Birder Profile–Dinesh Mishra

An engineering graduate currently working with the Government of Odisha, Dinesh’s true passion lies in wildlife and nature conservation. His deep-rooted interest in birdwatching, bird photography, and conservation has driven his journey.

Continue reading about his birding journey..

1. Please tell us a bit about yourself. What do you do and where do you live?

I am Dinesh Ranjan Mishra living in Sonepur district in western part of Odisha. I am engineering graduate and now working with Govt. of Odisha. I have a great deal of passion to work towards wildlife and nature conservation. My special area of interest is birdwatching, bird photography and conservation.                       

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

Since childhood I had a special attraction towards birds, I was always curious to watch them while they were frequenting my backyard. Birds are as colourful as flowers and there is no such colour which birds in the whole planet won’t have. I always think as if one day while thinking of creating birds, God started experimenting with colours and thus birds are filled with combination of so many colours. I got into passionate birdwatching 5 years back with my childhood friend Omprakash Rout. We started with learning about birds through  “The Book of Indian Birds” by Sálim Ali & “Birds of the Indian Subcontinent” by Grimmett & Inskipp and then moving to photo documentation.

We were aware of Odisha’s abundance of diverse habitats—dry and moist deciduous forests, hilly terrain, shrublands, grasslands, paddy fields, various water bodies, rivers, coastal plains, mangroves, brackish water lagoons, and more which still remain unexplored. Despite this richness, many areas in the state have remained unexplored, offering immense potential for birdlife. Our objective was to explore these habitats. Since, physically my friend was staying out of the state, it was only me who had to shoulder the responsibility of exploration. Initially I started species mapping in and around my own district and to my utter surprise I recorded 100 different birds in a short span of just 20-30 days. This actually boosted my explorer spirit and the journey went on. I continued my exploration journey alone for approximately 2-2.5 years in several other districts of Odisha. Over time, individuals from different community members began to take notice of my efforts and collaborated, resulting in the formation of an enthusiastic birders’ team now based in Sonepur.

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

Nothing in particular, as all birds are my favourites and my priority to see a new bird changes with each achieved target. Often, I’m captivated by bird behaviors, such as nesting habits, courtship rituals, and feeding patterns. And I love observing them for hours with my binoculars.

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

Yes of course, as I mentioned, initially it was a solo journey but gradually, a team of 8-10 passionate birdwatchers joined me. Birding solo felt like fulfilling an assigned task, but this perception changed when I began birding with a group. With a group of birdwatchers the biggest advantage is, you have more pair of eyes to spot birds, making the experience more enjoyable and yielding better results even in a shorter birding session.

5. What is your most memorable birding experience?

On December 22, 2019, my friend Omprakash and I set out for a morning birding session in our hometown, Sonepur. We ventured into the Mahanadi river basin, which flows through our town, in hopes of spotting some migratory waterfowls like Indian Spot-billed Duck, cormorants, and Northern Pintail. Suddenly we noticed something unusual, a flock of bright whitish ducks with black heads & reddish-brown heads. We had no idea what actually these ducks were; they were completely new to us. We clicked some hurried snaps and instantly I googled it and surprisingly it showed “Common Merganser” or “Goosander (Mergus merganser)”. Wow!! This was definitely a rare sighting for the region (state) where I live. Since then in every winter I am recording these beautiful migratory ducks with their varied behavior and its sighting in my home town has attracted many birders across the state which ultimately has increased certain tourism prospect of my place. So, I always consider this as my most memorable birding experience.

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

I have not explored the Himalayan birds yet, would love to visit there as soon as possible. Also, passage migrant as well as pelagic bird sighting are always considered a luck factor and I wish to try my luck soon.

7. Which of the two do you enjoy more and why: a) regular birding around your house/local patch/district, or b) widespread birding in different landscapes across different districts and states?

I enjoy both local as well as widespread birding. Local birding around house, local patches or district gives you a better knowledge to understand habitats of the place where you are living. Birding is an engaging and very soothing hobby which can actually be continued on regular basis if you are into local birding, because it’s not always possible to travel outside. Widespread birding across different landscapes, districts and states is definitely having a different charm. You will always be thrilled with new possibilities, new opportunities, more chances to explore new species and more scope to understand varied habitats/ landscapes of the country. Because India is such a vast country with so many varieties of habitats, that is hardly found in any other

(edits made at 17:00 on 3-10-2023)

8. How has your approach to birding changed over the years?

When I started birding I never expected that this is going to be such an addictive hobby for me. With time I felt, a birder/ bird watcher can contribute many things to society. I am creating awareness among school/college students by conducting seminars on birds which is helping them to build their nature’s connection. Community people have gradually noticed my work and have recognized it. Many of them are now aware of birds and their importance in the ecosystem. Those who had no idea, that there may be so many varieties of birds even in our locality; they are now able to identify different types of birds of their own. People from fishermen community for those fishing was the only means of livelihood have now started earning few bucks from tourists who are coming here to see varieties of birds. Most importantly eBird has changed my whole perspective of birding. This is an excellent platform to systematic birding and to record field data in a very systematic manner that is used at different level by various categories of people those who work for birds. I feel proud that I am contributing at least something to nature as a citizen scientist. Definitely I think I have been successful to certain extent to draw attention of people towards a beautiful creation of god i.e. “Birds”.

(edits made at 17:00 on 3-10-2023)

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

This month is a great time to look for early winter migrants. So my target for coming months is to get good records of early winter migrants in my home town as well as in nearby districts. Also, recently I am documenting the nesting/ breeding behavior of Rufous-bellied Eagle which is to soon to be completed.

Header Image: Indian Paradise-Flycatcher Terpsiphone paradisi by Dinesh Mishra/ Macaulay Library