The usual calm of the Pulicat Lake was drowned in a relentless chorus of camera clicks on Sunday as birdwatchers flocked to witness migratory birds take flight on the last day of the annual Flamingo Festival.
People watched in awe as over three lakh birds converged at the lake, including over 40,000 flamingos, with officials saying that the number of arrivals this time had risen compared to previous years.
Visitors appreciated the arrangements at Sullurpeta, Nelapattu, Atakanithippa and Bhimunivaripalem and got to know about the flora and fauna of the coastal lagoons in detail.
Painted storks, Large and Little egrets, Grey pelicans, Grey herons and water birds like Northern pintails, Black-winged stilts, Northern shovellers, Common teal, Seagulls, Terns, Sandpipers, and Common coots arrived in large numbers at the lake, which is the second largest brackish water ecosystem in the country after Chilika Lake in Odisha. Apart from being a favoured destination for winged visitors, Pulicat Lake also supports a rich biodiversity and high biomass of fishes, prawns, crustaceans, coelenterates and planktons.
Migratory bird species visit the sanctuary year after year and their numbers soared in view of congenial weather condition this year. The birds that were spotted included cormorants, White ibises, Spoonbills, Egrets, Reef herons, Spot-billed ducks, Northern shovellers, Northern pintails, Sandpipers, Gulls and River terns.
The Forest Department arranged binoculars for nature lovers to view the birds in action and screened educative films on snakes and birds to enable people to know more about the habitat of the winged visitors. Birds from foreign lands arrived well in advance since September this year and are expected to stay till March-end to raise their offspring before returning to their homelands.
Pulicat and its surroundings are also home to invertebrates like prawns, planktons, coelenterates, annelids, molluscs, echinoderms, and reptiles like monitor lizard, cobra, Russell’s viper, and Indian krait, and schools of fish like Sable fish, Sargin fish, White, Black and Silver pomfret.
Environment Minister Balineni Srinivasa Reddy released an informative booklet on the natural habitat of terrestrial and aquatic birds. Cultural programmes were organised to entertain the tourists who had come different parts of the country as well as from other countries.
Snake shows were organised at Nelapattu and Atakanithippa. Kabaddi and volleyball competitions were organised for local youths.
