletsAs we approach Sirumalai Pudur village coffee plantations

44 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

Storks Ciconiidae

Painted stork (V) Mycteria leucocephala (Pennant 1769)

Asian Open-bill stork (V) Anastomus oscitans (Boddaert 1783)

White-necked stork (V) Ciconia episcopus (Boddaert 1783)

Geese amp Ducks Anatidae

Comb duck (V) Sarkidiornis melanotos (Pennant 1969)

Northern Shoveller (V) Anas clypeata (Linnaeus 1758)

Common Pochard (V) Aythya ferina (Linnaeus 1758)

Spot-billed duck (V) Anas acuta (Linnaeus 19581781)

Garganey (V) Anas querquedula (Linnaeus 1958)

Eurasian Wigeon (V) Anas penelope (Linnaeus 1758)

Lesser whistling teal (V) Dendrocygna javanica (Horsfield 1821)

Hawks eagles kites etc Accipitridae

Shikra (GR S) Accipiter badius (Gmelin 1788)

Crested serpent eagle (S) Spilornis cheela (Latham 1790)

Mountain hawk eagle (S) Spizaetus nipalensis (Hodgson 1836)

Black-shouldered kite (GUS) Elanus caeruleus (Desfontaine 1789)

Brahminy kite (V) Haliastur indus (Boddaert 1783)

Pheasants Partridges amp Phasianidae

Quails

Grey Junglefowl (S) Gallus sonneratii (Temminck 1813)

Grey Francolin (A) Francolinus pondicerianus (Gmelin 1789)

Rails Crakes Moorhens Rallidae

coots

White-breasted Waterhen (A) Amaurornis phoenicurus (Pennant 1858)

Purple moorhen (V) Porphyrio porphyrio (Linnaeus 1758)

Common coot (V) Fulica atra (Linnaeus 1758)

Jacanas Jacanidae

Peasant-tailed Jacana (V) Hydrophasianus chirurgus (Scopoli 1786)

Plovers Lapwings etc Charadriidae

Red-wattled Lapwing (A V) Vanellus gregarious (Pallas 1771)

Sandpipers Snipes etc Scolopacidae

Common snipe (V) Gallinago gallinago (Linnaeus 1758)

Common green Shank (V) Tringa nebularia (Gunner 1767)

Common sandpiper (V) Actitis hypoleucos (Linnaeus 1758)

Ibisbill Avocets amp Stilts Recurvirostridae

Black-winged atilt (V) Himantopus himantopus (Linnaeus 1758)

Gulls Terns etc Laridae

Gull-billed Tern (V) Gelochelidon nilotica (Gmelin 1789)

Pigeons amp Doves Columbidae

Spotted dove (S) Streptopelia chinensis (Scopoli 1786)

Emerald dove (A) Chalcophaps indica (Linnaeus 1758)

Parakeets etc Psittacidae

Blue-winged parakeet (S) Psittacula columboides (Vigors 1830)

Cuckoos Malkohas amp Cuculidae

Coucals

Indian plaintive cuckoo (A) Cacomantis passerinus (Vhai 1797)

Pied Crested cuckoo (GU) Clamator jacobinus (Boddaert 1783)

Brainfever Bird (A GU) Hierococcyx varius (Vahl 1797)

Large Greenbilled Malkoha (V) Phaenicophaeus tristis (Lesson 1830)

Greater Coucal (GU A S) Centropus sinensis (Stephens 1815)

Asian Koel (GU A) Eudynamys scolopacea (Linnaeus 1758)

Owis Strigidae

Spotted Owlet (GU) Athene brama (Temminck 1821)

Swifts Apodidae

Alpine swift (S) Tachymarptis melba (Linnaeus 1758)

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

White-breasted King-fisher Halcyon smyrnensis (Linnaeus 1758)

( V S G U )

Small Blue Kingfisher (A) Alcedo atthis (Linnaeus 1758)

Pied kingfisher (V) Lesser Ceryle rudis (Linnaeus 1758)

Bee-eaters Meropidae

Small Bee-eater (S V) Merops orientalis (Latham 1801)

Blue-tailed Bee-eater (V) Merops philippinus (Linnaeus 1766)

Rollers Coraciidae

Indian Roller (GU) Coracias benghalensis (Linnaeus 1758)

Hoopoes Upupidae

Common hoopoe (VS) Upupa epops (Linnaeus 1758)

Barbets Capitonidae

Coppersmith barbet (GUAVS) Megalaima haemacephala (PL Smuller 1776)

White-checked barbet (S) Megalaima viridis (Boddaert 1783)

Great barbet (S) Megalaima virens (Boddaert 1783)

Woodpeckers Picidae

Brown-capped Pigmy

woodpecker (S) Dendrocopos nanus (Vigors 1832)

Black-shouldered

Woodpecker (S) Chrysocolaptes festivus (Boddaert 1783)

Wagtails amp Pipits Motacillidae

Large Pied Wagtail (V S) Motacilla maderaspatensis (Gmelin 1789)

Grey wagtail (S) Motacilla cinerea (Tunstall 1771)

Paddyfield Pipit (V) Anthus rufulus (Vieillot 1818)

Cuckoo-shrikes Campephagidae

Minivets etc

Common Woodshrike (S) Tephrodornis pondicerianus (Gmelin 1789)

Long-tailed Minivet (S) Pericrocotus ethologus (Bangs amp Phillips 1914)

Black-headed cuckoo-Shrike

( G U ) Coracina melanoptera (Ruppell 1839)

Bulbuls Finchbills Pycnonotidae

Red-whiskered bulbul (AS) Pycnonotus jocosus (Linnaeus 1758)

Red-vented bulbul (AS) Pycnonotus cafer (Linnaeus 1766)

White-browed bulbul (AVS) Pycnonotus luteolus (Lesson 1841)

Ioras Leafbird Irenidae

Fairy-Bluebird

Common Iora (GU) Aegithina tiphia (Linnaeus 1758)

Asian Fairy-Bluebird (S) Irena puella (Latham 1790)

Shrikes Laniidae

Bay-backed shrike (GU) Lanius vittatus (Valenciennes 1826)

Thrushes Robins etc Turdinae

Indian Robin (GU) Saxicoloides fulicata (Linnaeus 1776)

Black Redstart (V) Phoenicurus ochruros (Gmelin 1774)

Oriental Magpie-Robin (VRS) Copsychus saularis (Linnaeus 1758)

Pied Bushchat (S) Saxicola caprata (Linnaeus 1766)

Babblers Barwings etc Timaliinae

White-headed babbler (GU) Turdoides affinis (Jerdon 1847)

Prinias Warblers etc Sylviinae

Greenish Leaf-Warbler (S) Phylloscopus trochiloides (Sundevall 1837)

Flycatchers Muscicapinae

Verditer Flycatcher (V S) Eumyias thalassina (Swainson 1838)

Nilgiri Flycatcher (S) Eumyias albicaudata (Jerdon 1840)

Monarch amp Monarchinae

Paradise Flycatchers

Asian Paradise-Flycatcher

(GU A S) Terpsiphone paradisi (Linnaeus 1758)

Sunbirds amp Spiderhunters Nectariniidae

Purple-rumped Sunbird (GU) Nectarinia zeylonica (Linnaeus 1766)

Purple Sunbird (GU) Nectarinia asiatica (Latham 1790)

Little Spiderhunter (GU) Arachnothera longirostra (Latham 1790)

White-eyes Zosteropidae

Oriental White-eye (S) Zosterops palpebrosus (Temminck 1824)

Munias Estrildidae

White-throated Munia (VS) Lonchura malabarica (Linnaeus 1758)

Spotted Munia (V) Lonchura punctulata (Linnaeus 1758)

Starlings amp Mynas Sturnidae

Common Myna (GU) Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus 1766)

Orioles Oriolidae

Eurasian Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus (Linnaeus 1758)

(GU A S)

Black-beaded Oriole (S) Oriolus xanthornus (Linnaeus 1758)

Drongos Dicruridae

Black Drongo (S GU) Dicrurus macrocercus (Vieillot 1817)

Ashy Drongo (S GU) Dicrurus leucophaeus (Vieillot 1817)

White-bellied Drongo (A amp S) Dicrurus caerulescens (Linnaeus 1758)

Greater Racket-tailed Dicrurus paradiseus (Linnaeus 1766)

Drongo (S)

Crows amp Treepies Corvidae

Indian Treepie (GU S) Dendrocitta formosae (Swinhoe 1863)

Jungle Crow (GU) Corvus macrorhynchos (Wagler 1827)

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 45

Pulicat and Point Calimere at different times And also thetheory that species recorded here has some definite linkbetween south Indian wintering birds appears to be truthfulwith the increased population of Pied Avocets Recurvirostraavosetta in Chil ika and in south Indian wetlands(Balachandran et al 2005 Sahana et al 2007)

The pressure on lagoon is immense like encroachmentincreased siltation extensive fishing and tourism Over twolakh fishermen are depending on the lakes resources fortheir livelihood (CDA 2006) The disturbance to the birds isa common sight due to intensive f ishing activitiesrecreational disturbance and the use of mechanized boatsThe constant disturbance discourages foraging costingfeeding time and amplified escape activities and drains muchof the birds energy Eventually it might result in decreasedenergy reserves late arrivallate dispersal to breedinggrounds and in the end reduced reproductive-success(Michael and Kenneth 1984)

An estimated one lakh tourists visit the lake every year (CDA2006) Many boatmen have equipped the small tourist boatswith high wattage loud-speakers with music systemproducing much noise is a common sight Though plastic isbanned one can see a lot of floating wrappers in the lakediscarded by the tourists It is sickening to watch fishesbeing killed by metal blades of crudely mechanized boatsSmall population of Irrawaddy dolphins Orcaella brevirostrisfound in the outer channel are more vulnerable Though ChilikaDevelopment Authority has rejuvenated the lake extraordinarilywell policing and implementation of many defined regulationsare falling short of standard due to (local as well as visiting)publics apathy

With all these hassles the living lagoon is at its bestthroughout the year compared to any other wetland in India(Sathiyaselvam Pers Com) due to its uniqueness And ofcourse has an added advantage of the degradation of manywintering sites in southern sojourn these birds were earlierdependent

Some noteworthy sightings are as follows

d In all 102 identified bird species and a few un-identifiedSnipes and Larger Gulls

d A solitary Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus in thesouth-east waters of Nalaban and a Goliath Heron Ardeagoliath at northern tip of Nalaban

d Huge flocks(5 -10K) of Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelopeGadwall A strepera Northern Pintail A acuta NorthernShoveller A clypeata and Ferruginous Pochard Aythyanyroca

A pilgrimage to Chilika - the Birding Kashi

A Shivaprakash T Girija and A Sharath478 3rd Cross 8th Main Ramakrishna Nagar H Block Mysore - 570022

e-mail adavannerediffmailcom

Chilika with the assemblage of marine brackish andfreshwater ecosystem is recognized as largest water birdscongregation location in Indian subcontinent that hosts 43species of 1 biogeographically known population (Islam andRahmani 2005) Totally 52 rivers and rivulets provide freshwater augmentation to the brackish bay Rich diversity anddensity of avifauna is due to the vast size (1100 sq Km)variation in salinity preferred water depths and rich sediment

We had planned our birding visits at Barkul Nalaban Islandsmudflats of Satpada New sea mouth and Rajhans Island during13th to 18th December 2006 The itinerary was based on thelocations mentioned in the Final report of Habitat evaluation ofChilika lake (Balachandran et al 2005) on the guidance of DrPKRay Scientist-in charge Regional Museum of NaturalHistory Bhubaneswar and Mr Sathiyaselvam Research FellowChilika Project Chandrabani We have spent 32 hours birdingincluding 10 hours on board non-mechanized boats and reston foot Observation was made with a Field scope (Geoma65mm x 20) and a pair of binoculars (Pentex 10 x 25 andTasco 8 x 30)

Barkul shoreline forms western part of lake attracts goodnumber of waders Nalabana Island is situated in the CentralSector of the lake and is said to be hosting 75 of the totalbird population wintering in Chilika Though large flocks ofbirds scatter in many parts of the Lake the major congregationof diverse species was in and around Nalabana IslandExposed mudflats of Satpada provide foraging ground for largecongregation of waders Gregarious Gulls and Terns galleryis displayed in the new sea mouth opened up in the outerchannel recently to provide necessary salinity to Chilika

Our plan of staying entire day and night at Nalaban Islandsbased on A birdwatchers guide to India (Krys and Raj 2001)was later modified due to Orissa Forest Departmentsrestrictions on visitors The entry of mechanized boats intothe Nalaban Islands zone is strictly restricted The island zoneis marked with red polls erected all around that are visible froma quite distance indicating the protected zone Moreover entryto the lake is prohibited to tourists and is strictly enforcedThis measure is safeguarding the interests of avifauna and itshabitat With a rowing boat and a field scope one can watchnumerous birds with ease The congregation of waterfowl isamazing and runs into a few thousands

