While most birders find warblers as difficult subjects, Santanu Manna finds them fascinating and is always up for the challenge to identify them. A school teacher based in Kolkata, he never loses any opportunity to go birding during the holidays. Here is more about him… Please tell us a bit about yourself. What do you do and where do you… read more »

Birder Profile: Santanu Manna

Bird Count India
October is an exciting month for birders. Apart from general migration picking up,  a large number of young birds will be on their first migratory journey. Young (first year) birds can often be told apart from adults by their distinctive appearances; have you been seeing any?  Winter migrants are now being reported from almost every corner of India. Whether you stay… read more »

October 2019 eBirding Challenge

Challenges
1
Spread the love of birds this Wildlife Week (2-8 October 2019) by introducing new audiences to the wonderful world of birds. You could give a talk about birds, play bird games, conduct a quiz — so many possibilities! See here for a variety of resources you can use. But don’t forget to take people out to a lake or park to… read more »

Wildlife Week 2019

Events & Activities
August is still a rainy month in many places in India, and even through some early migrants have started appearing, we still don’t see the uptick in birding that comes with winter. Our appreciation for the birders who are out and about in this season — your documentation of birds is very valuable! Here is the breakup of eBirding in… read more »

August 2019 eBirders of the Month

Challenges
The challenge for August was to explore new hotspots where you have never birded before. We hope you enjoyed this challenge and had some adventures! We would love to hear them: do send your stories (between 500- 1000 words) to skimmer@birdcount.in Given the harsh summer this year followed by torrential rains, birding activity has been generally low in most parts… read more »

September 2019 eBirding Challenge

Challenges
Every year in August the bird taxonomy across the world gets updated based on eBird/Clements checklist. Birders in India can heave a sigh of relief as the changes this year for us are minor and less complicated compared to the global taxonomy. Some of these updates include lumps and splits in species; name changes; addition of spuhs, slashes and so… read more »

eBird India taxonomy 2019

eBird Tips & Tricks
July brings rain to most parts of India. This year, the rains have been particularly severe, with floods in several places. No wonder birding is at a bit of a lull this month. Here is the breakup of eBirding in the country in July 2019 (with previous month in brackets): Number of birders: 1,320 (1,430)Number of lists (all types): 11,600… read more »

July 2019 eBirders of the month

Challenges
5
While some of our resident species are in their last phase of breeding (feeding their young), the juveniles of other birds such as Pied Bushchats, Black Drongos and White-eyed Buzzards have already transitioned being independent of their parents. August is an exciting month for bird watchers from another perspective. The winter’s first migrants start arriving! Shanks and Sandpipers are already… read more »

August 2019 eBirding Challenge

Challenges
1
June is an odd month when parts of India are still reeling in the heat and other parts see heavy rain — neither very conducive to birding. Still, you can’t keep birders away from birding! Here is the breakup of eBirding in the country in June 2019 (with previous month in brackets): Number of birders: 1,430 (1,600)Number of lists (all… read more »

June 2019 eBirders of the month

Challenges
From coastal lands to scrublands, mountains to rainforests, traveling to spot birds has been a passion for Sudeshna Dey. Here is more about Sudeshna in her own words… 1. Please tell us a bit about yourself. What do you do and where do you live? I started birdwatching back in 2007, and what started as an interest became a hobby, and… read more »

Birder Profile: Sudeshna Dey

Birder Profile
July brings the monsoon in full swing – clouds full of rain hang above, usually accompanied by thunder, lightning and strong winds. With the rains, the bare lands are transformed into lush grasslands and many species such as rain quails, bush-quails, and black & painted francolins are highly active. While some of these quails prefer grassy patches for food and… read more »

July 2019 eBirding Challenge

Challenges
Most of India reels under the hear in the month of May, and this is typically not a month in which birders are particularly active (apart from in the mountains). Still, an impressive amount of eBirding took place this May. Here is the breakup of eBirding in the country in May 2019 (with previous month in brackets): Number of birders:… read more »

May 2019 eBirders of the month

Challenges
For the sixth year in succession, a two day workshop on Bird Monitoring in Kerala was held at the Centre for Wildlife Studies, College of Forestry, Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur on 8-9 June 2019. About 70 birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts, representing various organisations in Kerala participated in the workshop. Participants represented Cochin Natural History Society (CNHS), Malabar Natural History Society (MNHS),… read more »

Kerala Bird Monitoring Workshop June – 2019

Bird Count India