Situated in the civil district of Jalpaiguri in the State of one of the last small pockets in Eastern India harbouring natural population of Great Indian one horned Rhinoceros. It also harbours other mega herbivores like Indian Elephant, Gaur or Indian Bison, deer, etc. The National Park is located in the flood plains of Jaldhaka and Murti river, criss-crossed by other medium and small rivers and rivulets creating pockets of grassland. This protected area was declared a national park in 1994 over an area of 79.99 sq. km.
The Gorumara National Park is a birdwatcher's paradise with its rich biodiversity reflected in its wonderful avi-fauna comprising hornbills, kingfishers, woodpeckers, pigeons, raptors, orioles, mynas, bulbuls, sunbirds, and our National bird the Peacock. This book gives a glimpse of the birds range found in the area. Among the 263 listed birds, this book covers 180 species of birds both resident and migratory, occurring from the foothills to the grasslands. Many species included in this book are resident in the other parts of the globe which migrate in winter to the lower Himalayas. Most of the photographs were taken in the National Park area and some of them were recorded for the first time.
Non-birders may question why bird conservation is important and what difference it makes to the world at large. Bird watchers know, however, that bird and wildlife conservation is critical to the richness and diversity of the planet we share with more than 10,000 species of birds. Understanding bird conservation means understanding ecology Wild birds are an integral part of the ecosystem and serve many important purposes, including: Insect and rodent population control, distribution of seeds that leads to forest conservation, food sources for bird predators. By studying and conserving birds, we can better understand the relationships between all living things on our planet and how the interactions of those relationships can affect humans directly.
This book is basically the result of my four years This of tenure as a Divisional Forest Officer in Wildlife Division II jalpaiguri. The material owes its existence to many conversations and photography with my staff and colleagues.
The topic of "bird watching" has become more than a hobby to me. I used to roam around the national park and sanctuary as a manager but, always carried my digital SLR camera with me. What ever bird I saw I tried to photograph it and noted its features. I realised that documentation is the best way of establishing facts printed in the management plan or any kind of record. This in one hand enriches you as well as the reader.
It is my belief that bird photography has very much to contribute to basic conservation process. I hope enough people/students see this to make it happen. If this book contributes in any small way to bird conservation, it will have served its purpose.
The material in the book is written for persons visiting the national park and sanctuary in North Bengal. It is much of a guide book than a book of research. The size of the book has been restricted to a pocket able size, so that it can be easily carried in the field.
I would like to express my gratitude to Mr. A K Raha. IFS, Mr. S B Mondal, IFS, Mr. P. Vyas, IFS, Mr. V K Yadav, IFS, Mr. Ujjwal Ghosh IFS. Mr. Bimal Debnath FR. Mr. Sabyasachi Chakrovorty Actor/Conservationist, Mr. Animesh Bose, HNAF for their significant contributions. I would be remiss if I failed to thank Dr. PT Bhutia, IFS who was my guide through much of my tenure. Apart from the subject of this book, I learnt a lot from him, which I am sure will be useful in different stages of my life. Particular gratitude is due to the departmental elephants who have made the work easier in inaccessible areas. The ground staff and all my colleagues in the national park have always been a great help. This list is incomplete and I apologize to anyone I omitted. One omission can not be permitted, however I owe a special note of thanks to so many colleagues who, for various reasons, were directly or indirectly related with this work.
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