The way we were
Disappearing Bird Life
In the early decades of the 20th century, the Great Indian Bustard, a rare birds species, was a regular visitor to Bangalore citv. So was the Lesser Florican, sighted at the turn of the century. Now both are not to be found as the wetlands and grassland they frequented for nesting have vanished.
Gandhinagar, Shankarapuram and Mavalli had vast areas of mango groves and their destruction and subsequent conversion into layouts sounded the deathknell for the Loras, White-Eyes, Garblers and Fly-catchers. These birds were attracted by the multitude of insect species which thrived in the groves. The Stone Curlew, which had made the area its home, was another victim.
Black Bucks were spot in Malleshwaram four decades ago. Today, one has to go either to Tumkur or Davangere. From an area of two sq kms in l537 to 6I sq km. in 1961, Bangalore has grown rapidly since then to occupy 360 sq. km. in 1994 and this has directly affected the habitation of birds such as Babblers, Resident Shirkes, the Redheaded Merlin and the Redstart.
A waterfowl census, carried out recently has indicated an alarming decrease. Ornithologists, wildlife experts and bird watchers warn that the situation may worsen if no action is taken immediately. Once dotted with vast open spaces, parks and tanks, Bangalore is now metamorphising into a concrete jungle.
Mr. Karthik, bird watcher, points out that over 20 per cent of the country's avians could be found in Bangalore. Besides, the city is perhaps the only one In the country where birds from the grasslands, shrubs and forests converged.
Host to a variety of avian species not found anywhere else, ornithologists point out that Bangalore attracts migratory birds from as far as the Himalayas and Central Asia. The abundance of tanks and water bodies gardens and parks are the primary reason.
123 species of birds:
Bird numbers and the pattern of species distribution has undergone a sea change since Kempe Gowda founded Bangalore In 1537. The area between Shivaganga and Domlur was covered in dense Jungle, host to 123 bird species. The Jungle Bush Quail, Wood shrike, White-Browned Bulbul, Crow Pheasant and Grey Partridge were regular denizens. Bangalore was also dotted with over 400 tanks and lakes but their degradation over the last three decades has ensured that only 130 remain. Of these, only 80 are worth preserving.
Systematic vandalism of tank beds and wetlands has pushed out several species of birds out. Ironically, efforts to clean tanks and lakes by weeding out shrubs, building bunds and walling them up has in a way affected. The hyacinth in tanks and lakes had favoured wetland birds such as the Purple Moorhen, Pond Heron and Cattle Egret. The filling up of the tanks and lakes to preserve the remaining tanks by cleaning the tank bed of shrubs and water hyacinth along with the conversion of paddy fields around the city has posed a major threat to these birds.
Walling up shore lines of tanks such as Sankey Tank and Ulsoor Lake is another retrograde step. Mr. Bates, an ornithologist, had sighted two Little Grebe nests near the banks In 1931. Another ornithologist, Mr. Worth, had sighted a Green Heron in 1953. But with the waters of these tanks getting stagnant and having been walled up, the species are not to be seen any more.
Indiscriminate quarrying in and around the city has affected nesting patterns. The Yellow Throated Bulbul, which preferred rocky places to roost, has fled to the outskirts. The bird is found nowhere except at the tri-junction of the States of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The move to introduce boating facilities in Hebbal lake will scare away the birds as was seen to happen at Madivala Lake. Experts worry that the two lakes could go the way of Yediyur Lake, which is almost `dead'. With layouts coming up on all its sides and with sewage flowing from the nearby areas, it has no inlet for fresh water. Nor does it have an outlet for that matter. No living form will visit a sewage cesspool.
The removal of bulrushes from the shores and tanks has hit the water birds. The shrubs provided an ideal nesting ground for the Streaked Weavers. Once cleared, as in Sankey Lake, these birds vanished. The Charadrid Waders, which once frequented Hebbal Lake, are no longer seen as the shore line has shrunk.
Hebbal Lake alone was home to over 70 species of water birds including 40 from the Himalayan and Central Asian regions. Incidentally, it was one of the three lakes founded in 1537 by Kempe Gowda. Constant inflow of sewage water and indiscriminate construction as affected is perhaps the formula that has destroyed Bangalore's birdlife.
