The Migrant watch, a much awaited event among bird lovers, will be

launched this year on Sunday (29) with a watching session at Talangama Tank in Battaramulla starting at 7.00 a.m. Migrant watch is a concept promoted by Prof. Sarath Kotagama of the Department of Zoology, University of Colombo.

A lecture on ‘Waders and Other Migrant Birds’ will also be held on Saturday (28) at 9.30 a.m. at the Department of Zoology. Both these events are free and open to public. The Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka (FOGSL) specially welcomes those who are new to bird watching to take part in these events.

September to end of April is the period for many birds to migrate to Sri Lanka to avoid the harsh winters in the north. Few of these migrants, such as Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Brown Flycatcher, Forest wagtail, Asian Paradise Flycatcher (sudu redi hora) and Indian Pitta (avichchiya) even visit home gardens.

“Hundreds of Greater Flamingos, Gargenies, Plovers as well as globally threatened Spoonbill Sandpiper are known to feed in our coastal wetlands. They provide a boost to the biological wealth and economy and therefore it is our responsibility to safeguard them until they leave our shores,” a spokesman for the FOGSL said.

Aiming to provide an opportunity for public to get closer to nature through birds, the FOGSL initiated Migrant watch in 2011 to promote observation and keep records on migrants.

source: http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=88494

photo credits :https://www.facebook.com/parisaraya