The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Documenting avian life in detail

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Wednesday, Jul 01, 2009
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Karnataka - Bangalore

Documenting avian life in detail

Divya Gandhi

This will be the first such census in 11 years on IISc. campus

The Treepie

Bangalore: It is arguably one of the most treasured birding spots in the city, having been left largely untouched by the ever-expanding metropolis. And as it has been over a decade since the last bird count took place on the 400-acre campus of Indian Institute of Science (IISc.), a group of avid birdwatchers has made it a mission to document its avian life.

Bird enthusiast S.K. Srinivas has begun a six-month census with students of the Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES) of IISc., where they will train a hawk’s eye on the campus that famously supports birds that we rarely see in the city anymore: the electric blue Indian Roller, the expertly camouflaged Scops Owl, the stealthy Treepie.

But it is not without some “apprehension” that Mr. Srinivasan began the survey on Saturday. After all, much has changed over the past decade and development has taken a toll on green cover. “Exactly 103 bird species were recorded in 1998, but this is fewer than the number of birds recorded in 1988, which was 120,” he said. However, he hopes that he would find “at least the same number of species that were counted the last time.” The survey will be “restricted to faculty and students of IISc.” for security reasons and CES students will volunteer their time weekly. “We will be monitoring both resident and migrant birds such as warblers and wagtails which will begin to come in from the north by September. We will also be looking at nocturnal birds.”

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