DANDELI (UTTARA KANNADA ) : A preliminary survey of birds in Uttara Kannada has revealed that there are 296 species of birds in the district. This was the first-ever bird survey conducted in the district by the Forest Department. The Kanara Forest Circle, which covers the entire Uttara Kannada district, is one of the most forested tracts along the coastal region with abundant forests and diverse bio-diversity which includes avian fauna.
“The event was organised as part of the Hornbill Festival. This is the first of its kind effort in the district. We had bird experts from across the country participating in the two-day survey,” Vasanth Reddy, Conservator of Forests, Canara Circle told Express.
Amarakshara, Assistant Conservator of Forests, Kali Tiger Reserve, said, “Over a 100 birders from various parts of the country arrived here, of whom, 60 birders were selected for the survey. The landscape of Uttara Kannada was divided into various categories and separate teams were tasked with survey work for two days through which we recorded 296 species of birds,” he said. The Wildlife Research and Training Centre, Dandeli, prepared the survey plan for the region in line with the Kerala Bird Atlas Protocol. The district was divided into different landscapes - seas and islands, beaches, mangrove estuaries, lateritic plateaus, ghat areas, upghats, dry areas and urban regions for the survey. “The district is home to around 410 bird species on e-bird platform and the district, as per the state of India’s birds 2023, has 62 high priority species of birds, second in Karnataka after Mysuru. In the high conservation priority, Malabar Grey Hornbill and White-Bellied Blue Flycatcher are found in good numbers,” said Reddy.
“The district’s Aghanashini Conservation Reserve was recently declared a Ramsar Site along with several protected areas such as the Kali Tiger Reserve, Sharavathi Lion, Tailed Macaque Wildlife Sanctuary, Hornbill Conservation Reserve, Shalmala Conservation Reserve, Bedthi Conservation Reserve, Attiveri Bird Sanctuary and Mundigekere Conservation Reserves. Recognising the importance of the avian ambassadors in the area, Kanara circle is taking up systematic recording of avian bio-diversity of the region”, informed Reddy.
The forest trail is identified and a team of three walk each trail for a day to document the birds in the area.