With their pink wings and graceful gait, flamingos enchant everyone

This fest is being held at five places- Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary, Sullurpet Junior College Ground, Atakani Tippa Environmental Science Center, B.V. Palem, and Sri City. Nelapattu, which is a breeding center for foreign birds and a bird sanctuary

Metro India News | AMARAVATI

The 'Flamingo Birds Festival' that celebrates the wonder of nature is back after a hiatus of four years. Discontinued owning to the corona virus pandemic, the three-days birds festival was inaugurated by AP Tourism Minister Kandula Durgesh on Saturday.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister Durgesh praised the efforts of local leaders and the district administration for organising the festival on such a grand scale despite various constraints. He emphasised the role of public-private partnerships in boosting tourism and said that the festival serves as a testament to Andhra Pradesh’s commitment to tourism development

The main aim of the festival is to showcase the foreign birds that migrate to Pulicat Lake and Nelapattu areas every winter and to showcase their uniqueness. Greater Flamingos, Grey Pelicans, Painted Storks, Glossy Ibis, Common Kingfishers and Black-Winged Stilts, among others. These avian visitors come from regions as far as Ladakh, Tibet, China, Siberia, Central Asia, Nigeria and even Australia, making the sanctuaries a global hub for migratory birds

Bird watching, photography competitions and environmental awareness programmes are organised during this festival. Flamingos enchant everyone with their pink wings and graceful gait. During the festival, bird watching tents specially set up near the lake attract visitors. The songs and dances performed by local artists showcase the cultural richness of the region. The festival is a blend of hustle and bustle, natural beauty, and bird songs.

This fest is being held at five places- Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary, Sullurpet Junior College Ground, Atakani Tippa Environmental Science Center, B.V. Palem, and Sri City. Nelapattu, which is a breeding center for foreign birds and a bird sanctuary, has been a breeding center for foreign birds and a bird sanctuary for decades.

Every year, thousands of colorful birds come here to rest. They stay here for about 6 months from October to April, breed, and then return. The chirping of migratory birds that rest on the karapa trees in the Nelapattu pond and the acrobatics of hunting for food in the Pulicat Lake entertain bird lovers and tourists. The district administration has arranged life jackets for everyone taking a boat ride, arranged lifeguards and taken all kinds of safety measures for the boat ride.

These birds are worshipped as divine birds by the locals. It is believed that the arrival of the birds brings good rains and good crops. The locals believe that the excrement of the birds, while moving through the fields in search of food, falls on the fields and destroys insects. That is why, these flamingos are not hunted.