The waders recorded here are almost similar to those inPulicat Lake and Point Calimere The waders congregationis simply unimaginable It is interesting that the BNHSreport (Balachandran et al 2005) has concluded that withinthe same wintering season the same population of birdsutilise three major water bodies of eastern coast - Chilika

46 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

CORRESPONDENCE

d Smaller flocks(100 -1K) of Common Pochard Aythyaferina Red crested Pochard Rhodonessa rufinaGarganey Anas querquedula Cotton Teal Nettapuscoromandelianus Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosaLittle Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius and Little StintCalidris minuta

d Smaller flocks(lt100) of Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterusruber (Eastern part of Nalaban Island) Spot-billed PelicanPelecanus philippensis Bar-headed Goose Anserindicus Ruddy Shelduck Tadoma ferruginea CommonTeal Anas crecca Spot billed Duck A poecilorhynchaLesser Whistling Teal Dendrocygna javanica CommonRed Shank Tringa totanus Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialisfulva Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus TemminksStint Calidris temminckii Sanderling Calidris alba Brownheaded Gull Larus brunnicephalus and Whiskered TernChlidonias hybridus

d Smaller nos of (lt10) of Asian Open-bill Anastomusoscitans Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata CommonGreen Shank Tringa nebularia Ruff Philomachus pugnaxCaspian Tern Sterna caspia Indian River Tern S aurantiaLittle Tern S albifrons White-winged Tern C leucopterusand Gull billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica

d Few Individuals like Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris Broadbilled Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus and Citrine WagtailMotacillaccitreola

d Raptors l ike White bell ied Sea Eagle Haliaeetusleucogaster (commoner) Pal las Fish Eagle Hleucoryphus (Rajhans Island)

d New terrestrial bird for us -Bank Myna Acridotheresginginianus Asian Pied Sterl ing Sturnus contra(commoner)

Footnote Back from wonderful birding we came across abad news of the death of birds from Chilika (Indian GreenFile 2006) The paper clipping of published article of the AsianAge newspaper dated 12-12-2006 was reprinted in theDecember issue of Indian Green File The report said out ofdead 82 birds 69 were Pintails rest were Shovellers GadwalsBar-headed Goose and Sea eagles and 277 birds werereportedly sick

Acknowledgement

We are indebted to Dr PKRay Scientist-in charge RegionalMuseum of Natural History Bhubaneswar and MrSathiyaselvam Research Fellow Chilika Project Chandrabanifor guidance And we are grateful to Kum Vijayalaxmi andKishendasKR Mysore for their logistic support

ReferencesBalachandarnS RahmaniAR and SathiyaselvamP 2005 Final report

of Habitat evaluation of Chilika Lake with special reference to birdsas bio-indicators Bombay Natural History Society

CDA 2006 Chilika a living lagoon A booklet prepared and circulated byChilika Development Authority Bhubaneswar

Islam MZ and AR Rahmani 2005 Important Bird Areas in India Prioritysites for conservation Mumbai Indian Bird Conservation NetworkBombay Natural History Society and BirdLife International (UK) Pp574-575

Krys Kazmierczak and Raj Singh 2001 A Birdwatchers guide to IndiaOxford University press New Delhi

Michael R Miller Kenneth J Reinecke Nov 1984 Proper Expression ofMetabolizable Energy in Avian Energetics The Condor Vol 86 No4 pp 396-400

SahanaM Kishen DasKR and TanujaDH 2007 Occurrence of PiedAvocet Recurvirostra avosetta near Mysore Karnataka Newsletterfor Birdwatchers Vol 43(1) Pp 14-15

Indian Green File No 228 December 2006 Published by Centre forScience amp environment New Delhi Page 24

poultry that creepeth upon the Earth it is a rare case of

convergence of interests of man and bird against one commonfoe Viewing from this moral high ground the focus of all overefforts must be to contain the spread to isolate the infectedhost organisms and ultimately in the long run neutralizealtogether the H5N1 virus Both the print and the visual mediahave the onerous task to publish thoroughly researched andbalanced reports which are informative and motivating but notpanic-generating

As of now the primary and exclusive host of the H5N1 virus area few species of wild waterfowl and perhaps the entire range ofdomesticated poultry birds though so far only chicken and turkeyare reported infected There is no unanimity among the scientistcommunity yet on the primary source of this virus When it firstmanifested in Taiwan China Hong Kong and Thailand in2001-2003 it was surmised that the primary host are the poultrybirds Quite logically this led to the wholesale culling of about

AN ETHICAL PERSPECTIVE AND PREVENTION OF BIRDFLU Lt Gen (Retd) BALJIT SINGH House 219 Sector 16-AChandigarh 160 015 Ph 2770619

The Bible tells us And God said let us make man in our

image after our likeness and let them have dominion over thefish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over the cattleand over all the Earth and over every creeping thing thatcreepeth upon the Earth

So in the very scheme of evolution man was conceived as theprimary and dominant species Explicit with that privilegedstatus comes mans obligation of dominion implying watch

and ward over the weaker creatures that inhabit his planet ForGod did create man in our image after our likeness whichpresupposed that he would be just and compassionate Andin the instant case where a hitherto unchartered virus H5N1has raised its ugly head with lethal potential both to man andtwo of the meekest of his wards namely the fowl of the air and

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 47

three million birds in these countries Even when in 2004 a fewdead species of the migratory wild water fowl in their breedingareas in China Kazakhstan and Siberia also tested positivethe weight of opinion still maintained that the vector was thedomestic poultry and not the free ranging wild birds

Be that as it may the fact of the matter is that as of now both thewild waterfowl and the domestic poultry are the vectors Whenthis non-discriminating virus enters the host it is of the lowpathogen grade which is non-lethal But once transmitted thevirus begins to mutate and attains snow-balling dimensionsThat is the stage that it becomes a killer and the infected birddies within 2 to 3 days Now where wild bird assemblages areconcerned fortunately they remain fairly scattered and the virustransmission process is comparatively of the lower scale Andin the scheme of Nature there are no recorded cases wherean entire species has been wiped out by an epidemicGenerally up to 70 percent of the virus host species may perishand the remainder in all probability will develop immunity ascreatures in the wild are apparently better equipped to do soHopefully and over a long period of time the subject specieswill regain its optimum population levels

On the other hand where commercial poultry industry isconcerned the birds l ive check by jowl and the virustransmission process is like an inferno At that stage theprobability of infection spreading to human beings is genuineand of a high order Fortunately so far there is no proven caseof transmission of the virus from man to man Neverthelessindividual human beings will be at risk of infection either throughthe aerosol medium (breathing) or through ingestion of aninfected bird or by touch The last two risks can be easilycountered by avoiding poultry from diet for a short while andthis is where media can again play a positive role by arousingconsciousness of all segments of the society

As for the aerosol risk here the State will have the dominantrole All the commercial poultry farms and small scale poultrykeepers and even pigeon fanciers will have to be placed underperiodic and regular surveillance checks by qualified vetsInfected units will have to be shut down and decontaminatedThe industry may even have to be compensated for loss ofrevenue The common man will have to be advised on thesafe buffer-zone to be maintained from all such facilitiesand where that is not feasible to wear face and breathingmasks Even though the counter measures may appearelementary their rigid implementation will test out the measure

of vision and management skills of the government at theCentre and State

Concurrently the migratory and resident water fowlassemblages in the Country will also need monitoring on war-footing Fortunately these sites are all listed out in the NationalDirectory of Wetlands and they number just 145 For instancein Punjab there are three sites only (Ropar Harike and Kanjli)two in Haryana (Sultanpur and Bhindawas) three in Himachal(Pong Renuka and Govindsagar) and just one in UTChandigarh the Sukhna Lake Admittedly there will be manysmaller water-bodies dotting the country-side but for the presentthey need not be put under the scanner

It might be mentioned here that on the face of it the threat frommigratory Waterfowl as vectors of H5N1 to India may be of lowgrade This becomes evident when we look at the migratorypattern of the Bar-headed goose (one of the identified vectors)already mapped out by the wildlife department of the AligarhMuslim University through an on-going project using telemetrytools The time taken by most birds to reach their winteringgrounds in India can vary from 10 to 12 days inclusive of timespent on the stop-over sites enroute Most infected birds willperish in migration before entering India But healthy birdswhich get infected at the last stop-over before India may wellsucceed in bringing the virus

No strategy to combat the H5N1 virus will succeed unless wealso have in place effective and adequate preventive andcurative medicine Fortunately Tamiflu vaccine is claimed tobe a positive safeguard where humans are concerned But thefight against the bird flu will be inconclusive until a veterinaryvariant of Tamiflu is developed on war-footing to provideimmunity to poultry This is where the print and visual mediaare best suited to spread awareness among poultry keepersand pet owners to immunize the birds with same commitmentas we do for infants against polio and small pox

Central to the formulation of plans to combat the crisis shouldbe the fact that the bird was the first and still remains the mostpredominant prey of the virus At this juncture it is the bird whichis beleaguered and it deserves mans empathy much more

than is evident at the moment Given the common resolveeffective management strategies will emerge sooner than laterAnd at the end of it all we would have contained and ultimatelyvanquished the danger of bird flu pandemic both to humankindand to the birds one of mans dominos

d d d

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PREVALENCE OF SOME MYTHOLOGICAL BELIEFS AMONGRURAL COMMUNITIES OF GUJARAT A CASE STUDY OFCROW (CORVUS Sp) HIREN SONI ASHOK and RITA PATELInstitute of Integrated Study amp Research in Biotechnology ampAllied Sciences (ARIBAS) ADIT Campus New Vidyanagar -388 121 (Gujarat) E-mail hirensoniyahoocom

In the present technocrat world still some cryptic mythologiesin scriptures and Vedas are prevalent among some ruralcommunities of Gujarat They were authoured by our ancestorsbased on their own experience Such mythological beliefs aredirectly or indirectly connected with different types of rites ritualstaboos and traditions of tribesmen in the form of variousastrological paradigms folklores proverbs and quotablequotes in ancient literature In prehistoric times our Kings andBaronets used to take the guidance of priests to predict andprepare for the natural calamities such as cyclones faminesflood and heavy rainfalls They were often referred to asForecasting of Future During such times various types of

prophecies were inferred by deciphering various birdcalls theirbehaviour nesting location and feeding patterns According tosome mythological beliefs crows act as a good forecasteramong birds and are also indicators of good or bad omens(Jadav 2004) Some of the well-known inferences from variousproverbs are as follows

1 A crow builds its nest on eastern side of a tree on topbranch in the month of May - Heavy rainfall good quality ofcrop and a good omen for any religious ceremony

2 Nest on western side of a tree - Better rain and bettercrop-yield but grave epidemics

3 Nest on top canopy of a tree - Moderate rain4 Nest in middle canopy of a tree - Insufficient rainfall and

scarcity of water5 Nest on north or north-west side of a tree Overall good year

6 Crows search for food in dust instead of open grounds andgarbage - Hike in prices of cereals crops grains and othercommodities

7 Crow gives harsh calls from a dry tree Insufficient rain

and scarcity of water8 Nest on south-east corner of a tree - Famine starvation

water crisis food shortage and theft of eatables and othercommon commodities

9 Nest on the stem of a tree instead of its branch - Scantyrain paucity of water spreading of some contagiousdisease and theft of livelihood goods

10 Nest on north-west corner of a tree - Possibility of cycloneshurricanes and thunderstorms increase in population ofrodents in houses and crop-fields scarcity of food fodderfuelwood and fiber

11 Nest on south-east corner of a tree - Late arrival of monsoonwith cyclones and storms with low rainfall famine robberyand mass-scale war Cover Jungle Myna (Acridotheres fuscus) Probably every

Indian knows either one or other of our two common mynas Junglemynas perch in pairs or trios on their favorite trees or walk along theground with rapid determined steps stopping occasionally to preenor bob heads stiffly to utter warning notes Throughout the daymynas maintain a varied rollick of high pitched grackles or pleasantliquid notes to express their diverse moods such as delight fearresentment or anguish Being omnivores they feed on grubs fruitsgrains crumbs and morsels They nest in tree holes cracks inwalls chimneys and thatched roofs Mynas at times are branded asreckless usurpers of the nests of other birds Photo S Shreyas

Address for Correspondence

Newsletter for BirdwatchersNo 10 Sirur Park B Street SeshadripuramBangalore 560 020 India Tel 080 2356 1142 2346 4682E-mail ltnavbaratgmailcomgtPrinted and Published bi-monthly by S Sridhar atNavbharath Enterprises Seshadripuram Bangalore - 560 020 IndiaFor Private Circulation Only

