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by Nilma Dole
Peering through my binoculars at the great Brahimy kite eagle, I
catch a glimpse of its great colours that exudes when it flies yonder
beyond the trees. Sri Lanka is home to nearly 500 stunning species of
birds making it a bird-brained paradise.
There are about 30 endemic birds and most of them are found in the
wet zones of Sri Lanka.
 Some would think that naturalists and wildlife enthusiasts have no
other work but go birdwatching, but it’s known to help you reduce weight
and have a greater sense of appreciation of wildlife. It can have
several meanings where `watching’ is to look or observe attentively or
carefully.
Meaning also to stay awake at night while serving as a guard, or even
as a religious exercise. In middle English watching is termed as
‘wacchen’ or ‘wecchen’, where in Old English it is ‘waeccan’ which means
`to be or stay awake’.
Drinking in the sights of birds is actually good because it gives you
a better understanding of bird behaviour and also makes you ‘closer to
nature’ enlightening naturalists and birdwatchers of the environmental
threats making groups involved in initiating conservation measures.
The Wikipedia source defines birdwatching as ‘the observation and
study of birds with the naked eye or through a visual enhancement device
like binoculars’.
It also includes the vital component of hearing them with their
respective bird sounds.
Often nature lovers can mimick their calls in a bid to call them
(like while mating) to obtain a better look at them.
In Sri Lanka, nature lovers, part of FOGL (Field Ornithology Group of
Sri Lanka) are treated to bird activities that include ‘ringing’ which
is also called bird banding.
It is a method to study wild birds, by attaching a small individually
numbered metal or plastic ring to their legs or wings, to record various
aspects of the bird’s life that can be studied.
This can include migration, longevity, mortality, population studies,
territoriality feeding behaviour, and other aspects that are studied by
ornithologists.
The DWLC-FOGSL-Jetwing National Bird Ringing Project of Sri Lanka is
a collaboration between three organisations. The Department of Wildlife
Conservation (DWLC), the Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka (FOGSL)
and the Jetwing Research Initiative (JRI). In Sri Lanka, bird watching
is slowly gaining popularity and people are becoming interested in
looking at birds.
Having a bird feeder or going near a dead tree is sure to attract
birds which help in their population growth and conservation. Special
bird identifying books are also available at local book shops to give a
better understanding of birds who are vital for our wildlife and
pollination process. |
