Location:
Chnadra village in Bankura district of West Bengal, India is our venue for the project ‘School of Birds’ with 52 local children under its wings.
The birding excursion was conducted at Mukutmanipur in Bankura district, the site for the confluence of Kangsabati and Kumari rivers. It’s also home to a giant water dam reservoir. Bangopalpur Reserve Forest, home to rich flora and fauna lies approximately 2kms from the reservoir.
The work has been carried out in association with “Kalyan Sangha”, an institute dedicated towards the welfare of the twin villages of Chnadra and Netkamla, its people, their nutrition and health, preservation of their culture and traditions and primarily educating the young minds.
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- A peek inside the campus of ‘Kalyan Sangha’, on the morning of the Excursion
Read more about ‘SCHOOL OF BIRDS’ on the following links;
https://www.rockyfeet.com/educates/the-school-of-birds-2/
https://www.rockyfeet.com/conserves/tree-plantation-at-school-of-birds-16/
Date:
26th August 2017
Weather:
It was a partly cloudy yet with lots of sunshine, good for bird activity as well as bird identification.
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- A motor van ride enroute Bangopalpur Reserve Forest around noon.
Details of Excursion:
No. of participants: 36 (Ranging from the age 10 years to 16 years old)
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- SCHOOL OF BIRDS
We started early in the morning from Chnadra village on a mini bus and reached Mukutmanipur (at a distance of 75 Km) by 9am. After setting up our kitchen camp by the water’s edge and a quick snack for all, we started exploring the region. Our birding mission was conducted on foot, motor boats and motor vans.
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- An enthusiastic bunch of birdwatchers and travelers alike
The major foot trail was a 5 Km walk inside the Bangopalpur Reserve Forest, which yielded many resident birds of South Bengal, and of course beaming smiles of the children within the greenery. This was followed by a late but sumptuous lunch. For the remainder of the evening, the children exercised their free and spirited will by our camp before we headed for Chnadra again, as the sun dipped beyond the horizon.
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- Is that a cormorant in flight?
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- Foot trail within Bangopalpur Reserve Forest
Birdlist:
The following is a comprehensive list of all the species that we could spot enroute Mukutmanipur and on our diverse birding trails in and around the place. All the birds are residents of South Bengal plains.
- Common House Crow
- Jungle crow
- Common House Sparrow
- Common Myna
- Jungle Myna
- Asian Pied Starling
- Common Tailorbird
- Plain Prinia
- Palm Swift
- Black-headed Oriole
- White-breasted Kingfisher
- Common Kingfisher
- Indian Roller
- Green Bee-eater
- Rufous Treepie
- Rose-ringed Parakeet
- Spotted Dove
- Eurasian Collared Dove
- Rock Pigeon
- Common Hawk Cuckoo
- Asian Koel
- Greater Coucal
- Paddyfield Pipit
- White-browed Wagtail
- Pond Heron
- Cattle Egret
- Little Egret
- Indian Cormorant
- Asian Openbill
- Red-vented Bulbul
- Oriental Magpie Robin
- Black Drongo
- Black Kite
Waste Management:
The children took special care in disposing off all the non-biodegradable waste accumulated during the day in a sack, which were carried back and disposed of in the proper place.
Read more about our Project ‘RISE ABOVE PLASTIC’ on the following link;
https://www.rockyfeet.com/educates/raise-above-plastic/
Acknowledgement:
The excursion would not have been possible without the initiative of Mt. Debabrata Dutta and Mrs. Deborpita Das who supported our project by gathering and donating funds on the occasion of their daughter Danika’s 1st birthday.
People who funded the cause:
- Bharat Deep
- Harsh Soni
- Dhiraj Prakash
- Bithotra Chatterjee
- Abhishek Dasgupta
- Pubali Somebasu
- Gaurav Sancheti
- Keya Gupta
- Ranjita Chakrabarty
- Sarita Bandari
- Ranit Saha
We decided to execute the excursion on the same day as little Danika’s birthday (26th Aug).
