Greater flamingos give their traditional hotspots a miss, flock to Nemilichery lake

Chennai: With Greater flamingos slowly vanishing from traditional hotspots such as Pulicat and Point Calimere, Nemilichery Lake along East Coast Road has emerged as the resting place of around 400 of the iconic pink birds.District forest officials confirmed the flamingos' absence from both the Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh sides of Pulicat Lake in Tiruvallur district, a traditional hotspot. This came as the water resources department geared up to build a sixth reservoir at Nemilichery, raising questions about habitat pressures.
Further south, the numbers are dropping. Former Bombay Natural History Society deputy director S Balachandran, who was involved in ringing migratory birds at Point Calimere Bird Sanctuary in Vedaranyam, said there was a sharp drop in greater flamingo sightings this season. "The numbers here are very low compared to previous years," he said.The recently declared Greater Flamingo Sanctuary in Ramanathapuram also mirrored the scarcity. Wildlife warden Akhil Thampi reported no arrivals yet. "Last year, we recorded far fewer than in 2024. Even Thane Creek in Maharashtra sees delayed arrivals," he said, hinting at broader migratory disruptions possibly linked to climate shifts or food scarcity.Yet Nemilichery defied the gloom, drawing an astonishing 50,000 birds—migratory and resident alike. Birder K V R K Thirunaranan highlighted rare sightings such as the little tern, a seabird seldom seen inland, alongside more than 700 Brown-headed Gulls.Caspian Terns, Gull-billed Terns, and more Little Terns flocked in impressive numbers. Large flocks of ducks—garganey, northern shoveler, northern pintail, and Eurasian wigeon—added to the spectacle.What pulled this diversity? The lake's inter-tidal dynamics churned up abundant prawns, creating a feast that lured species year after year, Thirunaranan explained. Most migrants sported vibrant breeding plumage, signalling their imminent departure. "Within the next 25 days, they'll head back to northern breeding grounds," wildlife officials said.