On the birth anniversary of Dr Salim Ali (The Birdman of India), a ‘bird walk’ programme was organised by the Wular Conservation and Management Authority (WUCMA) at Watlab, Sopore on Friday.
Thirty participants from diverse fields belonging to different parts of Kashmir valley participated in the programme.
At the onset, the WUCMA officials apprised the participants about the objectives of the bird walk programme and given briefs of lake conservation initiatives taken by the authority during the recent years to conserve the Wular Lake.
The participants were later taken for a short jungle walk in Kandi Forest Range of Kamraj Forest Division for bird watching which was followed by boating in Wular Lake for bird sightings.
The WUCMA officials and participants interacted with the locals and explained to them the need to conserve the Wular Lake and its associated avifauna.
They explained to them the diversity of birds found in Kashmir and also discussed with them the benefits of taking bird watching as a profession and hobby.
During the day-long programme, the birds sighted were White Cheeked Nuthatch, Spotted Tit, Warblers, Yellow billed Blue Magpie, Brown Headed Gull, Little Grebe, Large Egret and Pond Heron.