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BIRD WATCHING

Bird watching is the very best kind of fun. It is easy, inexpensive, healthful and satisfying. Bird watching is about wild birds and the sport of birding. It's for everyone who's interested in bird watching and enjoying nature. You always don't need to go to the reserved bird habitats to watch birds. Whether it's watching birds in your own back yard or whether it's a trip to the bird habitats to watch some very rare species of birds, bird watching is your lifetime ticket to the amphitheatre of nature. India with more than 1250 species of birds, is a paradise for bird watching. There are over 925 breeding species (~920 residents). The Indian birds belong to 25 groups called 'Orders', which are further divided into 'Families', 'Sub-families' and 'Genera'. For birding in India, 13 bio-geographical regions can be demarcated: Trans Himalayan, Western Himalayas, Eastern Himalayas, Desert, Semi-arid, Gangetic plain, Central India, Deccan Plateau, Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats, North East, Coasts and the Andaman Nicobar Islands. The Peacock is the national bird of India.

Important Tips for Bird Watching

HOW TO BIRDWATCH : Frustrated because you can't identify all the birds at your feeder, in the woods, along the roadside, or at the beach? Here are some quick tips for beginning birders.

  1. Be sure you have a decent pair of binoculars and have adjusted and practiced using them.
  2. Always locate a bird first with naked eye. The field of view through binoculars is much narrower, making it harder to search.
  3. Consider colours a bonus. Except under the best of conditions, it is hard to see feather colours accurately. Light reflection and shadows often distort, dull, or exaggerate colours.
  4. A bird soaring overhead or flying by may seem much larger or smaller than reality. A reference object is helpful - a tree, fence post, telephone pole, etc.
  5. Observe the shape or profile of the bird. A long-bill, long legs, or tufted head immediately eliminates many possibilities.
  6. Habitat is always a useful consideration. In the midst of a coniferous forest you expect to see a different set of birds (avifauna) than you would on an ocean shore or in a city park.
  7. Note the behaviour. Wading in shallow water, climbing a tree trunk, swimming, diving through the air, emerging from a mud nest, or sitting on a fence post, all narrow the choices down considerably.
  8. Songs and calls are excellent identification mechanisms and sometimes the only way to identify a bird because some species can only be distinguished in the field by their calls; and it is not uncommon to hear birds but not be able to find them.
  9. Use a good field guide as they identify characteristics (field marks) most helpful to identification.

Some Bird Watching Sites in India

1. Thattekad Bird Sanctuary : - Thattekad, at the River Periyar, is a dense monsoon forest near Cochin in Kerala. A plantation forest with teak, mahogany and fruit-bearing trees along with the natural wild tropical deciduous vegetation, it is home to nearly 350 species of birds.

2. Kumarakom Bird Sanctuaries : - Kumarakoam Bird Sanctuary Kerala is famous across the world for its varied avian population. The migratory Siberian cranes add to the attraction of the park.

3. Keoladeo National Park : - Keoladeo National Park, also known as Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, is counted among finest bird sanctuaries in the world situated in Bharatpur city of Rajasthan. Designated as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, the park is famous for water-birds as well as migratory birds. The park derives its name from the Shiva Temple in the heart of the sanctuary. It is one of the most famous bird sanctuaries of India.

4. Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary : - This sanctuary situated in Kozhikode, Kerala. The sanctuary is spread in a scenic area surrounded by hillocks where the Kadalundipuzha River flows into the Arabian Sea. Over a hundred varieties of native birds and over 60 varieties of migratory birds flock here in large numbers. 

5. Overa Wildlife Sanctuary : - This Sanctuary situated in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir state of India. Overa Wildlife Sanctuary is famous for its population of pheasants. The park has a diverse flora and offers 13 species of mammals and over 80 species of birds. It is best to visit this Indian wildlife sanctuary. 

6. Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary : - The delightful Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary, nestling around the Nal Lake, offers a sheer variety of color, pattern and a cacophony of sounds that the birds use for recognition and courtship. Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary is situated in 65 KMS in Southwest of Ahmedabad in Gujrat State.

7. Sultanpur National Park : - The Sultanpur National Park has been given a totally new looks to attract the tourists. The artificial mounds have turned into green glades and the marsh has been converted into a water body. It is one of the best national parks situated in Sultanpur city of Haryana state at India.

8. Flamingo Colony : -  Flamingo Bird Sanctuary is situated in Khavda District of Gujarat State. It receives countless variety of birds from the other corners of the globe. Birds come here to breed and feed before their journey back to a distant land. It is one of the great bird sanctuaries in India and is very attractive and adventurous for all foreign tourists.

