Nellore: Even as the district administration is gearing up to conduct the popular Flamingo festival at the end of the year from December 27 to 29, the arrival of migratory birds is very disappointing this year. The situation has been attributed to deficit rainfall and dried up tank at Nelapattu Birds Sanctuary.
The festival is organised every year from more than a decade to mark the arrival of migratory birds to their winter sojourn from all parts of the country and also from Siberia. In fact, the Nelapattu Birds Sanctuary is wearing a deserted look due to lack of water in the tank.
Located in an area of 458.92 hectares, the sanctuary is an important breeding site for spot-billed pelicans apart from white ibis, open bill stork, night heron, and little cormorant. Other migratory water birds that visit the sanctuary include pintail, common teal, dabchick, shoveler, coot, spot-bill duck, grey heron, darter, black-winged stilt, and garganey gadwall.
The favourite spot of pelicans for nesting is the dry evergreen Barringtonia trees that grow in flood condition and found in the 83 hectare Nelapattu tank.
In fact, it is a delight to watch the hundreds of pelicans and other birds sitting on the branches of Barringtonia trees feeding their tiny ones.
However, there is hardly any pelican seen this year especially at Nelapattu though there are some in Pulicat Lake. The turn up for birds is only 25 per cent so far this year.
According to Divisional Forest Officer (Wildlife) B. Chandrasekhar, the winter season used to witness nearly 1.8 lakh-2 lakh birds every year and their number is around 25,000 as of now. This includes 3000 odd flamingos, apart from painted storks and egret among others.
One of the reasons for pelicans avoiding Nelapattu is lack of safety for nesting on the trees in the absence of water around the trees, where they nest, in the tank. Referring to water released from Telugu Ganga to the tank in Nelapattu, he expressed hope in filling the tank in next 10-15 days.
Mr Chandrasekhar said they are posting nature guides equipped with binoculars at the bird watch towers along the road abutting Pulicat Lake from Sullurpeta to Sriharikota (SHAR) for the benefit of the visitors coming for the Flamingo festival.
