Mettur bounty woos birds to Vaduvur sanctuary

Thanjavur: Winged visitors have started arriving early this year at Vaduvur birds’ sanctuary on Thanjavur-Mannargudi road in Tiruvarur district-thanks to the copious showers in the catchment areas of Cauvery and release of water from Mettur dam, which has reached its full level twice, first on July 19.  Perched on the trees in the mounds created by forest department in the sprawling lake at Vaduvur, these birds chirp musically in the dawn and dusk, providing a rare sight to behold.

This is in striking contrast to what is going on in the delta now. People have been crying for water in some areas and demanding government to store water without wastage.

With respect to Vaduvur lake, desitling work was taken up and has been completed in half of the lake. As water has been released from Mettur dam, it has to be filled up.

The sanctuary accounts for 138 species of birds both migratory and domestic. “Normally birds will arrive only in September. This year they are well ahead and as desilting of the lake has also been done by PWD, which increased the water holding capacity of the lake,  we hope that birds will stay till April next year,” say bird watchers. 

“Climate is important for them. They migrate towards chill places and they sense chillness when once water is released from Mettur dam and water flowing in rivers, they come to the sanctuary. They prey upon biological organisms in the cultivable land around where water is used for cultivation and also in the lake,” said Dr K. Arivoli, district forest officer (DFO), Tiruvarur district. 

Nearly 20,000 birds visit the sanctuary every year. As per the census taken by the forest department on February 7 and 8, 2018, birds that visited the lake include darter, Indian cormorant, little cormorant, black crowned night heron, grey heron, Indian pond heron, purple heron, cattle egret, great egret, intermediate egret, little egret, Asian open bill, black headed ibis, common coot, northern shoeveller, hawk cuckoo, black shouldered kite, Besra, oriented honey buzzard, pied harrier, Common iora, hoopoe, spotted owlet, eagles etc.

“We expect all these birds to come this year also. Many of them arrived already; this time they may have a happy time, thanks to surplus water,” said Arivoli.

Some species come in large numbers while one or two are spotted in other species. For example 6,000 common coots were spotted in the census. 2,500 black-headed Ibis came to the lake, 4,000 northern shoeveller, 432 purple heron, 343 cattle egret, 320 Asian open bill, 300 black crowned night heron etc. But there were only three spotted owlet, two steppe eagle, two Booed eagle, two pied harrier and three besra. 

Forest department has made arrangements for night stay, watch tower and has taken up all measures to attract birds in the sanctuary. 

“Birds have started arriving at Udhayamarthanadapuram birds sanctuary near Muthupettai in Tiruvarur district also,” said Arivoli.

Vaduvur also has the famous Kothandaramaswamy temple. Lord Rama’s icon in this temple is said to be one of the most beautiful one like the ones at Thillaivilagam and Maduranthakam.