12 Nest towards the south - Epidemic and battle among localtribes

13 Nest on dome of temple old fort crematorium or flat ground- Heavy drought deadly epidemics robbery and anarchy

14 Nest on dead or dry tree - Political dilemma dispute amongbaronets and large-scale destruction of crops due to heavyflood

15 Crow gives frequent calls in front of the door Brings prestige

and wealth to the owner of that house16 Crow sits on top of the front door with rigorous flapping -

House will be damaged by fire within a week17 Crow sits on latch or hanging garland of the door and call

erratically with sideways movement of its body - Owner ofthat house and his neighboring person will be wealthierwithin a short period

Thus behaviour calls display feeding patterns nestinglocations and other allied activities of crows form an integralpart in lives of many village inhabitants of Gujarat State Similartypes of literature hunt associated with field trials on callingpatterns behaviour nesting sites and feeding practices in otherbirds also would be an additional adage and will be a goodsubject for methodical evaluation of these beliefs in future

ReferenceJadav J (2004) Crows The Forecasters of Future In The Pearls of

Folklore Gujarat Samachar (18th July 2004) Sunday Supplement P 3

Distribution map of Oriental Darter Dot sizes are proportional tothe maximum species counts between 1997-2001

Source Numbers and distribution of waterbirds and wetlandsin the Asia-Pacific region Results of the Asian WaterbirdCensus 1997-2001 Wetland International Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Page 12: May-June  2007

44 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

Storks Ciconiidae

Painted stork (V) Mycteria leucocephala (Pennant 1769)

Asian Open-bill stork (V) Anastomus oscitans (Boddaert 1783)

White-necked stork (V) Ciconia episcopus (Boddaert 1783)

Geese amp Ducks Anatidae

Comb duck (V) Sarkidiornis melanotos (Pennant 1969)

Northern Shoveller (V) Anas clypeata (Linnaeus 1758)

Common Pochard (V) Aythya ferina (Linnaeus 1758)

Spot-billed duck (V) Anas acuta (Linnaeus 19581781)

Garganey (V) Anas querquedula (Linnaeus 1958)

Eurasian Wigeon (V) Anas penelope (Linnaeus 1758)

Lesser whistling teal (V) Dendrocygna javanica (Horsfield 1821)

Hawks eagles kites etc Accipitridae

Shikra (GR S) Accipiter badius (Gmelin 1788)

Crested serpent eagle (S) Spilornis cheela (Latham 1790)

Mountain hawk eagle (S) Spizaetus nipalensis (Hodgson 1836)

Black-shouldered kite (GUS) Elanus caeruleus (Desfontaine 1789)

Brahminy kite (V) Haliastur indus (Boddaert 1783)

Pheasants Partridges amp Phasianidae

Quails

Grey Junglefowl (S) Gallus sonneratii (Temminck 1813)

Grey Francolin (A) Francolinus pondicerianus (Gmelin 1789)

Rails Crakes Moorhens Rallidae

coots

White-breasted Waterhen (A) Amaurornis phoenicurus (Pennant 1858)

Purple moorhen (V) Porphyrio porphyrio (Linnaeus 1758)

Common coot (V) Fulica atra (Linnaeus 1758)

Jacanas Jacanidae

Peasant-tailed Jacana (V) Hydrophasianus chirurgus (Scopoli 1786)

Plovers Lapwings etc Charadriidae

Red-wattled Lapwing (A V) Vanellus gregarious (Pallas 1771)

Sandpipers Snipes etc Scolopacidae

Common snipe (V) Gallinago gallinago (Linnaeus 1758)

Common green Shank (V) Tringa nebularia (Gunner 1767)

Common sandpiper (V) Actitis hypoleucos (Linnaeus 1758)

Ibisbill Avocets amp Stilts Recurvirostridae

Black-winged atilt (V) Himantopus himantopus (Linnaeus 1758)

Gulls Terns etc Laridae

Gull-billed Tern (V) Gelochelidon nilotica (Gmelin 1789)

Pigeons amp Doves Columbidae

Spotted dove (S) Streptopelia chinensis (Scopoli 1786)

Emerald dove (A) Chalcophaps indica (Linnaeus 1758)

Parakeets etc Psittacidae

Blue-winged parakeet (S) Psittacula columboides (Vigors 1830)

Cuckoos Malkohas amp Cuculidae

Coucals

Indian plaintive cuckoo (A) Cacomantis passerinus (Vhai 1797)

Pied Crested cuckoo (GU) Clamator jacobinus (Boddaert 1783)

Brainfever Bird (A GU) Hierococcyx varius (Vahl 1797)

Large Greenbilled Malkoha (V) Phaenicophaeus tristis (Lesson 1830)

Greater Coucal (GU A S) Centropus sinensis (Stephens 1815)

Asian Koel (GU A) Eudynamys scolopacea (Linnaeus 1758)

Owis Strigidae

Spotted Owlet (GU) Athene brama (Temminck 1821)

Swifts Apodidae

Alpine swift (S) Tachymarptis melba (Linnaeus 1758)

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

White-breasted King-fisher Halcyon smyrnensis (Linnaeus 1758)

( V S G U )

Small Blue Kingfisher (A) Alcedo atthis (Linnaeus 1758)

Pied kingfisher (V) Lesser Ceryle rudis (Linnaeus 1758)

Bee-eaters Meropidae

Small Bee-eater (S V) Merops orientalis (Latham 1801)

Blue-tailed Bee-eater (V) Merops philippinus (Linnaeus 1766)

Rollers Coraciidae

Indian Roller (GU) Coracias benghalensis (Linnaeus 1758)

Hoopoes Upupidae

Common hoopoe (VS) Upupa epops (Linnaeus 1758)

Barbets Capitonidae

Coppersmith barbet (GUAVS) Megalaima haemacephala (PL Smuller 1776)

White-checked barbet (S) Megalaima viridis (Boddaert 1783)

Great barbet (S) Megalaima virens (Boddaert 1783)

Woodpeckers Picidae

Brown-capped Pigmy

woodpecker (S) Dendrocopos nanus (Vigors 1832)

Black-shouldered

Woodpecker (S) Chrysocolaptes festivus (Boddaert 1783)

Wagtails amp Pipits Motacillidae

Large Pied Wagtail (V S) Motacilla maderaspatensis (Gmelin 1789)

Grey wagtail (S) Motacilla cinerea (Tunstall 1771)

Paddyfield Pipit (V) Anthus rufulus (Vieillot 1818)

Cuckoo-shrikes Campephagidae

Minivets etc

Common Woodshrike (S) Tephrodornis pondicerianus (Gmelin 1789)

Long-tailed Minivet (S) Pericrocotus ethologus (Bangs amp Phillips 1914)

Black-headed cuckoo-Shrike

( G U ) Coracina melanoptera (Ruppell 1839)

Bulbuls Finchbills Pycnonotidae

Red-whiskered bulbul (AS) Pycnonotus jocosus (Linnaeus 1758)

Red-vented bulbul (AS) Pycnonotus cafer (Linnaeus 1766)

White-browed bulbul (AVS) Pycnonotus luteolus (Lesson 1841)

Ioras Leafbird Irenidae

Fairy-Bluebird

Common Iora (GU) Aegithina tiphia (Linnaeus 1758)

Asian Fairy-Bluebird (S) Irena puella (Latham 1790)

Shrikes Laniidae

Bay-backed shrike (GU) Lanius vittatus (Valenciennes 1826)

Thrushes Robins etc Turdinae

Indian Robin (GU) Saxicoloides fulicata (Linnaeus 1776)

Black Redstart (V) Phoenicurus ochruros (Gmelin 1774)

Oriental Magpie-Robin (VRS) Copsychus saularis (Linnaeus 1758)

Pied Bushchat (S) Saxicola caprata (Linnaeus 1766)

Babblers Barwings etc Timaliinae

White-headed babbler (GU) Turdoides affinis (Jerdon 1847)

Prinias Warblers etc Sylviinae

Greenish Leaf-Warbler (S) Phylloscopus trochiloides (Sundevall 1837)

Flycatchers Muscicapinae

Verditer Flycatcher (V S) Eumyias thalassina (Swainson 1838)

Nilgiri Flycatcher (S) Eumyias albicaudata (Jerdon 1840)

Monarch amp Monarchinae

Paradise Flycatchers

Asian Paradise-Flycatcher

(GU A S) Terpsiphone paradisi (Linnaeus 1758)

Sunbirds amp Spiderhunters Nectariniidae

Purple-rumped Sunbird (GU) Nectarinia zeylonica (Linnaeus 1766)

Purple Sunbird (GU) Nectarinia asiatica (Latham 1790)

Little Spiderhunter (GU) Arachnothera longirostra (Latham 1790)

White-eyes Zosteropidae

Oriental White-eye (S) Zosterops palpebrosus (Temminck 1824)

Munias Estrildidae

White-throated Munia (VS) Lonchura malabarica (Linnaeus 1758)

Spotted Munia (V) Lonchura punctulata (Linnaeus 1758)

Starlings amp Mynas Sturnidae

Common Myna (GU) Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus 1766)

Orioles Oriolidae

Eurasian Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus (Linnaeus 1758)

(GU A S)

Black-beaded Oriole (S) Oriolus xanthornus (Linnaeus 1758)

Drongos Dicruridae

Black Drongo (S GU) Dicrurus macrocercus (Vieillot 1817)

Ashy Drongo (S GU) Dicrurus leucophaeus (Vieillot 1817)

White-bellied Drongo (A amp S) Dicrurus caerulescens (Linnaeus 1758)

Greater Racket-tailed Dicrurus paradiseus (Linnaeus 1766)

Drongo (S)

Crows amp Treepies Corvidae

Indian Treepie (GU S) Dendrocitta formosae (Swinhoe 1863)

Jungle Crow (GU) Corvus macrorhynchos (Wagler 1827)

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 45

Pulicat and Point Calimere at different times And also thetheory that species recorded here has some definite linkbetween south Indian wintering birds appears to be truthfulwith the increased population of Pied Avocets Recurvirostraavosetta in Chil ika and in south Indian wetlands(Balachandran et al 2005 Sahana et al 2007)

The pressure on lagoon is immense like encroachmentincreased siltation extensive fishing and tourism Over twolakh fishermen are depending on the lakes resources fortheir livelihood (CDA 2006) The disturbance to the birds isa common sight due to intensive f ishing activitiesrecreational disturbance and the use of mechanized boatsThe constant disturbance discourages foraging costingfeeding time and amplified escape activities and drains muchof the birds energy Eventually it might result in decreasedenergy reserves late arrivallate dispersal to breedinggrounds and in the end reduced reproductive-success(Michael and Kenneth 1984)

An estimated one lakh tourists visit the lake every year (CDA2006) Many boatmen have equipped the small tourist boatswith high wattage loud-speakers with music systemproducing much noise is a common sight Though plastic isbanned one can see a lot of floating wrappers in the lakediscarded by the tourists It is sickening to watch fishesbeing killed by metal blades of crudely mechanized boatsSmall population of Irrawaddy dolphins Orcaella brevirostrisfound in the outer channel are more vulnerable Though ChilikaDevelopment Authority has rejuvenated the lake extraordinarilywell policing and implementation of many defined regulationsare falling short of standard due to (local as well as visiting)publics apathy

With all these hassles the living lagoon is at its bestthroughout the year compared to any other wetland in India(Sathiyaselvam Pers Com) due to its uniqueness And ofcourse has an added advantage of the degradation of manywintering sites in southern sojourn these birds were earlierdependent

Some noteworthy sightings are as follows

d In all 102 identified bird species and a few un-identifiedSnipes and Larger Gulls

d A solitary Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus in thesouth-east waters of Nalaban and a Goliath Heron Ardeagoliath at northern tip of Nalaban

d Huge flocks(5 -10K) of Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelopeGadwall A strepera Northern Pintail A acuta NorthernShoveller A clypeata and Ferruginous Pochard Aythyanyroca

A pilgrimage to Chilika - the Birding Kashi

A Shivaprakash T Girija and A Sharath478 3rd Cross 8th Main Ramakrishna Nagar H Block Mysore - 570022

e-mail adavannerediffmailcom

Chilika with the assemblage of marine brackish andfreshwater ecosystem is recognized as largest water birdscongregation location in Indian subcontinent that hosts 43species of 1 biogeographically known population (Islam andRahmani 2005) Totally 52 rivers and rivulets provide freshwater augmentation to the brackish bay Rich diversity anddensity of avifauna is due to the vast size (1100 sq Km)variation in salinity preferred water depths and rich sediment

