Meet Abhishek Sharma, a passionate young birder whose birding journey took flight in the Himalayan foothills of Uttarakhand. What began with watching House Sparrows near his home soon turned into a deeper connection with birds during his school years in Nainital. Now based near the rich forests of Valmiki Tiger Reserve, he spends his time exploring its diverse habitats, documenting birds, and sharpening his skills as a habitat-focused birder.
1. Please tell us a bit about yourself. What do you do and where do you live?
I am a student currently preparing for government exams. I completed my Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Forestry from the College of Forestry, Ranichauri, Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, last year. I currently reside in Harinagar, a small rural town located 20 km from Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) in Pashchim Champaran, Bihar.
2. When and how did you get interested in birding?
I got interested in birding at the age of 12 when I regularly saw House Sparrows nesting near my home. At that time, I didn’t know their common or scientific names, but watching those small sparrows all day in my garden was a very exciting experience.
When I joined a boarding school in Nainital, Uttarakhand, at the age of 13, it was an altogether different experience of observing birds in that mid-Himalayan paradise nestled at 2,000 metres. I clearly remember regularly hearing and seeing Blue Whistling Thrushes and Red-billed Blue Magpies, although I didn’t know their names back then.
Later, I borrowed the Handbook of Birds of the Indian Subcontinent by Ali and Ripley (Vo.1) and The Book of Indian Birds by Dr. Salim Ali from my school library. These books helped me gain good knowledge about raptors and Himalayan birds.
In the following years, I regularly went birding alone in my school campus and started documenting the bird species I encountered daily. Eventually, I joined birdwatching groups in the area and explored various locations around Nainital. That greatly sharpened my bird identification skills and gave me some unforgettable experiences.
3. Do you have a favourite bird or birds? Why is it/are they your favourite?
This is a very difficult question for me, but ever since my initial birding years till now, I have been especially fond of raptors because of their powerful demeanour, captivating aura, and the important role they play in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem. Among them, my all-time favourite bird is the Shaheen Falcon (Falco peregrinus peregrinator).
Peregrine Falcon (Shaheen) © Abhishek Sharma
4. Do you have a birding partner or a group you enjoy birding with? How is birding alone different from birding with others?
Nowadays, I mostly bird alone, but during my initial birding years in Uttarakhand, I did birding in groups of 2 to 15 people a few times. Personally, I feel that birding alone gives a stronger sense of connection to the habitat and allows me to explore it on my own terms.
One key difference I’ve noticed between birding alone and birding in a group is that birding alone, over time, gives you more experience and confidence to deal with the risks that come with exploring different habitats, especially forests.
5. What is your most memorable birding experience?
It’s hard to pick just one, but my most memorable birding experience was watching a huge number of roosting Amur Falcons in Pashchim Champaran. I had always heard about their spectacular sightings from Nagaland and other parts of Northeast India and dreamt of witnessing them there someday. But seeing a large roosting group of Amur Falcons so close to my home made it an unforgettable experience. The joy and significance of that sighting doubled because it happened right in my own backyard.
Amur Falcons © Abhishek Sharma
Another memorable experience was when I documented Grey-crowned Prinias, a vulnerable and rare species, from VTR. It was particularly special because I had been searching for them across different habitats in the reserve for nearly two years before finally sighting them.
6. Anything on the birding bucket list? (Doesn’t have to be a bird — could be a place, witnessing a phenomenon, etc.)
I have lots of species on my birding bucket list, but the one I am most eager to see is the Australasian Grass-Owl in the Terai grasslands of either Bihar or Uttar Pradesh.
As for bird behaviour, one phenomenon I really want to witness and document is a Bearded Vulture performing its signature bone-dropping tactic in the Himalaya. Although I have seen this species numerous times in Uttarakhand, I am yet to observe this fascinating behaviour.
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 and widespread birding, but currently, I am fortunate to have a bird paradise like VTR near my home. So, I regularly visit different forest patches there to observe as many bird species as I can.
I also prefer focusing on consistently visiting the same habitat. By doing so, we can monitor bird presence over time and observe patterns such as regular residents, scarce species, or seasonal visitors. For example, in VTR, birds like Ashy-headed and Thick-billed Green Pigeons and the Great Hornbill tend to move towards forest patches with fig trees only during the fruiting season.
Right now, I am actively exploring the various habitats within VTR. But in the future, I would love to visit different states and explore their rich bird biodiversity as well.
8. How has your approach to birding changed over the years?
My approach to birding during my initial years was very simple — I would just watch and listen to birds in a particular area and note their presence. Later, after buying a camera, I started photographing any bird I came across during my birding trips.
However, nowadays, my approach is much more focused on habitat-based birding. I usually target a particular species or a handful of species that I suspect might be present in the area, and I specifically visit those habitats to search extensively for them.
This method has benefited me greatly and taught me a lot about how birds are associated with particular habitats, especially across different forest and grassland types.
9. Have you set any birding goals for the coming months?
My birding goals for the coming months are to search for the Ruddy Kingfisher in Valmiki Tiger Reserve and to observe rare grassland birds around the Gandak River in West Champaran, Bihar.
Header Image: Bearded Vulture Gypaetus barbatus © Gurmet Stanba / Macaulay Library
