Some rare avian species have been turning heads these days.
Would you believe me if I said that this is the first time in history that the
Arctic Tern turned up on the coast of Bombay? The last time it was seen in
India was in Ladakh at the turn of the century! (a hundred years ago!) These tiny
birds which weigh just about a kilogram or so are the only birds known to migrate
from pole to pole i.e. from the Arctic to Antarctica and back every year! On
their journey from their breeding grounds in the Arctic, they migrate south
through the Atlantic Ocean, often following the western coast of Europe and
Africa. They spend their winters in the Antarctic and on their journey back they
traverse through the Pacific Ocean, often passing by the western coast of the
Americas. They exhibit a phenomenon called "cross-hemispheric,
figure-eight migration pattern" or "great circle route". On this
zig-zag migration route they are known to cover almost about 70000 kms in one
year (that turns out to be nearly double of the earth’s circumference!)
India does not fall on their migration route. But, as it
turns out, the strong winds during the recent stormy weather in the Indian
Ocean, have blown these birds towards our coast. And with them a few other
pelagic birds who are normally seen only in the open seas.
As news trickled in, we (birders) started turning up at the
Sassoon Dock and other nearby coastal areas to get a glimpse of these uncommon
visitors. We were in for a pleasant surprise! There were terns galore! Besides
the Arctic Tern, the others that landed on our shores out of turn were
Saunder’s Tern, Bridled Tern, White Cheeked Tern and Common Tern. And then
there were the Lesser Noddy, Masked Booby, Lesser Frigate and Skua. All
pelagics that are found in the open seas.
As we walked into the crowded dock area or manoeuvered our
way through the narrow alleys of the slums or hopped onto a ferry to islands
off the Mumbai coast, we surely made heads turn! Camouflage clothing,
binoculars hanging around our necks and some of us with lenses that would put
machine guns to shame!
Turn by turn, on each visit over the past two months, we got
to see these rare beauties one by one.
As they use the wind beneath their wings on their long
journeys, strong winds often blow vagrants like these inland…. not unusual, as
it turns out to be!
When your world turns upside down, turn over and use it to
your advantage. That’s what these intelligent creatures are now doing. They
will rest, eat their fill to regain energy and then when the storm has settled,
they will take-off and start their long journey back to their pelagic homes. Or
perhaps they may wait for more of their ilk to turn up and then join them so
they can fly off as a flock. For the Arctic tern though, it’s going to be a long, long journey.
We wish them a safe flight back home…. But this time I can’t
get myself to say “see you again”…
All I can hope for is for them to stay safe in their homes
and grow their tribe. After all it is their tribe that will eventually turn out
to be the saviour of mankind!
Nivedita Kothare
(August-September 2024)
All my photos here are just for the record using my amateur
camera!
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| Arctic Tern |
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| Bridled Tern |
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| White-cheeked Tern |
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| Common Tern |
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