We had planned our birding visits at Barkul Nalaban Islandsmudflats of Satpada New sea mouth and Rajhans Island during13th to 18th December 2006 The itinerary was based on thelocations mentioned in the Final report of Habitat evaluation ofChilika lake (Balachandran et al 2005) on the guidance of DrPKRay Scientist-in charge Regional Museum of NaturalHistory Bhubaneswar and Mr Sathiyaselvam Research FellowChilika Project Chandrabani We have spent 32 hours birdingincluding 10 hours on board non-mechanized boats and reston foot Observation was made with a Field scope (Geoma65mm x 20) and a pair of binoculars (Pentex 10 x 25 andTasco 8 x 30)

Barkul shoreline forms western part of lake attracts goodnumber of waders Nalabana Island is situated in the CentralSector of the lake and is said to be hosting 75 of the totalbird population wintering in Chilika Though large flocks ofbirds scatter in many parts of the Lake the major congregationof diverse species was in and around Nalabana IslandExposed mudflats of Satpada provide foraging ground for largecongregation of waders Gregarious Gulls and Terns galleryis displayed in the new sea mouth opened up in the outerchannel recently to provide necessary salinity to Chilika

Our plan of staying entire day and night at Nalaban Islandsbased on A birdwatchers guide to India (Krys and Raj 2001)was later modified due to Orissa Forest Departmentsrestrictions on visitors The entry of mechanized boats intothe Nalaban Islands zone is strictly restricted The island zoneis marked with red polls erected all around that are visible froma quite distance indicating the protected zone Moreover entryto the lake is prohibited to tourists and is strictly enforcedThis measure is safeguarding the interests of avifauna and itshabitat With a rowing boat and a field scope one can watchnumerous birds with ease The congregation of waterfowl isamazing and runs into a few thousands

The waders recorded here are almost similar to those inPulicat Lake and Point Calimere The waders congregationis simply unimaginable It is interesting that the BNHSreport (Balachandran et al 2005) has concluded that withinthe same wintering season the same population of birdsutilise three major water bodies of eastern coast - Chilika

46 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

CORRESPONDENCE

d Smaller flocks(100 -1K) of Common Pochard Aythyaferina Red crested Pochard Rhodonessa rufinaGarganey Anas querquedula Cotton Teal Nettapuscoromandelianus Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosaLittle Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius and Little StintCalidris minuta

d Smaller flocks(lt100) of Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterusruber (Eastern part of Nalaban Island) Spot-billed PelicanPelecanus philippensis Bar-headed Goose Anserindicus Ruddy Shelduck Tadoma ferruginea CommonTeal Anas crecca Spot billed Duck A poecilorhynchaLesser Whistling Teal Dendrocygna javanica CommonRed Shank Tringa totanus Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialisfulva Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus TemminksStint Calidris temminckii Sanderling Calidris alba Brownheaded Gull Larus brunnicephalus and Whiskered TernChlidonias hybridus

d Smaller nos of (lt10) of Asian Open-bill Anastomusoscitans Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata CommonGreen Shank Tringa nebularia Ruff Philomachus pugnaxCaspian Tern Sterna caspia Indian River Tern S aurantiaLittle Tern S albifrons White-winged Tern C leucopterusand Gull billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica

d Few Individuals like Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris Broadbilled Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus and Citrine WagtailMotacillaccitreola

d Raptors l ike White bell ied Sea Eagle Haliaeetusleucogaster (commoner) Pal las Fish Eagle Hleucoryphus (Rajhans Island)

d New terrestrial bird for us -Bank Myna Acridotheresginginianus Asian Pied Sterl ing Sturnus contra(commoner)

Footnote Back from wonderful birding we came across abad news of the death of birds from Chilika (Indian GreenFile 2006) The paper clipping of published article of the AsianAge newspaper dated 12-12-2006 was reprinted in theDecember issue of Indian Green File The report said out ofdead 82 birds 69 were Pintails rest were Shovellers GadwalsBar-headed Goose and Sea eagles and 277 birds werereportedly sick

Acknowledgement

We are indebted to Dr PKRay Scientist-in charge RegionalMuseum of Natural History Bhubaneswar and MrSathiyaselvam Research Fellow Chilika Project Chandrabanifor guidance And we are grateful to Kum Vijayalaxmi andKishendasKR Mysore for their logistic support

ReferencesBalachandarnS RahmaniAR and SathiyaselvamP 2005 Final report

of Habitat evaluation of Chilika Lake with special reference to birdsas bio-indicators Bombay Natural History Society

CDA 2006 Chilika a living lagoon A booklet prepared and circulated byChilika Development Authority Bhubaneswar

Islam MZ and AR Rahmani 2005 Important Bird Areas in India Prioritysites for conservation Mumbai Indian Bird Conservation NetworkBombay Natural History Society and BirdLife International (UK) Pp574-575

Krys Kazmierczak and Raj Singh 2001 A Birdwatchers guide to IndiaOxford University press New Delhi

Michael R Miller Kenneth J Reinecke Nov 1984 Proper Expression ofMetabolizable Energy in Avian Energetics The Condor Vol 86 No4 pp 396-400

SahanaM Kishen DasKR and TanujaDH 2007 Occurrence of PiedAvocet Recurvirostra avosetta near Mysore Karnataka Newsletterfor Birdwatchers Vol 43(1) Pp 14-15

Indian Green File No 228 December 2006 Published by Centre forScience amp environment New Delhi Page 24

poultry that creepeth upon the Earth it is a rare case of

convergence of interests of man and bird against one commonfoe Viewing from this moral high ground the focus of all overefforts must be to contain the spread to isolate the infectedhost organisms and ultimately in the long run neutralizealtogether the H5N1 virus Both the print and the visual mediahave the onerous task to publish thoroughly researched andbalanced reports which are informative and motivating but notpanic-generating

As of now the primary and exclusive host of the H5N1 virus area few species of wild waterfowl and perhaps the entire range ofdomesticated poultry birds though so far only chicken and turkeyare reported infected There is no unanimity among the scientistcommunity yet on the primary source of this virus When it firstmanifested in Taiwan China Hong Kong and Thailand in2001-2003 it was surmised that the primary host are the poultrybirds Quite logically this led to the wholesale culling of about

AN ETHICAL PERSPECTIVE AND PREVENTION OF BIRDFLU Lt Gen (Retd) BALJIT SINGH House 219 Sector 16-AChandigarh 160 015 Ph 2770619

The Bible tells us And God said let us make man in our

image after our likeness and let them have dominion over thefish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over the cattleand over all the Earth and over every creeping thing thatcreepeth upon the Earth

So in the very scheme of evolution man was conceived as theprimary and dominant species Explicit with that privilegedstatus comes mans obligation of dominion implying watch

and ward over the weaker creatures that inhabit his planet ForGod did create man in our image after our likeness whichpresupposed that he would be just and compassionate Andin the instant case where a hitherto unchartered virus H5N1has raised its ugly head with lethal potential both to man andtwo of the meekest of his wards namely the fowl of the air and

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 47

three million birds in these countries Even when in 2004 a fewdead species of the migratory wild water fowl in their breedingareas in China Kazakhstan and Siberia also tested positivethe weight of opinion still maintained that the vector was thedomestic poultry and not the free ranging wild birds

Be that as it may the fact of the matter is that as of now both thewild waterfowl and the domestic poultry are the vectors Whenthis non-discriminating virus enters the host it is of the lowpathogen grade which is non-lethal But once transmitted thevirus begins to mutate and attains snow-balling dimensionsThat is the stage that it becomes a killer and the infected birddies within 2 to 3 days Now where wild bird assemblages areconcerned fortunately they remain fairly scattered and the virustransmission process is comparatively of the lower scale Andin the scheme of Nature there are no recorded cases wherean entire species has been wiped out by an epidemicGenerally up to 70 percent of the virus host species may perishand the remainder in all probability will develop immunity ascreatures in the wild are apparently better equipped to do soHopefully and over a long period of time the subject specieswill regain its optimum population levels

On the other hand where commercial poultry industry isconcerned the birds l ive check by jowl and the virustransmission process is like an inferno At that stage theprobability of infection spreading to human beings is genuineand of a high order Fortunately so far there is no proven caseof transmission of the virus from man to man Neverthelessindividual human beings will be at risk of infection either throughthe aerosol medium (breathing) or through ingestion of aninfected bird or by touch The last two risks can be easilycountered by avoiding poultry from diet for a short while andthis is where media can again play a positive role by arousingconsciousness of all segments of the society

As for the aerosol risk here the State will have the dominantrole All the commercial poultry farms and small scale poultrykeepers and even pigeon fanciers will have to be placed underperiodic and regular surveillance checks by qualified vetsInfected units will have to be shut down and decontaminatedThe industry may even have to be compensated for loss ofrevenue The common man will have to be advised on thesafe buffer-zone to be maintained from all such facilitiesand where that is not feasible to wear face and breathingmasks Even though the counter measures may appearelementary their rigid implementation will test out the measure

of vision and management skills of the government at theCentre and State

Concurrently the migratory and resident water fowlassemblages in the Country will also need monitoring on war-footing Fortunately these sites are all listed out in the NationalDirectory of Wetlands and they number just 145 For instancein Punjab there are three sites only (Ropar Harike and Kanjli)two in Haryana (Sultanpur and Bhindawas) three in Himachal(Pong Renuka and Govindsagar) and just one in UTChandigarh the Sukhna Lake Admittedly there will be manysmaller water-bodies dotting the country-side but for the presentthey need not be put under the scanner

It might be mentioned here that on the face of it the threat frommigratory Waterfowl as vectors of H5N1 to India may be of lowgrade This becomes evident when we look at the migratorypattern of the Bar-headed goose (one of the identified vectors)already mapped out by the wildlife department of the AligarhMuslim University through an on-going project using telemetrytools The time taken by most birds to reach their winteringgrounds in India can vary from 10 to 12 days inclusive of timespent on the stop-over sites enroute Most infected birds willperish in migration before entering India But healthy birdswhich get infected at the last stop-over before India may wellsucceed in bringing the virus

No strategy to combat the H5N1 virus will succeed unless wealso have in place effective and adequate preventive andcurative medicine Fortunately Tamiflu vaccine is claimed tobe a positive safeguard where humans are concerned But thefight against the bird flu will be inconclusive until a veterinaryvariant of Tamiflu is developed on war-footing to provideimmunity to poultry This is where the print and visual mediaare best suited to spread awareness among poultry keepersand pet owners to immunize the birds with same commitmentas we do for infants against polio and small pox

Central to the formulation of plans to combat the crisis shouldbe the fact that the bird was the first and still remains the mostpredominant prey of the virus At this juncture it is the bird whichis beleaguered and it deserves mans empathy much more

than is evident at the moment Given the common resolveeffective management strategies will emerge sooner than laterAnd at the end of it all we would have contained and ultimatelyvanquished the danger of bird flu pandemic both to humankindand to the birds one of mans dominos

d d d

Material for publication should be sent

(in duplicate) by post or courier to

Newsletter for BirdwatchersNo 10 Sirur Park B Street Seshadripuram

Bangalore 560 020 India

along with a soft copy(in MS Word format only)

thro E-mail to ltnavbaratgmailcomgt

Enroll a FriendIf every Newsletter Member

could enrol justone new member our

reach and linkage would be doubled immediately

Will you Help Please give the membership form

to a friend and urge himher to join

48 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

PREVALENCE OF SOME MYTHOLOGICAL BELIEFS AMONGRURAL COMMUNITIES OF GUJARAT A CASE STUDY OFCROW (CORVUS Sp) HIREN SONI ASHOK and RITA PATELInstitute of Integrated Study amp Research in Biotechnology ampAllied Sciences (ARIBAS) ADIT Campus New Vidyanagar -388 121 (Gujarat) E-mail hirensoniyahoocom

In the present technocrat world still some cryptic mythologiesin scriptures and Vedas are prevalent among some ruralcommunities of Gujarat They were authoured by our ancestorsbased on their own experience Such mythological beliefs aredirectly or indirectly connected with different types of rites ritualstaboos and traditions of tribesmen in the form of variousastrological paradigms folklores proverbs and quotablequotes in ancient literature In prehistoric times our Kings andBaronets used to take the guidance of priests to predict andprepare for the natural calamities such as cyclones faminesflood and heavy rainfalls They were often referred to asForecasting of Future During such times various types of

prophecies were inferred by deciphering various birdcalls theirbehaviour nesting location and feeding patterns According tosome mythological beliefs crows act as a good forecasteramong birds and are also indicators of good or bad omens(Jadav 2004) Some of the well-known inferences from variousproverbs are as follows

