Bird ringing in Point Calimere

I recently completed a yearlong Online course in Ornithology offered through Bombay Natural history society. During the course, I had the good fortune of visiting Bird migration study centre at Point Calimere and interacting Dr Balachandran, Deputy Director, BNHS. Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary (PCWBS) is a 21.47-square-kilometre (8.29 sq mi) protected area in Tamil Nadu, South India along the Palk Straight where it meets the Bay of Bengal at Point Calimere at the southeastern tip of Nagapattinam District. The sanctuary was created in 1967 for conservation of the near threatened blackbuck antelope, an endemic mammal species of India. It is famous for large congregations of waterbirds, especially greater flamingos.^[1] Bird Migration Study Centre was started in 2009 is involved in Research and Conservation of migratory birds. Bird Migration Study Centre located in Point Calimere, Tamil Nadu is a brainchild of Dr. S. Balachandran, Deputy Director, Bombay Natural History Society. The first ever bird migration project in India was started in 1950s by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS)[2].

Bird ringing or Bird banding is the attachment of small, individually numbered metal or plastic tag to the leg or wing of a wild bird to enable individual identification.[3] Bird ringing is being done primarily to study the migratory patterns of birds.  Bird ringing is happening at four locations in India at present – Point Calimere (Tamilnadu), Chilka Lake (Orissa), Uran (Mumbai, Maharastra) and Pong Dam (Himachal Pradesh) Point calimere is a permanent Ringing station in India.

Let us look at the process of Bird ringing in detail.

Bird Capturing:

Birds are captured using a variety of techniques like claptraps and mistnets. Former bird trappers work closely with BNHS scientists, deploying their traditional skills for research. Knowing where to set traps, and selecting the right method for the species being targeted, is crucial for success. Leg-hold snares work well with waders such as sandpipers and godwits. Near invisible nets called mist nets work with some other species. A large proportion of the ringed birds were recaptured during subsequent seasons, proving that birds return to the same areas every year if conditions remain favourable. This is known as Philopatry [site fidelity].

Study and inference:

Once captured, the bird is studied if it is a juvenile or adult, if it is a male or female, the condition of the brood patch, the weight of the bird, the length of the beak, length of the shank,  length of tail feathers and length of the wing. The stage of moult of adult birds is also studied. All this information is collected in a datasheet. Some observations like the high number of juveniles in a give an indication that the breeding season has been a successful one and we can expect an increase in the number in that species. In addition, observation of adults and juveniles at the same time can indicate that there are two separate independent breeding populations. (This inference can be drawn from the established fact that juveniles usually migrate first and adults follow them).

Ringing:

Finally, an aluminium ring is being attached to the bird’s leg. The ring is engraved with a unique serial number and a short message – Inform BNHS. If it is an oceanic bird, the ring is attached to the upper leg (On large waders, the flags are usually both placed on the tibia On smaller waders one flag is placed on the tibia and one on the tarsus.) and if it is a passerine bird, the ring is attached to the lower leg.

Sometimes, even resident birds and local migrants are also ringed in order to determine their local migratory patterns and the duration of their lives. The rings are very light – less than 5% of the birds weight, and are designed to have no adverse effect on the birds – indeed, the whole basis of using ringing to gain data about the birds is that ringed birds should behave in all respects in the same way as the unringed population. The birds so tagged can then be identified when they are re-trapped, or found dead, later.

Release and aftermath:

The birds are released in their respective habitats so that they are not preyed upon. If the bird is recaptured anywhere in the world, the information is passed on to BNHS so that the research team can know of the migratory route of the bird. In addition, data collected over the years can let us know the changes in migratory patterns, success of breeding colonies, how long each bird lives and so on.

The role of a bird watcher:

Now, when you see a bird, watch it carefully, you too, may find one with rings. If you do pass the information to some senior birder in your area, you could help in bird conservation by doing your bit.

What to do when you find a tagged bird in India?[4]

Anyone who spots a shorebird with a flag or other colour markings, should please forward the following information:

1.           Name and contact address of observer(s):

2.           Species:

3.           Location (with latitude and longitude if available):

4.           Kinds of band(s) (metal ring/ flag/colored ring):

5.           Color and number of color band if observed:

6.           Position of bands:

·         Right or left leg:

·         Above the joint (type of marker / color):

·         Below the joint (type of marker / color):

7.           Date and time of observation:

8.           Number of birds of the same species spotted:

9.           Photo, if available, attached:

The above information can be sent or shared at:

1. Report the observation with any images obtained to Dr. S. Balachandran, Senior Scientist bnhsbala@rediffmail.com. BNHS maintains Indian ring recovery records and is the Key Banding Scheme Contact for India.

2. Wetlands International has developed a website to promote sharing of information on colour marking and satellite tracking of waterbirds. The key contacts for birds tagged in the Asia-Pacific region can be found on http://www.wetlands.org/listmenu.aspx?ID=325826a3-a72b-4763-86df-6fee3ab161dc

3. Additional tagging programme details are found at http://wetlands.tekdi.net/colorlist.php

4. For birds tagged in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, reports can be sent to Clive Minton at mintons@ozemail.com.au in case you cannot establish country of origin from lists such as are available at http://www.shorebird-network.net/leg-flags.html

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[1] Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary. (2015, April 18). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17:26, July 30, 2015, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Point_Calimere_Wildlife_and_Bird_Sanctuary&oldid=657074254

[2] Kumar, A. (2009, February 23). BNHS opens bird migration study centre at Point Calimere - The Times of India. Retrieved July 30, 2015, from http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/BNHS-opens-bird-migration-study-centre-at-Point-Calimere/articleshow/4171970.cms

[3] Bird ringing. (2015, July 10). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17:36, July 30, 2015, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bird_ringing&oldid=670873047

[4] K Sen, S. (2011, May 11). Birds of India: Migration and banding of birds. Retrieved July 30, 2015, from http://www.kolkatabirds.com/migration.htm