The Malabar whistling thrush, a song bird of the Western Ghats, whistling a melodious tune perched on a tree is a familiar sight in Valparai near Coimbatore. Forested areas are aflutter with high-pitched sounds of the wispy little greenish warbler that goes sti-ti-ti-ti-ti-si... and the guttural teekteek of the Indian blue robin. “Instead of stepping out as a group, school students in and around Valparai will identify and record every bird they hear and see at their homes during the upcoming Pongal Bird Count,” says K Selvaganesh, a school teacher in Valparai who actively takes part in birding every year.
The Pongal Bird Count (PBC) that happens from January 14 to 17 is an annual bird monitoring programme where people across Tamil Nadu observe birds for a minimum of 15 minutes and upload the sightings on an online platform (ebird). The event is coordinated by the Tamil Birders Network and Bird Count India.
Grey-necked bunting
Over the Pongal weekend, Coimbatore Nature Society (CNS) plans to survey as many as 30 wetlands in Coimbatore. In Tamil Nadu, PBC, the Asian Waterfowl Census (AWC) that starts on January 1, and the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) that begins during the second week of February are some of the big birding events. “These events are observed around the world and citizens are encouraged to go birding. These serve as massive data generation activities for scientists interested in studying bird populations,” says PB Balaji of CNS.
This year, CNS takes part in the activity as part of both AWC (which they have been associated with since 2014) and PBC. “These exercises are done in a synchronised manner across different wetlands involving a number of bird watchers. This gives us a fair indication of the status of the wetlands. Last year, AWC data revealed that the migratory bird population is in sharp decline in the recent years. The PBC’s objective is to engage birdwatchers across Tamil Nadu who would be free during the Pongal weekend to record the bird populations around their homes,” explains Balaji.
- Watch and list birds from home or nearby places.
- Keep your optics to yourself. Don’t share your scope, binoculars, or camera with others; disinfect the eye caps of your optics after each birding trip.
- Maintain distance. If you are birding near others (whether they are birders or not), maintain at least 6 ft of space between yourself and other people at all times.
- Share checklists, not phones. ebird mobile users should avoid passing phones to review checklists for the time being. Confirm lists verbally before submission and if you need to make changes after you submit, it is easy to share and correct lists on the ebird mobile app.
- Wear a face mask once you leave home, and continue to wear it till you return.
- Carry a sanitiser or soap in your birding bag and use it wherever required.
- Travel alone, if it is a two-wheeler, and travel with less than two other persons in a four-wheeler.
- On return from birding, wash your hands with soap immediately and thoroughly. Take a bath if you can manage it
- To know more, visit birdcount.in
P Jeganathan, a bird enthusiast who is part of Tamil Birders Network, draws a parallel to the holiday tradition of the annual Christmas Bird Count in the US, where birders start counting birds in the neighbourhood.
“It’s Kerala’s annual Onam Bird Count that encouraged us to go birding during Pongal. We want to promote the culture of birding as a family activity,” explains Selvaganesh.
Birds in your backyard
The Pongal Bird Count that started in 2015 has seen a steady increase in number of participants over the years. Last year, 400 people from Tamil Nadu took part. “Instead of staying glued to gadgets, this is a great way to connect with Nature. This year, we are encouraging people to watch birds from their terraces, balconies and their streets and upload it on ebird. Many know of birds that come from Africa and Australia but are not aware of birds in their own backyard,” adds Jeganathan.
Black baza
One can catch a glimpse of migratory birds like the brown shrike that come from Japan and the blue-tailed bee eater from Europe and Russia, as well as birds like Indian pita, paradise flycatcher, grey wagtails, and ashy drongos that come from central and northern India and the Himalayas. And, the resident ones like the endemic Nilgiris flowerpecker, and black and orange flycatcher, to name a few. Besides a snapshot of birds that frequent an area during that particular time of the year, the data also helps study abundance and distribution of birds in one’s locality.
Health of wetlands
Birding enthusiasts in Puducherry hope that the rarely spotted baillon’s crake, a small water bird from Europe and other birds of prey like the pied harrier and peregrine falcon keep their date during the PBC.
They plan to cover 50 lakes (of the total 86 lakes in Puducherry) in four days. “We club it with the AWS and visit as many wetlands as possible where we also assess the health of wetlands and the threat they face from plastic waste, encroachment, poaching, and pollution,” says Surendhran Boobalan of Sutrusoozhal Kalvi Kazhagam in Puducherry. Besides migratory birds like garganeys, ducks, northern shovellers, godwits and terns, they also observe urban birds like house sparrows, house crows and mynahs.
Pacific golden plover
This year, a total of 38 district co-ordinators in Tamil Nadu, and two in Karaikal and Puducherry will guide beginners in bird watching while sticking to COVID-19 safety precautions. Adds Selvaganesh, “A healthy bird population always indicates a thriving biodiversity and a healthy environment.”
