A rare fly-in for bird and nature lovers

The two-day Coringa Birds Festival promises joy, biodiversity conservation and protection

December 04, 2018 11:31 pm | Updated December 05, 2018 05:43 pm IST - KAKINADA

A file photo of Coringa mangroves near Kakinada.

A file photo of Coringa mangroves near Kakinada.

Watching rows of migratory birds passing through the skyline standing amidst lush green environs of the Coringa mangroves for sure is a great experience.

To gather all the nature lovers and birdwatchers onto one platform and enable them exchange their moments of joy, the Forest Department is hosting the first of its kind ‘Coringa Birds Festival-2018.’

Raising awareness

The two-day festival, packed with a number of activities related to birdwatching will be held at the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary (CWLS) near here from December 14. Schoolchildren to senior citizens, people from different walks of life and places are expected to take part in the festival that promises to provide an opportunity to watch rare birds from close quarters and know more about various species and different flyways.

“The CWLS is a part of the East Godavari River Estuarine Ecosystem (EGREE) Region, which is notable as a constituent of the Central Asian Flyway. We are conducting this festival to raise awareness on the conservation of biodiversity in the region along with the protection of endangered species of birds and their habitats,” says Anant Shankar, Divisional Forest Officer (Wildlife division).

Of different feathers

The EGREE region is one of the important bird areas with a recorded population of 271 bird species, of which 95 are migratory. According to records, the region regularly supports over 1% of bio-geographical population belonging to 17 water bird species. “The area has a rich and diverse bird population. For example, of the 84 species of waders reported from India, 51 are found in the EGREE region. Egrets and storks are the major groups of birds that form 15-20% of the total bird population here,” he explains. Coringa hosts many endangered and migratory bird species like the Great knot that visits the region from Russia and Central China during the migratory season. ‘Indian Skimmer’ has been selected as the mascot of the festival. “The presence of Waders in the region is a good indicator of the effective food supply and healthy status of the wetland,” Mr. Shankar points out. On the festival highlights, Mr. Shankar says sessions by wildlife photographer, filmmaker and conservationist Kalyan Varma and cartoonist Rohan Chakravathi are major attractions. “We are also conducting fun activities such as puppetry show,” he explains.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.