Migratory birds have started arriving at the Point Calimere sanctuary on the Vedaranyam coast here with authorities taking extensive measures to ensure their protection following a steady decline in the number of the winged visitors.
The lagoons in this area with their rich fish population attract thousands of migratory birds from countries as far away as Siberia and other West Asian countries.
Sanctuary sources said this year about 40 bird species, including 20 terrestrial species, have arrived. Since the district has been registering good rainfall during the past two weeks after the North-East monsoon became active, ornithologists have predicted a considerable increase in the inflow of migratory birds in the coming days.
The variety of birds include the blue jay, egret, myna, drongo, brahmini kite, curlew, brown headed gull, flamingo, teal, black-tailed godwit, whiskered tern, the blue tailed bee eater, the red shank, little stint and the painted stork.
Last year, the decline in the number of flamingos was particularly sharp.
The sanctuary, situated in a sprawling 20 sq km area of dry evergreen forests, serves as an abode for a good population of black bucks, antelopes, chitals, feral horses, wild boars and about 250 species of colourful birds. The forest area was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1967.
The birds visit the sanctuary in the latter half of November and stay up to February or March every year.
As a precautionary measure, early this week, the wildlife department arranged for veterinary screening camps in the nearby villages to vaccinate cattle, goats and poultry to prevent any possible outbreak of disease in the migratory birds and vice-versa. They have also tightened patrolling in the sanctuary area to prevent poaching.