Organisations near waterbodies in Chennai turn gracious hosts to winged visitors

Pelicans in Pulicat lake
| Photo Credit: JOTHI RAMALINGAM B

Birds sometimes occupy the liminal space between a wetland and a human-fiefdom — a phenomenon common in cities, particularly those susceptible to suburban sprawl. Without regulation, this space usually becomes blurred, and may even allow anthropogenic activities to make inroads into the wetland.

On a positive note, sometimes organisations plonked on this space make it avian-friendly. And their presence on the periphery of the wetland may even insulate it against abuse.

NIOT: Nest assured

Established in 1993 under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) in Pallikaranai develops technologies that find application in ocean-related activities. Contiguous with the Pallikaranai marsh, the sprawling NIOT campus attracts “visitors” who bypass the stringent checks at the gates, without evoking as much as a squawk of protest. When these visitors finally “leave”, they leave with their numbers increased.

Arboreally-rich, the campus is turned into a maternity ward by a range of tree-nesting resident birds from the adjacent Pallikarani marsh. Through the year, the tall trees also serve as the perfect shack for birds to roost at night. With NIOT establishing a culture of protectiveness towards the breeding and roosting birds, employees know to leave these feathered creatures alone.

Spotbilled pelicans and painted storks of Pallikaranai marsh outside the NIOT campus.
| Photo Credit:
SUNDARAVEL PALANIVEL

KVRK Thirunaranan of The Nature Trust, which works with the Forest Department to document the avian life at the Pallikaranai marsh and its peripheries, notes that for around 10 years now, avian data from NIOT is being gathered and documented here. The numbers go into bird counts for the region.

“The bird species breeding in Vedanthangal are found breeding here too,” says Thirunaranan. The spot-billed pelican, the Eurasian spoonbill, the painted stork and the black-headed ibis are notable among the birds that enact the magic of regeneration on this campus.

By offering a breeding space, the campus has particularly contributed to how the spot-billed pelican has become entrenched in Chennai.

TS: Wood and water

With dense greenery, largely consisting of tall trees, the Theosophical Society (TS) campus is the right foil for the Adyar Estuary. There are waterbirds that have a direct and strikingly noticeable connection with water. And there are those birds that switch between wood and water facilely — kingfishers are a ready example; and even the migratory blue-tailed bee-eater, which is often seen sitting on a perch overlooking a wetland, doing sorties and taking insects on the wing — and the TS environment is a showcase for such species. The contrast provided by TS has ensured eclectic checklists for the citizen science platform eBird.

Spotted owlet at Theosophical Society in
| Photo Credit:
GANESAN V

Not too far from the Broken Bridge, a copse of trees within the Theosophical Society has hosted interesting winter visitors. With every sensational sighting, the footfall outside that compound wall has increased, in what is best described as a local variant of the Patagonia picnic table effect. Fortunately, a number of birders that hoof it to the now-overbirded space do share the data to further the cause of citizen science. Found in iron-clad isolation, the TS campus offers a protection to mangroves lining the estuary.