2025-10-25

The Wings of Awareness program, an environmental education initiative implemented by the Tropical Institute of Ecological Sciences (TIES) conceived and supported by Buimerc India Foundation, successfully organized a bird watching session for the students of St. George’s Higher Secondary School, Manimala. The core objective of the program is to connect young learners with nature through experiential, field-based learning, thereby fostering curiosity, strong observational skills, and a deeper sense of environmental stewardship and conservation responsibility. The project is implementing across 20 schools in Kottayam District, engaging around 1,000 students and 60 teachers.

The session focused on introducing students to the fascinating world of local avian species and illuminating their critical ecological importance within the surrounding habitats. Conducted within the school's verdant campus and adjacent natural areas, the program provided students with a tangible, firsthand experience of local biodiversity.

The field study was expertly led by Mr. Ajayakumar M.N, Ornithology Expert at TIES, and Ms. Suhaana, Project Officer for the Wings of Awareness program. They guided the students through an engaging exploration of the local birdlife, teaching them how to confidently identify species based on their physical features, unique calls, and distinctive behaviours. The smooth execution of the session was greatly assisted by Mr. Manoj Chacko, Teacher Coordinator from St. George’s HSS, whose support and encouragement ensured enthusiastic student participation.

During the field activity, Ms. Suhaana conducted a comprehensive live demonstration of the CROW(Children's Resources for Ornithology and Wilderness)  app, an essential tool for the program. She meticulously outlined the process of uploading bird data, showing students how to accurately log their observations. Crucially, she informed the students that their active and consistent use of the CROW app would be the basis for selecting the top 20% of participants who would qualify for the next advanced round of the Wings of Awareness program, establishing a clear incentive for diligent participation.

The exploration yielded several captivating sightings that thrilled the young participants. The undisputed session highlight was the observation of a Loten's Sunbird actively sipping nectar from nearby blossoms, which offered a perfect illustration of the bird-plant symbiotic relationship. Other species successfully recorded included the lively Red-whiskered Bulbul, multiple Blue-tailed Bee-eaters demonstrating their characteristic graceful aerial flights while hunting, a colourful White-throated Kingfisher sitting on a prominent branch, and the elusive Cinnamon Bittern seen flying through a water body nearby the campus. Students attentively noted the unique traits and specific behaviours of each species, making the experience highly memorable.

The program concluded with spontaneous feedback from students and the teacher coordinator alike, expressing genuine surprise and appreciation for the unseen diversity of birdlife flourishing right within and around the school campus.