Suchindram Theroor Wetlands

சுசீந்திரம் தேரூர் பறவைகள் சரணாலயம்

Winter water for birds at the end of their flyway

Move across the photo, or drag it on a phone, to look around.

You arrive

The highway between Nagercoil and Kanniyakumari runs on, and then a sheet of still water opens beside it. You stop, walk to the bund, and the traffic noise drops behind you. These are man-made reservoirs, built for irrigation, but no one has told the birds. Out on the water, shapes that looked like floating leaves begin to move. A heron holds perfectly still at the margin. You raise your binoculars and start counting.

Watchtower at Suchindram Theroor lake · Photo: KolappanNathan · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Along the bund

Walk slowly along the embankment with the water on one side and farmland on the other. Early and late in the day are the most active times, so give yourself the first light if you can. Birds lift away from anyone who hurries, so move in short stages and stop often. You may see patches of water hyacinth covering parts of the surface, a real and continuing problem for these wetlands.

Watchtower at Suchindram Theroor lake · Photo: KolappanNathan · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Reading the water

Stop where you have a clear view and let the scene sort itself out. Purple herons work the reeds, while ducks such as garganey may rest further out in winter. Painted storks and spot-billed pelicans have both been recorded here. Around 250 species have been noted across the site, so a field guide will reward you. Sit down if you can; the longer you stay still, the closer everything comes.

Being here

You see

Flat water, reeds and birds rising in loose groups.

You hear

Whistles, wingbeats and the far hum of the highway.

You smell

Warm mud and pond weed.

You feel

Damp morning air giving way quickly to sun.

The story

The Suchindram Theroor Vembannur Wetland Complex is a set of man-made irrigation reservoirs that have become one of the most important bird habitats in the far south. Lying at the end of the Central Asian Flyway, it receives migratory waterbirds that have travelled great distances. It is listed as an Important Bird Area, and parts of it were designated Ramsar wetlands in 2022. The Ramsar record reports around 250 bird species, of which 53 are migratory, 12 endemic and four threatened. Recent press has noted poor arrivals, linked partly to encroachment and invasive water hyacinth, so numbers can vary sharply from one year to another.

Sources: Wikipedia: Suchindram Theroor Birds Sanctuary · Ramsar Sites Information Service · BirdLife factsheet · DT Next: migratory birds report

Close by

Church

St Francis Xavier Cathedral, Kottar

A church tied to Xavier in an ancient market town

Temple

Thanumalayan Temple, Suchindram

One deity, three gods, and an eleven-storey tower

Temple

Nagaraja Temple, Nagercoil

The serpent king who gave a city its name

Heritage

Mani Medai Clock Tower

An 1893 clock tower at the centre of Nagercoil's traffic

Photo: Ssriram mt · CC BY-SA 4.0

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