School students undertake nature walk to Nagamalai hillock and Elathur lake in Erode

Following the recent declaration of Nambiyur Nagamalai hillock and Elathur Lake as Biodiversity Heritage Sites by the State government, 50 students from the Biology and Agriculture streams of Diamond Jubilee Higher Secondary School, Gobichettipalayam, along with teachers, undertook a nature walk to the sites recently to gain first-hand exposure to biodiversity conservation.

The programme was organised by school headmaster N.R. Sivakumar. Teachers M. Mansoor Ali, K. Sudha and K.S. Senthilkumar accompanied the students and guided them during the field visit. At Elathur Lake, students observed several species of resident and migratory birds using high-end cameras and binoculars as part of a birdwatching exercise. The species spotted included Northern pintail ducks, Shovelers and Common teals,

Sandpipers, Fantail snipes and Wagtails, apart from Cormorants and Oriental darters. Students were introduced to basic bird identification techniques and habitat observation methods during the exercise.

Janarthanan of the Erode Environment Awareness Group and Ravikumar from the Elathur Biodiversity Heritage Management Committee addressed the students, explaining the importance of wetlands for migratory birds and highlighting the ecological significance of conserving biodiversity heritage sites.