Amur Falcons

Had some lovely Amur falcon sightings during the recent trip to Nagaland. After the trip during 2011 when I saw them being sold at the market was keen to know more of the bird.

Observations:

During one of the sightings we initially saw them in two’s and three’s - moving in one direction. A light drizzle as if suddenly altered the scenario. Drizzle could possibly have brought out termites or other insects and the Amur falcons altered their movement patterns to move in a circle. This circle kept on getting bigger as more of their brethren joined in. This went one for about fifteen minutes before they resumed their earlier movement pattern. 

During this while the drizzling too came to a halt. I suspect I also spotted a few Lesser kestrel in the midst of large number of  Amur falcons.

During the entire week we never spotted Amur falcons before noon (12.00 pm).

Their movement during the early noon appeared more playful and leisurely while the evening sightings usually had them move as if on a mission.

We (unlike during 2011) did not see them being sold at the Wokha market.  Further inquiries with the vendors revealed that we could get the Amur falcons next day if we ordered and that we would have to reach the market before 7.00 am since government had banned the sale of these birds. The rate we were told was a hundred rupees for three. However as we moved further from the market on the road towards Kohima we saw a person carrying three of them. 


Wokha Market (2011); Images: Imrong 

Sightings:

Sr.
Date
Location
Number
Time
1.
  3rd Nov 2012
Sapotimi (Zunheboto)
     10 appx.
12.00 pm
2.
  4th Nov 2012
Longsa (Mokokchung)
        6 appx.
12.30 pm
3.
  4th Nov 2012
Mokokchung (Mokokchung)
       3  appx.
02.30 pm
4.
  5th Nov 2012
Sumi Settsu (Zunheboto)
1,500 appx.
12.30 pm
5.
  5th Nov 2012
Lumami (Zunheboto)
    150 appx.
03.30 pm
6.
  6th Nov 2012
Highway (Wokha)
1,000 appx.
04.00 pm
7.
10th Nov 2012
Sendenyu (Kohima)
    100 appx.
01.00 pm

View of the landscape. Two dark spots on the left side are the Amur falcons while the construction at the center is the Nagaland University. 

Conversations:

A shared of how he had read of Amur falcon’s migratory path in the local newspaper recently and that he disagreed with the scale of deaths that the report pointed out – ten thousand each day during the season. It was considerably less he said. (This was pointed out by a couple of others as well).


B spoke of his having seen a van full of Amur falcons being sold at Botsa (Kohima) during 2011. They were caught at Wokha from where they were brought to the market.


C told of how they are sighted more over Mokokchung than Zunheboto and that the people in Zunheboto do not have a local name for Amur falcons since they were not seen about 50 years back. (As we moved around Zunheboto during the week we too did not come across them for 3 days.)


D shared of his having hunted them near Dimapur during 2006. Amidst 3 friends they were able to shoot 200 of them in a few hours that followed sunset. They don’t fly away and are easy to shoot he added.


E mentioned that while they used to be openly sold at the Wokha market the government has put in restrictions in place. During 2011 too couple of local organizations had opposed the selling of the falcons at the Wokha market.


Zunheboto (2012); Video: Pikato

Way ahead:

In the coming year - 

Amur falcon could be monitored with help of a specially designed citizen-science program. This exercise could also be looked at with the lens of conservation education.

Wildlife tourism could be promoted around the Amur falcon migration season. The interesting infrastructure that the state government has in place could be put to use. 

Other species I enjoyed sighting during the trip:

Black bulbul (Hypsipetes leucocephalus)
Common buzzard (Buteo buteo)
Common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
Drongo cuckoo (Surniculus lugubris)
Grey wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
Grey-headed canary flycatcher (Culicicapa ceylonesis)
Large niltava (Niltava grandis)
Long-tailed shrike (Lanius schach)
Long-tailed broadbill (Psarisomus dalhousiae)
Red-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer)
White-bellied yuhina (Yuhina zantholeuca)
White-browed scimitar babbler (Pomatorhinus schisticeps)

Acknowledgements:

Sangeeta, Swati and Shilpi for accompanying on the trip, bearing my sudden leaps towards the binoculars and helping with the GPS.
Imrong and Pikato for happily and enthusiastically sharing the images and video.
Ramki for highlighting the issue and discussing it. 

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