On the birth anniversary of Dr Salim Ali, prominently known as the ‘Birdman of India’, a ‘Bird Walk’ programme was organized by the Wular Conservation and Management Authority (WUCMA) of Jammu and Kashmir at Watlab village in Sopore.

As many as 30 participants from diverse fields belonging to different parts of the Kashmir valley participated in the programme.

The participants were apprised about the objectives of the bird walk programme by WUCMA officials and were given briefs about the 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 the Kandi Forest Range of Kamraj Forest Division for bird watching, which was followed by boating trips in the 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 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, Pond Heron etc. Source:ANI