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Look out it’s Bird Month
Birds are a common sight in Sri Lanka but many of us fail to appreciate them. To increase the awareness of the public towards our feathered friends, the Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka (FOGSL) has launched its annual nationwide programme to assess and study the distribution and presence of birds in Sri Lanka.

December 2005 has been declared Bird Counting Month. Those who want to participate have only to go bird watching in as many places as possible-their own home gardens, lakesides, paddy fields-anywhere that is frequented by birds.

They can make a list of birds in a given location and either email it to fogsl@slt.lk or post it in to FOGSL, Department of Zoology, University of Colombo, Colombo 3. The list should include the date, location, weather at the time, the habitat that the bird was observed in, and the name and contact details of the observer.

“Birds are good indicators of environmental changes,” says Professor Sarath Kotagama, President of FOGSL. For instance, an increase in the crow population of Colombo would indicate that there has been poor garbage clearance, and a polluted environment. An increase in beautiful birds such as the Sunbird would show that we live in an environment of quality.

Professor Kotagama says that by encouraging the public to go bird watching, they hope to increase people’s interest as well as appreciation of the environment.

A large number of forest birds can be found in home gardens, even in urban areas. The numbers of birds in various areas are dwindling due to causes such as deforestation, wetland reclamation and changes in habitat. It is only when the public become aware of the value of these beautiful creatures, can more be achieved towards protecting them. Sri Lanka, rich in ornithological resources has 24 endemic species of birds with 9 more proposed. Also, its location at the tip of the Indian subcontinent has made it a termination point in the North-South migratory paths of birds. December is in the peak migratory season, which is one of the reasons for making it the bird month.
Deforestation on a large scale has affected several special species of local birds such as the Sri Lanka Blue Magpie. One of the most critically endangered species is the Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush.

The Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka (FOGSL) is a national affiliate of Birdlife International. It is a Colombo University Council-approved non-profit organization. Since its establishment in 1976, FOGSL has worked towards two goals-firstly, to study birds in the wild and determine which ones need protection and in what manner, secondly to increase the understanding of the public so that the threat towards birds would lessen.

Further information about the Bird Month programme and the society’s other activities can be obtained from the society’s eGroup, which can be joined by sending an email to the address given earlier. Participants can also enter their bird-counting data into the society’s website, www.fogsrilanka.org.

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