Birder Profile: Chinmay Sawant

Spot-bellied Eagle Owl, photographed by Snehashish Sinha from Bandipur National Park in Karnataka

Chinmay Sawant is one of the many people who took birding seriously during the pandemic. Inspired by the writings of Shri. Maruti Chitampalli and Dr. Sálim Ali, he decided to explore his hometown in Kiraksal, Satara and document all the birds that are found there. This kind of exercise was the first to be done in Kiraksal. Continue reading to learn more about his birding adventures and his upcoming goals for the year.

1. Please tell us a little about yourself. Where do you live and what do you do?

I am in my final year of graduation studying fisheries science in the College of Fisheries, Ratnagiri. My native place is Kiraksal, Satara, Maharashtra.

2. When and how did you get interested in birding?

My interest in birding goes back to my days of childhood. I have always felt close to nature, especially birds. My liking changed into interest when I was in Class 9 when I stumbled across a book called ‘Ranvata ‘authored by one of the most popular naturalist and ornithologist of India- Shri. Maruti Chitampalli. His and Sálim Ali’s writings inspired me to watch birds around me. One such incident that I remember was when I lived in Mumbai. There was a huge Ficus tree outside our house that used to fruit profusely. Once I saw a brilliant yellow and black bird feeding. I was captivated by its beauty. Later I found out it was a Indian Golden Oriole. The Marathi name for this bird is Haldya (Haldya = Turmeric). From that day onwards I have been fascinated towards the world of birds. The pandemic of 2020 was the best time for me as I had more time to read about them. I was in Kiraksal and it being a remote country side village, I spent more time exploring the countryside. I started birding regularly and documented birds in various habitats of Kiraksal.

3. Do you have a favourite bird or birds? Why is it/are they your favorite?

I have spent more time watching birds in the grasslands of Kiraksal Biodiversity Region. hence open-country raptors have been my favourite. Changeable Hawk-Eagle is my all time favourite raptor. In forests, I am always looking forward to see woodpeckers.

4. Where do you enjoy birding the most?

I like birding in all kinds of habitats–mangroves, rocky shores, wetlands, forest, and grasslands however I do enjoy birding in grasslands and mangroves.

5. Do you have a birding partner or a group you enjoy birding with? How is birding alone different from birding with others?

In Kiraksal, I often bird with a friend Vishal Katkar. Both of us have been exploring habitats like thorny-scrub forest, savanna and dense forest patches in Kiraksal. In Mumbai, I go birding with some of my birding buddies but when I am in Ratnagiri I enjoy birding alone. I usually bird in the forests and coastal regions of Konkan. My college campus also has many birds and some of my lifers were Brown Hawk-Owl, Indian Scops-Owl and Indian Yellow Tit. I feel deeply connected to nature when I am birding alone and feel calm and peaceful.

6. Anything on the birding bucket list? (Doesn’t have to be a bird, could be a place, witnessing a phenomenon, etc)

Yes, I have some birds in my bucket list. I would like to see a Heart-spotted Woodpecker and Spot-bellied Eagle Owl. I want to explore birds living in dense forests of Western Ghats from Sindhudurg to all the way to Kerala. Although I look forward to pelagic birding the most in the winter.

7. Has eBird changed how you bird? How?

Yes, eBird has showed me how to explore birds in different regions. I have learnt how to use different protocols that is essential for scientific research. It has also helped me in preparing Kiraksal’s People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR).

8. Have you set any birding goals for the coming months?

My birding goals for the upcoming months are to explore the birds in the dense forests of Sindhudurg, Kolhapur and Ratnagiri. I can then add various species of owls, woodpeckers as lifers to my life list. I also want to explore the Konkan and western Maharashtra.

9. What is your message for fellow birders?

It would be really great to have more humble and patient birders around, especially when you are new to birding. Experienced birders should understand and give time to the beginner birders to learn and grasp. My other message to fellow birders is to follow birding ethics, and completely avoid the use of call playbacks where the prime goal is just to sight a specific bird.

Header Image: Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl Bubo nipalensis © Snehasis Sinha/ Macaulay Library

Birder profile Birders Chinmay Sawant

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Ananya Mukesh

2 years ago

What a nice hobby to take up! I don’t have the time or the requisite knowledge to bird right now, but I really enjoy reading these interviews and articles. I hope to take this up more seriously as a hobby someday 🙂