A wide diversity of bird species live in India's enormous geographical span. Aside from national parks and sanctuaries, there are several sites in India to go birdwatching. If you are an avid, or budding, birdwatcher, sign up for up upcoming course.
The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) is hosting a basic course in field migration and bird ornithology studies at Point Calimere, Tamil Nadu from October 13-15, 2023.
Aim Of The Workshop
The workshop aims to build a network of birders and bird ringers to contribute research to the Central Asian Flyway. The training would aid in developing a network of volunteer troops to assist with bird monitoring and ringing.
This programme primarily focuses on providing field training in bird population monitoring by bird counts and movement through bird marking and classroom sessions on various elements of bird migration study techniques.
For more info, check the BNHS website.
About Point Calimere
Great Vedaranyam Swamps (GVS), which includes Point Calimere wildlife sanctuary (PTC), is situated along the southeast coast of India. It is one of the known sites which support massive numbers of waterbirds, particularly globally fragile shorebirds. Over 290 species of birds have been reported from this area.
A large stretch of shallow mudflat of GVS and the tropical dry evergreen forest of the Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary can only be seen on the east coast of India.
A notable record of over seven lakh birds of 68 waterbird species counted on a single day during the pre-census in January 2022, which formed 84 per cent of the total (one million) population enumerated from all the coastal wetlands along the east coast of Tamil Nadu. It signifies the global significance of Point Calimere for migratory birds migrating from several parts of the World.
The birds marked in Point Calimere have been recovered from 15 countries (Russia, Kazakhstan, China, Iran, Seychelles & Hungary).
About The BNHS
BNHS, established on September 15, 1883, is one of India's major non-governmental institutions involved in conservation and biodiversity study.
In 1883, several nature-loving residents of Bombay decided to exchange notes and exhibit interesting specimens of natural history. They came together at Bombay’s Victoria and Albert Museum on September 15 and constituted the Bombay Natural History Society.
All About Citizen Scientists
The role of citizen scientists in mapping wildlife and basic research has been increasing. Many ordinary people are helping in mapping birds, identifying, and counting to help scientists better understand and conserve birds worldwide. These outputs are used by policymakers in various countries and are excellent examples of citizen science in nature conservation.
In October 2019, news reports discussed the first-ever Indian city to get a comprehensive bird atlas–thanks to volunteers. The Bird Atlas project of Mysuru, which has been running for three years, has documented 192 kinds of birds in the city, with 130 species sighted in the winter and 105 in the summer or monsoon.
There are several such bird mapping projects around the country that you can sign up for as a volunteer on your next vacation. You may become a citizen scientist who maps birds. Spend time watching birds, taking notes, identifying, counting, and sharing your photos to help professionals better understand and conserve birds worldwide.