Environment News

Bird migratory season 2026

October 12 , 2026 10 hrs 0 min 26 0

A grey-headed lapwing, a long-distance migrant from East Asia, arrived earlier than usual at the Pallikaranai marshland.
Terek sandpiper, lesser sand-plover, marsh sandpiper, and black-tailed godwit were also spotted.
Several shorebirds were sighted at the Adyar estuary.
A surprise this year was the early arrival of a grey-headed lapwing, a long-distance migrant from East Asia.
Its arrival has usually been around the first week of October.
But this year, it arrived on September 20, almost two weeks earlier than usual.
Weather conditions, rainfall, food availability, and conditions along the migration route could have played a role.
The Adyar estuary has recorded several shorebirds, including caspian terns, whiskered terns, Eurasian whimbrels, European roller, and common greenshanks.
Some of these birds travel thousands of kilometres along routes spanning Northern Europe and Central Asia.
Further south, the Nemmeli salt pans have also come alive with bird activity.
The Demoiselle crane, a rare visitor around Chennai, is expected this year also.
The species was spotted near Nemmeli towards the end of last year’s birding season.