Those delightful exotic wings

March 05, 2015 12:00 am | Updated November 16, 2021 06:46 pm IST - HYDERABAD:

Distant visitors:A flock of bar-headed geese taking flight at Gandipet lake on the outskirts of Hyderabad.— Photo: Nagara Gopal

Distant visitors:A flock of bar-headed geese taking flight at Gandipet lake on the outskirts of Hyderabad.— Photo: Nagara Gopal

Ticking a check list was never this fun. For the dozens of citizens who participated in the recent bird race held in the city, spotting exotic and rare species of birds was a fun affair, and recording it was a learning experience.

Long list

The day-long ‘Hyderabad Bird Race 2015’ was organised by the Bird-Watchers Society of Hyderabad and the Greater Hyderabad Adventure Club.

The race involved 88 members forming teams and spotting birds in the wild, around lakes and woods in the outskirts of the city.

From a long list provided to the participants, those who could manage to ‘strike off’ at least 140 varieties were adjudged winners. Some birds that had captivated the members included short-toed snake eagle, buzzards and various types of raptors.

The colourful crested serpent and hawk eagle, with their majestic and colourful wings turned out to be a shutterbug’s delight.

The spotless white little egret and coffee colour winged creature treepie were some of the highlights.

Rare species

For Hemanth Kumar, a techie and wildlife enthusiast, the best part was spotting the Indian black bird. “It is a rare bird, hardly found in the city. I had never spotted the Indian blackbird before and I was excited seeing it. I had spotted it at Narsapur forest along with other rare species,” said Hemanth, who managed to spot about 130 bird species.

The annual bird race this year covered Narsapur forest, Himayatsagar, Osmansagar and surrounding locations.

Spotting rare birds and recording their details were more than just fun for participants of the Hyderabad Bird Race 2015

Long list

The day-long ‘Hyderabad Bird Race 2015’ was organised by the Bird-Watchers Society of Hyderabad and the Greater Hyderabad Adventure Club.

The race involved 88 members forming teams and spotting birds in the wild, around lakes and woods in the outskirts of the city.

From a long list provided to the participants, those who could manage to ‘strike off’ at least 140 varieties were adjudged winners. Some birds that had captivated the members included short-toed snake eagle, buzzards and various types of raptors.

The colourful crested serpent and hawk eagle, with their majestic and colourful wings turned out to be a shutterbug’s delight.

The spotless white little egret and coffee colour winged creature treepie were some of the highlights.

Rare species

For Hemanth Kumar, a techie and wildlife enthusiast, the best part was spotting the Indian black bird. “It is a rare bird, hardly found in the city. I had never spotted the Indian blackbird before and I was excited seeing it. I had spotted it at Narsapur forest along with other rare species,” said Hemanth, who managed to spot about 130 bird species.

The annual bird race this year covered Narsapur forest, Himayatsagar, Osmansagar and surrounding locations.

Spotting rare birds and recording their details were more than just fun for participants of the Hyderabad Bird Race 2015

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