9. Velvadar Bird Sanctuary : - This Sanctuary is the home of the Indian black buck. It’s unique grassland ecosystem attracted fame for successful conservation of the black buck. Situated in Bhavnagar city of Gujarat state.

Others important Bird Sanctuaries are as below : -

  1. Valley of Flowers - Chamoli District, Uttaranchal
  2. Kaundinya Bird Sanctuary - Chittor, Andhra Pradesh
  3. Kawal Bird Sanctuary - Mancherial, Andhra Pradesh
  4. Kinnerasani Bird Sanctuary - Khammam District, Andhra Pradesh
  5. Kolleru Bird Sanctuary - West Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh
  6. Manjira Bird Sanctuary - Medak District, Andhra Pradesh
  7. Neelapattu Bird Sanctuary - Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh
  8. Rollapadu Bird Sanctuary - Nandikotkuru, Andhra Pradesh
  9. Sonai Rupai Bird Sanctuary - Sonitpur District, Assam
  10. Porbandar Bird Sanctuary - Porbandar, Gujarat.
  11. Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary - Mysore, Karnataka
  12. Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary – Nawab Ganj, Uttar Pradesh
  13. Vedathangal Bird Sanctuary – Tamil Nadu
  14. Kunthakulam Bird Sanctuary – Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu
  15. Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary – Bandipur, Tamil Nadu
  16. Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary – Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
  17. Point Calimere Bird Sanctuary – Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu
  18. Vetangudi Birds sanctuary – Sivagangai, Tamil Nadu
  19. Chitrangudi Birds sanctuary – Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu
  20. Kanjirankulam Birds sanctuary – Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu
  21. Ranthambore National Park – Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan
  22. Sariska National Park, Rajasthan
  23. Melaselvanoor-Keelaselvanoor Birds sanctuary – Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu
  24. Therthangal Birds sanctuary – Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu
  25. Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary – Thodupuzha, Kerala
  26. Asola Bhatti Bird Sanctuary – Delhi
  27. Okhla Bird Sanctuary – Noida, Uttar Pradesh  
  28. Sajjangarh Bird Sanctuary – Udaipur, Rajasthan
  29. Tal Chapper Bird Sanctuary – Churu, Rajasthan
  30. Desert National Park & Bird Sanctuary – Jaisalmer, Rajasthan
  31. Sandi Bird Sanctuary – Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh
  32. Patna Bird Sanctuary – Etah, Uttar Pradesh
  33. Sur Sarovar Bird Sancturay – Agra, Uttar Pradesh
  34. Vijay Sagar Bird Sanctuary – Mahoba, Uttar Pradesh
  35. Bhindawas Bird Sanctuary, - Jhajjar, Haryana
  36. Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary – Gurgaon, Haryana
  37. Assan Barrage Bird Sanctuary – Dehradun, Uttarakhand
  38. Harike Bird Sanctuary – Amritsar, Punjab  
  39. Kaziranga National Park, Assam
  40. Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary – Ernakulam, Kerala
  41. Mayani Bird Sanctuary – Satara, Maharashtra
  42. Kulik (Raiganj) Bird Sanctuary - West Bengal
  43. Wandur National Park – Andaman Nicobar Islands
  44. Namdapha National Park – Changlang, Arunachal Pradesh
  45. Great Himalayan National Park – Kullu, Himachal Pradesh
  46. Manas National Park – Assam
  47. Indravati National Park – Chhattisgarh
  48. Gir National Park – Gujarat
  49. Marine National Park – Gujarat
  50. Pin Valley National Park – Himachal Pradesh
  51. Dachigam National Park – Himachal Pradesh
  52. Hemis National Park – Jammu and Kashmir
  53. Kishtwar National Parl – Jammu and Kashmir
  54. Hazaribagh National Park – Jharkhand
  55. Palamu National Park – Jharkhand
  56. Periyar National Park – Kerala
  57. The Sunderbans National Park – West Bengal
  58. Kanha National Park – Madhya Pradesh
  59. Simlipal National Park – Orissa
  60. Madhav National Park – Madhya Pradesh
  61. Panna National Park – Madhya Pradesh
  62. Pench National Park – Madhya Pradesh
  63. Navegaon National Park – Maharashtra
  64. Tadoba National Park – Maharashtra
  65. Nandan Kanan National Park – Orissa
  66. Govind National Park – Uttarakhand
  67. Corbett National Park – Uttarakhand
  68. Rajaji National Park – Uttarakhand
  69. Sri Venkateswara National Park – Andra Pradesh
  70. Orang National Park – Assam
  71. Chika Lake National Park – Pur, Orissa