Members of the Mangrove Foundation along with officials from the Mumbai Mangrove Conservation Unit and the Forest Range (Bhiwandi-Thane) on Friday organized a bird watching and awareness event in Uttan near Bhayandar to celebrate the week-long Bird Week.
Bird lovers, environmentalists, students, and youth from the rural and coastal belts of Morva and Uttan actively participated in the event.
Started in 2020 by the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, the Bird Week which is to be held from Nov 5 to Nov 10 every year, aims at creating awareness about the rich diversity of birds and their importance in the environment.
The Bird Week coincides with the birthday of veteran wildlife conservationist Maruti Chitampalli and concludes with the birth anniversary of legendary ornithologist Dr. Salim Ali.
The bird safari was held in a two kilometers stretch covering mangroves and wetlands between Uttan and Morwa village.
More than 30 species of birds were sighted in the safari. Range forest officer (Mangroves Cell) from Bhiwandi region- Chetna Shinde amongst other officials guided and informed the participating members about migration and different aspects of birds and their species which are normally spotted in mangroves belts, wetland, grassland, and territorial forests.
The idea behind organizing the birding week is to sensitize and create awareness among the people about birds, especially about migratory birds, said a participant.