1 A crow builds its nest on eastern side of a tree on topbranch in the month of May - Heavy rainfall good quality ofcrop and a good omen for any religious ceremony

2 Nest on western side of a tree - Better rain and bettercrop-yield but grave epidemics

3 Nest on top canopy of a tree - Moderate rain4 Nest in middle canopy of a tree - Insufficient rainfall and

scarcity of water5 Nest on north or north-west side of a tree Overall good year

6 Crows search for food in dust instead of open grounds andgarbage - Hike in prices of cereals crops grains and othercommodities

7 Crow gives harsh calls from a dry tree Insufficient rain

and scarcity of water8 Nest on south-east corner of a tree - Famine starvation

water crisis food shortage and theft of eatables and othercommon commodities

9 Nest on the stem of a tree instead of its branch - Scantyrain paucity of water spreading of some contagiousdisease and theft of livelihood goods

10 Nest on north-west corner of a tree - Possibility of cycloneshurricanes and thunderstorms increase in population ofrodents in houses and crop-fields scarcity of food fodderfuelwood and fiber

11 Nest on south-east corner of a tree - Late arrival of monsoonwith cyclones and storms with low rainfall famine robberyand mass-scale war Cover Jungle Myna (Acridotheres fuscus) Probably every

Indian knows either one or other of our two common mynas Junglemynas perch in pairs or trios on their favorite trees or walk along theground with rapid determined steps stopping occasionally to preenor bob heads stiffly to utter warning notes Throughout the daymynas maintain a varied rollick of high pitched grackles or pleasantliquid notes to express their diverse moods such as delight fearresentment or anguish Being omnivores they feed on grubs fruitsgrains crumbs and morsels They nest in tree holes cracks inwalls chimneys and thatched roofs Mynas at times are branded asreckless usurpers of the nests of other birds Photo S Shreyas

Address for Correspondence

Newsletter for BirdwatchersNo 10 Sirur Park B Street SeshadripuramBangalore 560 020 India Tel 080 2356 1142 2346 4682E-mail ltnavbaratgmailcomgtPrinted and Published bi-monthly by S Sridhar atNavbharath Enterprises Seshadripuram Bangalore - 560 020 IndiaFor Private Circulation Only

12 Nest towards the south - Epidemic and battle among localtribes

13 Nest on dome of temple old fort crematorium or flat ground- Heavy drought deadly epidemics robbery and anarchy

14 Nest on dead or dry tree - Political dilemma dispute amongbaronets and large-scale destruction of crops due to heavyflood

15 Crow gives frequent calls in front of the door Brings prestige

and wealth to the owner of that house16 Crow sits on top of the front door with rigorous flapping -

House will be damaged by fire within a week17 Crow sits on latch or hanging garland of the door and call

erratically with sideways movement of its body - Owner ofthat house and his neighboring person will be wealthierwithin a short period

Thus behaviour calls display feeding patterns nestinglocations and other allied activities of crows form an integralpart in lives of many village inhabitants of Gujarat State Similartypes of literature hunt associated with field trials on callingpatterns behaviour nesting sites and feeding practices in otherbirds also would be an additional adage and will be a goodsubject for methodical evaluation of these beliefs in future

ReferenceJadav J (2004) Crows The Forecasters of Future In The Pearls of

Folklore Gujarat Samachar (18th July 2004) Sunday Supplement P 3

Distribution map of Oriental Darter Dot sizes are proportional tothe maximum species counts between 1997-2001

Source Numbers and distribution of waterbirds and wetlandsin the Asia-Pacific region Results of the Asian WaterbirdCensus 1997-2001 Wetland International Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Page 13: May-June  2007

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 45

Pulicat and Point Calimere at different times And also thetheory that species recorded here has some definite linkbetween south Indian wintering birds appears to be truthfulwith the increased population of Pied Avocets Recurvirostraavosetta in Chil ika and in south Indian wetlands(Balachandran et al 2005 Sahana et al 2007)

The pressure on lagoon is immense like encroachmentincreased siltation extensive fishing and tourism Over twolakh fishermen are depending on the lakes resources fortheir livelihood (CDA 2006) The disturbance to the birds isa common sight due to intensive f ishing activitiesrecreational disturbance and the use of mechanized boatsThe constant disturbance discourages foraging costingfeeding time and amplified escape activities and drains muchof the birds energy Eventually it might result in decreasedenergy reserves late arrivallate dispersal to breedinggrounds and in the end reduced reproductive-success(Michael and Kenneth 1984)

An estimated one lakh tourists visit the lake every year (CDA2006) Many boatmen have equipped the small tourist boatswith high wattage loud-speakers with music systemproducing much noise is a common sight Though plastic isbanned one can see a lot of floating wrappers in the lakediscarded by the tourists It is sickening to watch fishesbeing killed by metal blades of crudely mechanized boatsSmall population of Irrawaddy dolphins Orcaella brevirostrisfound in the outer channel are more vulnerable Though ChilikaDevelopment Authority has rejuvenated the lake extraordinarilywell policing and implementation of many defined regulationsare falling short of standard due to (local as well as visiting)publics apathy

With all these hassles the living lagoon is at its bestthroughout the year compared to any other wetland in India(Sathiyaselvam Pers Com) due to its uniqueness And ofcourse has an added advantage of the degradation of manywintering sites in southern sojourn these birds were earlierdependent

Some noteworthy sightings are as follows

d In all 102 identified bird species and a few un-identifiedSnipes and Larger Gulls

d A solitary Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus in thesouth-east waters of Nalaban and a Goliath Heron Ardeagoliath at northern tip of Nalaban

d Huge flocks(5 -10K) of Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelopeGadwall A strepera Northern Pintail A acuta NorthernShoveller A clypeata and Ferruginous Pochard Aythyanyroca

A pilgrimage to Chilika - the Birding Kashi

A Shivaprakash T Girija and A Sharath478 3rd Cross 8th Main Ramakrishna Nagar H Block Mysore - 570022

e-mail adavannerediffmailcom

Chilika with the assemblage of marine brackish andfreshwater ecosystem is recognized as largest water birdscongregation location in Indian subcontinent that hosts 43species of 1 biogeographically known population (Islam andRahmani 2005) Totally 52 rivers and rivulets provide freshwater augmentation to the brackish bay Rich diversity anddensity of avifauna is due to the vast size (1100 sq Km)variation in salinity preferred water depths and rich sediment

We had planned our birding visits at Barkul Nalaban Islandsmudflats of Satpada New sea mouth and Rajhans Island during13th to 18th December 2006 The itinerary was based on thelocations mentioned in the Final report of Habitat evaluation ofChilika lake (Balachandran et al 2005) on the guidance of DrPKRay Scientist-in charge Regional Museum of NaturalHistory Bhubaneswar and Mr Sathiyaselvam Research FellowChilika Project Chandrabani We have spent 32 hours birdingincluding 10 hours on board non-mechanized boats and reston foot Observation was made with a Field scope (Geoma65mm x 20) and a pair of binoculars (Pentex 10 x 25 andTasco 8 x 30)

Barkul shoreline forms western part of lake attracts goodnumber of waders Nalabana Island is situated in the CentralSector of the lake and is said to be hosting 75 of the totalbird population wintering in Chilika Though large flocks ofbirds scatter in many parts of the Lake the major congregationof diverse species was in and around Nalabana IslandExposed mudflats of Satpada provide foraging ground for largecongregation of waders Gregarious Gulls and Terns galleryis displayed in the new sea mouth opened up in the outerchannel recently to provide necessary salinity to Chilika

Our plan of staying entire day and night at Nalaban Islandsbased on A birdwatchers guide to India (Krys and Raj 2001)was later modified due to Orissa Forest Departmentsrestrictions on visitors The entry of mechanized boats intothe Nalaban Islands zone is strictly restricted The island zoneis marked with red polls erected all around that are visible froma quite distance indicating the protected zone Moreover entryto the lake is prohibited to tourists and is strictly enforcedThis measure is safeguarding the interests of avifauna and itshabitat With a rowing boat and a field scope one can watchnumerous birds with ease The congregation of waterfowl isamazing and runs into a few thousands

The waders recorded here are almost similar to those inPulicat Lake and Point Calimere The waders congregationis simply unimaginable It is interesting that the BNHSreport (Balachandran et al 2005) has concluded that withinthe same wintering season the same population of birdsutilise three major water bodies of eastern coast - Chilika

46 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

CORRESPONDENCE

d Smaller flocks(100 -1K) of Common Pochard Aythyaferina Red crested Pochard Rhodonessa rufinaGarganey Anas querquedula Cotton Teal Nettapuscoromandelianus Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosaLittle Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius and Little StintCalidris minuta

d Smaller flocks(lt100) of Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterusruber (Eastern part of Nalaban Island) Spot-billed PelicanPelecanus philippensis Bar-headed Goose Anserindicus Ruddy Shelduck Tadoma ferruginea CommonTeal Anas crecca Spot billed Duck A poecilorhynchaLesser Whistling Teal Dendrocygna javanica CommonRed Shank Tringa totanus Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialisfulva Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus TemminksStint Calidris temminckii Sanderling Calidris alba Brownheaded Gull Larus brunnicephalus and Whiskered TernChlidonias hybridus

d Smaller nos of (lt10) of Asian Open-bill Anastomusoscitans Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata CommonGreen Shank Tringa nebularia Ruff Philomachus pugnaxCaspian Tern Sterna caspia Indian River Tern S aurantiaLittle Tern S albifrons White-winged Tern C leucopterusand Gull billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica

d Few Individuals like Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris Broadbilled Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus and Citrine WagtailMotacillaccitreola

d Raptors l ike White bell ied Sea Eagle Haliaeetusleucogaster (commoner) Pal las Fish Eagle Hleucoryphus (Rajhans Island)

d New terrestrial bird for us -Bank Myna Acridotheresginginianus Asian Pied Sterl ing Sturnus contra(commoner)

Footnote Back from wonderful birding we came across abad news of the death of birds from Chilika (Indian GreenFile 2006) The paper clipping of published article of the AsianAge newspaper dated 12-12-2006 was reprinted in theDecember issue of Indian Green File The report said out ofdead 82 birds 69 were Pintails rest were Shovellers GadwalsBar-headed Goose and Sea eagles and 277 birds werereportedly sick

Acknowledgement

We are indebted to Dr PKRay Scientist-in charge RegionalMuseum of Natural History Bhubaneswar and MrSathiyaselvam Research Fellow Chilika Project Chandrabanifor guidance And we are grateful to Kum Vijayalaxmi andKishendasKR Mysore for their logistic support

ReferencesBalachandarnS RahmaniAR and SathiyaselvamP 2005 Final report

of Habitat evaluation of Chilika Lake with special reference to birdsas bio-indicators Bombay Natural History Society

CDA 2006 Chilika a living lagoon A booklet prepared and circulated byChilika Development Authority Bhubaneswar

Islam MZ and AR Rahmani 2005 Important Bird Areas in India Prioritysites for conservation Mumbai Indian Bird Conservation NetworkBombay Natural History Society and BirdLife International (UK) Pp574-575

Krys Kazmierczak and Raj Singh 2001 A Birdwatchers guide to IndiaOxford University press New Delhi

Michael R Miller Kenneth J Reinecke Nov 1984 Proper Expression ofMetabolizable Energy in Avian Energetics The Condor Vol 86 No4 pp 396-400

SahanaM Kishen DasKR and TanujaDH 2007 Occurrence of PiedAvocet Recurvirostra avosetta near Mysore Karnataka Newsletterfor Birdwatchers Vol 43(1) Pp 14-15

Indian Green File No 228 December 2006 Published by Centre forScience amp environment New Delhi Page 24

poultry that creepeth upon the Earth it is a rare case of

convergence of interests of man and bird against one commonfoe Viewing from this moral high ground the focus of all overefforts must be to contain the spread to isolate the infectedhost organisms and ultimately in the long run neutralizealtogether the H5N1 virus Both the print and the visual mediahave the onerous task to publish thoroughly researched andbalanced reports which are informative and motivating but notpanic-generating

As of now the primary and exclusive host of the H5N1 virus area few species of wild waterfowl and perhaps the entire range ofdomesticated poultry birds though so far only chicken and turkeyare reported infected There is no unanimity among the scientistcommunity yet on the primary source of this virus When it firstmanifested in Taiwan China Hong Kong and Thailand in2001-2003 it was surmised that the primary host are the poultrybirds Quite logically this led to the wholesale culling of about

AN ETHICAL PERSPECTIVE AND PREVENTION OF BIRDFLU Lt Gen (Retd) BALJIT SINGH House 219 Sector 16-AChandigarh 160 015 Ph 2770619

