From Jan. 5 to 7, seven routes to be covered

Mysore/Mysuru: The verdant Western Ghats is full of endemic species. But now is a crucial moment for the wildlife, especially, the birds where they run into extinction.

In an attempt to save the vanishing avian species and to connect people to the rich avian diversity, the Forest Department is organising a three-day Bird Festival at Biligiri Ranganathaswamy Temple (BRT) Wildlife Sanctuary in Chamarajanagar District that is also a Tiger Protected Zone. The festival will be held from Jan. 5 to Jan. 7, 2021. 

The Festival has the objective of watching birds and listening to them, identifying the species and noting observations in this lesser-explored forest habitat. The BRT Sanctuary has more than 274 species of birds and the rich biodiversity of the area supports rich flora and fauna. 

Wide range of faunal diversity 

The BRT Sanctuary, spread across 359.10 square kilometres, has a mountain range of 574.82 square kilometres. It is rich in biodiversity, with 776 species of higher plants, more than 36 mammals and 145 species of butterflies. 

The Sanctuary has been considered as a live bridge between the Eastern and Western Ghats and the high variation in the altitude has led to diverse vegetation types varying from dry open scrub forests at lower elevation to shola forests and grass hills at higher altitude making this landscape home to a wide range of faunal diversity. 

The Sanctuary is also a part of the larger forest complex of the region considered for the conservation of Asian elephant and tiger. This forest complex is one of the areas having the largest population of elephants and tigers in the wild.

Brown Wood Owl spotted

The biodiversity of BRT Sanctuary is similar to that of Western Ghats with a significant proportion of Eastern Ghats elements as well. It is the only large patch of forest left outside the main Western Ghats. 

The major vegetation is deciduous, scrub and grassland, evergreen sholas. This is the reason why the Sanctuary supports 274 species of birds. 

Recently, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Ramachandra photographed a Brown Wood Owl — a species uncommon throughout most of range in Indian Subcontinent — in the Sanctuary. Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF), Chamarajanagar Circle, Manoj Kumar told Star of Mysore that the Bird Festival will be conducted along seven routes in the Sanctuary. 

First bird festival at BRT

“The State-level Bird Festivals conducted in the past have been highly successful with participants from across the other States. Earlier, such festivals were conducted in Mysuru, Srirangapatna, Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, Dandeli, Mangaluru and Ballari. There was pressure on the Forest Department to conduct such a festival at BRT Sanctuary because of its rich biodiversity,” he added. 

Manoj Kumar said that it is for the first time a Bird Festival is being conducted in BRT Reserve and the birders will be grouped. Experts and bird scientists will be roped in along with resource persons to give information about the bird species. Special lectures will be organised as part of the festival, he revealed. 

Areas and zones within the BRT Sanctuary such as Kyatheshwara Gudi (K. Gudi), Punajanoor, Chamarajanagar, Yelandoor and Bayaloor will be covered during the festival. Birds sighted will be documented, collated and a unified data will be recorded. In the end, a comprehensive list of birds will be compiled, Manoj Kumar added.

Online booking opens

Those who want to take part in the Bird Festival at BRT Wildlife Sanctuary from Jan. 5 to 7 can book online and Rs. 828 has been fixed per ticket. 

Tickets can be booked at https://myecotrip.com/ the ecotourism website of Forest Department from where visitors can click Karnataka Bird Festival-2021 Seventh Edition link on the website. The ticket price includes service charge of Rs. 23.73 and a GST of Rs. 4.27. The actual cost of the ticket is Rs. 800. 

After tickets are booked, the bird-watchers must reach the venue at the scheduled time. They must carry own water bottles and binoculars during the event. They have to follow the COVID protocols as per the Government guidelines during the event. The detailed itinerary of the event will be shared shortly on the website.