Forest areas covered in third phase of synchronised bird survey of ATR

COIMBATORE The third phase of the Statewide synchronised bird survey held on Sunday covered forest

The third phase of the Statewide synchronised bird survey held on Sunday covered forest areas of Coimbatore Forest Division and Pollachi and Tiruppur Forest Divisions of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR).

Teams comprising Forest Department staff and observers from non-governmental organisations looked for terrestrial birds in protected forest areas.

While coastal birds were surveyed in the first phase of the synchronised exercise, birds in and around inland waterbodies were counted in the second phase.

An orientation session for the staff and volunteers was held on Saturday. The teams visited designated forest areas from early morning on Sunday to start the survey.

District Forest Officer T.K. Ashok Kumar said that seven teams took part in the survey held in 14 forest beats of seven forest ranges in Coimbatore Forest Division. Deputy Directors M.G. Ganesan (Pollachi Division) and S.N. Thejasvi, (Tiruppur Division) coordinated the exercise in the ATR. Volunteers from the WWF-India, Coimbatore Nature Society, The Nature and Butterfly Society and other NGOs assisted the Department in the survey.

S. Ramasubramanian, Conservator of Forests and Field Director of ATR, said that the survey teams have come across interesting findings and the results will be compiled in a day or two.