UDUPI: Udupi district, with its lush green paddy fields, serene backwaters and estuaries, is an ideal place for winged visitors. Birds travel thousands of kilometres to make the coastal district their home every winter to escape the harsh nail-biting winter of their homes.
One of the best spots for birds is Malyadi Bird Sanctuary in Kundapur taluk. However, residents of Havanje near Udupi too have seen recently that their village has the potential to attract birdwatchers as more than 80 species of birds have made this hamlet their home.
To tap into this potential, Havanje Gram Panchayat’s Biodiversity Management Committee, in association with Grama Vikasa Samithi and Havanje Bhavana Prathistana, conducted a bird-watching exercise in the village last December.
Enthusiastic bird watchers started their walk from Sri Mahalingeshwara Temple and reached Kambalakatta and then proceeded towards Dhoomavathi Garadi and reached Mepavali Kere. Havanje Gram Panchayat president Ajith Golikatte says that though the residents were aware of the presence of various species of birds, the bird-watching event made them realise the potential of their village to attract enthusiastic birdwatchers. “More such events can be organised in the future to create awareness and turn local youth into avid birdwatchers,” Golikatte says.
Birds from as far as Siberia — located more than 6,000km from the Karnataka coast — come to Havanje during winter. Many little forest patches, and closed lakes with canopy and paddy fields make Havanje ideal for birds to migrate and breed.
Tejaswi Acharya, the trustee of Manipal Birders’ and Conservation Trust, who was part of the bird-watching event, says the efforts of a gram panchayat in organising such an event are appreciated. “Such attempts to create awareness of biodiversity should take place at the village level so that it will have a positive impact on the younger generation. Though several gram panchayats have such committees to create awareness of biodiversity, not many are active. Other gram panchayats can take a cue from Havanje GP,” he adds.
During the bird-watching trail, Trust members assisted the newbies in identifying different species of birds. They sighted and recorded Siberian stonechat, blue-tailed bee-eater, jacana, red-vented bulbul, myna, kingfisher, Malabar pied hornbill, Asian green bee-eater, Vernal hanging parrot, Indian golden oriole, pin-tailed snipe, Brahminy kite, among others.
Asha D Poojary, a member of Havanje Gram Panchayat, opines that the village’s proximity to Udupi and Manipal also makes it an ideal spot for birders. She adds that Dr Janardhan Havanje, one of the directors of Bhavana Prathistana, took interest in revitalising the gram panchayat’s biodiversity management committee and organising the bird-watching event.
Dr Janardhan Havanje told The New Sunday Express that though all gram panchayats have a biodiversity management committee for the conservation of natural resources, not many take it seriously. “But in Havanje, local youth are enthusiastic and that is why bird-watching events are a success here,” he adds.
Further, he says birders should approach the gram biodiversity committee first before they arrive for bird watching as they arrange bird-watching trails once or twice a month with expert birders. “Visitors should also be cautious that they do not spoil the serenity of the village,” he concludes.