The Bible tells us And God said let us make man in our

image after our likeness and let them have dominion over thefish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over the cattleand over all the Earth and over every creeping thing thatcreepeth upon the Earth

So in the very scheme of evolution man was conceived as theprimary and dominant species Explicit with that privilegedstatus comes mans obligation of dominion implying watch

and ward over the weaker creatures that inhabit his planet ForGod did create man in our image after our likeness whichpresupposed that he would be just and compassionate Andin the instant case where a hitherto unchartered virus H5N1has raised its ugly head with lethal potential both to man andtwo of the meekest of his wards namely the fowl of the air and

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 47

three million birds in these countries Even when in 2004 a fewdead species of the migratory wild water fowl in their breedingareas in China Kazakhstan and Siberia also tested positivethe weight of opinion still maintained that the vector was thedomestic poultry and not the free ranging wild birds

Be that as it may the fact of the matter is that as of now both thewild waterfowl and the domestic poultry are the vectors Whenthis non-discriminating virus enters the host it is of the lowpathogen grade which is non-lethal But once transmitted thevirus begins to mutate and attains snow-balling dimensionsThat is the stage that it becomes a killer and the infected birddies within 2 to 3 days Now where wild bird assemblages areconcerned fortunately they remain fairly scattered and the virustransmission process is comparatively of the lower scale Andin the scheme of Nature there are no recorded cases wherean entire species has been wiped out by an epidemicGenerally up to 70 percent of the virus host species may perishand the remainder in all probability will develop immunity ascreatures in the wild are apparently better equipped to do soHopefully and over a long period of time the subject specieswill regain its optimum population levels

On the other hand where commercial poultry industry isconcerned the birds l ive check by jowl and the virustransmission process is like an inferno At that stage theprobability of infection spreading to human beings is genuineand of a high order Fortunately so far there is no proven caseof transmission of the virus from man to man Neverthelessindividual human beings will be at risk of infection either throughthe aerosol medium (breathing) or through ingestion of aninfected bird or by touch The last two risks can be easilycountered by avoiding poultry from diet for a short while andthis is where media can again play a positive role by arousingconsciousness of all segments of the society

As for the aerosol risk here the State will have the dominantrole All the commercial poultry farms and small scale poultrykeepers and even pigeon fanciers will have to be placed underperiodic and regular surveillance checks by qualified vetsInfected units will have to be shut down and decontaminatedThe industry may even have to be compensated for loss ofrevenue The common man will have to be advised on thesafe buffer-zone to be maintained from all such facilitiesand where that is not feasible to wear face and breathingmasks Even though the counter measures may appearelementary their rigid implementation will test out the measure

of vision and management skills of the government at theCentre and State

Concurrently the migratory and resident water fowlassemblages in the Country will also need monitoring on war-footing Fortunately these sites are all listed out in the NationalDirectory of Wetlands and they number just 145 For instancein Punjab there are three sites only (Ropar Harike and Kanjli)two in Haryana (Sultanpur and Bhindawas) three in Himachal(Pong Renuka and Govindsagar) and just one in UTChandigarh the Sukhna Lake Admittedly there will be manysmaller water-bodies dotting the country-side but for the presentthey need not be put under the scanner

It might be mentioned here that on the face of it the threat frommigratory Waterfowl as vectors of H5N1 to India may be of lowgrade This becomes evident when we look at the migratorypattern of the Bar-headed goose (one of the identified vectors)already mapped out by the wildlife department of the AligarhMuslim University through an on-going project using telemetrytools The time taken by most birds to reach their winteringgrounds in India can vary from 10 to 12 days inclusive of timespent on the stop-over sites enroute Most infected birds willperish in migration before entering India But healthy birdswhich get infected at the last stop-over before India may wellsucceed in bringing the virus

No strategy to combat the H5N1 virus will succeed unless wealso have in place effective and adequate preventive andcurative medicine Fortunately Tamiflu vaccine is claimed tobe a positive safeguard where humans are concerned But thefight against the bird flu will be inconclusive until a veterinaryvariant of Tamiflu is developed on war-footing to provideimmunity to poultry This is where the print and visual mediaare best suited to spread awareness among poultry keepersand pet owners to immunize the birds with same commitmentas we do for infants against polio and small pox

Central to the formulation of plans to combat the crisis shouldbe the fact that the bird was the first and still remains the mostpredominant prey of the virus At this juncture it is the bird whichis beleaguered and it deserves mans empathy much more

than is evident at the moment Given the common resolveeffective management strategies will emerge sooner than laterAnd at the end of it all we would have contained and ultimatelyvanquished the danger of bird flu pandemic both to humankindand to the birds one of mans dominos

d d d

Material for publication should be sent

(in duplicate) by post or courier to

Newsletter for BirdwatchersNo 10 Sirur Park B Street Seshadripuram

Bangalore 560 020 India

along with a soft copy(in MS Word format only)

thro E-mail to ltnavbaratgmailcomgt

Enroll a FriendIf every Newsletter Member

could enrol justone new member our

reach and linkage would be doubled immediately

Will you Help Please give the membership form

to a friend and urge himher to join

48 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

PREVALENCE OF SOME MYTHOLOGICAL BELIEFS AMONGRURAL COMMUNITIES OF GUJARAT A CASE STUDY OFCROW (CORVUS Sp) HIREN SONI ASHOK and RITA PATELInstitute of Integrated Study amp Research in Biotechnology ampAllied Sciences (ARIBAS) ADIT Campus New Vidyanagar -388 121 (Gujarat) E-mail hirensoniyahoocom

In the present technocrat world still some cryptic mythologiesin scriptures and Vedas are prevalent among some ruralcommunities of Gujarat They were authoured by our ancestorsbased on their own experience Such mythological beliefs aredirectly or indirectly connected with different types of rites ritualstaboos and traditions of tribesmen in the form of variousastrological paradigms folklores proverbs and quotablequotes in ancient literature In prehistoric times our Kings andBaronets used to take the guidance of priests to predict andprepare for the natural calamities such as cyclones faminesflood and heavy rainfalls They were often referred to asForecasting of Future During such times various types of

prophecies were inferred by deciphering various birdcalls theirbehaviour nesting location and feeding patterns According tosome mythological beliefs crows act as a good forecasteramong birds and are also indicators of good or bad omens(Jadav 2004) Some of the well-known inferences from variousproverbs are as follows

1 A crow builds its nest on eastern side of a tree on topbranch in the month of May - Heavy rainfall good quality ofcrop and a good omen for any religious ceremony

2 Nest on western side of a tree - Better rain and bettercrop-yield but grave epidemics

3 Nest on top canopy of a tree - Moderate rain4 Nest in middle canopy of a tree - Insufficient rainfall and

scarcity of water5 Nest on north or north-west side of a tree Overall good year

6 Crows search for food in dust instead of open grounds andgarbage - Hike in prices of cereals crops grains and othercommodities

7 Crow gives harsh calls from a dry tree Insufficient rain

and scarcity of water8 Nest on south-east corner of a tree - Famine starvation

water crisis food shortage and theft of eatables and othercommon commodities

9 Nest on the stem of a tree instead of its branch - Scantyrain paucity of water spreading of some contagiousdisease and theft of livelihood goods

10 Nest on north-west corner of a tree - Possibility of cycloneshurricanes and thunderstorms increase in population ofrodents in houses and crop-fields scarcity of food fodderfuelwood and fiber

11 Nest on south-east corner of a tree - Late arrival of monsoonwith cyclones and storms with low rainfall famine robberyand mass-scale war Cover Jungle Myna (Acridotheres fuscus) Probably every

Indian knows either one or other of our two common mynas Junglemynas perch in pairs or trios on their favorite trees or walk along theground with rapid determined steps stopping occasionally to preenor bob heads stiffly to utter warning notes Throughout the daymynas maintain a varied rollick of high pitched grackles or pleasantliquid notes to express their diverse moods such as delight fearresentment or anguish Being omnivores they feed on grubs fruitsgrains crumbs and morsels They nest in tree holes cracks inwalls chimneys and thatched roofs Mynas at times are branded asreckless usurpers of the nests of other birds Photo S Shreyas

Address for Correspondence

Newsletter for BirdwatchersNo 10 Sirur Park B Street SeshadripuramBangalore 560 020 India Tel 080 2356 1142 2346 4682E-mail ltnavbaratgmailcomgtPrinted and Published bi-monthly by S Sridhar atNavbharath Enterprises Seshadripuram Bangalore - 560 020 IndiaFor Private Circulation Only

12 Nest towards the south - Epidemic and battle among localtribes

13 Nest on dome of temple old fort crematorium or flat ground- Heavy drought deadly epidemics robbery and anarchy

14 Nest on dead or dry tree - Political dilemma dispute amongbaronets and large-scale destruction of crops due to heavyflood

15 Crow gives frequent calls in front of the door Brings prestige

and wealth to the owner of that house16 Crow sits on top of the front door with rigorous flapping -

House will be damaged by fire within a week17 Crow sits on latch or hanging garland of the door and call

erratically with sideways movement of its body - Owner ofthat house and his neighboring person will be wealthierwithin a short period

Thus behaviour calls display feeding patterns nestinglocations and other allied activities of crows form an integralpart in lives of many village inhabitants of Gujarat State Similartypes of literature hunt associated with field trials on callingpatterns behaviour nesting sites and feeding practices in otherbirds also would be an additional adage and will be a goodsubject for methodical evaluation of these beliefs in future

ReferenceJadav J (2004) Crows The Forecasters of Future In The Pearls of

Folklore Gujarat Samachar (18th July 2004) Sunday Supplement P 3

Distribution map of Oriental Darter Dot sizes are proportional tothe maximum species counts between 1997-2001

Source Numbers and distribution of waterbirds and wetlandsin the Asia-Pacific region Results of the Asian WaterbirdCensus 1997-2001 Wetland International Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Page 14: May-June  2007

46 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

CORRESPONDENCE

d Smaller flocks(100 -1K) of Common Pochard Aythyaferina Red crested Pochard Rhodonessa rufinaGarganey Anas querquedula Cotton Teal Nettapuscoromandelianus Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosaLittle Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius and Little StintCalidris minuta

d Smaller flocks(lt100) of Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterusruber (Eastern part of Nalaban Island) Spot-billed PelicanPelecanus philippensis Bar-headed Goose Anserindicus Ruddy Shelduck Tadoma ferruginea CommonTeal Anas crecca Spot billed Duck A poecilorhynchaLesser Whistling Teal Dendrocygna javanica CommonRed Shank Tringa totanus Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialisfulva Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus TemminksStint Calidris temminckii Sanderling Calidris alba Brownheaded Gull Larus brunnicephalus and Whiskered TernChlidonias hybridus

d Smaller nos of (lt10) of Asian Open-bill Anastomusoscitans Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata CommonGreen Shank Tringa nebularia Ruff Philomachus pugnaxCaspian Tern Sterna caspia Indian River Tern S aurantiaLittle Tern S albifrons White-winged Tern C leucopterusand Gull billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica

d Few Individuals like Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris Broadbilled Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus and Citrine WagtailMotacillaccitreola

d Raptors l ike White bell ied Sea Eagle Haliaeetusleucogaster (commoner) Pal las Fish Eagle Hleucoryphus (Rajhans Island)

d New terrestrial bird for us -Bank Myna Acridotheresginginianus Asian Pied Sterl ing Sturnus contra(commoner)

Footnote Back from wonderful birding we came across abad news of the death of birds from Chilika (Indian GreenFile 2006) The paper clipping of published article of the AsianAge newspaper dated 12-12-2006 was reprinted in theDecember issue of Indian Green File The report said out ofdead 82 birds 69 were Pintails rest were Shovellers GadwalsBar-headed Goose and Sea eagles and 277 birds werereportedly sick

Acknowledgement

We are indebted to Dr PKRay Scientist-in charge RegionalMuseum of Natural History Bhubaneswar and MrSathiyaselvam Research Fellow Chilika Project Chandrabanifor guidance And we are grateful to Kum Vijayalaxmi andKishendasKR Mysore for their logistic support

ReferencesBalachandarnS RahmaniAR and SathiyaselvamP 2005 Final report

of Habitat evaluation of Chilika Lake with special reference to birdsas bio-indicators Bombay Natural History Society

CDA 2006 Chilika a living lagoon A booklet prepared and circulated byChilika Development Authority Bhubaneswar

Islam MZ and AR Rahmani 2005 Important Bird Areas in India Prioritysites for conservation Mumbai Indian Bird Conservation NetworkBombay Natural History Society and BirdLife International (UK) Pp574-575

Krys Kazmierczak and Raj Singh 2001 A Birdwatchers guide to IndiaOxford University press New Delhi

