CHENNAI: A two-day synchronised bird census in wetlands across the TN coast will begin on Friday.
The census, chief wildlife warden Shekhar Kumar Niraj said, is aimed at finding the number of species and the number of birds migrating to the state in winter. It will also be used to obtaining a baseline data on the approximate waterbird population in the state that can be used to compare the population trends during different years.
This is the first time a census on wetland birds close to coastal areas including Pulicat in Tiruvallur district, Pallikaranai in Chennai and Kovalam creek in Chengalpet is being done. The guidelines for the census say there is no restriction in the number of teams of volunteers participating, with each team having 3-7 members. One member will note down the count and another will photograph congregation of birds and their diversity. There will be no additional time for photography as they have to cover a large area. The third team member will note down the coordinates, using GPS, at the start and end of each day. The first phase is for coastal wetlands and the second for inland terrestrial birds for which dates will be announced soon, Shekhar said.
A surveying team encountering a large flock will need to make an initial approximation quickly as the birds may anytime move to the next site. It will need to note the occurrence of different species, before taking the actual count.
