Bird festival in Pong Dam Sanctuary next month

The Pong Dam Wildlife Sanctuary will host its first bird festival in February which will give visitors a glimpse of the migratory birds flocking the wetlands.

Over one lakh migratory birds have arrived at the sanctuary this season as per a rough count done on January 1.

The Bird Festival is being organised on February 1-2 by the wildlife wing of the Himachal Pradesh Forest department.

Chief Conservator, Wildlife, Pradeep Thakur said the Pong Bird festival shall be first of its kind to be organised in the sanctuary.

The festival will have attractions like guided bird watching tours, bird ringing, boat tours, cycle rally and different exhibitions.

He said that Pong Dam Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the top attractions for bird lovers.

The Pong reservoir was declared as a bird sanctuary in 1983. A 5-km belt from the periphery of the lake was declared as a buffer zone for the management of the bird sanctuary.

More than 220 bird species of 54 families have been recorded in the sanctuary.