Tired of loitering around shopping malls, eating junk food and spending time in air-conditioned environments during weekends? Well, if you are a bird enthusiast or even a commoner simply interested in watching birds, head towards Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens, Mysore.
The zoological garden is organising an educational bird watching session on Sunday. “The beautiful Karanji Kerenear Mysore Zoo houses over 160 species of birds, most of them local varieties, filling the air around the lake with their chirping and tweeting. Since the session starts at 7am, bird-watchers should be prepared to brave the morning chill,” said BP Ravi, executive director of the zoo.
Somashekar, eco-educational officer attached to the zoo, categorised the birds at Karanji Kere into three sections—water fowls, raptors, and terrestrial birds. Several rare birds such as serpent eagle, cormorants and purple moorhen can be sighted. But this time of the year, Karanji Kere attracts birds which are otherwise scattered around their habitat; so an avid bird watcher can be sure of sighting almost all birds. Therefore, teachers and parents should bring children to the session to encourage them to watch the myriad beauty of the world of birds.
Visitors will be led by local bird-watching experts who will give details of the birds and help identify them,” Somashekar said.
The birds that can be spotted at the zoo include painted stork, pelican, open-billed stork, egret (four types) cormorant (four types) duck, whistling teal, white breasted waterhen, purple moorhen, Indian moorhen, sandpiper, grey and purple heron, pond heron, night heron, kingfisher, woodpecker, oriole, wagtail, crow pheasant, bee eater, paradise flycatcher, munia, prinia, tailor bird, robin, bush chat, babbler and warbler. Tawny eagle, brahminy kite, black kite, shikra, spotted owl, brown wood owl and mottled wood owl which belong to the raptor category can also be sighted.
Last year’s session attracted young bird-watchers from far off places such as Madikeri and Bangalore. Zoo authorities are expecting an equally enthusiastic young crowd this time as well.
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