The Samikhsya Bureau
RAIPUR: The State Government is gearing up to host its first-ever bird festival in the villages of Gidhwa and Parsada of Bemetara district from January 31 to February 2.
The villages come under the Durg Forest Division of the State Forest Department and referred to as an undeclared sanctuary of migratory birds.
The site of the festival is located at a distance of 79 kilometres from Durg and 63 kilometres from the capital city of Raipur.
“Gidhwa has a unique world of 150 types of birds. In view of development of eco-tourism and local employment, Gidhwa-Parasada is being organized”, shared the officials associated with the event.
Apart from the old pond spread over 100 acres, Parsada also has a 125-acre water reservoir.
For past few years the wetlands of Gidhwa and Parsada villages have been home to a variety of winter migratory bird species in large number.
Migratory birds arrive here from Europe, Mongolia, Burma and Bangladesh between October and March every year, they informed.
180 species of winter migratory and resident birds were observed during the month of November to March last year.
Rare species of birds such as Northern Pin tail, Common Pochard, Red Crested Pochard, Common Teal, Knob Billed Duck, Osprey, Gargeny, Gadwal were among the spotted species.
Chhattisgarh state is regarded as a highly bio-diverse state of India with 44 per cent of its forest cover and expansive wetlands lined with prime river basins of River Mahanadi, Hasdeo and Godavari.
The festival has generated considerable interest among the nature lovers and ornithologists apart from several important organisations including the famed Bombay Natural History Society.
