KARWAR: Paddy fields of Hartuga and Kuchchegar villages near Kaiga Nuclear Power Plant have come alive with a rare view of varieti..
KARWAR: Paddy fields of Hartuga and Kuchchegar villages near Kaiga Nuclear Power Plant have come alive with a rare view of varieties of birds feasting during the monsoon.
The oriental white ibis (OWI), whose breeding and nesting season is from June to October, has been visiting these villages.OWI is a large wading bird, 75 cm high. Its snow white wings with dark head and legs and stout, low and down curved black bill make it an attractive bird. During flight it shows a blood redstreak under the wings.
The birds can be seen travelling along the Kali river searching for food by day, before returning to their habitat in the evening. K Puttaraju, scientific officer in Kaiga plant and an amateur wildlife photographer and naturalist, who sighted OWI at Hartuga village a few days ago, says this bird is included in IUCN Red Category List, as a nearly threatened species. "Besides large scale encroachment of forests, where these birds nest on tall trees, human disturbance to foraging and breeding colonies, poaching of blue coloured eggs and nests are other reasons for the drop in the population of these birds," he says.SIRSI: Thousands of egrets have migrated to Mundigekere at Khasapal village in Sirsi taluk. Besides egrets, little cormorants, common mynahs, jungle mynahs and black headed mynahs have been roosting and breeding here for the last one and half decades. Ornithologist P D Sudarshan Nyasargi says Mundigekere and Attiveri bird sanctuary in Mundgod taluk are the two spots in Uttara Kannada where egrets and little cormorants breed.Mundigekere is full of pandanus groves, ideal for egret nesting and breeding. The forest department, Sirsi, is constructing a 30-foot watchtower for bird watchers here. However, destruction of their wetland habitat and poaching of their nests for eggs are posing a threat to the birds.
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