April 27, 2014
Millions of birds migrate each year into the Western Ghats which provides a safe haven for all types of wildlife, especially birds. We have observed migratory birds flying over distances of hundreds and thousands of kilometres in order to reach the Western Ghats to rest feed and breed. Mangalore is strategically placed because of the long coast, where land meets sea and this interface provides the much needed refuelling stops for migratory birds to rest and feed, on their onward journey.
World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) was initiated in 2006 and is a global awareness-raising campaign highlighting the need for the protection of migratory birds and their habitats. On the second weekend each May, people around the world take action and organise public events such as bird festivals, education programmes and bird watching excursions to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day and to help raise awareness around a specific theme.
This brief article is to raise awareness about the presence of migratory birds in and around Mangalore.
We were very fortunate to have spotted the Black Winged Stilt at Kadri Kambala and in many water bodies in and around Mangalore city. Kindly remember that all wildlife species, especially bird species congregate in areas where there is an assured supply of food. More importantly birds have the uncanny ability to sum up their environment as hostile or friendly. In this respect we are proud to state that the people of Mangalore provide adequate protection to both migratory birds and resident birds.
A globally widespread wading Bird, The Black-winged Stilt has a wide range, including Australia, Central and South America, Africa, southern and south-eastern Asia and parts of North America and Eurasia. The Black-winged Stilt is a social species, and is usually found in small groups. Black-winged Stilts prefer freshwater and saltwater marshes, mudflats, and the shallow edges of lakes and rivers. The long, distinctive red legs of the black-winged stilt account for nearly 60 percent of its height, providing it with a feeding advantage over other waders in deeper waters.
During breeding, parental investment is high from both male and female birds, with males devoting a significant amount of time to nest building and egg incubation. This parental team appears to be monogamous ( A form of relationship in which an individual has only one partner during their lifetime or at any one time ), as while the male stays behind to tend the nest, the foraging female remains faithful.
Conservation is all about restoring the balance between humans and the environment, because everything in nature is interconnected and interdependent. In today's consumer driven world, the unsustainable demands on the limited natural resources of the world threaten wildlife and directly intrude on the life support system of the planet. Individuals like you and me can do a great deal to endorse conservation by choosing to be pro active rather than turning a blind eye and saying it's not my problem.
The question of underlying importance is the human interaction, wildlife interrelationships, patterns of interdependence, which ultimately determine the survival of the local ecosystem, which in turn has a direct bearing on quality of human life.
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