Chandigarh,
14th December, 2016: Today, welcoming the arrival of migratory birds
at Sukhna Lake, Department of Forests & Wildlife, Chandigarh Administration
along with Yuvsatta-an NGO launched a week long ‘Migratory Bird Watching Trip’
for local School students. Sh. Anurag Aggarwal, IAS Home Secretary cum
Secretary, Environment & Forests of Chandigarh Administration was the Chief
Guest on the occasion.
On day one 100 students of Government Model High School, Sector
34C & Government Middle School, Sector 33 B enjoyed
the bird watching treat. Prominent amongst those who were present on the
occasion included Santosh Kumar, Chief
Conservator of Forests & Director, Department of Environment, Birendra
Choudhary, Dy. Conservator of Forests, Chandigarh
Administration & Pramod Sharma, Coordinator, Yuvsatta.
Regular bird watchers like Sh. Kulbhushan
Kanwar and Smt. Sarabjit Kaur explained to the kids about hundreds of
migratory bird who travel every year thousands of miles to reach Sukhna Lake,
to escape the harsh cold of their habitats. Sh. Kulbhushan Kanwar also showcased an exhibition on
biodiversity and migratory birds of Chandigarh on the occasion.
Sh. Santosh Kumar, IFS explained on the occasion that migratory birds start arriving in the
Sukhna wildlife sanctuary from early November and their stay lasts till March
or April, depending on the climatic conditions. And these birds are very
sensitive; so we have made arrangements to make the environment conducive for
them. And migratory birds come from places like Siberia, China and Afghanistan.
These are brahmi ducks, common pochards, red-crusted pochards, grebes, geese,
shell ducks, marsh ducks, diving ducks, rails, coots, stilts, hill kingfisher,
mallard, pintail, cormorants, Siberian ducks, cranes, storks and sandpipers.
Sh. Anurag Aggarwal, IAS inaugurating
the initiative added that”It was a spectacular day of birding with a
great variety of birds being spotted. It’s
good to note Chandigarh’s Forests & Wildlife Department is taking a keep
interest to sensitize young children’s during this time about the
important role birds play, as they provide critical links within the vast food
chains and webs that exist in our ecosystem. He further added that the annual
migration of hundreds of migratory birds to Sukhna Lake is an awe-inspiring
phenomenon.
According to forest officials, the winged visitors have been
congregating here for the last over three decades as conditions in the region
are very hospitable for them. They will be in their full strength by December
end.
In coming days, volunteers of Yuvsatta and officials of Department
of Forests, Chandigarh Administration intends to organize many such educational
excursions for local School students.
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