Hidden hotspots: spotlight on Adyar bund at Mugalivakkam


If birding hotspots were to be assigned mascots, the Adyar river bund at Mugaliwakkaam, near the military quarters should have the bittern as its mascot. Bittern of any stripe associated with Chennai can fill that role. Sathyakumar Shanmugasundaram, birder and a resident of Mugalivakkam, notes all bitterns that occur in these parts are sighted at this spot — the black, yellow and cinnamon bitterns. These birds being inveterate skulkers (the black and cinnamon bitterns have skulking down to a fine art) one can have fleeting glimpses of them in flight before they melt back into the reeds, elaborates Sathyakumar.

Sathyakumar paints a picture of the place: this patch is deliciously sequestered. By the side of the bund where birders flock to see feathers, the military quarters is paired with a small patch of reserve forest. Along the opposite bund, on the other side of the river, there is a stretch of reserve forest behind which lies the airport.