The ‘restaurant’ is getting filled up

With water at the Perumbakkam wetland dropping to levels acceptable for most species,  post-Michaung, it is blanketed in squawks and trills. With new inflows from various quarters due to monsoonal rains, the spread at the wetland has become wider. As a result, there is a feeding frenzy to be seen, particularly in the morning hours.

The migratory Northern pintail is a dabbing duck, one that shies away from deep waters. It likes the waters shallow so that it can upend itself and feed on floating plant matter. The water level at the Perumbakkam wetland is now just right for dabbling duck species like the Northern pintail to once again patronise it. In the days after Michaung, the dabbling ducks deserted the wetland as the water level was much too high for their liking.

The point where the earthen canal in the Perumbakkam wetland meet the culvert at Semmozhi Salai (a culvert that conveys water from the wetland to Okkiyam Maduvu) is now the site of artisanal and part-time fishing. Following Michaung that caused a confluence of waters from various parts, the wetland seems rich in tilapia and those given to part-time fishing are making the most of the situation. Inage taken on December 29, 2023.

The spoonbills gallop through their “breakfast” foraging with a vigour that suggests crustaceans and fish and other elements of their standard diet are fast disappearing off the shelves. And there is no replenishment of stocks in sight. On the morning of December 29, at the Perumbakkam wetland, after a quickfire breakfast, the spoonbills struck a posture of quiet, implying they had had their fill. And before one knew it, these birds receded from the waters, taking to the air. In contrast, the painted storks, slow and long feeders, were at their breakfast even as the morning was looking visibly old. In the early part of the morning, rafting spot-billed pelicans shared a “table” with the painted storks, each unintentionally helping the other find their food quicker as both employed their unique feeding styles.