The weak monsoon over Bengaluru and other parts of the state has hit the annual bird migration. The warblers which arrive in the city by mid-August have given a miss this year. It’s September already and there are no signs of the greenish leaf warbler, which are the first migrants. Bird watchers are also worried over the delayed arrival of booted warblers and Blyth’s reed warblers which usually also arrive during August. So far only the wagtails have been reported and by October-November the ducks, flamingos and gulls will start arriving in Bengaluru and other parts of the state.
The break in monsoon during July also delayed the sowing season for many crops. Bird experts say that many migrants require insects for their young ones in the fields. If the sowing is delayed, it’s possible that the migrants will arrive slowly. “Annual bird migration is an important part of the life cycle of the birds that live in the higher altitudes. During snowfall, these birds fly towards parts of South India in search of favourable habitats. There are also numbers of local migrants such as flamingos, storks and pelicans that nest in Bengaluru during this period of the year. Already a flock of pelicans has been recorded at Hebbal Lake,” said Mr Harish R. Bhat, a bio-diversity expert.
Mr Santosh Murthy, a regular bird watcher in Bengaluru, feels that every year the arrival and departure of migrant birds keep changing depending on the local environment. “If we had lesser rains in Bengaluru it’s possible that the aquatic birds might choose some other water body away from Bengaluru. At the backwaters of Alamatti Dam and Ghataprabha Dam we even recorded flamingos and bar-headed geese. But their arrivals differ every year,” he noted.