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Participation in Shendurney WLS– Butterfly Survey
Pavendhan A
[email protected]
Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary, situated in Kerala, conducted a faunal survey, especially on Birds, Butterflies and Odonates
between 27th and 29th of December 2019. We have participated in the last survey held here in the year 2017 too. This time
too a team from Coimbatore, comprising Nishanth CV, Ramanasaran H, Saravanan, Sravan Kumar K and I decided to
participate.
We have left Coimbatore on the night of 26th Dec and reached Tenkasi on the 27th morning. After a bit of refreshing, took the
bus to Shendurney via Senkottah. We reached the Shendurney WLS office on time. The opening meeting was held on the usual
efficient manner and luckily all of us from Coimbatore were assigned on the same camp and three more lady participants too
were added to our camp and team. We all left by the Sanctuary bus transport to reach our indented camp (the camp name is
withheld to maintain confidentiality as requested).
We have reached our camp and after a while, the team decided to explore the area nearby, and we decided to take a walk on
the eastern side with a forest department official. The birding activities were comparatively less. However, the butterfly
activities were good for the evening and we could tick 43 species in an hour’s time before the sunset. Rested for the day early
in anticipation for the tough days ahead.
On the next day morning, we spent some time on the nearby areas of camp, especially on the tall trees, looking for some
notable birding activities. Malabar Trogon and Malabar Pied Hornbills are the birds to note. We then left to have our breakfast
before setting up for the morning session of survey by 730 AM. The habitat was showing signs of a clear dry season and we
feared it will have an impact on our species count. Added to this is not much of fruiting and flowering trees/ shrubs around.
We walked on the same road as we went on the previous day’s evening. Scheduled coverage of distance is about 3 Km. But we
had a good long walk of about 5 Km on one way and on the return the same distance. By the time we reached our camp, it was
2 PM in the AN. With the dried up look of the forest, we were desperately looking for stream with running water where we
hoped to capture mud-puddling species. Unfortunately, all streams too dried up. The day ended with an overall tally of just
above 70.
On the final day, we need to cover only the morning session, as the concluding meeting was on the AN of the day. We had now
taken an opposite direction through a plantation, and then to long walk through core forests, especially through many bamboo
thickets. We were lucky to spot an evergreen patch and it was just a joy that we had suddenly hit some 10 species or so of
importance and interests. Our maximum time was spent here and then took a short, but a untidy path back to the camp. The
total had swelled to 80 plus species.
Common Rose, Common Mormon and Blue Mormon were the easily
visible and abundant swallowtails. All other species were represented by
only a very few specimens. Other notable species from this family include
Malabar Rose, Commo Mime and Malabar Banded Swallowtail.
Common Grass Yellow, Common Emigrant, Common Albatross, Common
Jezebel and Psyche were easily the most visible of Pieridae species. Other
species were just a few. Unfortunately, our search for the rare Nilgiri
Grass Yellow could not be met with success.
The dominant family was easily the Nymphalidae. Chocolate Pansy were
every where followed by Common Four-ring and Rustic. The other
Ypthima species Common Five-ring was just a few only in numbers.
Lemon Pansy, Glassy Tiger and Common Crow too were well represented.
Other important species spotted include Tamil Lacewing, Blue Admiral,
Grey Count, Clipper, Black-vein Sergeant, Commander, Small Leopard and
Malabar Tree Nymph.
The blues were definite disappointment but our sighting of Oriental Grass
Jewel was the first for the sanctuary. Important species include Dingy
Lineblue, Monkey Puzzle, Common Imperial, Yamfly and Indigo Flash.
Skippers were the least represented among the families with just handful
of sightings and those included Dusky Partwing, Common Small Flat and
Rounded Palm Redeye.
Indian Cupid - Everus lacturnus
PATTAMPOOCHI
A TNBS MAGAZINE
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