Governor Bandaru Dattatreya releases coffee-table book of Somesh Goyal

Shimla : Governor Bandaru Dattatraya today released a coffee-table book titled “Himachal Birds: A Visual Treat” compiled by Somesh Goyal, Director General of Prisons, Himachal Pradesh.Keeping in view the SoP and directions issued by the state government in view of sharp rise in Covid-19 cases in the state, the function was organised at a small scale in the presence of only two persons.The Governor admired the toil of Somesh Goyal on birds of the state and said, it was not easy to capture such good pictures with the camera while in the police. His passion was praise worthy.He hoped that it would create awareness and further strengthen the engagement of local citizens, policymakers and administrators towards preserving the rich birdlife of Himachal Pradesh. He was surprised that over 50 per cent of all bird species seen in India had now also been reported from Himachal Pradesh. He said that Himalayan region was the centre of species radiation of pheasants, and Himachal Pradesh was extremely important for the protection of many pheasant species. He praised some rare photographs of pheasants like Himalayan Monal, Western Tragopan, KoklassScaly-bellied Woodpecker, Siberian Stonechat etc. He hoped that Shri Goyal would continue to work in field of environment in future also.Somesh Goyal thanked the Governor for releasing the coffee-table book and said that after due diligence and cross referencing we had compiled a credible list of 672 birds and 31 important Birding areas in Himachal Pradesh. He added that the number of birds seen in the State incidentally constitute half of the species found in India.He said that compiling, writing and editing this book in the Golden Jubilee year of Himachal Pradesh had been a rewarding journey for him and hoped that the book would be liked by one and all.Somesh Goyal is a seasoned trekker, wildlife enthusiast, travel writer and photographer. For his conservation work in the Sunderban delta, Goyal received the 2006 West Bengal state Wildlife Conservation award. He is the founder President of Himachal Birds, a forum dedicated to the conservation of avian habitat. He has authored ten books.Secretary to Governor Rakesh Kanwar was also present on the occasion.