BY ARTI DAS
Ever wondered about that bird perched on the same tree at the same time every day? If you're curious about them and their habitat, then birdwatching is the perfect activity for you to explore.
Birdwatching is more than just a pastime—it's a passion for many birders and a valuable form of citizen science. This activity has led to numerous discoveries and has helped identify threats to biodiversity.
Many global events promote birding, and one such event is the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), which will take place from February 14 to 17 across various locations in the country. Last year, over 5,000 birders from India took part in the global Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC).
The global GBBC is organised by Cornell University and the Audubon Society in the USA, while in India, it is coordinated by Bird Count India, a collective of over 50 birding, nature, and conservation groups.
The global GBBC is organised by Cornell University and the Audubon Society in the USA, while in India, it is coordinated by Bird Count India, a collective of over 50 birding, nature, and conservation groups.
At this event, participants are encouraged to list all the bird species seen at a particular location over a period of 15 minutes or more, at any time during the four days, and upload the list to the bird recording platform eBird. This can be repeated as often as possible.
HOW IT WORKS
Along with GBBC, campuses across India also take part in the sister event ‘Campus Bird Count,’ aimed at monitoring bird populations in educational and institutional campuses.
In Goa, three campuses are part of this – Government College of Arts, Science and Commerce in Sanquelim (GCS), Goa University and Parvatibai Chowgule College of Arts and Science (Autonomous) in Margao. There’s also one at Ganjeshwari Temple, Ganjem, on February 15 from 7 am onwards.
“In Goa, the GBBC has been a wonderful opportunity to spread the word about birding to both birders and non-birders. Arannya Environment Research Organisation (AERO) has, over the last 5 years, constantly spearheaded the campus bird count, an event within the GBBC in Goa,” says Pronoy Baidya, head of the research division at AERO. He will conduct birding at Sanquelim’s Government College.
Pronoy maintains that CBC can be promoted as a starting point for research extension at field based studies.
“We are in discussions with the Directorate of Higher Education to try and institutionalise this effort from the next academic year, covering not just CBC and GBBC, but extending to endemic bird day, Salim Ali Bird Count and our very own Goa Bird Atlas,” he adds.
He shares that Goa recorded 495 bird species in the State, with more than 50 percent of these species being documented annually during the GBBC. Last year, a total of 285 species were recorded.
He shares that Goa recorded 495 bird species in the State, with more than 50 percent of these species being documented annually during the GBBC.
When asked what the threats that they have observed are, he informs that plateaus are most affected in terms of a contraction of bird communities.
“Endemic species like the Malabar Lark have been detected in very low densities during the Atlas surveys, while other grassland birds, too, seem to have reduced in numbers. The Rufous-tailed Lark, which is a local migrant to Goa, has become rare over years, while Pipit populations seem to have increased,” he says.
“We still do not understand the fine scale process that is affecting our plateau birds, and before more area is lost to unsustainable and unplanned development, we need to speed up with detailed ecological studies of these important habitat parcels in Goa,” he adds.
The GBBC bird event, organised by AERO, will be held on February 15 from 7 am onwards at Ganjeshwari Temple, Ganjem. It is free and open to all. For details, contact Jalmesh Karapurkar on +91 8806772756.
