Six years later, the ringed red squirrel appeared on the Keralam coast; Tibetan plover also recorded

A Eurasian gale spotted at Elathur Beach in Kozhikode earlier this month. | Photo credit: Special arrangement

With the winter migratory bird season underway, two marked shorebirds recorded earlier this month along the Kerala coast offer clues to migration routes, stopover points, connectivity between breeding and wintering grounds and movements of individual birds.

At Elathur beach, about 20 km from the reserve, in Kozhikode, a Eurasian storm petrel (Numenius phaeopus) was seen ringed in the Kadalundi-Vallikkunnu Community Reserve more than six years ago, while a Tibetan sand plover (Anarhynchus atrifrons) was spotted at Band502 beach in Chavakkad2 province.

Black flag and ring

Abdulla Paleri, an ornithologist from Kozhikode and assistant professor at Dignity College of Arts and Science, Perambra, photographed a Eurasian gale at Elathur beach on September 19. According to him, the bird had a “black flag” with the alphanumeric code “0J3” on its left leg and a metal ring on its right leg. A black flag, placed on the upper leg, indicated that the bird had been tagged in South India under the Bombay Natural History Society’s (BNHS) bird banding programme, which uses a single ‘black flag’ with a unique alphanumeric code for waders tagged in South India.

On September 12, a Tibetan plover was spotted at Chavakkad beach in Thrissur with two “white flags” on its right leg, one above the other, with the code “HZN” and a metal ring on its left leg. The bird was photographed by bird watcher PP Sreenivasan of Guruvayur in Thrissur. According to him, the use of two white flags is related to the bird tagging programs carried out by the BNHS in the rest of India.

Photographs of both birds have been sent to BNHS to obtain further information on their ringing and ringing history.

Mr. Paleri said that according to information provided by BNHS, a Eurasian squirrel was ringed on January 29, 2020 at Kadalundi Reserve by S. Sivakumar, a scientist at BNHS.

“The sighting is noteworthy as it documents an individually tagged Eurasian petrel returning to the Kerala coast more than six years after it was ringed. The bird may have returned to its breeding grounds in Europe or Central Asia after being ringed in 2020 and subsequently migrated back to the Kozhikode coast,” Mr Paleri said.

In Mumbai

According to information provided by BNHS, the Tibetan plover was banded on March 27, 2025 in Mumbai by researcher Kiran Dalvi.

A Tibetan Sand Plover spotted at Chavakkad in Thrissur earlier this month. | Photo credit: Special arrangement

“One possibility is that during its migration from the Himalayas or Tibet, the bird first reached Mumbai where it was banded and then traveled approximately 1,000 km to reach the Thrissur coast. Another possibility is that after visiting Mumbai it returned to the Himalayan or Tibetan breeding grounds and then migrated to Kerala for the winter,” said S.

A second sighting of a tagged shorebird can tell a bigger story about its migration.

“Individual bird sightings recorded at different locations can reveal much more than just the presence of a particular species. When a tagged shorebird is spotted again, it provides insight into the bird’s journey—where it travels, where it stops, and how different parts of its migratory range are connected. Such records are key to building migration patterns and understanding the paths shorebirds take between breeding and wintering seasons. Climate change and environmental science at Kerala Agricultural University, told The Hindu.

Published – 27 Sep 2026 07:00 IST