Young bird enthusiasts stick posters in Valparai welcoming migratory birds
Coimbatore: During the coldest part of the northern hemisphere, many birds travel south of the equator to temperate lands like India in search of prey and breeding grounds. This has been eloquently described even during Sangam Era.
Many migratory birds can be seen in India during the months of August-September every year. It can be found in Kodiyakkarai, Rameswaram, Madurai, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli Kundan Lake, Pallikaranai Swamp, Vedanthangal, Vaduvoor, Vettangudi, Pichavaram, Muthupet in Tamil Nadu.
Then 7–8 months later in March-April they travel north again to breed. Not all the nesting birds in our lands are from abroad as many people think. But migratory birds are birds that travel long distances from other parts of the earth and return to where they came from. These can be called guest birds as they come to our town.
The Gray Wagtail (Montacilla cinerea) is a migratory bird that is widespread in southern India. It can be found in hilly areas, near water bodies and even on the side of the road. Always wagging its tail up and down, actively looking for prey, it comes from beyond the Himalayas and they feed on the insects here and protect our environment.
In addition to this, Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica), Blue-Tailed Bee-eater (Merops philippinus) many species of waterfowl are migrating to South India.
To celebrate these and to let everyone know about these birds, a group of young bird enthusiasts in the Valparai area stuck posters at various places in Valparai to celebrate the arrival of a small migratory bird called the Gray Wagtail.
All of them are alumni of schools and colleges in Cincona and Valparai. They shared these posters and a short video about the gray wallet on their Instagram page.