As the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), the annual bird counting event organised by Cornell University and the Audubon Society in the USA is around the corner, bird watchers and nature enthusiasts in the city are gearing up to be a part of it.
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Being held from February 16 to 19, the event is being coordinated in India by Bengaluru-based Bird Count India, an umbrella group comprising birding, nature and conservation organisations across India.
“The response from Bengaluru has been very good,” says Deepa Mohan, one of the district coordinators for the event. In 2023, the city saw the participation of more than 300 people who uploaded around 1,400 lists and documented around 200 bird species.
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Joining the flock
Over one lakh birdwatchers globally participate in the annual GBBC. In India, more than a thousand birdwatchers are expected to come together for this year’s event. Participants are encouraged to list all bird species seen at a particular location over 15 minutes or more at any time during the four days and upload the list to the bird recording platform eBird, which makes checklist creation easier.
This can be repeated as often as possible. During GBBC, a lot of local birdwatching walks and talks are planned across the country for the public to join in. Ms. Mohan notes, “The event has had an unexpected benefit. A few years ago, we had difficulty finding people to conduct bird walks. But now, because of GBBC, we are finding new people coming forward and taking the initiative to conduct walks.”
Flying high
In 2023, India secured the third position globally for the number of reported species. Among the most frequently observed birds in India were the Himalayan Bulbul in the Himalayas, House Crow in both the north and the south, Red-vented Bulbul in the eastern and central regions, Feral Pigeon in the west, and Plume-toed Swift in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
GBBC, which was launched in 1998, became a global event in 2013. Bengaluru has seen participants ever since its commencement, says Ms. Mohan. “Initially, it took a little while to pick up. Over the years response has been better. The base of Bird Count India being Bengaluru has helped. We are at the nucleus of this. Now the word has been spreading all over India,” she says.
People from 33 states and Union territories will take part in this year’s event. Along with GBBC, campuses across India will also take part in the sister event Campus Bird Count, aimed at monitoring bird populations in educational and institutional campuses which are increasingly becoming vital habitats for wildlife.