The Flying Beauties

Few days ago as I was cleaning up my wardrobe, my hands fell on a “SAVE THE HORNBILL” branded T-shirt, which I have seldom worn since coming to the UK. Sighting of this T-shirt transported me back in memory to a Hornbill experience which was simply out of the world. This happened couple of years ago when information had flown in through our birding friends that a flock of Malabar Pied Hornbills can be sighted early in the morning at the Plantation Valley near Athirapalli. When we got this update, we quickly made our plans to do birding in that area for the coming weekend lest we miss out this opportunity.

Hornbills are one of the strange looking birds I have ever seen. It looks as if it has come out of the Jurassic era. And Malabar Pied Hornbills look even bizarre. This species measures 65 cm in length with a dark plumage all over, except a white patch on the belly & throat. What gives this bird a unique look is its large curved creamy yellow bill and a large black and creamy white casque.  The legs are covered with white feathers and the feet are bare and grey. And in flight they look magnificent just like their cousins – the Great Hornbill. The Malabar pied Hornbill species feast mainly on mostly fruits, berries, figs and sometimes small mammals, small birds, small reptiles and insects. Malabar Pied Hornbills are endemic to low elevation forests in limited locations of South India and Sri Lanka.

Sangeetha, a fellow TCSer friend volunteered to take us to the spot as she had been there an earlier weekend. Athirapalli was approximately 2 hour drive, to be precise 60 km, from Tripunithura where we stayed. When we started early morning from our home at half past four on 7^th March, it was pitch dark outside. Picking up Sangeetha on the way we reached near Plantation valley when dawn was about to break. We parked our car on the roadside and walked into the vacant grassland adjacent to  the Chalakudy River. This patch was an ideal spot for birding since we could see trees on all the four sides so any flight or movement could be easily sighted. Though there was not much birding activity l we could still see few Orioles, Bulbuls, Mynas, Bee-eaters, Drongos, Parakeets and crows flying around, endlessly chirping.

As we waited to see the grand spectacle of a flock of Malabar Pied Hornbill there, doubts crept into my mind as to whether these birds will give it a miss on a Saturday, just like we take time off from our work during weekends. But that was not to be.

At exactly 6.35 am, we heard the flapping of wings and the first Hornbill came into our view. It came and perched on a tree to our right, some 100 meters away. This was followed by a couple, then by few more hornbills.  Within a few minutes, the entire patch of land was reverberating with the screaming “rrraah..rrraah" sound not from 1 but at least 30 plus hornbills perched along the trees along the Chalakudy River. It seemed that the hornbills were gorging on fruits/figs from the tree or playing games with each other - or was it some morning ritual? I don’t know, but I have never seen such a sight until then.

Though I had seen Malabar Pied Hornbills on couple of occasions earlier, the air show by this flock was simply awesome. And for these five minutes I was transported to another world - hornbills flying from one tree to another, chasing each other and in the process entertaining us with this grand visual treat. I have read reports that we get absolutely stunning group sightings of this amazing bird in Dandeli in Karnataka which is surely in my birding agenda.

The early morning mist in the forest area prevented us from getting any great photographs. However my eyes captured each movement and is etched in my memory. I don’t know whether we will ever be able to see such beauty pageants in the years to come since there may be no more Malabar Pied Hornbills flying around in our forests. The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has categorized and evaluated the Hornbill species as "Near Threatened". The Athirappalli-Vazhachal forests are the only available nesting location for the threatened Malabar Pied Hornbills in Kerala. The umbilical relationship these birds have with this rain forest is now threatened due to the 163-MW Athirapalli hydroelectric project proposed by the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB). It is said that this project may affect 138 hectares of forest land which includes the high canopy trees where the Hornbills nest. Anyway, deforestation, human disturbance and, to a lesser extent, poaching in these forests have already created the imbalance in the biodiversity of the Western Ghats. And it seems we may now be nearing the 'Point Of No Return' for these stunning birds in Athirappalli-Vazhachal forests.

PS: My “Save The Hornbill” branded T-shirt is now ironed and ready, awaiting a sunny weekend for birding.