31 of 105 ‘ringed’ migratory birds sighted in Maha
MUMBAI: Of 105 migratory water-birds that were ‘ringed’ or tagged as part of a Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) study at Akshi Beach in September 2019, 31 specimens were resighted at the same location during subsequent months, between October and December 2019.
At least two birds that were previously tagged in Mumbai, were also recorded at Akshi during the study period.
Bird ringing, also known as banding, is a well-established wildlife surveillance tool in which individual specimens are tagged with a small plastic or metal ring, make it easier for researchers to individually identify them.
Experts said this indicates that the Akshi beach, along with Alibag beach in the north and Nagaon beach in the south, is a crucial wintering ground for migratory birds, including at least two species that are globally threatened.
“We picked Akshi beach for this exercise because it is the only wetland outside of Mumbai that harbours such large congregations of migratory birds. We wanted to gauge the interconnectivity of these wetlands by seeing if birds visiting Akshi were also visiting Mumbai and vice versa,” said Tuhina Katti, a research scientist who worked on the study.
Virender Tiwari, additional principal chief conservator of forests (mangrove cell), said that the findings of the Akshi beach study are encouraging enough to commission more comprehensive bird-ringing studies in other areas as well.