January - 2011


Dear Nature Lovers,
Greetings from oikos !
Wishing you a very Happy & Healthy New Year !

This is 6th year of Desktop Calendars. Thank you for the encouraging response ! It helped us generate interest about our Nature & its wonders amongst people. We hope to have more interaction & positive actions towards Nature Conservation from all of you !
This year we bring some more colours & feathers to your desktop. With, The Avians – Birds, of course ! You will get acquainted to common & rare birds from different habitats and their importance in Ecosystems around us. Birds symbolize happiness & freedom in life… They also indicate the quality of surrounding… They have always been associated with human life & traditions right since vedic times…
Let’s know more about them and conserve their habitats… !
Regards,
Ketaki & Manasi.

WETLAND BIRDS
Animals travel large distances, through variety of habitats & countries every year ! Main cause of migration is harsh weather conditions & scarcity of food / habitat. When such conditions are created animals / birds migrate to another region with suitable conditions. It could be local migration or large distance migration over continents.
Many times birds migrate to some wetland or marshy land where water & food is abundant. Wetlands are the most important habitat which is severely under stress now days. So also the associated wetland birds like Flamingo. It is one such bird, which, breeds in Gujarat & migrates to wetlands in plains during winter.

Greater Flamingo
Zoological name: Phoenicopterus ruber
This graceful bird is very aptly known as Agnipankh (= Flamed wings) or Rohit. It is state bird of Gujarat. It is found in Brackish (Saline) water lakes, mudflats & saltpans.
It can be identified with white colour, long pink legs, pink-black wings, huge curved bill and has webbed toes for swimming. It mainly feeds on aquatic vegetation, small crustaceans & fishes that are sieved through comb edged beak. Flamingos are spread in parts of Africa, southern Asia, southern Europe. It is known to be a short distance migrant. In India, it breeds in Gujarat. It lays 1-2 eggs on earth mound.
January Calendar Click on the image to enlarge
(1024 X 768  for Regular Square Screen)
(1366 X 768  for Widescreen)
(1280 X 1024  for Regular Square Screen)
Photo credits: Ashwin Deshpande & Parag Aklujkar.

*  Open calendar image by clicking on thumbnail, save it to computer and set it as desktop background for your
    computer monitor.

Please Note -
This Email is a part of awareness campaign initiated by oikos, Pune. Write to us for your valuable feedback.
oikos have been sending ‘Desktop calendars’ since January’06 with various themes,
which can be downloaded from website.
If you are not willing or not the correct recipient of this Email, kindly reply this mail with subject 'unsubscribe'.  Thanking you for your precious time.
Spread a word !! Forward to nature lovers !
oikos for ecological services
Ph. 020-25451875

Web: www.oikos.in