The faunal diversity at the Bhavanisagar backwaters near Sirumugai was garlanded with a visit of a pair of King Vultures adding to the richness of the ecosystem in the area.
The pair of vultures also known as the Red Headed Vulture (sarcogyps calvus) was spotted at Zero Point on the backwaters of the Reservoir near Pethikuttai by R.Nidhyan Maniarasu, Assistant Executive Engineer of the Public Works Department last week. The area falls under the Sirumugai Forest Range of the Coimbatore Forest Division.
Nidhyan also photographed the birds that were feeding on a deer carcass.
Being one of the major indicators of a healthy forest, Vultures had shifted their permanently to the areas adjoining Moyar valley in Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve and regions nearby.
Since the areas provide less anthropogenic pressure compared to other regions and better opportunities for scavenging with more wildlife population, the birds seemed to have resorted to exploiting the areas fully avoiding the Coimbatore division.
However, with the landscape at the Bhavanisagar backwaters changing rapidly with the water level at the reservoir, large congregations of animals are being continuously spotted at the area.
One can spot elephants, deers, gaurs in large numbers. Flesh eating mammals including Dhole, Tigers, Leopards and Spotted Hyenas were also frequently spotted in the area clearly indicating the growth of that ecosystem.
The addition of Vultures, especially the Kings, are certainly a positive sign for the department who had earlier planned to convert the place into a eco tourism hot-spot earlier.
The pair of vultures also known as the Red Headed Vulture (sarcogyps calvus) was spotted at Zero Point on the backwaters of the Reservoir near Pethikuttai by R.Nidhyan Maniarasu, Assistant Executive Engineer of the Public Works Department last week. The area falls under the Sirumugai Forest Range of the Coimbatore Forest Division.
Nidhyan also photographed the birds that were feeding on a deer carcass.
Being one of the major indicators of a healthy forest, Vultures had shifted their permanently to the areas adjoining Moyar valley in Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve and regions nearby.
Since the areas provide less anthropogenic pressure compared to other regions and better opportunities for scavenging with more wildlife population, the birds seemed to have resorted to exploiting the areas fully avoiding the Coimbatore division.
However, with the landscape at the Bhavanisagar backwaters changing rapidly with the water level at the reservoir, large congregations of animals are being continuously spotted at the area.
One can spot elephants, deers, gaurs in large numbers. Flesh eating mammals including Dhole, Tigers, Leopards and Spotted Hyenas were also frequently spotted in the area clearly indicating the growth of that ecosystem.
The addition of Vultures, especially the Kings, are certainly a positive sign for the department who had earlier planned to convert the place into a eco tourism hot-spot earlier.