Michael R Miller Kenneth J Reinecke Nov 1984 Proper Expression ofMetabolizable Energy in Avian Energetics The Condor Vol 86 No4 pp 396-400

SahanaM Kishen DasKR and TanujaDH 2007 Occurrence of PiedAvocet Recurvirostra avosetta near Mysore Karnataka Newsletterfor Birdwatchers Vol 43(1) Pp 14-15

Indian Green File No 228 December 2006 Published by Centre forScience amp environment New Delhi Page 24

poultry that creepeth upon the Earth it is a rare case of

convergence of interests of man and bird against one commonfoe Viewing from this moral high ground the focus of all overefforts must be to contain the spread to isolate the infectedhost organisms and ultimately in the long run neutralizealtogether the H5N1 virus Both the print and the visual mediahave the onerous task to publish thoroughly researched andbalanced reports which are informative and motivating but notpanic-generating

As of now the primary and exclusive host of the H5N1 virus area few species of wild waterfowl and perhaps the entire range ofdomesticated poultry birds though so far only chicken and turkeyare reported infected There is no unanimity among the scientistcommunity yet on the primary source of this virus When it firstmanifested in Taiwan China Hong Kong and Thailand in2001-2003 it was surmised that the primary host are the poultrybirds Quite logically this led to the wholesale culling of about

AN ETHICAL PERSPECTIVE AND PREVENTION OF BIRDFLU Lt Gen (Retd) BALJIT SINGH House 219 Sector 16-AChandigarh 160 015 Ph 2770619

The Bible tells us And God said let us make man in our

image after our likeness and let them have dominion over thefish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over the cattleand over all the Earth and over every creeping thing thatcreepeth upon the Earth

So in the very scheme of evolution man was conceived as theprimary and dominant species Explicit with that privilegedstatus comes mans obligation of dominion implying watch

and ward over the weaker creatures that inhabit his planet ForGod did create man in our image after our likeness whichpresupposed that he would be just and compassionate Andin the instant case where a hitherto unchartered virus H5N1has raised its ugly head with lethal potential both to man andtwo of the meekest of his wards namely the fowl of the air and

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 47

three million birds in these countries Even when in 2004 a fewdead species of the migratory wild water fowl in their breedingareas in China Kazakhstan and Siberia also tested positivethe weight of opinion still maintained that the vector was thedomestic poultry and not the free ranging wild birds

Be that as it may the fact of the matter is that as of now both thewild waterfowl and the domestic poultry are the vectors Whenthis non-discriminating virus enters the host it is of the lowpathogen grade which is non-lethal But once transmitted thevirus begins to mutate and attains snow-balling dimensionsThat is the stage that it becomes a killer and the infected birddies within 2 to 3 days Now where wild bird assemblages areconcerned fortunately they remain fairly scattered and the virustransmission process is comparatively of the lower scale Andin the scheme of Nature there are no recorded cases wherean entire species has been wiped out by an epidemicGenerally up to 70 percent of the virus host species may perishand the remainder in all probability will develop immunity ascreatures in the wild are apparently better equipped to do soHopefully and over a long period of time the subject specieswill regain its optimum population levels

On the other hand where commercial poultry industry isconcerned the birds l ive check by jowl and the virustransmission process is like an inferno At that stage theprobability of infection spreading to human beings is genuineand of a high order Fortunately so far there is no proven caseof transmission of the virus from man to man Neverthelessindividual human beings will be at risk of infection either throughthe aerosol medium (breathing) or through ingestion of aninfected bird or by touch The last two risks can be easilycountered by avoiding poultry from diet for a short while andthis is where media can again play a positive role by arousingconsciousness of all segments of the society

As for the aerosol risk here the State will have the dominantrole All the commercial poultry farms and small scale poultrykeepers and even pigeon fanciers will have to be placed underperiodic and regular surveillance checks by qualified vetsInfected units will have to be shut down and decontaminatedThe industry may even have to be compensated for loss ofrevenue The common man will have to be advised on thesafe buffer-zone to be maintained from all such facilitiesand where that is not feasible to wear face and breathingmasks Even though the counter measures may appearelementary their rigid implementation will test out the measure

of vision and management skills of the government at theCentre and State

Concurrently the migratory and resident water fowlassemblages in the Country will also need monitoring on war-footing Fortunately these sites are all listed out in the NationalDirectory of Wetlands and they number just 145 For instancein Punjab there are three sites only (Ropar Harike and Kanjli)two in Haryana (Sultanpur and Bhindawas) three in Himachal(Pong Renuka and Govindsagar) and just one in UTChandigarh the Sukhna Lake Admittedly there will be manysmaller water-bodies dotting the country-side but for the presentthey need not be put under the scanner

It might be mentioned here that on the face of it the threat frommigratory Waterfowl as vectors of H5N1 to India may be of lowgrade This becomes evident when we look at the migratorypattern of the Bar-headed goose (one of the identified vectors)already mapped out by the wildlife department of the AligarhMuslim University through an on-going project using telemetrytools The time taken by most birds to reach their winteringgrounds in India can vary from 10 to 12 days inclusive of timespent on the stop-over sites enroute Most infected birds willperish in migration before entering India But healthy birdswhich get infected at the last stop-over before India may wellsucceed in bringing the virus

No strategy to combat the H5N1 virus will succeed unless wealso have in place effective and adequate preventive andcurative medicine Fortunately Tamiflu vaccine is claimed tobe a positive safeguard where humans are concerned But thefight against the bird flu will be inconclusive until a veterinaryvariant of Tamiflu is developed on war-footing to provideimmunity to poultry This is where the print and visual mediaare best suited to spread awareness among poultry keepersand pet owners to immunize the birds with same commitmentas we do for infants against polio and small pox

Central to the formulation of plans to combat the crisis shouldbe the fact that the bird was the first and still remains the mostpredominant prey of the virus At this juncture it is the bird whichis beleaguered and it deserves mans empathy much more

than is evident at the moment Given the common resolveeffective management strategies will emerge sooner than laterAnd at the end of it all we would have contained and ultimatelyvanquished the danger of bird flu pandemic both to humankindand to the birds one of mans dominos

d d d

Material for publication should be sent

(in duplicate) by post or courier to

Newsletter for BirdwatchersNo 10 Sirur Park B Street Seshadripuram

Bangalore 560 020 India

along with a soft copy(in MS Word format only)

thro E-mail to ltnavbaratgmailcomgt

Enroll a FriendIf every Newsletter Member

could enrol justone new member our

reach and linkage would be doubled immediately

Will you Help Please give the membership form

to a friend and urge himher to join

48 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

PREVALENCE OF SOME MYTHOLOGICAL BELIEFS AMONGRURAL COMMUNITIES OF GUJARAT A CASE STUDY OFCROW (CORVUS Sp) HIREN SONI ASHOK and RITA PATELInstitute of Integrated Study amp Research in Biotechnology ampAllied Sciences (ARIBAS) ADIT Campus New Vidyanagar -388 121 (Gujarat) E-mail hirensoniyahoocom

In the present technocrat world still some cryptic mythologiesin scriptures and Vedas are prevalent among some ruralcommunities of Gujarat They were authoured by our ancestorsbased on their own experience Such mythological beliefs aredirectly or indirectly connected with different types of rites ritualstaboos and traditions of tribesmen in the form of variousastrological paradigms folklores proverbs and quotablequotes in ancient literature In prehistoric times our Kings andBaronets used to take the guidance of priests to predict andprepare for the natural calamities such as cyclones faminesflood and heavy rainfalls They were often referred to asForecasting of Future During such times various types of

prophecies were inferred by deciphering various birdcalls theirbehaviour nesting location and feeding patterns According tosome mythological beliefs crows act as a good forecasteramong birds and are also indicators of good or bad omens(Jadav 2004) Some of the well-known inferences from variousproverbs are as follows

1 A crow builds its nest on eastern side of a tree on topbranch in the month of May - Heavy rainfall good quality ofcrop and a good omen for any religious ceremony

2 Nest on western side of a tree - Better rain and bettercrop-yield but grave epidemics

3 Nest on top canopy of a tree - Moderate rain4 Nest in middle canopy of a tree - Insufficient rainfall and

scarcity of water5 Nest on north or north-west side of a tree Overall good year

6 Crows search for food in dust instead of open grounds andgarbage - Hike in prices of cereals crops grains and othercommodities

7 Crow gives harsh calls from a dry tree Insufficient rain

and scarcity of water8 Nest on south-east corner of a tree - Famine starvation

water crisis food shortage and theft of eatables and othercommon commodities

9 Nest on the stem of a tree instead of its branch - Scantyrain paucity of water spreading of some contagiousdisease and theft of livelihood goods

10 Nest on north-west corner of a tree - Possibility of cycloneshurricanes and thunderstorms increase in population ofrodents in houses and crop-fields scarcity of food fodderfuelwood and fiber

11 Nest on south-east corner of a tree - Late arrival of monsoonwith cyclones and storms with low rainfall famine robberyand mass-scale war Cover Jungle Myna (Acridotheres fuscus) Probably every

Indian knows either one or other of our two common mynas Junglemynas perch in pairs or trios on their favorite trees or walk along theground with rapid determined steps stopping occasionally to preenor bob heads stiffly to utter warning notes Throughout the daymynas maintain a varied rollick of high pitched grackles or pleasantliquid notes to express their diverse moods such as delight fearresentment or anguish Being omnivores they feed on grubs fruitsgrains crumbs and morsels They nest in tree holes cracks inwalls chimneys and thatched roofs Mynas at times are branded asreckless usurpers of the nests of other birds Photo S Shreyas

Address for Correspondence

Newsletter for BirdwatchersNo 10 Sirur Park B Street SeshadripuramBangalore 560 020 India Tel 080 2356 1142 2346 4682E-mail ltnavbaratgmailcomgtPrinted and Published bi-monthly by S Sridhar atNavbharath Enterprises Seshadripuram Bangalore - 560 020 IndiaFor Private Circulation Only

12 Nest towards the south - Epidemic and battle among localtribes

13 Nest on dome of temple old fort crematorium or flat ground- Heavy drought deadly epidemics robbery and anarchy

14 Nest on dead or dry tree - Political dilemma dispute amongbaronets and large-scale destruction of crops due to heavyflood

15 Crow gives frequent calls in front of the door Brings prestige

and wealth to the owner of that house16 Crow sits on top of the front door with rigorous flapping -

House will be damaged by fire within a week17 Crow sits on latch or hanging garland of the door and call

erratically with sideways movement of its body - Owner ofthat house and his neighboring person will be wealthierwithin a short period

Thus behaviour calls display feeding patterns nestinglocations and other allied activities of crows form an integralpart in lives of many village inhabitants of Gujarat State Similartypes of literature hunt associated with field trials on callingpatterns behaviour nesting sites and feeding practices in otherbirds also would be an additional adage and will be a goodsubject for methodical evaluation of these beliefs in future

ReferenceJadav J (2004) Crows The Forecasters of Future In The Pearls of

Folklore Gujarat Samachar (18th July 2004) Sunday Supplement P 3

Distribution map of Oriental Darter Dot sizes are proportional tothe maximum species counts between 1997-2001

Source Numbers and distribution of waterbirds and wetlandsin the Asia-Pacific region Results of the Asian WaterbirdCensus 1997-2001 Wetland International Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Page 15: May-June  2007

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007 47

three million birds in these countries Even when in 2004 a fewdead species of the migratory wild water fowl in their breedingareas in China Kazakhstan and Siberia also tested positivethe weight of opinion still maintained that the vector was thedomestic poultry and not the free ranging wild birds

Be that as it may the fact of the matter is that as of now both thewild waterfowl and the domestic poultry are the vectors Whenthis non-discriminating virus enters the host it is of the lowpathogen grade which is non-lethal But once transmitted thevirus begins to mutate and attains snow-balling dimensionsThat is the stage that it becomes a killer and the infected birddies within 2 to 3 days Now where wild bird assemblages areconcerned fortunately they remain fairly scattered and the virustransmission process is comparatively of the lower scale Andin the scheme of Nature there are no recorded cases wherean entire species has been wiped out by an epidemicGenerally up to 70 percent of the virus host species may perishand the remainder in all probability will develop immunity ascreatures in the wild are apparently better equipped to do soHopefully and over a long period of time the subject specieswill regain its optimum population levels

On the other hand where commercial poultry industry isconcerned the birds l ive check by jowl and the virustransmission process is like an inferno At that stage theprobability of infection spreading to human beings is genuineand of a high order Fortunately so far there is no proven caseof transmission of the virus from man to man Neverthelessindividual human beings will be at risk of infection either throughthe aerosol medium (breathing) or through ingestion of aninfected bird or by touch The last two risks can be easilycountered by avoiding poultry from diet for a short while andthis is where media can again play a positive role by arousingconsciousness of all segments of the society

