Call of the wild: Makulakocha, on the foothills of Dalma

The chirping of sparrows, the chattering of magpies, the warbling of nightingales, the cuckooing of koel — bird buffs can soon follow the Dalma tweet at the click of a button.

Authorities at the picturesque sanctuary are planning a perfect prelude to the much-touted jumbo trail with a bird whistling kiosk at the Makulakocha resource centre and museum on the foothills of Dalma.

The Ranchi wildlife division — which exercises jurisdiction over the sanctuary along NH-33, 20km from Jamshedpur — has already forwarded the Rs 20-lakh proposal to the wildlife headquarters in the state capital and is currently awaiting a nod from the forest department.

Divisional forest officer (DFO) Kamlesh Pandey said the idea of a whistling kiosk struck him in March, when the forest department brought out a ready reckoner on the avian friends titled Vihang — Birds of Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary.

The 100-page book captured the characteristics of 84 species — both native and migratory — found at the sanctuary. Some of the candidates easily spotted on their perch included the Oriental magpie robin, the common teal, the black ibis, the river tern, the pied cuckoo, the common sandpiper, the Indian nightjar and the Asian koel.

“However, many people would not know what these birds sound like. So, we decided on making them more acquainted with nature’s very own orchestra,” Pandey said.

The kiosk will be programmed with recorded voices of different birds and also mammals, which can be heard when one clicks on a button beside the picture of the same.

The DFO said the project would be financed by the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA). “The meeting of CAMPA is yet to take place. We are expecting it to happen soon after which we hope to begin work in this connection,” Pandey said.

“The resource centre-cum-museum at Makulakocha is already home to books and reference material on wildlife, besides installations of birds and animals. The kiosk will add another feather in its cap,” he added.

Will the twitter kiosk prompt your next Dalma visit?

Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com