Winged visitors from afar return to Chennai’s wetlands as migratory season begins

The first signs of winter are arriving in Chennai, albeit not in the form of cooler mornings, but on wings. Birdwatchers across the city have begun spotting migratory species, signalling the start of another season for the movement of birds travelling thousands of kilometres to southern India.

At Pallikaranai marshland, K.V.R.K. Thirunaranan of The Nature Trust, which has been documenting birds in the marsh for over a decade, had a surprise this year with the early arrival of a grey-headed lapwing, a long-distance migrant from East Asia.

Mr. Thirunaranan said its arrival has usually been around the first week of October. But this year, it arrived on September 20, almost two weeks earlier than usual. Weather conditions, rainfall, food availability, and conditions along the migration route could have played a role, though the exact reason remains unclear, he added.

Terek sandpiper, lesser sand-plover, marsh sandpiper, and black-tailed godwit were also spotted at the marshland, which continues to face pressure from urbanisation.

At IIT-Madras, avid birdwatcher Prof. Susy Varghese has spotted paradise flycatcher, blue-tailed bee-eater, and booted eagle on the campus, which harbours considerable biodiversity.

At the Adyar estuary, birdwatcher Arun Pravin has recorded several shorebirds, including caspian terns, whiskered terns, Eurasian whimbrels, European roller, and common greenshanks. Some of these birds travel thousands of kilometres along routes spanning Northern Europe and Central Asia.

Further south, the Nemmeli salt pans have also come alive with bird activity. Birdwatcher Claudia Pinheiro, who recently visited the site with colleagues for a survey, said they recorded 56 species in just two hours. “Among the highlights was a huge flock of garganeys spread across the salt pans, and more than 600 greater flamingos were seen flying overhead, which was cool to watch,” she said.

Ms. Pinheiro is hoping for another special sighting this season — the Demoiselle crane, a rare visitor around Chennai.

The species was spotted near Nemmeli towards the end of last year’s birding season.