Low bird count in Kole wetlands in Thrissur worry birders

Alarming decline in bird species at Kole wetlands of Thrissur leaves enthusiasts puzzled, calls for further research.

The plummeting number of ducks, Openbill Storks, Grey-headed Swamphen, and Whiskered Terns in the Kole wetlands of Thrissur has left bird enthusiasts baffled.

The recently concluded annual water bird count revealed an alarming drop in the number of birds from these species.

Only around 1,000 terns were spotted in the wetlands, a sharp decline from nearly 10,000 in previous years. This year, only 576 swamphens were found, down from about 3,000 in past counts. While the number of Openbill Storks dropped significantly, the number of Painted Storks went up significantly. As many as 55 Openbill Storks and 261 painted ones were spotted during the exercise, according to birders.

“The reported low availability of feed and habitat changes may have influenced the presence of birds in the Kole wetlands. The decline in numbers, as revealed in the latest bird count, calls for extensive studies,” said P. O. Nameer, State coordinator of the Asian Water Bird Census.

Birders covered 11 major spots during the survey. Species spotted included the Peregrine Falcon, Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler, Richard’s Pipit, Greater Spotted Eagle, Indian Spotted Eagle, Black-capped Kingfisher, Indian Thick-knee, Curlew Sandpiper, Eurasian Curlew, Ruddy-breasted Crake, Cinnamon Bittern, and Grey-headed Lapwing.

Malik Fasil, Arjun Suresh, Abhin M. Sunil, and Manoj Karingamadthil spoke during the inaugural session.