The Solitary Pelican

by October 8, 2013 Environment

Pelican Bay, California, USA is synonymous with solitary existence. In recent months, the Pelican Bay State Prison has been hitting the news, with inmates and social activists challenging the use of isolation to hold prisoners.

The residents of the Alahalli Lake neighbourhood in Anjanapura-JP Nagar 9th Phase, South Bangalore, have been spectators to solitary existence of a different kind. A real pelican has been observed in the lake for the past two weeks, and yes – all alone. Given its large size, it is difficult for the naked eye to miss.


Solitary Spot-billed Pelican at Alahalli Lake (Pic: Vikash Kumar)

Over the last couple of months, pelican sightings have been reported at several of the Bangalore lakes – from Hebbal and Jakkur in north Bangalore, to Agara, Madiwala and Kaikondrahalli further south.

The pelicans we see in Bangalore are Spot-billed Pelicans (Pelecanus philippensis), that are found in South Asia (including India, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand). They are not really “migratory”, but have been found to move between water bodies with trees where they can roost and rest, and where they can find enough fish to eat. According to ornithologist Dr S Subramanya, there are no known instances of pelicans nesting in Bangalore. With threats to their required environment, the species has rapidly declined and is currently classified in IUCN’s Red List as “Near Threatened”.


Pelican in flight at Alahalli Lake (Pic: Vikash Kumar)

Coming back to the solitary pelican at Alahalli Lake, maybe it wandered off and got separated from the rest of its flock. It probably has enough fish to sustain, and is enjoying the time away from family and friends, having made no attempt to find them. Maybe the family will find it instead. And make this their Pelican Bay (of a different kind of course)!


Spot-billed Pelican (front), Common Coots (rear) at Alahalli Lake (Pic: Vikash Kumar)

 

Thanks to Anand Yadwad, Managing Trustee, ALNDT for sharing the news of the pelican sighting.

References:
http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3812
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelican

 

Related Articles

Bird-beaks reveal eating habit!
Saving birds in distress
Sunbirds in the garden
Pelicans seen in plenty

Sections:

About Arathi Manay Yajaman

Arathi is a market researcher who loves to run and write. She has been actively involved in issues that affect citizens, including apartment management, waste management and lakes. She used to live in Mumbai and is now based in Bengaluru, working as a Community Anchor with Citizen Matters.
Read more by Arathi Manay Yajaman

Comments:

  1. Madhuri Sastry says:
    October 11, 2013 at 7:23 am

    Oh yes! I’ve been spotting these birds in Agara lake from more than a month now but I was not aware of it’s name. Thanks a lot for the info 🙂

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Similar Story

Mumbai floods once again. Will BMC’s climate budget help?

by July 25, 2024 Environment
Experts say that BMC's recently launched climate budget needs to be more focused on urban flooding to be able to protect vulnerable citizens.

On July 8th, rains lashed Mumbai, disrupting regular life and causing waterlogging and floods in low-lying areas and on important routes. Central Railway officials mention that almost 900 train services were cancelled leaving several commuters stranded, while many BEST buses were diverted. Since then several incidents of heavy rains and flooding have been reported in the city. Commuters, civic activists and residents have questioned the claims made by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) about being prepared for the monsoons.  “The half-constructed, newly-built DP road number 9 in Chandivali was waterlogged, which caused inconvenience to commuters,” said Mandeep Singh Makkar, founder…

Continue reading

Similar Story

Mumbaikars get a taste of Murbad’s forest food and tribal culture

by July 11, 2024 Environment
It was a treat for city dwellers to learn about wild vegetables and other forest foods harvested by tribal communities of Murbad, near Mumbai.

Throughout the year, vegetable shops and markets are stocked with select vegetables and produce that form our diets. This produce is grown in large scale farms and sold across the country despite geographic and seasonal variations. But 23rd June was an aberration for some of us, who spent time at the Hirvya Devachi Yatra. We got in touch with forest foods that grow in the wild, people who harvest them and make delicacies out of these.  The Hirvya Devachi Yatra was organised this year by the Shramik Mukti Sanghatana, Van Niketan, Ashwamedh Pratisthan and INTACH Thane Chapter. It has been…

Continue reading