As for the aerosol risk here the State will have the dominantrole All the commercial poultry farms and small scale poultrykeepers and even pigeon fanciers will have to be placed underperiodic and regular surveillance checks by qualified vetsInfected units will have to be shut down and decontaminatedThe industry may even have to be compensated for loss ofrevenue The common man will have to be advised on thesafe buffer-zone to be maintained from all such facilitiesand where that is not feasible to wear face and breathingmasks Even though the counter measures may appearelementary their rigid implementation will test out the measure

of vision and management skills of the government at theCentre and State

Concurrently the migratory and resident water fowlassemblages in the Country will also need monitoring on war-footing Fortunately these sites are all listed out in the NationalDirectory of Wetlands and they number just 145 For instancein Punjab there are three sites only (Ropar Harike and Kanjli)two in Haryana (Sultanpur and Bhindawas) three in Himachal(Pong Renuka and Govindsagar) and just one in UTChandigarh the Sukhna Lake Admittedly there will be manysmaller water-bodies dotting the country-side but for the presentthey need not be put under the scanner

It might be mentioned here that on the face of it the threat frommigratory Waterfowl as vectors of H5N1 to India may be of lowgrade This becomes evident when we look at the migratorypattern of the Bar-headed goose (one of the identified vectors)already mapped out by the wildlife department of the AligarhMuslim University through an on-going project using telemetrytools The time taken by most birds to reach their winteringgrounds in India can vary from 10 to 12 days inclusive of timespent on the stop-over sites enroute Most infected birds willperish in migration before entering India But healthy birdswhich get infected at the last stop-over before India may wellsucceed in bringing the virus

No strategy to combat the H5N1 virus will succeed unless wealso have in place effective and adequate preventive andcurative medicine Fortunately Tamiflu vaccine is claimed tobe a positive safeguard where humans are concerned But thefight against the bird flu will be inconclusive until a veterinaryvariant of Tamiflu is developed on war-footing to provideimmunity to poultry This is where the print and visual mediaare best suited to spread awareness among poultry keepersand pet owners to immunize the birds with same commitmentas we do for infants against polio and small pox

Central to the formulation of plans to combat the crisis shouldbe the fact that the bird was the first and still remains the mostpredominant prey of the virus At this juncture it is the bird whichis beleaguered and it deserves mans empathy much more

than is evident at the moment Given the common resolveeffective management strategies will emerge sooner than laterAnd at the end of it all we would have contained and ultimatelyvanquished the danger of bird flu pandemic both to humankindand to the birds one of mans dominos

d d d

Material for publication should be sent

(in duplicate) by post or courier to

Newsletter for BirdwatchersNo 10 Sirur Park B Street Seshadripuram

Bangalore 560 020 India

along with a soft copy(in MS Word format only)

thro E-mail to ltnavbaratgmailcomgt

Enroll a FriendIf every Newsletter Member

could enrol justone new member our

reach and linkage would be doubled immediately

Will you Help Please give the membership form

to a friend and urge himher to join

48 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

PREVALENCE OF SOME MYTHOLOGICAL BELIEFS AMONGRURAL COMMUNITIES OF GUJARAT A CASE STUDY OFCROW (CORVUS Sp) HIREN SONI ASHOK and RITA PATELInstitute of Integrated Study amp Research in Biotechnology ampAllied Sciences (ARIBAS) ADIT Campus New Vidyanagar -388 121 (Gujarat) E-mail hirensoniyahoocom

In the present technocrat world still some cryptic mythologiesin scriptures and Vedas are prevalent among some ruralcommunities of Gujarat They were authoured by our ancestorsbased on their own experience Such mythological beliefs aredirectly or indirectly connected with different types of rites ritualstaboos and traditions of tribesmen in the form of variousastrological paradigms folklores proverbs and quotablequotes in ancient literature In prehistoric times our Kings andBaronets used to take the guidance of priests to predict andprepare for the natural calamities such as cyclones faminesflood and heavy rainfalls They were often referred to asForecasting of Future During such times various types of

prophecies were inferred by deciphering various birdcalls theirbehaviour nesting location and feeding patterns According tosome mythological beliefs crows act as a good forecasteramong birds and are also indicators of good or bad omens(Jadav 2004) Some of the well-known inferences from variousproverbs are as follows

1 A crow builds its nest on eastern side of a tree on topbranch in the month of May - Heavy rainfall good quality ofcrop and a good omen for any religious ceremony

2 Nest on western side of a tree - Better rain and bettercrop-yield but grave epidemics

3 Nest on top canopy of a tree - Moderate rain4 Nest in middle canopy of a tree - Insufficient rainfall and

scarcity of water5 Nest on north or north-west side of a tree Overall good year

6 Crows search for food in dust instead of open grounds andgarbage - Hike in prices of cereals crops grains and othercommodities

7 Crow gives harsh calls from a dry tree Insufficient rain

and scarcity of water8 Nest on south-east corner of a tree - Famine starvation

water crisis food shortage and theft of eatables and othercommon commodities

9 Nest on the stem of a tree instead of its branch - Scantyrain paucity of water spreading of some contagiousdisease and theft of livelihood goods

10 Nest on north-west corner of a tree - Possibility of cycloneshurricanes and thunderstorms increase in population ofrodents in houses and crop-fields scarcity of food fodderfuelwood and fiber

11 Nest on south-east corner of a tree - Late arrival of monsoonwith cyclones and storms with low rainfall famine robberyand mass-scale war Cover Jungle Myna (Acridotheres fuscus) Probably every

Indian knows either one or other of our two common mynas Junglemynas perch in pairs or trios on their favorite trees or walk along theground with rapid determined steps stopping occasionally to preenor bob heads stiffly to utter warning notes Throughout the daymynas maintain a varied rollick of high pitched grackles or pleasantliquid notes to express their diverse moods such as delight fearresentment or anguish Being omnivores they feed on grubs fruitsgrains crumbs and morsels They nest in tree holes cracks inwalls chimneys and thatched roofs Mynas at times are branded asreckless usurpers of the nests of other birds Photo S Shreyas

Address for Correspondence

Newsletter for BirdwatchersNo 10 Sirur Park B Street SeshadripuramBangalore 560 020 India Tel 080 2356 1142 2346 4682E-mail ltnavbaratgmailcomgtPrinted and Published bi-monthly by S Sridhar atNavbharath Enterprises Seshadripuram Bangalore - 560 020 IndiaFor Private Circulation Only

12 Nest towards the south - Epidemic and battle among localtribes

13 Nest on dome of temple old fort crematorium or flat ground- Heavy drought deadly epidemics robbery and anarchy

14 Nest on dead or dry tree - Political dilemma dispute amongbaronets and large-scale destruction of crops due to heavyflood

15 Crow gives frequent calls in front of the door Brings prestige

and wealth to the owner of that house16 Crow sits on top of the front door with rigorous flapping -

House will be damaged by fire within a week17 Crow sits on latch or hanging garland of the door and call

erratically with sideways movement of its body - Owner ofthat house and his neighboring person will be wealthierwithin a short period

Thus behaviour calls display feeding patterns nestinglocations and other allied activities of crows form an integralpart in lives of many village inhabitants of Gujarat State Similartypes of literature hunt associated with field trials on callingpatterns behaviour nesting sites and feeding practices in otherbirds also would be an additional adage and will be a goodsubject for methodical evaluation of these beliefs in future

ReferenceJadav J (2004) Crows The Forecasters of Future In The Pearls of

Folklore Gujarat Samachar (18th July 2004) Sunday Supplement P 3

Distribution map of Oriental Darter Dot sizes are proportional tothe maximum species counts between 1997-2001

Source Numbers and distribution of waterbirds and wetlandsin the Asia-Pacific region Results of the Asian WaterbirdCensus 1997-2001 Wetland International Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Page 16: May-June  2007

48 Newsletter for Birdwatchers 47 (3) 2007

PREVALENCE OF SOME MYTHOLOGICAL BELIEFS AMONGRURAL COMMUNITIES OF GUJARAT A CASE STUDY OFCROW (CORVUS Sp) HIREN SONI ASHOK and RITA PATELInstitute of Integrated Study amp Research in Biotechnology ampAllied Sciences (ARIBAS) ADIT Campus New Vidyanagar -388 121 (Gujarat) E-mail hirensoniyahoocom

In the present technocrat world still some cryptic mythologiesin scriptures and Vedas are prevalent among some ruralcommunities of Gujarat They were authoured by our ancestorsbased on their own experience Such mythological beliefs aredirectly or indirectly connected with different types of rites ritualstaboos and traditions of tribesmen in the form of variousastrological paradigms folklores proverbs and quotablequotes in ancient literature In prehistoric times our Kings andBaronets used to take the guidance of priests to predict andprepare for the natural calamities such as cyclones faminesflood and heavy rainfalls They were often referred to asForecasting of Future During such times various types of

prophecies were inferred by deciphering various birdcalls theirbehaviour nesting location and feeding patterns According tosome mythological beliefs crows act as a good forecasteramong birds and are also indicators of good or bad omens(Jadav 2004) Some of the well-known inferences from variousproverbs are as follows

1 A crow builds its nest on eastern side of a tree on topbranch in the month of May - Heavy rainfall good quality ofcrop and a good omen for any religious ceremony

2 Nest on western side of a tree - Better rain and bettercrop-yield but grave epidemics

3 Nest on top canopy of a tree - Moderate rain4 Nest in middle canopy of a tree - Insufficient rainfall and

scarcity of water5 Nest on north or north-west side of a tree Overall good year

6 Crows search for food in dust instead of open grounds andgarbage - Hike in prices of cereals crops grains and othercommodities

7 Crow gives harsh calls from a dry tree Insufficient rain

and scarcity of water8 Nest on south-east corner of a tree - Famine starvation

water crisis food shortage and theft of eatables and othercommon commodities

9 Nest on the stem of a tree instead of its branch - Scantyrain paucity of water spreading of some contagiousdisease and theft of livelihood goods

10 Nest on north-west corner of a tree - Possibility of cycloneshurricanes and thunderstorms increase in population ofrodents in houses and crop-fields scarcity of food fodderfuelwood and fiber

11 Nest on south-east corner of a tree - Late arrival of monsoonwith cyclones and storms with low rainfall famine robberyand mass-scale war Cover Jungle Myna (Acridotheres fuscus) Probably every

Indian knows either one or other of our two common mynas Junglemynas perch in pairs or trios on their favorite trees or walk along theground with rapid determined steps stopping occasionally to preenor bob heads stiffly to utter warning notes Throughout the daymynas maintain a varied rollick of high pitched grackles or pleasantliquid notes to express their diverse moods such as delight fearresentment or anguish Being omnivores they feed on grubs fruitsgrains crumbs and morsels They nest in tree holes cracks inwalls chimneys and thatched roofs Mynas at times are branded asreckless usurpers of the nests of other birds Photo S Shreyas

Address for Correspondence

Newsletter for BirdwatchersNo 10 Sirur Park B Street SeshadripuramBangalore 560 020 India Tel 080 2356 1142 2346 4682E-mail ltnavbaratgmailcomgtPrinted and Published bi-monthly by S Sridhar atNavbharath Enterprises Seshadripuram Bangalore - 560 020 IndiaFor Private Circulation Only

12 Nest towards the south - Epidemic and battle among localtribes

13 Nest on dome of temple old fort crematorium or flat ground- Heavy drought deadly epidemics robbery and anarchy

14 Nest on dead or dry tree - Political dilemma dispute amongbaronets and large-scale destruction of crops due to heavyflood

15 Crow gives frequent calls in front of the door Brings prestige

and wealth to the owner of that house16 Crow sits on top of the front door with rigorous flapping -

House will be damaged by fire within a week17 Crow sits on latch or hanging garland of the door and call

erratically with sideways movement of its body - Owner ofthat house and his neighboring person will be wealthierwithin a short period

Thus behaviour calls display feeding patterns nestinglocations and other allied activities of crows form an integralpart in lives of many village inhabitants of Gujarat State Similartypes of literature hunt associated with field trials on callingpatterns behaviour nesting sites and feeding practices in otherbirds also would be an additional adage and will be a goodsubject for methodical evaluation of these beliefs in future

ReferenceJadav J (2004) Crows The Forecasters of Future In The Pearls of

Folklore Gujarat Samachar (18th July 2004) Sunday Supplement P 3

Distribution map of Oriental Darter Dot sizes are proportional tothe maximum species counts between 1997-2001

Source Numbers and distribution of waterbirds and wetlandsin the Asia-Pacific region Results of the Asian WaterbirdCensus 1997-2001 Wetland International Kuala Lumpur Malaysia