Chennai: Birders have reason to rejoice this migratory season. For the first time in 15 years of observations, birders spotted more than five white wagtails in the early months of the migratory season at Pallikaranai.Known for their thick black-and-white shading and constant tail-bobbing, birders say white wagtails are rarely seen more than once or twice a month in an entire season, spanning Oct to March. Their numbers have mostly hovered around two and only increased towards the end of the season in Feb, and that too rarely – data from The Nature Trust state. Birders have also gone without a single sighting in 2013-14.“The last recorded highest sighting was in 2024, when six birds were spotted. But that too towards the end of the season. The sighting has been minimal in every other year. However we have already recorded more than six in the beginning of the season. This has raised an exciting question and curiosity among birders on whether the numbers will increase further,” said K V R K Thirunaranan, founder, The Nature Trust, which has been observing the marshland in collaboration with the state forest department since 2012A few sightings were made in Nov too, said 18-year-old birder Shreyas Ramanan. “We saw one bird near the Indian Maritime University in the first week of Nov. A few birders also spotted the bird near Pallikaranai marshland too. Seeing the bird in the south itself is rare, as it is seen mostly in the northern parts of India. Birders generally have fun distinguishing the white wagtail from the white-browed wagtail,” he added.Wagtails are also a unique addition to Pallikaranai. Besides white wagtails, the marshland also has western Yellow, citrine, forest, and white-browed wagtails. Of these, only the white-browed wagtail is a resident bird.A senior forest officer said that the number of bird sightings could increase this year. “This shows that the environment has been conducive for the bird even as there has not been much monsoon. A good food source is also available for the birds here, making Pallikaranai an ideal destination for waders and migratory birds,” he added.
