Aim and shoo

WATCHING BIRD WATCHERS

A group of ornithologists from Karnataka is keeping an eye on how bird watchers in and around Hesaraghatta lake are ruining the habitat for birds. Rare birds are often chased and cornered by a group of photographers till the avians are tired, writes Atula Gupta.

It is still not dawn at Hesaraghatta lake — an almost dried water body 30 km north west of Bangalore and home to almost one third of the birds found in the vicinity. But enthusiastic avian fans are already flocking the area armed with bulky cameras and with a desire to see and click some beautiful migratory birds.

What they do not see is the numerous dirt tracks created by their two and four wheelers, crisscrossing around the entire surrounding. With their sight on the birds, the overzealous fans seem to overlook that somehow their visit is creating a negative impact on the ecology habitat and eventually the birds they love so much. Bird watching is nothing less than an addiction. To quench the desire to sight a rare bird, avian addicts can travel to the end of the world to photograph this kind. But a group of expert ornithologists from Karnataka are questioning the practice. It is not the love for birds that is disturbing, but the over-enthusiasm of birding that is frequently stealing the peace and quiet time of the birds and also ruining the floral terrain of their homes.

Eying the bird-watchers

Seshadri KS and his team of fellow researchers have been observing how Hesaraghatta lake, under the Minor Irrigation Department of the Government of Karnataka has become a popular destination among bird watchers. What is worrying is that the traffic around the pristine lake ecosystem is increasingly ruining the habitat for the birds. More so if there is a rare bird sighting.

“The situation in Hesaraghatta lake area has aggravated with rare birds like the European Roller or the Pied Harrier being chased and cornered by 15-20 photographers till it is tired. This problem has persisted for over four years since it was first highlighted in 2009,”observed the researchers.

To assess and document the impacts visitors may have on the ecology of the habitat of Hesaraghatta lake, the team counted the number of vehicles coming into the area from morning till noon. The damage to the vegetation was mapped by studying the track length and breadth left by each vehicle. They also used an improvised rope line transect method to gauge the amount of damage done to vegetation around a particular area.

They found an average 20 vehicles per day were present at the birding site. The highest number of four wheelers was counted on a day that had a rare bird sighting — the European Roller (coracias garrulus). The bird kept shying away from the prying eyes, but the persistent chasers tracked it down again and again. The irritated Roller subsequently relented and rested at a spot, too tired to fly away it seemed.

The researchers also found average damage to vegetation was 27%. This means that every time a vehicle drives over natural vegetation, an average swath of 1.62 m is damaged or lost.

This particular lake habitat is not just home to water birds, but also other species including the critically endangered lesser Florican. Numerous amphibians, reptiles, molluscs and insects, including the recently rediscovered Lilac Silverline Butterfly too have been recorded in this habitat.

What the study points, therefore, is that the trampled grounds and over-enthusiastic birders are not just ruining an ecosystem but might be ruining their chances of spotting their favourite animals and birds too if they decide to permanently disown the sites for better, peaceful pastures.

Irresponsible eco-watch

Some conservationists feel that increasingly, the fine line between peaceful nature lovers and persistent stalkers is being crossed by many birders, wildlife watchers, professional photographers and even researchers. The booming eco-tourism industry too is partly responsible for the rise of insensitive tourism.

When Sudha Ganapathi, an avid traveller found herself amidst an enthusiastic group of bird watchers on her way to Jaisalmer, she could not help but be lured into the fascination of bird-watching. The attraction were the Demoiselle cranes, which migrate to a village called Khichan in Rajasthan to escape the harsh winters of Eastern Europe.

But minutes after the group spotted the gathering of the cranes near a distant lake, few fellow travellers decided to get closer to the shy birds. Sensing their approach, in less than three minutes, the cranes flew away, leaving a distraught gathering fuming over the lost opportunity because of a handful of overly ambitious bird-watchers.

Sudha adds, “The local who had pointed out the site of the cranes said rather mournfully that the cranes would not return for an hour or so or till they felt it was safe for them to do so.”

Recently, the Naliya grasslands, habitat of the Great Indian Bustard, were declared off-limits for visitors from April to October by the state forest department of Gujarat.  This is to allow the birds some alone-time so they can breed in peace. The ban came to be when foresters found that some people — especially some photographers —were getting too close for comfort and disturbing the breeding birds.

The first lessons of birding given to any debutant is to embrace silence, wear dull coloured clothes that mingle with the natural surroundings and try not to disturb the habitat or the bird they are observing in any way. It is time perhaps that the ABC’s of birding are revisited by professionals again. The birds will be happy to share their private living space only if the decorum of an observer does not turn into the impudence of an intruder.