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BIRD WATCHING
Bird watching is the very best kind of fun. It is easy, inexpensive, healthful and satisfying. Bird watching is about wild birds and the sport of birding. It's for everyone who's interested in bird watching and enjoying nature. You always don't need to go to the reserved bird habitats to watch birds. Whether it's watching birds in your own back yard or whether it's a trip to the bird habitats to watch some very rare species of birds, bird watching is your lifetime ticket to the amphitheatre of nature. India with more than 1250 species of birds, is a paradise for bird watching. There are over 925 breeding species (~920 residents). The Indian birds belong to 25 groups called 'Orders', which are further divided into 'Families', 'Sub-families' and 'Genera'. For birding in India, 13 bio-geographical regions can be demarcated: Trans Himalayan, Western Himalayas, Eastern Himalayas, Desert, Semi-arid, Gangetic plain, Central India, Deccan Plateau, Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats, North East, Coasts and the Andaman Nicobar Islands. The Peacock is the national bird of India.
Important Tips for Bird Watching
HOW TO BIRDWATCH : Frustrated because you can't identify all the birds at your feeder, in the woods, along the roadside, or at the beach? Here are some quick tips for beginning birders.
- Be sure you have a decent pair of binoculars and have adjusted and practiced using them.
- Always locate a bird first with naked eye. The field of view through binoculars is much narrower, making it harder to search.
- Consider colours a bonus. Except under the best of conditions, it is hard to see feather colours accurately. Light reflection and shadows often distort, dull, or exaggerate colours.
- A bird soaring overhead or flying by may seem much larger or smaller than reality. A reference object is helpful - a tree, fence post, telephone pole, etc.
- Observe the shape or profile of the bird. A long-bill, long legs, or tufted head immediately eliminates many possibilities.
- Habitat is always a useful consideration. In the midst of a coniferous forest you expect to see a different set of birds (avifauna) than you would on an ocean shore or in a city park.
- Note the behaviour. Wading in shallow water, climbing a tree trunk, swimming, diving through the air, emerging from a mud nest, or sitting on a fence post, all narrow the choices down considerably.
- Songs and calls are excellent identification mechanisms and sometimes the only way to identify a bird because some species can only be distinguished in the field by their calls; and it is not uncommon to hear birds but not be able to find them.
- Use a good field guide as they identify characteristics (field marks) most helpful to identification.
Some Bird Watching Sites in India
1. Thattekad Bird Sanctuary : - Thattekad, at the River Periyar, is a dense monsoon forest near Cochin in Kerala. A plantation forest with teak, mahogany and fruit-bearing trees along with the natural wild tropical deciduous vegetation, it is home to nearly 350 species of birds.
2. Kumarakom Bird Sanctuaries : - Kumarakoam Bird Sanctuary Kerala is famous across the world for its varied avian population. The migratory Siberian cranes add to the attraction of the park.
3. Keoladeo National Park : - Keoladeo National Park, also known as Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, is counted among finest bird sanctuaries in the world situated in Bharatpur city of Rajasthan. Designated as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, the park is famous for water-birds as well as migratory birds. The park derives its name from the Shiva Temple in the heart of the sanctuary. It is one of the most famous bird sanctuaries of India.
4. Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary : - This sanctuary situated in Kozhikode, Kerala. The sanctuary is spread in a scenic area surrounded by hillocks where the Kadalundipuzha River flows into the Arabian Sea. Over a hundred varieties of native birds and over 60 varieties of migratory birds flock here in large numbers.
5. Overa Wildlife Sanctuary : - This Sanctuary situated in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir state of India. Overa Wildlife Sanctuary is famous for its population of pheasants. The park has a diverse flora and offers 13 species of mammals and over 80 species of birds. It is best to visit this Indian wildlife sanctuary.
6. Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary : - The delightful Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary, nestling around the Nal Lake, offers a sheer variety of color, pattern and a cacophony of sounds that the birds use for recognition and courtship. Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary is situated in 65 KMS in Southwest of Ahmedabad in Gujrat State.
7. Sultanpur National Park : - The Sultanpur National Park has been given a totally new looks to attract the tourists. The artificial mounds have turned into green glades and the marsh has been converted into a water body. It is one of the best national parks situated in Sultanpur city of Haryana state at India.
