ERODE (TAMIL NADU): More than 10 villages around the Vellode Birds Sanctuary, about 10 km from here, celebrated a “cracker-free Deepavali” on Sunday for the 21st consecutive year, sparing thousands of resident and migratory birds the smoke and noise.

Children in the villages voluntarily gave up crackers and burst only sparklers, while families, villagers said, celebrated the festival in new clothes.

The 240-acre sanctuary was established in 1996 by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, and is one of 16 bird sanctuaries in the official “List of Protected Areas of Tamil Nadu”.

Unlike other bird sanctuaries in the state, the sanctuary is centred around the Periyakulam Lake tank and has no adjoining woodland.

The waterbody attracts several species of resident and migratory birds from different parts of India and abroad.

The birds typically arrive to nest and breed between March and October, but villagers said only a handful of resident and migratory birds are around now.

The sanctuary once attracted thousands of birds, many of them migratory.

Species found at the sanctuary over the years are the bar-headed goose, black-tailed godwit, Eurasian spoonbill, spot-billed pelican, Western marsh harrier and blue-tailed bee-eater.

Villagers said some families went to the homes of close relatives to celebrate, bursting a few crackers there instead of in their own neighbourhoods.