The two-day annual synchronised bird census to enumerate terrestrial birds began at Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary in Nagapattinam Forest Division on Saturday.
Sources in the Forest Department said the two-day exercise began on Saturday in which field-level staff, who were given special training and were equipped with binoculars and data sheets, visited various locations of the sanctuary and in adjoining villages, including Kodiyakkarai and Kodiyakkadu villages of the Vedaranyam Forest Division.
The field-level staff of the department were accompanied by bird enthusiasts, volunteers from non-governmental organisations, students, teachers, and a group of members from the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).
B. Ayub Khan, Forest Range Officer, Vedaranyam Range, said some of the important bird species spotted include greater painted snipe, lesser whitethroat, and jungle prinia. The thick vegetation in the sanctuary and the large-scale presence of fruit-bearing species of trees provide a favourable environment for terrestrial birds.
The department has planned to conduct one more session to enumerate terrestrial birds in other areas of the forest divisions on Sunday. In January last week, the department conducted the synchronised wetland bird census in the Nagapattinam forest division. The exercise was conducted in 18 locations, including the Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary, which is a Ramsar site, and tanks in Thalainayar, Perunthottam, Thirumullaivasal, and Vettaikaraniruppu, which falls under both Nagapattinam and Mayiladuthurai districts.
