Disappearing birds worry experts

The cause,be it global warming or local climatic changes,may be difficult to pin,but bird-lovers and ornithologists across Mumbai are sure about one thing...

The cause,be it global warming or local climatic changes,may be difficult to pin,but bird-lovers and ornithologists across Mumbai are sure about one thing,that many local birds including species like the Ashy Woodswallow and Red Spurfowl are disappearing fast.

Sunjoy Monga,who writes about and photographs nature and who recently organised the Mumbai Bird Race 2009,said while ecological reasons would appear to be at play,we are not very sure about the exact factors. But surely,some species do seem to be getting affected more than several others. Another common species that seems to be getting affected is the woodpecker and we are basing our comment primarily on general observations over the years.

Monga said that their observation clearly does point to a lessening number of woodpeckers in Mumbai.

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According to Mongas observations of the Mumbai Bird Race 2009,there is a dip in migratory birds visiting the city including the Blue-capped Rock Thrush,Black Redstart,Eurasian Oystercatcher,Ruddy Turnstone,Black Eagle and Tawny-bellied Babbler. These usually visit Mumbai between November and March.

Monga said,These are all migratory birds from the Himalayas and beyond. Some also come from Central Asia and others from Europe (Siberia, etc). On an average,these birds arrive sometime from mid-September to late-October and could stay here until about late-March to early-May.

Bid experts feel that it is difficult to attribute a particular reason to not sighting these species this year. It could either be a one-off trend in some cases. But,considering that several migrant species are not being sighted here despite having been regular in small numbers,there could be ecological reasons,including changing habitat quality.

Prashant Mahajan,an environmentalist and bird expert said,while in general,climatic changes and temperature fluctuations are causing a change in migratory bird behaviour,much cant be stated about Mumbais birds,since there has been no concrete study on the lines. However,there is speculation that with global warming,many migratory birds probably dont find the need to go on their annual flight.

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