Winged guests start arriving at MRPL township

With the beginning of the winter birding season, Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) township here have started attracting its winged guests for the season.

Malabar pied hornbills, spotted recently in the MRPL premises are among the early guests this year. A rare congregation of nearly 50 Malabar pied hornbills was observed at 7 am on September 19, a release from the MRPL said here on Monday.

Many of these hornbills can still be spotted in the green canopies of the MRPL refinery complex and its township.

Hornbills are said to have a crucial role in dispersing seeds of tropical trees and are referred to as ‘forest engineers’ and ‘farmers of the forest.’ Their presence indicates the prosperity and balance of the forest where they build nests.

Nearly 500 acres of green belt developed by MRPL is a haven for flora and fauna of various species. Birds find this large swathe of green a happy home throughout the year, and during the birding season, it welcomes many new kinds of winged guests.

More than 150 birds are regularly spotted in the refinery complex, township, inside refinery forest and the waterbodies inside the refinery greenbelt. Two white-bellied sea eagles visit the refinery on a daily basis.

Rosy starlings, European roller, Siberian stonechat, varieties of flycatchers, buntings, wagtails and warblers were regularly spotted inside the refinery complex during the previous migratory seasons, the release said.