In the winter of 2011-2012, I had the unique opportunity and privilege of being in Lake Chilika, Odisha, for a total of 40 days. While there were many resident and migrant birds to admire, Greater and Lesser flamingos, which used to be regular and abundant visitors to Nalabana Island inside Lake Chilika, were noticeably few. Population studies (done between 2001 and 2005 by scientists from the Bombay Natural History Society) show that around 5000 Greater Flamingos used to arrive until … Read More
Kaliveli Wetlands Endangered By Film Shoot
Kaliveli wetlands near the Puducherry (Pondicherry)-Tamil Nadu border, which sees the arrival of over a lakh migratory birds every winter, is facing threats from a film shoot that is using bombs. Four days of shooting of the Tamil movie “Vadhamalar” has been going on, and the crew is using water bombs as part of the sequences, creating a lot of sound and smoke. Cranes and rollers are also used along with the blasts. Students associated with the Indian Bird Conservation … Read More