Birder Profile–Joel Mathew

Birder Profile is a monthly series from Bird Count India, where we connect with bird enthusiasts from across the country.

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

My name is Joel J Mathew, I’m from Kozhencherry, Pathanamthitta, Kerala. Currently, I’m pursuing my Integrated Masters degree at the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar. For my Master’s thesis, I am studying about camouflage in ground-nesting birds.

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

My interest in nature was inculcated in me by my family. They encouraged me to spend time in nature and explore its wonders. We still visit a lot of biodiversity-rich areas and spend time together exploring and understanding natural history. Living up in a biodiverse village with lots of trees and wetland areas definitely helped me develop my interest and spark my curiosity. Spending time in nature helped me to use my time in a wise and productive way. I developed a specific interest in birding after joining the Pathanamthitta Birders, a birding club in my district. It is a group of passionate birders from a variety of professions. They conduct regular bird walks and photo exhibitions, collaborate with other groups for bird surveys, and apply innovative methods like sculpture, model building, and other art forms to educate and create awareness in schoolchildren and the general public. Their guidance, discussions, and commitment to society and wildlife have helped me become the birder I am.

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

My favourite birds are the ones that I narrowly miss seeing during birding, they keep convincing me that there are a lot of wonders that are yet to be explored and keep me motivated for birding.

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

Yes, in Odisha I have been birding with Mr. Ajay Sarvagnam, a birding veteran who is very skilled in identifying birds based on their sounds, and Mr. Indrajit Poirah, a PhD student in NISER, who, even though he has a busy work schedule, has accompanied and taken me to various places in Odisha for birding. Birding alone allows one to go at one’s own pace and more stealthily to see birds, but going in a group has also its own benefits, like more eyes and ears to look out for birds or danger and complementing each other’s skill.

5. What is your most memorable birding experience?

My most memorable birding experience was seeing a street dog sleeping near a Yellow-wattled Lapwing nest. One of the parent lapwings had been found dead near the nest, but the dogs were completely unaware of its presence. Eventually, the nest was abandoned, or perhaps the remaining parent was also killed, and the eggs failed to hatch. This incident is a reminder of how nature is negatively impacted by human actions.

A stray dog sleeping next to a clutch of eggs that belong to Yellow-wattled Lapwings. Photo by Joel Mathew

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

I would like to visit the Himalayan region for birding and hope to see beautiful Himalayan Monals and other unique flora and fauna there.

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 prefer birding across different landscapes as it gives me the opportunity to interact with more people, see different landscapes and have more diverse experiences. But we shouldn’t neglect long-term monitoring or regular birding in the same area because sometimes we will get the most wonderful sightings from the most overlooked places.

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

Initially, I started birding out of curiosity to find the number of species near my neighbourhood and take their pictures. Over the years, I have learned that sharing our observations with others is just as important as documenting them to inspire and educate people about the value of these amazing animals. Keeping the general public involved and being transparent about our work is necessary to promote the peaceful coexistence between humans and wildlife. The existence of citizen science platforms like eBird, iNaturalist, India Biodiversity Portal etc., to share our observations is a boon for us to make good use of our efforts.

Adarsh Ajay, member of Pathanamthitta Birders, explaining sky Island birds to kids at Neelakurinji summer camp participants. Photo by Alen Alex P

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

Nothing major. I’ve recorded close to 300 bird species in India and I wish to cross 350 in the coming months.

Header Image: Indian Thick-knee (Indian Stone-curlew) Burhinus indicus © Vyom Vyas / Macaulay Library