PANAJI: Birders have an added attraction at the second edition of the Bird Festival of Goa from January 12 - 14.
Besides being taken on bird walks in Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary and Netravali Wild life Sanctuary to discover the bird heritage of South Goa, participants will be taken on a boat trip into the
Arabian Sea to spot oceanic birds that frequent Goa's coastline.
During the three-day festival, bird walks will take place early morning around 6 am and at dusk around 3:30 pm. Where it is not possible to see birds, experts will help birders identify them by their unique calls.
Sessions on recording bird calls and songs will be presented by Dr
Pratap Singh, IFS, senior faculty at Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, and Sharad Apte, an ornithologist.
A large number of migratory birds that come to India also pass through Goa, principal chief conservator of forests Ajay Saxena, said.
Given the size of the state, Goa has a sizable number of birds.
This is largely due to its many wetlands and tropical forests. The state boasts of more than 440 species against the 1200 species recorded in the country.
While Corbett sees dedicated groups, including foreigners, keen on bird watching, the trend has not yet caught on in the state, Saxena added.
Workshops and talks will also be held by experts. Dr
Satish Pande from Pune will speak on 'science behind superstitions', while Shiv Shankar from Mangalore will talk on 'Pelagic birds of western coast and birds of Western Ghats', Rohan Chakraborty from Nagpur will shed light on 'drawing of birds' and
Karthikeyan, a naturalist from
Karnataka, will share experiences of organizing nature camps.
The Goa Bird Conservation Network has volunteered to assist the delegates, including school student,s on bird trails. Delegates from the US and Sri Lanka have also registered.
