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| Thursday, 22 May 2003 |
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Today is International Biodiversity Day and World Migrant Bird Day Call of the birds and the dance of the flamingoes by Florence Wickramage
Silhouetted against the backdrop of a pink, orange, yellow and azure evening sky a flock of tall graceful white birds in a dance-formation trotted back and forth along the murky waters of the lagoon. On one side were waders dipping their beaks into the mud in search of food. All of a sudden a flock of birds rose into the air in unison, wings flapping and with a fading echo of distant bird-songs retired for the night within the branches of giant trees at the distance or among the bushes skirting the lagoon. The sun was setting over the Bundala lagoon and the dance of the Flamingoes ended drawing the curtain on an eventful evening. This is what I experienced in the Bundala National Park a couple of years back. The migratory season is on... and Flamingoes among several other species are regular visitors to our country. Thousands of birds of varied hues and sizes 'flying in' join the local bird community at their favourite 'holiday resorts' during this season. These birds fleeing harsh European winters arrive at our shores to bask in the warmth of tropical climates for well over six months. Bird watchers say that some migratory birds come in with juvenile birds and take refuge yearly at their favourite haunts. Migration Though a spectacular phenomenon in nature, bird-migration is clouded in mystery. There is a popular belief that the birds "navigate" during the night, taking their position and cues from the moon and the stars. During daytime they are said to follow the movement of the sun and watch out for familiar landmarks such as mountains, rivers, sea coast, valleys etc. Birds are highly mobile and among the swiftest living creatures. Flight gives them the power to move in any direction for as long as they have the energy to keep going. In each natural region of the world and in each country birds come and go with the seasons. Many take on arduous journeys to reach their destinations and many of them breed and spend their time in one place and return to their home-grounds for spring and summer. Birds visit our shores in search of food and migration has evolved as a way for birds to exploit resources that are seasonally abundant elsewhere when the resources become scarce during harsh winters. These compulsory journeys probably evolved over aeons of time and in response to fluctuations in weather especially the distribution and movement of ice sheets. They visit us Lying as the end point of a vast migration route of birds from colder climes, Sri Lanka has become one of their favourite locations. With the winter weather setting in European countries, birds start arriving here from around August. They leave behind them freezing temperatures, snow clad mountains, the cold earth and dark days resulting in food shortages. Therefore in search of sunshine, warm days and plenty of food the birds undertake their annual arduous journey traversing thousands of kilometres southward, braving fatigue, hostile conditions and the hidden poacher. The birds' migratory route is very interesting. Birds from Eastern Europe and perhaps some from Western Europe take the "Indo-Asian Fly Way", which is one of two migratory routes in the region. The Fly-way winds through the Himalayas and the Southern tip of India to Sri Lanka. On arriving in Sri Lanka most of the shore-birds take two different routes to arrive at their favourite `holiday resorts'. Some birds take the North-Eastern coast route, through similar habitats such as Jaffna, Chundikuli and Kokilai lagoons, Arugam Bay and Kumana group of lagoons to reach Yala, Bundala and Kalametiya on the South-Eastern part of the island. Other flocks of birds take the North-Western route, stretching along the sea coast Southward via lagoons, tidal mudflats, mangrove swamps of Mannar, Puttalam, Mundel and Muthurajawela marsh to reach the South Western sector of the country. The Bundala National Park is an unique area of picturesque lagoons and inter-tidal mudflats where wintering birds rest and feed; golden beaches and sand dunes frequented by nesting sea turtles and the thorny shrub jungle where elephant, deer and wild buffalo roam is a paradise for 149 species of resident and migratory birds. Forty five of these migratory birds are 'waders' frequenting the lagoons, tidal mud flats and salterns. A host of birds from Eastern Europe's `tundra' region of Siberia and from Rann of Kutch from neighbouring India are found in greater numbers in these regions. Among migratory birds are the Stints, Sand Pipers, Plovers, Terns, Gulls, Ducks and Flamingo who share the same area with resident water birds such as Herons, Egrets, Pelicans, Cormorants, Teals, Storks, Stilts and Grebes. A visitor to Bundala to watch migratory birds once wrote... "the most fascinating spectacle we beheld in the Bundala Lagoon was the vast conglomeration of flamingoes in which they indulged in a fantastic display of their serenade. In the groups we observed there were 500 to 600 flamingoes. It was a lively line up which was staged in single, double and treble files. It was akin to a march past of soldiers in a military parade, displaying their movements in about turns and forward turns. Some were parading in single file followed by others in double file as they moved towards the shore. Amidst them, there was a slow march, a trot and finally it turned into a dance like a foxtrot in forward and backward movements. They bunched together - then scattered in varied directions forward and backwards. The most striking was their about turns to go backwards and then turn again forward which movements were dramatized in an alternative fashion. This ensemble of flamingoes was a fiesta similar both to a serenade and march past of soldiers in a gallant parade." The Department of Wildlife Conservation issues a message to nature lovers. "Lagoons, estuaries, mudflats, mangroves, swamps and other wetlands are the major habitats utilized by the "Winter Visitors" during their stay with us. Let us therefore Conserve, Protect and Use these areas WISELY for our enjoyment and to ensure the survival of our 'visitors' and ours, as well". |
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