Mysuru: With birds like the sparrow vanishing from our concretised cities that are rapidly losing its tree cover, avid bird watcher Mysuru Deputy Commissioner Abhiram G. Shankar, arm in arm with the district administration and the forest department and its iconic zoo is hosting a two day Bird Festival for the very first time here, in a bid to build awareness on the importance of keeping its green cover intact.
On day one, six teams, fanned out across the state's heritage capital to visit the bird magnets, located in and around the city - Lingambudhi Lake, Karanji Lake, Kukkarahalli Lake, Hebbal Lake, Giri Bettadakere and Varakodu Lake - and track the remarkable species of migratory birds that head into Mysuru. Situated as it is, barely 20 kms from Ranganathittu bird sanctuary, the importance of preserving Mysuru's unique bio-diversity and the wildlife and nature reserves in the district were a huge imperative, said Mr. Sankar, who said more than 100 people had registered as participants. It's hoped the event will re-kindle a love for birds and an interest in bird watching to conserve biodiversity even outside the protected areas of Karnataka, he said.
Mr. Shankar introduced the audience to ways of identifying birds by their song, colour and shape and explained how they could be spotted in their regular habitats like forests and mangroves, on the coast, urban landscapes, gardens, and even garbage dumps and around homes.
“I identified 59 bird species around the deputy commissioners' residence in Mysuru, 55 species around the Zilla Panchayat CEO's quarters in Raichur, and 36 species around my quarters in Vasanthnagar in Bengaluru," he recalled. Stressing on the ethics of bird watching, he said they were essential to ensure the safety of birds, their nests and chicks, to ensure the survival of rare and endangered species and prevent poaching.
