Rampant constructions in Thane drive migratory birds away: Experts

Last year’s extended monsoon and the delay in arrival of winter have hit the migration pattern of winter birds in the wetlands of Thane this season.

Last year’s extended monsoon and the delay in arrival of winter have hit the migration pattern of winter birds in the wetlands of Thane this season.

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Climate changes and construction activities in Thane, have driven away birds such as waders, flycatchers and eagles from the city early this year, said bird lovers in the city.

The recent figures published on www.ebird.org, a website which keeps the statistics of birds provided by bird-watchers worldwide, show that 2,700 birds of 135 species were spotted within Thane this winter.

The number is dismal compared to 3,855 of 147 species that were spotted in February 2019.

Since December, migratory birds start arriving in the city from extremely cold places across the world and leave after March.

In November 2019, a total of 2754 birds were spotted during the bird count conducted by Enviro-Vigil, which regularly conducts such events in Thane.

Avinash Bhagat, an avid bird watcher and expert with Enviro-Vigil, said, “On an average from 2013 to 2019, we spotted around 252 species of birds in the city. However, in the past two bird counts in 2019, there has been a drop in the number of bird species. While February saw 147 species of birds, it dropped to 142 species by November. The most recent count of this month published on eBird shows presence of 135 species in Thane.”

One of the species that left the city early this year was black-tailed godwit.

He said, “In this bird count, we spotted a flock of more than 800 black-tailed godwits near Thane creek in the west of the city. These are endangered species due to the lack of breeding habitat. The birds were not spotted in the city in February.”

Thane creek is one of the popular habitats for migratory birds during winter. The Parsik hills on the eastern side of the city and the creek on the west, dense forests of Yeoor hills and the many lakes have attracted many species over the years.

However, in the past two years, rampant construction activity and climatic conditions have confused the migratory birds. Construction of residential complexes, ongoing Metro works, road works and many developmental works have contributed to the decrease in birds this year.

Shyam Ghate, bird watcher and nature enthusiast from Thane, said, “With the continuous construction works in the city, birds find it difficult to nest on tree tops. The constant noise and pollution make it difficult for them to survive. Migratory birds often visit from northern India, Europe and Siberia. They come here to escape the extreme cold conditions and when they find changes in their habitat, they opt for new spots.”

Recently, the forest department along with NGOs conducted a survey of trees along the Metro 4 project in Thane. They found nests on the trees but they were empty. Bird experts said that nesting becomes difficult amid construction activities.

Prathamesh Desai, co-founder of Birds of Thane and Raigad, said, “The delay in winter must have forced migratory birds to shift elsewhere with better climatic conditions. They might have migrated to unexplored areas. It will take a few years of bird watching and research to understand the change in location choices of migratory birds and its reasons.”

Bird species such as waders, flycatchers and eagles too left early, said the bird expert.

“Although we are yet to figure the exact data, birds such as black-tailed godwit and grey francolin are rarely spotted at their usual site in Thane but the Rufous Bellied hawk eagle is a species that is common in forest areas like Yeoor as it is a forest species but since last two years it is spotted in Mumbra hills, away from its natural habitat. This could be due to the construction activities,” said Darshan Thakkar, bird watcher and nature enthusiast from Thane.