8. Flamingo Colony : - Flamingo Bird Sanctuary is situated in Khavda District of Gujarat State. It receives countless variety of birds from the other corners of the globe. Birds come here to breed and feed before their journey back to a distant land. It is one of the great bird sanctuaries in India and is very attractive and adventurous for all foreign tourists.
9. Velvadar Bird Sanctuary : - This Sanctuary is the home of the Indian black buck. It’s unique grassland ecosystem attracted fame for successful conservation of the black buck. Situated in Bhavnagar city of Gujarat state.
Others important Bird Sanctuaries are as below : -
- Valley of Flowers - Chamoli District, Uttaranchal
- Kaundinya Bird Sanctuary - Chittor, Andhra Pradesh
- Kawal Bird Sanctuary - Mancherial, Andhra Pradesh
- Kinnerasani Bird Sanctuary - Khammam District, Andhra Pradesh
- Kolleru Bird Sanctuary - West Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh
- Manjira Bird Sanctuary - Medak District, Andhra Pradesh
- Neelapattu Bird Sanctuary - Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh
- Rollapadu Bird Sanctuary - Nandikotkuru, Andhra Pradesh
- Sonai Rupai Bird Sanctuary - Sonitpur District, Assam
- Porbandar Bird Sanctuary - Porbandar, Gujarat.
- Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary - Mysore, Karnataka
- Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary – Nawab Ganj, Uttar Pradesh
- Vedathangal Bird Sanctuary – Tamil Nadu
- Kunthakulam Bird Sanctuary – Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu
- Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary – Bandipur, Tamil Nadu
- Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary – Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
- Point Calimere Bird Sanctuary – Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu
- Vetangudi Birds sanctuary – Sivagangai, Tamil Nadu
- Chitrangudi Birds sanctuary – Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu
- Kanjirankulam Birds sanctuary – Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu
- Ranthambore National Park – Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan
- Sariska National Park, Rajasthan
- Melaselvanoor-Keelaselvanoor Birds sanctuary – Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu
- Therthangal Birds sanctuary – Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu
- Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary – Thodupuzha, Kerala
- Asola Bhatti Bird Sanctuary – Delhi
- Okhla Bird Sanctuary – Noida, Uttar Pradesh
- Sajjangarh Bird Sanctuary – Udaipur, Rajasthan
- Tal Chapper Bird Sanctuary – Churu, Rajasthan
- Desert National Park & Bird Sanctuary – Jaisalmer, Rajasthan
- Sandi Bird Sanctuary – Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh
- Patna Bird Sanctuary – Etah, Uttar Pradesh
- Sur Sarovar Bird Sancturay – Agra, Uttar Pradesh
- Vijay Sagar Bird Sanctuary – Mahoba, Uttar Pradesh
- Bhindawas Bird Sanctuary, - Jhajjar, Haryana
- Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary – Gurgaon, Haryana
- Assan Barrage Bird Sanctuary – Dehradun, Uttarakhand
- Harike Bird Sanctuary – Amritsar, Punjab
- Kaziranga National Park, Assam
- Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary – Ernakulam, Kerala
- Mayani Bird Sanctuary – Satara, Maharashtra
- Kulik (Raiganj) Bird Sanctuary - West Bengal
- Wandur National Park – Andaman Nicobar Islands
- Namdapha National Park – Changlang, Arunachal Pradesh
- Great Himalayan National Park – Kullu, Himachal Pradesh
- Manas National Park – Assam
- Indravati National Park – Chhattisgarh
- Gir National Park – Gujarat
- Marine National Park – Gujarat
- Pin Valley National Park – Himachal Pradesh
- Dachigam National Park – Himachal Pradesh
- Hemis National Park – Jammu and Kashmir
- Kishtwar National Parl – Jammu and Kashmir
- Hazaribagh National Park – Jharkhand
- Palamu National Park – Jharkhand
- Periyar National Park – Kerala
- The Sunderbans National Park – West Bengal
- Kanha National Park – Madhya Pradesh
- Simlipal National Park – Orissa
- Madhav National Park – Madhya Pradesh
- Panna National Park – Madhya Pradesh
- Pench National Park – Madhya Pradesh
- Navegaon National Park – Maharashtra
- Tadoba National Park – Maharashtra
- Nandan Kanan National Park – Orissa
- Govind National Park – Uttarakhand
- Corbett National Park – Uttarakhand
- Rajaji National Park – Uttarakhand
- Sri Venkateswara National Park – Andra Pradesh
- Orang National Park – Assam
- Chika Lake National Park – Pur, Orissa
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