Birders document 138 species of avian in Manipal, raise concerns over habitat loss Mangaluru News – Times of India

Documenting the Purple-Rumped Sunbird during the event (pictured by Arun Prabhu)

UDUPI: Concern has been expressed by birders and conservationists over the drastic decline in the population of Indian cormorants in Manipal.
In 2019, as part of a road widening project, nearly four trees were felled near Tiger Circle, resulting in the death of at least 55 cormorants. Of the rescued birds, only four survived. The Indian cormorant, also known as the Indian cormorant, is mainly found along inland waters.
Sharing this information at the recently organized 12th edition of Manipal Bird Day by Manipal Birders and Conservation Trust (MBACT), MBACT Trustee Tejashwi Acharya expressed concern over habitat loss in case of forested patches and laterite grasslands. Of.
Birders documented 138 species from 13 different places in and around Manipal. 124 birders from across the state participated in this event. Some of the species recorded are Greater Painted Snipe, Black-naped Oriole, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Malabar Gray Hornbill, Indian Blackbird, Alpine Swift, Asian Fairy Bluebird, Brown-backed Needletail, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Booted Eagle and Eurasian Marsh Harrier.
The teams mainly covered 13 locations at Manipal End Point, Sarlebettu, Harga, Goliket, Shettibettu, Ishwarnagar, Dasharathanagar, Shantinagar, Dumping Yard, Indali and Manipal Lake.
Dr. Prabhakar Shastri talks about the history of birding in Manipal and the formation of MBC. Dr. Vrinda Lath presented a report on Cormorant.
Tejashwi was part of the study on cormorants conducted by Dr Vrinda Lath and Birder Rahul. He said that the decrease in the number of cormorants is worrying. “From about 400 nests found in trees near Tiger Circle, the number of nests after the completion of road expansion work went up to 190 before the start of road expansion. This year saw the biggest reduction in the number of cormorants. Of them, 12 have not returned to nest on trees in the area.”
Meanwhile, Ashwini Bhat, who started backyard birding during the COVID-19 lockdown, shared her experiences and tips on birdwatching. Rohit Rao talks on conservation and ethical photography.